As you know we train with wooden weapons
some of these literally are wood weapons, delivering blunt force trauma
some of these represent blades
eg a Kali stick might be a literal stick or you might be training the short sword cuts
it is never 100% necessary to acquire and train with the live blade weapons - however it is possible for us to get them for you if you want this to become a part of your training and you are welcome to bring them to class and you will be instructed in the finer points of the weapon specifics
In kata one uses a live blade and a lot of the waza is the drawing and resheating, called nukisuke and noto
blades we use:
katana - daito - tachi
the long sword, about 3 foot length
2 versions samurai and ninja,
the ninja sword being a straight blade and slightly shorter
wakizashi - shoto - kodachi
the short sword
often used in pairs
same length as kali sticks
again samurai and ninja versions
we also use a kali bolo machete style sword with a heavier monouchi
tanto - knife
this is the foot long knife
used singly, in pairs, or in a 3 with the third being backup or for throwing
think Crocodile Dundee's bowie (that's a knife) or Rambo's knife for modern versions
we also have a machete bolo version
small knives
these are used for throwing or close range and grappling range and come in pairs or a set of 3
Obviously it is a member's personal choice whether they want to invest the money to acquire these weapons and the time to practice with them
the most expensive are the katana - you can get an OK one for £100 but should spend £200 for it to be good - £500 gets you a really decent authentic katana and you could pay a grand for a top of the range one. Some katana can cost twice that and I know people who have £2000 katana who take their kenjutsu seriously
As for short swords, knives and small knives, we can get you a good deal if you want to invest in these
Any members who want blades let me know and we'll sort it out for you
Yes you can get cheaper imitation "weapons" on the internet
however these are not weapons, they are replicas and imitations, they are designed to be hung on a wall and looked at, they can't be used for training and certainly not for cutting anything
for example the "swords" you can buy aren't swords at all, they are models and for functionality they may as well be plastic
buyer beware!
