Shapes and functions of blunt melee weapons and shields.

[gamedesignonmymind]

I also highly recommend making your own if you have the time, patience, tools and ability required. Really i think the examples of wooden swords you have been exposed too have been low quality. Because with high quality examples those issues you bring up do not exist. Wooden swords also vibrate quite a lot if made properly, thats why wood is often used for musical instruments.( i know metal is too)

[Kinthalis]

@gamedesignonmymind

I really think you guys are underestimating the potential quality of a wooden sword. I have made wooden swords with the exact same weight, distribution of mass, and balance point as period examples. If you want to see some high quality examples you can purchase, check out www.kingfisherwoodworks.com site. They make the best bokken you can buy.

The swords there range from 1 to 1.5 pounds. That is light for a steel Daito.

I’m not saying they aren’t extremely useful as learning tools. But I don’t see how you could possibly think wooden weapons react in the SAME way as steel weapons.

[Kinthalis]

@gamedesignonmymind

I also highly recommend making your own if you have the time, patience, tools and ability required. Really i think the examples of wooden swords you have been exposed too have been low quality. Because with high quality examples those issues you bring up do not exist. Wooden swords also vibrate quite a lot if made properly, thats why wood is often used for musical instruments.( i know metal is too)

The wooden swords I’ve used have all come from sources tested by numerous schools here in the states and Europe. They are definitely of very high quality.

Again, I really don’t think it’s difficult to see how a sword with different blade geometry and constructed of an entirely different material can react and handle considerably differently than a steel sword.

[gamedesignonmymind]

Those bokken are lighter because they have to be made of hickory for contact training. You can use heavier woods if your goal is to recreate a sword. But i’m just going to agree to disagree here. Its not really worth arguing about. I do agree that you need to use steel if you want to develop a complete appreciation for the art. I also agree wooden swords don’t react the SAME as a steel sword, but as far as balance, weight and feel, i still think it is possible to recreate a sword accurately. (but it would be unsafe for sparring because of the wood used). And i guarantee if you make one for yourself and take care in what you do, you’ll end up with something you really love.

[Quartz]

@Mr.Excellent

Can anyone speak about modern riot gear - shields, batons and the like? How would these compare to historical shields and blunt weapons? Do riot officers look to historical uses of such weapons in their training?

Yes they do. A friend of mine is into re-enactment and some friends of his in another group were invited by the police to form the opposition in riot training. They creamed the police. Then they taught the police what they should have been doing. IIRC one of the basic issues was how they held their riot shields: they couldn’t open the shield so they could use their truncheon because they were interlocked in the wrong way.