Old photo of Shimpo Matoyshi throwing sai into a tree.
When Charles Murray was training at Agena back in 1972 he once visited a Goju Dojo. Prior to that class he obseerved the students taking turns throwing a sai onto a standing tree, attempting to stick the sai every time.
This goes back to something Sherman Harrill once told me, where
originally the sai throw was toward the oppnents torst in Kusanku Sai, but it
was changed into the ground for group safety.
If you did throw the sai it would eventually
ruin the point of the sai.
There might have been sai
for training, and other sai for use. Just a thought.
I think the idea is to throw into
someone's foot. I have interpreted that as a safe target as it is difficult for
an opponent to catch and if it hits the foot, you have a better chance of
getting away (karate ni sente nashi). Throwing to the head or body is viable,
but might incur more risk if your opponent catches or deflects the sai. The
thought of having a third sai is nice, but since they typically come in pairs,
I question whether this is a likely scenario. If you only have two, throwing
one at an opponent who could catch it would take your advantage to a
disadvantage, right? I guess this is all speculation, but if I was going to
throw one of my Sai, it would be to escape a superiorly armed opponent. The
foot seems like a better target to me. Just me thinking outloud.
What was told to me the
throw was originally into the body to stop them, In reality it would be risky
throwing at the foot, a very small target, where the torso is much larger. But just repeating what I was told, the days are
long gone when anyone will throw a sai for defense, IMO> Also sai catching
is a risky business right up there with catching arrows with your teeth, it
seems to me.
The foot is a very difficult target to
hit. You'd have to be nearly precognitive to know where an opponent's foot
would be by the time the sai got there. And if you miss you just put the sai
right at their feet for an easy pickup and go. Throwing it at the torso if
missed at least the sai would land a few feet away. Sai aren't very easy to
catch mid air. Deflecting is far more probable, and that is a pretty dangerous
thing to try to do. It makes sense that the feet was used in kata practice for
safety. Wrapping the index finger around the prong was done to protect the wood
floors of the dojo so Okinawans clearly had a willingness to make unpractical
modifications to technique to make practice easier. Also the throwing technique
wouldn't need to be changed much to hit the torso which in my opinion is a far
more practical target.
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