These comprehensive seminars are as real as it gets, and allow Arakan members the opportunity to train against real weapons. This is how one Arakan instructor describes the Advanced Weapons Seminars.
I always look forward to the weapon seminars throughout the year especially the swords, daggers and walking sticks. It never ceases to amaze me how deep this art is. These seminars really give just a snapshot of the scope of Arakan - it's insanely technical without a weapon in hand let alone trying to use one! It was always a long term goal of mine to get to witness some of these techniques, but now it's about the experience. The whole room has an entirely different energy to any other class when Rob is demonstrating with a really sharp dagger, using the utmost mastery and precision as he stops the blade literally millimetres from main arteries with so much speed and confidence. You can feel everyone’s heart in the room skip a beat.
It doesn't matter what weapon is in hand, the level of focus and concentration needed to wield the weapon without injuring your training partner brings a whole other level of discipline and control. This is why it's still such a privilege to get invited to this seminar - everyone has to be graded and most people in the room have been training well over 5 years. Anyone lucky enough to attend would agree how fortunate we are to get a glimpse of such high level Arakan techniques, which we might never get to be truly taught in our private lessons. This is definitely an experience I hope everyone who trains can have. For me these seminars fill my childhood dream of wielding a sword and leave me with the most amazing memories.
Tom Wilson Instructor
Most people see martial arts as something you “do.” You join a class, you train for a few months, maybe a few years, and eventually, life gets in the way. For many, it becomes just another phase - like going to the gym for a while, picking up a sport, or trying out a hobby.
But true martial arts isn’t a phase. It’s not something you pick up and drop. It’s a path. A lifelong journey of growth, discipline, and discovery. And once you step onto that path, you realize there is no finish line.