Chongdo’s Weaponry Modules

Most objects can be turned into a last-second useful weapon, if one understands how weapons can work. Chongdo offers a wide array of weapons training to teach students the principles of good weapon usage. These include ancient and traditional weapons, to mundane and modern weapons.

Weaponry Modules	Description
Knife Techniques	The knife remains one of mankind’s best personal weapons. The student learns four classes of knives, how to hold them, change grips, react to sudden attacks, speed draw, and disarm against live blades. Fixed blades and folders are covered, including the use of small knives. Fallacies, such as exotic disarms, twirling and knife dueling, are discounted; realistic techniques, such as countering ambushes and grappling, are explored.
Stick Techniques	The stick is a popular and primative weapon, but is often caught up in the mythology of many East Asian styles. Chongdo students learn to use sticks ranging from a few inches to more than three-feet in length, both balanced and non-balanced (such as clubs and bats). Students will learn to find the center of percussion in a variety of common objects, so that speed and power are maximized for a given type of stick.
Sword Techniques	The sword is perhaps one of the most misunderstood weapons of all, and misapplied in almost all cases. Students will learn sword techniques for a variety of different types: straight bladed and curved, long and short, Eastern and Western. Although swords are only rarely seen as real weapons today, their fascinating legacy makes this module among the most popular.
Staff Techniques	The staff is a premier makeshift weapon that ranges in lengths from four feet to seven feet. It is an ideal weapon for providing pinpoint striking accuracy from a safe distance, and is ideally worked from the end, not the middle. Because of the ease with which most staves can be disarmed, students will also learn the principles of weapon retention.
Spear Techniques	The spear is one of history’s most effective weapons, and was a staple of infantry fighting for thousands of years, and remained superior to most field weapons until the arrival of the firearm. Students will learn two different types of spears, as well as how to make a spear in the field.
Axe Techniques	Students will learn how to use a variety of axes: tomahawks, hatchets, hand axes, three-quarter axes, felling axes, double-bit axes, mauls, and adzes. Students will learn how to use the axe in close-quarter combat, and also learn the proper techniques for axemanship in bringing down trees, including safety, tree selection, notching, limbing, bucking, and splitting.
Chopping Weapons	Students can find chopping weapons nearly everywhere: cleavers, machetes, khukuris, falcattas, billhooks, and parangs name a few. Students will learn the proper techniques to swing (and sever with) a variety of weapons.
Flexible Weapons	Belts, ropes, chains, towels, cords, and other flexible weapons are easily improvised; however, most popular applications of these weapons fail under scrutiny. Students will learn to properly wield these weapons as true high-speed grappling and choking weapons.
Polearm Techniques	Polearms consist of weapons attached to poles. A variety of different types are commonly found in garages and storage sheds everywhere. Some basic polearm training provides the students with the different tactics of polearm use: hooking, slicing, stabbing, thrusting, etc. As a result, students can use nearly any common object, determine its attributes, and utilize it immediately as a weapon.
Sectioned Weapons	Linked weapons can consist of a simple stick and chain, or consist of multiple sticks connected by joints. Students learn how these traditional weapons can be most expediently used as grappling and trapping weapons.
Hammer Weapon Techniques	Hammer weapons, or weapons with a weight attached to any handle, make for powerful crushing weapons. Students learn how to control the swing and timing of such weapons, so that a sledge or a cudgel can become a useful emergency weapon...without causing just as much injury to the student.
Special Weapons	This module covers weapons that do not readily fall into other categories, including the cane, hook, shovel, hooked sword, and more. Techniques for each type of weapon vary considerably, as these are all used differently, if not uniquely.
Throwing Weapons	Numerous items can be thrown effectively at an opponent. Some are used to slow down the attacker, and others can be used to injure. Although knife throwing is covered, target-throwing methods are not utilized due to their high failure rate in stressful situations. Instead, variable range throwing is introduced, and students learn that rocks, saw blades, screwdrivers, and other common objects can be used without “arming” the opponent.
Archery	Students learn the use of the bow and arrow. Four types of bows are taught: the longbow, the recurve, the compound, and the crossbow. Unlike target archery, our tactical archery training covers hitting moving targets, firing in the rain and snow, firing from under cover, and target selection. Students are taught how to string bows, determine draw length and weight, select appropriate arrows, compensate for aiming variations, and more.
Handgun Techniques	Students are introduced to pistols and revolvers. Students will understand operation, caliber, ammunition selection, loading, aiming, recovery, and modifications. Students will further understand how and where firearms should be used, with extensive safety training. Chongdo also covers weak-handed firing, firing from behind cover, low-light shooting, close-quarter shooting, and more. Disarmament is also covered, including extensive review of the most pervasive myths.
Long Gun Techniques	Students are introduced bolt-action rifles, semi-automatic rifles, and shotguns. Students will understand operation, caliber, ammunition selection, loading, aiming, recovery, and modifications. As with handguns, students will understand how and where firearms should be used, with extensive safety training. Chongdo also covers firing from behind cover, low-light shooting, close-quarter shooting, and more. Disarmament is again covered for most types of weapons. When duly permitted by law enforcement, students periodically may be able to participate in full-automatic weapons firing, including rifles and submachine gun drills; students will learn controlled burst firing, maintaining accuracy, and transitioning to backup weapons.