It is said that the Bat Cham Dao (8 Slash Knives) or Butterfly Swords, originated in the Shaolin temple and were designed as a self defence weapon for the monasteries monks.
These knives are not exclusive to Wing Chun and can also be found in systems such as Hung Kuen, Choy Li Fut and White Crane. However, the forms and applications vary with each style. With Buddhist beliefs dictating the original use and structure of these weapons, the Butterfly knives were designed with a single edge that was sharpened only on the front 1/3 of the blade.
This design allowed the practitioner to deliver non-fatal strikes with surgical precision, to maim rather than kill the opponent. This also allowed the weapon to be used to parry and deflect other edged weapons and prevent the blades’ sharpened edges from getting caught together. With this style of edge, the weapon employs the same concepts and principles of wing chun’s emptyhand forms, such as not fighting force with force, simultaneous attack and defence and using the contact reflexes honed during chi sao practice to control and redirect the opponents oncoming attack.
The Red Boat period in southern China saw a rise in rebellious activities, and the Bat Cham Dao was a weapon that was easily secreted on a person and could beutilised quickly and efficiently.
With these rebellious activists, the maim rather than kill mentality likely disappeared, and individuals made knives to suit their own purposes, bringing about styles that favoured stabbing as well as slashing as well as full length sharpened edges.
The Bat Cham Dao are said to be extensions of the hands, and while I feel this is true, you can see how they could also lead a practitioner into trouble if they do not fully understand the principles and concepts of empty hand Wing Chun.
If you make a mistake with empty hands it can have serious consequences. Make that same mistake in a weapons altercation and the result could be fatal. All the training that has preceded to you picking up the swords for the first time should have perfected your hand techniques, footwork and timing.
It should also have strengthened your limbs, and more importantly, perfected your mind set. If you doubt yourself and don’t engage with a strong mind, you are setting yourself up for disaster.
Look at a person learning to walk a tightrope. If they slip and fall, they will die. So, do they start training 100ft in the air? No, they start a few inches off the ground and repeat the steps & sequences. They will encounter all types of variables (crosswinds etc) and will increase the height gradually to overcome their minds’ innate fear and self-preservation tendencies, until height is no longer an issue.
The fear is always there, but they have conditioned the mind to control that fear and stay calm under pressure. This is what keeps them alive.
We too, start a few inches off the ground by training first with empty hands. We then hone these skills while introducing multiple variables and we learn to control our fears and strengthen our mindset. When we can control this fear of being struck and keep a calm mind under extreme pressure, we can then raise the “height” by introducing the knives.
So which sword is right for you?
Buying generic blades can be fraught with danger and I strongly recommend you DO NOT get a live pair. It may seem cool to have a pair of sharp swords and brag to your mates about how you can disembowel someone or efficiently cut tendons, but the truth of the matter is, it’ll most likely be your own hands and arms that get cut.
Get a blunt training pair and see how much it hurts first. Then move on to a live pair, if you feel you can’t live without them.
When choosing your Bat Cham Dao, the blade length should be the equivalent of your forearm, measured from the knuckles of your clenched fist to the inside crook of your elbow. This will allow for free rotation on the inside gate and prevent you from slicing the aforementioned tendons and muscles.
Modern laws prevent us from carrying around large knives, and today’s legal system should keep us safe from bandits, right? Why do we even need to train weapons at all? Because training with the knives will quickly point out what part of your empty hand game you need to work on (most likely it’ll be your footwork!).
It will also provide a means to further build up the tendon and muscle strength that is inherent to good Wing Chun application and, like I said before, will give you a stronger mental game.
It will also allow you to apply these same concepts to short sticks, knives or other improvised weapons you may happen to get your hands on. With a large percentage of practitioners training weekly for a fight that will most likely never happen, it can be said that the weapons forms are now primarily ceremonial in nature, rather than practical.
However, they must be learned to preserve the art for future generations and to help you become a stronger more complete martial artist.
Wing Chun has undoubtedly become one of the most widely practiced styles of southern Chinese martial arts. And, as we know, this can be attributed to Master Yip Man having taught publicly in Hong Kong to students that spread this knowledge across the globe.
Wing Chun’s history would be very different I think, had he stayed in Fatshan and not moved to Hong Kong. But fate saw him flee Fatshan, and necessity forced him to teach publicly to survive.
