Hey guys,
I made this topic because it is a necessity.
Plenty of young folk want a sword as a prep, primarily katanas.
Being fairly young myself, I know the allure of a sword when you can't have firearms is great.
This place is NOT just for katanas, although I suspect these will be the favorite topic.
This place is NOT to talk people into other types of weapons for self defense.
This place IS for exchanging Tips, Knowledge, Ideas, guidance and sharing your bad-### sword pictures.
_______________________________________
Before you buy a sword.
Consider what you want it for. Most likely you want it as a prep. To walk around with it when SHTF and slash up those zombies. For this you need to look for a sword which is easy to maintain. It needs to be able to get wet and not rust, be easy to clean when it gets dirty, and be light enough to carry yet lethal in YOUR hands.
Consider your own fighting style. Where do you want the balance to be?
A sword with forward balance will feel heavy like a big hammer. It will be slower to draw, slower to wield but give you a lot more damage. A sword with the balance near its hilt, will be faster to draw, easy and fast to wield but it will do less damage against an armored opponent.
Size of the sword also place a huge factor. If you get for example a large two handed claymore the weight will slow you down in your travels too. whilst a short sword would do less so. The benefit of size, is of course reach and most often, power. where as shorter swords are lighter, faster but less powerful.
Make sure the sword you buy is combat proof. The blade should run all the way down into the hilt.
An example of a bad sword: Katanas made for display. They often don't have their blade all the way into the hilt. when you draw the sword and make slight movements with your arms. for example shake them a little. a bad sword will feel fragile, rattle or snap right off then and there. MAKE SURE THE BLADE EXTENDS INTO THE HILT.
Ask and/or research how you take care of your sword, how to sharpen it should it run dull and how to clean it when it gets dirty.
____________________________________________________________________
When you bought your sword.
Buy a good holster for it. Just tucking it between your belt and pants will suck when you take a walk.
There is a large range of holsters down at ravenswoodleather.com which are simple enough to understand, decently priced and relatively simple to repair. Do compare to other places and their assortment, for there may be holsters that better suit your needs.
You also should learn how to use it. Whilst there are of course Training DVD's for every style, learning through sparring and competition is still the most effective.
Where to go to learn to use your sword? Google what the original fighting style is called for your sword.
Then google to see if there is a school for this style in your area.
"I bought a katana and there's too many styles out there to choose from. which do I choose?"
I chose to learn kendo. Kendo is a style created to intimidate and fight armored opponents. You'll yell and strike simultaneously in order to attempt to overwhelm the senses of a lesser opponent. It also focuses on defense and its attacks are mostly aimed at getting 1 good strike in that would win the fight.
Is kendo the best for katanas? No, all styles have things in which they excel and none is truly supreme. If you want to be the best swordman around, Learn all the styles applicable to your katana. That includes: Iaido , Kenjutsu, Kendo, Haidong Gumdo and even aikido. (aikido is a hand combat style which teaches you to use an opponents force against him/herself, this principle can easily be used in your sword fighting and will make you hold out longer when sparring.)
If anyone has anything to share, be it pictures of their sword, tips, knowledge or experience.
Please feel free to share it.
My katana, manufactured by Toledo. It's Balance lies about 1 and a half hand above the tsuba. The blade is combat ready, but not SHTF proof.
It's hilt which is covered and bound with cloth would become a hassle if dirty and in need of cleaning.
I made this topic because it is a necessity.
Plenty of young folk want a sword as a prep, primarily katanas.
Being fairly young myself, I know the allure of a sword when you can't have firearms is great.
So before they go off and buy a sword that breaks because it was not made for use, or that wastes away because it's owner does not know how to use or take care of a sword.
I believe that sharing our knowledge on these things here will help make a difference and save a lot of people some bucks.
I believe that sharing our knowledge on these things here will help make a difference and save a lot of people some bucks.
This place is NOT just for katanas, although I suspect these will be the favorite topic.
This place is NOT to talk people into other types of weapons for self defense.
This place IS for exchanging Tips, Knowledge, Ideas, guidance and sharing your bad-### sword pictures.
_______________________________________
A sword is build purely to KILL. To use a sword in self defense is your commitment to butcher your enemy. There are no other uses for it, in theory you could chop down a tree but it will only serve to dull your blade.
_____________________________________________________________________
Before you buy a sword.
Consider what you want it for. Most likely you want it as a prep. To walk around with it when SHTF and slash up those zombies. For this you need to look for a sword which is easy to maintain. It needs to be able to get wet and not rust, be easy to clean when it gets dirty, and be light enough to carry yet lethal in YOUR hands.
Consider your own fighting style. Where do you want the balance to be?
A sword with forward balance will feel heavy like a big hammer. It will be slower to draw, slower to wield but give you a lot more damage. A sword with the balance near its hilt, will be faster to draw, easy and fast to wield but it will do less damage against an armored opponent.
Size of the sword also place a huge factor. If you get for example a large two handed claymore the weight will slow you down in your travels too. whilst a short sword would do less so. The benefit of size, is of course reach and most often, power. where as shorter swords are lighter, faster but less powerful.
Make sure the sword you buy is combat proof. The blade should run all the way down into the hilt.
An example of a bad sword: Katanas made for display. They often don't have their blade all the way into the hilt. when you draw the sword and make slight movements with your arms. for example shake them a little. a bad sword will feel fragile, rattle or snap right off then and there. MAKE SURE THE BLADE EXTENDS INTO THE HILT.
Ask and/or research how you take care of your sword, how to sharpen it should it run dull and how to clean it when it gets dirty.
____________________________________________________________________
When you bought your sword.
Buy a good holster for it. Just tucking it between your belt and pants will suck when you take a walk.
There is a large range of holsters down at ravenswoodleather.com which are simple enough to understand, decently priced and relatively simple to repair. Do compare to other places and their assortment, for there may be holsters that better suit your needs.
You also should learn how to use it. Whilst there are of course Training DVD's for every style, learning through sparring and competition is still the most effective.
Where to go to learn to use your sword? Google what the original fighting style is called for your sword.
Then google to see if there is a school for this style in your area.
"I bought a katana and there's too many styles out there to choose from. which do I choose?"
I chose to learn kendo. Kendo is a style created to intimidate and fight armored opponents. You'll yell and strike simultaneously in order to attempt to overwhelm the senses of a lesser opponent. It also focuses on defense and its attacks are mostly aimed at getting 1 good strike in that would win the fight.
Is kendo the best for katanas? No, all styles have things in which they excel and none is truly supreme. If you want to be the best swordman around, Learn all the styles applicable to your katana. That includes: Iaido , Kenjutsu, Kendo, Haidong Gumdo and even aikido. (aikido is a hand combat style which teaches you to use an opponents force against him/herself, this principle can easily be used in your sword fighting and will make you hold out longer when sparring.)
If anyone has anything to share, be it pictures of their sword, tips, knowledge or experience.
Please feel free to share it.
My katana, manufactured by Toledo. It's Balance lies about 1 and a half hand above the tsuba. The blade is combat ready, but not SHTF proof.
It's hilt which is covered and bound with cloth would become a hassle if dirty and in need of cleaning.
Last edited: