Kosho Karate Pantano, Tucson, AZ-- Choosing Sai

Getting the Right Size

Other Weapons Info

Shape

Weight

> Getting the Right Size
> Shape
> Finish
> Weight
> High-end Sai

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High-end Sai

Finish

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* What weapons we practice
* Choosing a bo
* Choosing tonfa
* Choosing sai
* Making a bo case

* Crane Mountain--custom weapons
* Howard's Feed and Wax-- the
best thing out there for waxing bos
and other barewood weapons.

* Superfoot's
* Asian World of Martial Arts

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The length of a sai is based on the length of your
forearm. When you hang the sai from the V of your
thumb (by one of the prongs), it should extend about a
half and inch to an inch beyond your elbow. If you're
able to try a pair of sai at a martial arts supply store,
that's how you tell if they fit. If you really want to try
before you buy, honbu might have a very limited
selection of sai for sale. Call them, explain that you're a
Kosho Pantano student, and ask them what they have.
There are four consideration when choosing a pair of
sai: size, shape, finish, and weight.
Size
If you want to order online, you need to measure the
length of your forearm, "A" in the picture below.

We use the two-pronged sai pictured above. Whether you choose a round or an octagon blade is up
to you. The round sai I've handled have been heavier than the octagon of the same length, but I
don't know if that's always true. Some people say they round sai don't sting as much if you retract
them wrong, but I've never noticed a difference. Again, we're doing kata, and for that purpose
round or octagonal is mostly a matter of personal preference.

A plus 1" is the size of your sai.

In other words, J is the "size" of your sai.��
A + 1" = J.��
B + 1" = K.
If you can't get sai that are exactly A + 1",
try to avoid going shorter than A. But if your
only choice is >A + 2", go ahead and go
shorter than A. (Children, especially should
avoid going too longer than A+1" or 2", as
length means weight, and heavy sai get a bit
much for them to handle.) A general principle
for people of average or better strength is
that if a sai is a little too short it's actually
harder to handle than one that's a little too
long. I don't know why that it, but I've found
it true and so have a few other people I've
talked to.

Shureido makes a beautiful stainless steel sai, which usually costs roughly $125-$150. The balance
is better. The finish is better. There is also something called the Energy Sai of Agena, which is a
handmade sai. It's perfectly balanced and quite beautiful. It's also well over $300. But while a good
pair of custom tonfa is almost a necessity if you're going to do a lot of tonfa work, a good pair of
sai is a luxury, even if they become your favorite weapon. Off-the-rack should hold you for many
years.

One other consideration: you might want a case for your sai. They tend to poke their way through
gym bags.

If you have some reason to want a lighter sai, go with aluminum. Young teens who need an
adult-sized sai but don't have adult musculature yet may want aluminum. People with arthritis
or other hand or wrist problems might want aluminum. But regular sai have the advantage of
building hand and wrist strength. By the way, aluminum sai come in various colors, and the
finish holds up at least as well as chrome, probably better.

In basic tonfa, the choice is generally chrome or black. Chrome looks nicer when it's new,
and it holds up pretty well if you aren't doing a lot of weapon-on-weapons practice. (We
won't be doing much, but we will do some.) It's also flashier for tournaments. It is, however,
slipperier than other finishes, and we do sometimes grip the sai by the blade. Black, on the
other hand, looks better longer, it's a more durable finish, and a better grip by the blade.
Either is OK for our purposes. As for the grip, all the over-the-counter ones unravel after a
while. There are several options for redoing them when the time comes.