We must be thankful that Wing Chun has been passed on to us, and not lost to the sands of time like so many other styles. Fate has also led you to pursue your interest in this beautiful art, just as it has led me along my Wing Chun journey so far.
It has given me the strength of mind and character to overcome many of life’s challenges and become a much better person.
I look forward to what I am yet to encounter on my life’s path, confident in the fact that Wing Chun will be there to guide me.
Practice well and practice often, be kind to yourself and to others, and uphold the martial spirit.
Weapon characteristics.
The butterfly knives are a weapon used primarily by martial artists of southern China. The blade length of the weapon is equal to the fist and the forearm, and a guard is fixed to its hilt to protect the hand. The special length of the blade is designed to allow for better maneuvering. For instance, if the blade is longer than the length of the fist and the arm, it could not be able to be rotated inside the arms. However, the shape of the butterfly knife and the way of its use differs in northern China.
With the northern Chinese butterfly knife, the footwork of the user in kicking is stressed; but the butterfly swords in southern China are used chiefly in close-quarter fighting because of their short length, with emphasis placed on precision and the coordination of both swords at the same time. One modern adept of hung gar style, Wong Fei Hung, was especially noted for his skill with this weapon.
Wing Chun eight slash butterfly knives are also called Wing Chun Baat Jaam Do. The name Baat Jaam Do was derived from the initial intention of the originator who designed the striking technique mainly aiming for the wrist, elbow, knee and ankle. The purpose was to main the opponent rather than to kill since the Wing Chun Baat Jaam Do was originated from the Shaolin temple and used by the monks and nuns of the temple in their travels.
They frequently carried sums of money donated by their worshipers. Often they would be met by bandits who intended to rob them. The monks were prepared for this, and they were equipped with butterfly swords hidden in the side of their boots. When they were confronted by the bandits, they would pull out the knives to defend themselves. Since their religion did not allow them to slaughter anyone, their initial target was to maim their opponents on the wrists, knees and ankles. In the Ching Dynasty (A.D. 1644-1911), China was ruled by the Manchu invaders. It was a time when 90 percent of the Chinese, the Hons, were ruled by the ten percent minority, the Manchus.
When all weapons were outlawed by the Manchu Government, the Manchus gained full control of China. They enforced many unjust laws on the Hons. For instance, all the female Hon infants were made to bind their feet so that when they grew up they would be restricted in their movement and they would have to be dependent upon their parents or their husband. They restricted the work opportunity of the Hons. The Hons were unable to hold office in the government higher than a certain level. They placed heavy tax burdens on the country so that they could have complete economic control of the Hon people. Kung Fu training was also banned for the Hon people.
However, the Manchu Government adopted the Hon culture. They respected the Shaolin Temple as a Buddhist sanctuary. The Hons began training a revolutionary army in the art of Kung Fu, using the Shaolin temple as the secret training place. In the traditional Shaolin system it would take 15 to 20 years to train a Kung fu master. The need to develop a new and more effective style of Kung Fu became critical when some of the existing Kung F masters surrendered to work for the Manchu Government.
Five of the Shaolin grandmasters planned to develop a new form, one which would have a shorter training time and would be more effective than all the other systems developed before. The five teachers met to discuss the merits of each of their particular systems of Kung Fu and chose the most efficient training method from each system. They developed the principle and the training program of Wing Chun that would take only five years to master. They called this system Wing Chun, its name meaning “hope for the future.” However, before this new system could be put into practice, the Shaolin temple was raided and burned by the Manchus. Ng Mui, a nun, was the only survivor of the original group of five. She passed her knowledge onto a young orphan girl whom she named Wing Chun.
Along with the development of the Wing Chun system, the butterfly sword (Baat Jaam Do), was chosen as the only weapon in the Wing Chun system because the length of the Baat Jaam Do made it easy to conceal. It could be used as a extension of the arms, and they were the most deadly and effective weapons of all. This was because the Baat Jaam Do system emphasized the training of coordinating the two knives, the training of the eyes, wrist and footwork. The principle was based on the fact that every defense was accompanied by a counter attack, and every attack was accompanied by a trapping, parrying or immobilizing move of the other sword. Plus, it was designed to use the ingenuity of the Wing Chun footwork to its fullest extent, making it the champion of all weapons.