Happy Holidays!

It's been a very busy holiday season for us this year. Amidst all of the hard work this season brings, we are reminded of the meaning behind it all. It is the season of giving. With each bo staff, sword, or set of kamas and nunchakus that we make, we know we're giving our best product. And, we wouldn't have it any other way!

From us to you, we hope you have a wonderful holiday and Happy New Year!

Holiday Special

The holiday season is upon us!  A new karate weapon makes an excellent gift for martial artists both young and old. Whether it’s upgrading an older weapon or starting to train with a new one, we offer students the best options to fit their individual needs.

Most weapons can be customized in both color and size and can even include grip or their name.  If you aren’t sure about what size weapon or color to order for your martial artist, you can order a Cochran’s Ultimate Weapons gift certificate and they can custom decorate their own weapon. Gift Certificates come in any denomination!

Make sure that your holiday orders are placed early! The post office advises us that any order placed after December 10th will require Express Shipping to guarantee delivery by Christmas. Order now to avoid the higher shipping costs.

Caring For Your Martial Arts Weapons

Caring for your martial arts weapon properly can improve its longevity and help you get the most for your money. After all, a weapon is an investment. You will spend hours every week practicing (hopefully) so weapon maintenance is equally important. In the same ways you perform routine car care like oil changes and car washes, here are some ways you can care for your kamas, nunchakus, swords and bo-staffs.

• Cases: a protective case is always a great idea! Both soft cases and hard cases are available and prevent your weapon from getting scratched and dinged. A soft case is perfectly fine for everyday use; like transporting your weapon to and from your karate school. For tournament travel, we recommend a harder more durable case to prevent breaking and other damage. Soft cases are available on our website here.
• Storage: it may not seem like a big deal, but where you keep your weapon and how you store it can be important. Never leave your weapon in your car or outside. Extreme temperatures, both hot and cold, can affect the film covering your weapon as well as the wood itself. If you’re storing a bo-staff, it’s best to leave it standing straight up (vertically) as opposed to lying flat on the ground (horizontally). Wood expands and contracts and sometimes this can cause it to warp. Storing your bo-staff the right way can help prevent this.
• Cleaning: karate mats can get dirty, and sometimes so can your hands. Unfortunately, that can make your weapon dirty. To clean it, just lightly spray a dry cloth with a glass cleaner like Windex and use that wipe down your weapon and blade. Never spray the cleaner directly on the weapon or run your weapon under water. Too much moisture will hurt both the film and wood.

Properly storing and caring for your weapon is important. Follow these tips to ensure yours is always at its best. Don’t forget to leave a comment below if you have any other tips! 

Back To School

Come September, most children across the country have zipped up their backpacks and headed off for their first day back to school. While some dread the early mornings, tests and homework, school is about much more than that. It’s about learning and challenging yourself.

What a great time of year to try something new - maybe a new sport or new club after school. Or, why not shake things up a bit and challenge yourself by making your routine different. After all, “progress is impossible without change.”    

Now might be a great time to try out for the soccer team, or submit your design idea for the school yearbook. If karate is one of your after school activities, maybe try a new martial arts weapon. If you’re feeling nervous, that’s okay. Weapons take years and years of practice, but “a journey of 1,000 miles begins with the first step.” This goes for everything!

 

It's a new school year, a new grade, and that comes with new challenges. It may be hard at times, but with a good attitude and some hard work, you’ll master it in no time.

 

Happy Labor Day!

Labor Day is “a holiday celebrated on the first Monday in September. It is a celebration of the American labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of their country.”

We can’t think of a better time to reflect on the driving force behind Cochran’s Ultimate Weapons. That is, we love what we do. Whether we’re working in the wood shop cutting and shaping weapons, in the office taking and processing orders, or in the film room customizing weapons to meet your needs – we love it all. Each day we get to build something from scratch and make a product that you’ll use for years. We get to work with our hands and use our imaginations. We get to talk to great people, and make a child’s first set of nunchakus.

We think it’s so important to like what you do. When you combine passion and hard work, your product will always be better for it. So this past Labor Day, that’s what we celebrated, and we wanted to say thank you for letting us continue to love our jobs each and every day.

Why Karate?

My daughter started karate when she was 7 years old. Many people asked, why karate? Why not dance or gymnastics? My response... well, why not karate? There are so many reasons why children and adults can benefit from martial arts.

In the first year my daughter started classes I saw her confidence grow as well as her coordination and flexibility. I saw her grow into a leader and set goals for herself. Let me tell you, there is something so great about watching a 7 year old write down a list of goals. That alone, was enough to sell me.

Over the last 18 years, I’ve seen first-hand how much children can benefit from karate. It encourages children to set goals, and have the perseverance to never quit before they are achieved. It helps children focus and practice self-control. It teaches children the importance of being honest, having integrity, and what it means to be a leader. In addition, with each new belt they earn, kata they master, or karate weapon they practice, you can see their confidence growing too. These are skills I wanted my daughter to learn at a young age. Not to mention, the value I placed on knowing she could defend herself if she ever needed to.

As an adult, karate is helpful in the same ways. These skills can serve as useful reminders in our daily lives. Perseverance to keep working on that home improvement project or important presentation at work. Self-control to know when to hold our tongue.  Confidence in ourselves when we’re discouraged or feeling inadequate. In addition, karate keeps us active; it helps keep your memory sharp and your muscles flexible. Karate is beneficial in these ways and so many more.

So, whenever I’m asked, why karate? My response is always why not!

Clearance Sale

Starting this week Cochran's Ultimate Weapons is running a Summer Clearance Sale! We have 8 pairs of nunchakus and kamas on sale in a variety of designs and sizes. If you're interested in purchasing, please email us ASAP at stevec@ultimateweapons.org. Our Clearance Sale is on a first come, first serve basis.

 

11" Two Tone Chain Nunchakus, 3 links, Cool Red, Galaxy $65.00

 

 11" Black Dragon Kamas, Silver Tread, Galaxy, Cool Red, Ultra Cushion Black Grip $105.00

10" Chain Nunchakus, 3 links, Chrome, Cool Red $65.00

11" Speed Nunchakus, 2" strings, Cool Green, Galaxy and Diamond Plate $47.00

 

 11" Two Tone Chain Nunchakus, 3 links, Fluorescent Green, Mirror Gold $65.00

 

 12" Speed Nunchakus, 1 1/2" string, Diamond Plate, Cool Red, Black $51.00

 

 11" Speed Nunchakus, 1" string, Prism, Cool Blue, Black $47.00

 

 9 3/4" Chain Nunchakus, 3 links, Cool Blue, Black $65.00

School's Out For Summer!

School is out for the summer and karate camp is a great way to keep kids active both physically and mentally. Trying to plan a stimulating curriculum for hours of camp each day and each week might be tough, but introducing weapons is a really easy way to help break up the day and make camp fun! Plus, with more hours to practice these new skills, students will feel more comfortable using a new weapon.

Whether you choose to designate camps by weapon (bo staff, kamas, etc.) or skill level (beginner, advanced), your students will enjoy learning more about a variety of martial arts weapons. Teaching students the basics of each weapon, as well as a little about the origin and history of the weapon, may inspire them to take that next step further. Children always have the potential to succeed, but some never discover it. Introduce a new weapon to them and watch them grow!