If you have Aikido weapons now is a good time to give them a little TLC. I did mine today. Don’t they look lovely?

Give them a check over for splinters and cracks. Lightly sand out any rough spots, sanding in the direction of the grain of the wood. Then give them a light coat of oil. You can use mineral oil if you have some but I often use olive oil from the kitchen. Today I used a beeswax and mineral oil paste that I picked up a few years ago. Oiling helps the wood to stay moist which will reduce splintering. Apply a thin coat and leave it for a few minutes, then wipe off any excess and give it a rub so that it’s nice and shiny. Click Aikido Weapons Maintenance for more information about this.

When you’re done and the weapons are nice and dry, try some solo weapons techniques! I ran through Jo Solo #1, Happo Giri – basic and advanced, and the kaze arashi ryu tanto solo. If you can’t find a place to practice outside, try doing tanto techniques inside. A short piece of dowel can also stand in for a bokken or a jo for inside practice. There are a few videos for weapons techniques on our website at Weapons Syllabus and Videos and many more on the internet!