favorite type of sword

[Snowman]

cool Giga.....weve got around forty odd swords around teh house and garage, only one fo them isnt useable since it doesnt have a tang....and thats the katana...thats not counting the spears, axes, flails etc

Seph...the sword you dont know sounds like a gladius, but without seeing i carnt be sure

I agree Inuyasha..you did right not to put B sword. it's a stupid name and is nonsense anyway. a sword is a sword. a hand and a half was delibertly the way it was to serve differnt functions, exactly like a single hander and a two hander, the reason people call it that nasty name is stupid and irrelevant. it would be like calling a sandwich toaster that onely does ONE toasted sandwhich the same thing.

while i agree about the banana sword.....reality IS a funny thing. after all. you can make a REAL buster sword, out of steel, sharpend. because of it's sheer design you couldnt weild it properly in combat and you would have a death wish if you did (easily defeated i mean), BUT....you could still put it on your mantle peice and admire it.....so it could still be a real sword.
what counts as real....if real is the ability to fight with it, then MOST oriental swords you can buy today arent real. (i think you mean real as in - used in history), but do you see my point

[Inuyasha23]

my definetion of sword.....a long thin piece of metal, iron, steel(so on and so forth) sharpened and set to a handle to be used in battle.

i know swords are look at as peices of art and are used in serimonies but the origanal role they played was as weapon

[Snowman]

that definition also fits knifes, daggers, spears etc....even gardening instraments lol (im not having a go, just teasing ya)
that said..theres a common mistake where people call daggers swords, most often you find this in manga, but it's amazing how many pratts you come across who say the same

many cultures mostly only used swords as gifts and artwork.

this may stir people up.......unlike a gun, or an axe, a sword is actually a weapon of defence
(if people agree then fine...if anyone doesnt...dont jump down my throat to quickly, im an experianced tried and tested sword master and have been fighting for real longer than many posters on Eyes on FF have been alive....so if people want to know why i say that they have only to ask)

[Giga Guess]

No, I understand completely. You can't block a damn thing with a gun, and an axe is only a little better because for the most part, the handle is wooden, and can't stand up to a lot of abuse. A sword, especially with a good hilt, can be used effectively in a defensive manner.

[Snowman]

never.ever, use your hilt except your quillions. theres alot of nonsens about punching, holding your blade, useing a sword like a hammer, it's a sure fire way to die quickly. what i refferd to is the fact your sword only does any damage if your trying to. otherwise you can fight a full battle and defeat your opponant without drawing blood or breaking anything.

[Giga Guess]

Fair enough. Did I mention that I *haven't* done any sword fighting. And I only meant that the sword sliding down would be held (If briefly) by the guard, rather than removing fingers.

[Snowman]

sorry Giga..i didnt mean to come across strong. i meant to emphasise my point because it's dangerous to start having any violence near your hands. ive known alot of people who have done crazy things that thye thought were cool or sensible and they loose fingers, ears etc. it's a reason we insist on no stabbing in the back. we do teach you how to stab in the back properly..but not so you can...so you know how to safely handle a situation if you see what i mean.

in the UK it's popular to now research old sword fighting manuels that have survived history (manuels written by pimps and brotherl owners not to mention gamblers etc). but anyone thats been fighting for real..for a while can see how stupid and dangerous these manuels are. however, theres many others who seek fame and infamy who belive these manuels are everything....the same people also belive in hurting their friends when sparring and fighting with them. as a rule of thumb i say "we all want to play, and most of us have to go to work the next morning, so lets play safe and proffestional."

when your parrying and blocking, most of the oncoming attacks should be cought around teh middle of the blade, on the flat if possible. a block stops a blow solidly, a parry carries teh blow on and away. if your fighting well, your quillions will actually not be touched much.

[Giga Guess]

Oh, I understand completely. I own 3 katanas, and the only thing I cut, and ever plan on cutting is air. And I'd never dream of doing half the things I see in movies.Hilt punches, spinny cuts, I just watch and think that mid-spin, he'd've been cut in half in real life.


And I didn't mean to sound snippy. More sheepish.

And it's called the quillion, eh? Cool! Learn something new every day.

[Snowman]

well even if your katana doesnt have a Tang, you can still cut with it. i admit i have a lovely red and black katana and i use it for practise on my own as well as sliceing apples. mine which doesnt have a tang..i just flip an apple up in the air and do any muber of blows....slicing it in twos or threes. IF you had to, you can still kill or wound people since the blade will slice through them like butter...they just wont stand up to actual fighting against other swords.

the thing is, weather useing wooden swords which are dangerous weapons in their own right.....or metal ones, you know a good fighter because they are in total control of their weapon. they can do all their blows at full speed and land them on their opponant and it doesnt hurt because they know how to "pull" the blow. thats a measure....no matter what someone says, not matter how they boast or inform.....if they dont know how to pull their blows or fight for real without causeing damage.....they arent a real sword fighter

dont trust my spelling lol, but yes. above the grip, on western swords like broadswords it's a quillion. the japanese have another name, but theres is useually disc shaped as well. other swords dont have one at all. most of the time mine never get touched, but theres always those moments, when youre tired or you missed a moment and that quillion stops your hand getting hurt.

[Giga Guess]

Cool! And I agree. I mean I heard on the set of the last samurai, Tom Cruise almost met an unsightly end, as his robotic mount zigged when it should've zagged.His co-star (Whom I'm ashamed to say, I can't remember his name for the life of me) was able to pull his blow in a nick of time. That had me just awestruck.

[Snowman]

well, i always considerd it normal to know how to pull your blows and still land them. it's what ive always known since i won battles as a little kid...it's what we always teach people how to fight. then i had a small break from it for a little while....and all these new people popped up out of the woodwork and none of them had a clue. they were all starting to try and set up british federations of this and that to do with sword fighting...but they were crazy, dangerous nutters. and they preached that they were the best and only resource around.

[Giga Guess]

Y'see, that's why I try to avoid claims like that. People then expect the infamous "put up, or shut up."

[Snowman]

thats why i enjoy a simple saying - the proof is in the pudding. everything i teach and say...i can do and have exeperianced. thing is it's normal for me...and people who it isnt normal too get funny ideas in their heads. ive had loads of ...well basically arguments online because you carnt take someone outside and prove a valuable point. some people have critisied me elsewhere because i tell it straight and they hide whatever background they have....claiming i have a big ego, but if a great builder talks about his work, would he have gotten the work in the first place if he put himself down or remained shy?. be honest with yourself....because no one else will (except loved ones)

[Giga Guess]

Exactly. Actually, I've grown in just a few posts a great deal of respect for you.

[Snowman]

thanxx, thats very nice and it means alot.

it's my and my familys philisophy in combat that you should be fighting because you enjoy it, not because you want to hurt people. time and again ive fought and watched people fight who only want to hurt, cause pain, cheat, stab in the back etc...and they are always teh worst fighters. ive seen studants who think that fear and hurting is funny .....and then in a weeks time no one wants to fight them, not because they are scared....because it isnt fun, and those nasty buggers are left on their own.
Enjoy your opponant, enjoy the fight and try to keep it going for as long as you can, enjoy awakening your body, your reflexes, and the parts of yourself that everyday life doesnt require. ive been enjoying it so much i dont even use my eyes anymore, i fly on pure insticts, seeing from every pore of my body and aura. people who dont fight think im talking nonsense, but they havent opend themselves to it, it's a dance.
enjoy it...play