Tambo (weapon)
Encyclopedia
The tambo, in Japanese (短棒),(also tanbo or tanjō ) is a short staff weapon used in Okinawa and feudal Japan
. Today the tambo is used by various martial arts
schools.
. Short staffs smaller than 1 meter can be called tambo. There is no official length for a tambo as different ryu
(martial arts schools) use tambo of various lengths. Tambo can be individually sized using variations of the "hand to elbow" method.
including: jujutsu
, aikido
, kobudo
, hapkido
, yoseikan budo
, Cuong Nhu
.
Tambo are swung using the elbow and shoulder, or manipulated with the wrist. Many of the motions are similar to sword strokes. The tambo can be deadly in skilled hands. The main use is to attack the outer edges of the human bones with speed and accuracy. Applying this concept, virtually every part of the target can be hit with this weapon.
In order to use this weapon effectively, the opponent may be imagined as a 2-dimensional object standing in front of you, and your objective is to strike various targets (i.e. the top and back of the head, collarbone, hands, elbows, ribs, hip,, kneecaps, and calves). Of course, soft tissues can be targeted, you can then aim at the abdomen, throat, eyes, thighs and groin.
The tambo can also be used for thrusting, checks or deflections, pummeling the enemy (with the ends), blocking strikes (while holding both ends), joint locks, chokes and parrying various sorts of attacks. Speed, distance, accuracy, timing and control are the key components in the successful use of this weapon.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Today the tambo is used by various martial arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
schools.
Description
The tambo is short hardwood staff that is used in the same way as the approximately 1 meter long hanboHanbo
The hanbō is a staff used in martial arts. Traditionally, the hanbō was approximately three shaku or about long, half the length of the usual staff, the rokushakubō . Diameter was...
. Short staffs smaller than 1 meter can be called tambo. There is no official length for a tambo as different ryu
Ryu (school)
A Ryū , or ryūha , is a Japanese word referring to a school of thought in any discipline...
(martial arts schools) use tambo of various lengths. Tambo can be individually sized using variations of the "hand to elbow" method.
Usage
The tambo is used in several martial artsMartial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
including: jujutsu
Jujutsu
Jujutsu , also known as jujitsu, ju-jitsu, or Japanese jiu-jitsu, is a Japanese martial art and a method of close combat for defeating an armed and armored opponent in which one uses no weapon, or only a short weapon....
, aikido
Aikido
is a Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba as a synthesis of his martial studies, philosophy, and religious beliefs. Aikido is often translated as "the Way of unifying life energy" or as "the Way of harmonious spirit." Ueshiba's goal was to create an art that practitioners could use to...
, kobudo
Okinawan kobudo
Okinawan kobudō is a Japanese term that can be translated as "old martial way of Okinawa"...
, hapkido
Hapkido
Hapkido is a dynamic and also eclectic Korean martial art. It is a form of self-defense that employs joint locks, techniques of other martial arts, as well as kicks, punches, and other striking attacks...
, yoseikan budo
Yoseikan Budo
Yoseikan Budo may be classified as a sogo budo form , but is used here to indicate a martial art into which various martial ways have been integrated...
, Cuong Nhu
Cuong Nhu
Cuong Nhu Oriental martial arts was originally developed by Dr. Ngo Dong in 1965 in Hue, Vietnam. The Cuong Nhu Oriental Martial Arts Association is a federally recognized non-profit educational organization. Cuong Nhu is a martial art that blends elements of Shotokan, Wing Chun, Judo, Aikido,...
.
Tambo are swung using the elbow and shoulder, or manipulated with the wrist. Many of the motions are similar to sword strokes. The tambo can be deadly in skilled hands. The main use is to attack the outer edges of the human bones with speed and accuracy. Applying this concept, virtually every part of the target can be hit with this weapon.
In order to use this weapon effectively, the opponent may be imagined as a 2-dimensional object standing in front of you, and your objective is to strike various targets (i.e. the top and back of the head, collarbone, hands, elbows, ribs, hip,, kneecaps, and calves). Of course, soft tissues can be targeted, you can then aim at the abdomen, throat, eyes, thighs and groin.
The tambo can also be used for thrusting, checks or deflections, pummeling the enemy (with the ends), blocking strikes (while holding both ends), joint locks, chokes and parrying various sorts of attacks. Speed, distance, accuracy, timing and control are the key components in the successful use of this weapon.
See also
- kobudoOkinawan kobudoOkinawan kobudō is a Japanese term that can be translated as "old martial way of Okinawa"...
- BoBo (weapon)A bō or kon , is a long staff weapon used in Okinawa and feudal Japan. Bō are typically around long and are now used in Japanese martial arts, in particular bōjutsu...
- BudōBudois a Japanese term describing martial arts. In English, it is used almost exclusively in reference to Japanese martial arts.-Etymology:Budō is a compound of the root bu , meaning war or martial; and dō , meaning path or way. Specifically, dō is derived from the Buddhist Sanskrit mārga...
- Bujutsu
- HanboHanboThe hanbō is a staff used in martial arts. Traditionally, the hanbō was approximately three shaku or about long, half the length of the usual staff, the rokushakubō . Diameter was...
- JoJo (weapon)A is an approximately 1.276 m long wooden staff, used in some Japanese martial arts. The martial art of wielding the jō is called jōjutsu or jōdō. Also, aiki-jō is a set of techniques in aikido which uses the jō to illustrate aikido's principles with a weapon. The jō staff is shorter than the bō...
- QuarterstaffQuarterstaffA quarterstaff , also short staff or simply staff is a traditional European pole weapon and a technique of stick fighting, especially as in use in England during the Early Modern period....
- Tanjōjutsu
- YawaraYawaraThe yawara is a Japanese weapon used in various martial arts. It is also the specific weapon of Yawara-Jitsu....
- KubotanKubotanThe Kubotan self-defense keychain is a close-quarter self-defense weapon developed by Takayuki Kubota. It is essentially a derivation of the stick, usually 5.5 inches long and 0.56 inch in diameter, slightly thicker or the same size as a marker pen...