Tai chi swords.

are you talking about the floppy swords that wushu and most tai chi practitioners use or the jian?

well the floppy SLO's are usually half the weight of a real sword and very floppy so can't bind or parry with them nor could you thrust successfully because the tip would bend.

I suppose if a swordsman were good enough he could close and whip it in the other guys face and proceed to beat him with the pommel...or I suppose he could wrap the blade around the guys throat and strangle him. LOL

on that note don't use floppy swords like real swords. That's asking for trouble.

XD Awesome. Good, I needed to know this. Thanks guys!

Most likely not oos3thoo most of what is called wushu steel is nothing more than spring steel or in other words steel that is used for car and truck springs, you know like older cars leaf springs. Although for personal practice they are ok, but I wouldn't put my life on the line with one.

i hate wushu swords, too wimpy, and flexible

Here is the fundamental issue. There is no evidence of anybody in the internal community that can show this has been used in effectively in combat. I am told these things but nobody can show beyond a shadow of a doubt that such techniques and weapons were employed effectively. If one had to make a weapon worn as a belt or use so refined a technique to cut and stab then it certainly making more work for oneself. If one has a hammer then everything looks like a nail so it better be a pretty stout hammer. I have an FMA background, too, and am an enthusiast of military combatives. The only systems that have been shown to be effective are ones used in battle or war. Those tools which have ineffective or dubious results probably got tossed out early on because the deployment of them took too much time to develop the skill to use. People going to battle or war want to get up to snuff pretty quickly. Me - I would prefer to use a robust tactical bladed tool of some type instead of some whippy spring steel thing. It is just easier to use intuitively. However, the practitioners of Kalari and Gatka from the Asian Indian arts seem to use whippy spring steel weapons effectively in conflict. So there must be some merit for the existence of such weapons. Thanks for the link.

please don't spread that myth. Chinese swords have a tough time as it is lol.

no floppiness! join the revolution of keeping your sword straight and stiff! ;D

I could personally do a hell of alot of damage with a 1" fresh tree stick to human flesh, probably more so than with a solid stick.

Garrett: you really need to watch how you say things, some of us have dirty minds and have seen too many viagra ads. I too believe that chinese swords should be strong and stiff but still with a little bit of give in them. Bloody crouching tiger hidden dragon also has alot to answer for with the green destiny, stupid flexible sword, bah!

A tai chi sword is fit only to practice forms with and bloody wushu steel should be melted down and used to make something more useful and less annoying.

that was my intention....lol