There are a number of weapons typically used for duels, the most common being the bat'leth. When the parties are ready, a third party, sort of a referee, says moq, the signal to begin. The verb moq literally means "beat" and it is a clipped form of, perhaps, vImoq ("I beat it") or even vImoqpu' ("I have beaten it"). In times past, one would hit something (such as a drum) with a stick to indicate the start of the duel; today, one simply says the word "beat."

To strike the instrument with a stick is to moq ("beat") the instrument.