I know there’s a lot of unarmed martial arts Dopers on these boards, but how many of you guys practice melée weapon fighting? What are your favorite weapons and why?
Personally, my top three weapons are as follows:
- Quaterstaff–it’s fun, flashy, what most people think off when you say “armed martial arts”, and the first weapon I learned. Quaterstaves are also more practical than most weapons, since you can use the same technique with any long stick. Broomsticks aren’t as nice as a well-weighted quaterstaff, but when they hit someone on the head, they still hurt!
It’s also a good weapon for self-defense in the real world, since it keeps you out of knife range and is unlikely to kill someone.
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Kali sticks have got to be my second choice. Like the quaterstaff, they’re fun and flashy. But what I really like about them is how adaptable Kali stick forms are. I’ve tried Kali stick moves with everything from iron pipes, regular hammers and machetes; the moves work better than I would have expected for all of them. Although Kali moves with sharp weapons are dangerous, since they involve so much twirling; if I had used sharp machetes the first few times I tried it, I’d be typing with my toes right now.
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Chinese Broadswords–I love these weapons! They’re nice and long, which gives an excelent reach, but are short and light enough not too loose balance on hard swings. They’re light enough to use with one hand, but have a long enough hilt to grip with both hands. I’m not much of a fan of bladed weapons since they’re impractical in everyday self defense, but these swords are so easy and comfortable to use that I’m willing to forgive their impracticality.
On my to-do-list of weapons to learn are fencing techniques and shields. If anyone here has weapon recomendations, though, I’d love to hear them!