08/06/2026
Some people say this exercise is useless.
“How could you possibly carry such a large weapon around for self-defense? Even if you could bring it with you, wouldn't it be ineffective in confined spaces against shorter weapons?”
The same question can be asked about people who practice swords, sabers, and other traditional weapons. Can you really carry a sword with you everywhere?
During one of my evening walks in Qinhuangdao, China, I was carrying my son's toy crossbow. A local citizen warned me that the police might stop me if I continued carrying it in public. Later, I even discovered that I could not bring it through the train station security checkpoint. Although everyone knew it was just a toy, it was still classified as a potentially dangerous weapon.
So let's return to the topic of the big pole.
If it is not practical for modern self-defense, why do we still practice it?
In many Internal Chinese Martial Arts systems, "big pole shaking" is a common training method. Its primary purpose is to develop whole-body power and explosive force. While many people today use the term fajin (發勁), most masters I met in China simply called it fali (發力), meaning "issuing power."
Many martial arts that originated during wartime periods—such as Xingyiquan and Bajiquan—incorporated principles from spear training into their empty-hand combat systems. The spear was often considered the "king of weapons," and its mechanics greatly influenced the way practitioners generate power, coordinate the body, and apply force.
Big pole training helps practitioners understand these principles more clearly. Many students gain a deeper understanding of their art once they begin weapon training. When you can feel the weight, control the movement, and generate power through the actual weapon from which the system's principles were derived, many things suddenly make sense.
You begin to understand why certain postures are performed in a particular way, why the body aligns as it does, and how power is transmitted through the entire structure.
