Spear
The spear is called the king of all weapons.
It is one of the major long-shaft Wushu weapons. There are different types of spear, such as carefullydesigned and delicately-made “flowery spear,” thick and bold spear, zigzag spear with a sharp point and blade, double-head spear with blades on both sides. The spear was the major military weapon in ancient times and compact technique was developed.
The main characteristics of spear play are flexibility in body movements, lightness and agility in footwork, quickness and steadiness in tums and somersaults. The movements are clear and the tricks are practical. Spear play is likened to the “flying dragon.” Spear play is very difficult, but it has a great effect on strengthening the physique (Fig. 3).
The basic techniques of spear play include pricking, thrusting, circling, blocking, pointing, poking, holding and wringing. When you practise, you are advised to hold the spear firmly and flexibly, advance and retreat freely and smoothly, pricking the opponent quickly and directly, with the force on the point of the spear. This is one of the important basic skills in spear play. When you hold the spear, it must be close to your waist for support so that you can exert your force easily. In all routines of spear play, the point of the spear moves in a circle, which is regarded as the fundamental of all styles of spear play and requires hard practice.
The main routines include Bagua (eight-diagram), Liuhe (six-combination), Double-Head, Yueya (crescent), Meihua (plum blossom), Shewei (snake-tail), Yangfamily, Siping and Big Spear play as well.