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!
