Martial Arts and Swords

I was actually just asking about the Regenyei since I heard someone in my country had a few and was selling them at US retail price because if the ban. Seriously, can't import weapons until this temporary ban gets lifted. I was about to get a good sword too when this ban materialized.😢

I think I will start with wooden wasters for solo drills and RSW for sparring. Should help me move on until I can get steels for practice I guess?

The one point that I get with wood is that in all the major weapon training I have had, I have used either wood or a proper weapon (going slow with these proper 'real' weapons of course). So, I had this relationship with wood that I understand, from knives to pole weapons or swords. Even with the katana, there is some degree of a contact feel required, since you need to move the sword out of the way before you proceed. I have gotten that feel with wooden weapons, especially ones that have been made properly.

I have also practiced sparring with wooden weapons, with motorcycle helmets, padded gloves, leg arm armor, and lots of torso protection (like the paintball or air soft one). But due to the nature of swordplay in HEMA, I decide to go with RSW. The weapons don't seem to be the 'chunky' variants mostly seen with padded ones, has the same weight and balance of proper sharps, and is safer.


That's just my POV currently. I do intend to get a steel sharp beater for practice of forms while cutting or drilling, once I get enough skill. That's why I asked if any sub-500 type XVIIIb swords existed or ones that could nearly replicate the feeling?

For wood I've had great results with impact grade hickory.  The Purple Heart Armory wooden swords are excellent, but as many have noted you have to be very careful using them on an opponent. They are true weapons. Not weapon simulators. They can kill or seriously damage someone at full tilt. That said, wooden *daggers* are still widely used for dagger training. Wooden swords are not, at least beyond solo drilling. Synthetic wasters are favored for beginners these days and then people move on to steel. This is a shame since wood, when controlled, can make for a great training tool.  It's also very affordable.  But just as a heads up, most HEMA events do not involve wood these days. Of course if you have legal restrictions thus is the world.  

For any kind of competitive or group activity in HEMA you'll need a set of steel gear. Probably more than one set. Longsword tournaments are typically restricted to feders, and slow play usually involves stiff simulators. Please note that these are NOT simply blunted sharps. A blunted sharp can still take your hand off due to cutting geometry. Simulators and feders have design features that prevent them from cutting.

Frankly, I am only trying to learn to use a dagger to supplement armored fighting. In case I had to resort to full on knife fighting, I would prefer a Fairbairn–Sykes type knife for immediate defense or to a Persian style knife for a Mano a Mano.

Going in a different direction now.
If I was to get a longsword that had a way of handling close to a slightly more cut oriented type XVIIIb, in the sub $500 range, which should I get? I need to get information on a sharp. Then proceed to find some loophole to get it in.

None I could use to practice with that kind of resembles the handling?

Ok then.
I am already of mind for a custom ofcourse. I would have gotten one in the works right now if this sudden Panama-induced ban hadn't been done.
But it's for the best I guess, now I am going for a historically accurate sword.

The different parts have different functions. The simplest option is no guard at all. Don't expect to see this on European longswords. Starting from nothing at all, you can add:

Something to stop your opponent's blade sliding down your blade until it reaches your hand. Straight quillons will do this, provided you have your sword at the right angle (opponent's blade not sitting exactly along your flat). You only need very short quillons for this. A little bit of width is good too, but again, you don't need much. A fairly minimal guard that does this is something like a jian or tulwar guard.

As above, but with enough length to width to protect your hand against direct blows from swords cutting on a line along your blade (like the "sliding" above, but not in contact). A disc guard or side rings will protect against this, and quillons as long as you are at a suitable angle. Examples of minimal guards that provide this: Japanese tsuba, Chinese disc guards, Katzbalger guards.

As above, but also to protect against a cut from an opponent while you have your point towards them (e.g., you have you point towarss your opponent, and they try to cut into your knuckles from below). The guards for the previous point, except quillons, protect against this. So if you want long straight quillons and you want this protection, add side rings. Larger rings and disc give you better coverage. Alternatively, you can improve the sideways protection of quillons by making them S-shaped (sideways) rather than straight. A shallow S won't do much, but it will help a bit.

Straight quillons give you some protection, as noted above, but they also give you control over an opponent's sword. First, actively, by letting you try to trap their blade. Second, passively, by making them have to move the blade further (to clear the quillon) when disengaging and trying to circle around your hilt. (This is the major function of really long quillons on large two-handed swords. Such really long quillons are useful against spears and other polearms as well as against swords.)

Forward-curved quillons can be better for trapping, but protect your hands less (they cover a smaller range of angles than straight quillons). Backward-curved quillons are worse for trapping, but protect the hands better. A backward-curving rear quillon can get in the way, and isn't common. Curve the forward quillon back and the rear quillon forward, and you have the classic Chinese S-guard.

If you want to be able to put a finger over the quillon, and not have it cut off, you'd better either have good gauntlets or you add finger rings to your guard. These are rings that lie in the plane of the blade, rather than coming off to the side. Alternatives include putting your side rings on posts so that they sit forward of the guard; if you do this, you might as well make the posts finger rings in their own right. You can also use angled loops that can function as both finger rings and side rings, and can provide protection to your forward finger from sideways cuts. Finger over the quillon also means that you can't use a solid disc guard (because your finger can't go through it), but must use side rings if you want that protection. Finger rings etc can reduce your ability to trap an opponent's blade. They give you more benefit if you want to fight at a greater distance, rather than in-close in the bind.

Next you can start adding knucklebows, partial baskets, etc. These give you good hand protection from a range of angles.

The more you add, the more weight you add. That's bad. So keep it to a minimum. More weight in the guard means less weight in the blade, which means either a shorter blade or a weaker blade (all else being the same). The better your steel and heat treatment, the lighter you can make your blade, so you can expect to see heavier guards on later swords as metallurgy improves.

You also add bulk that makes it more awkward for everyday wear of the sword, and more stuff that can snag your clothing if you try to draw it in a hurry. A basket can also make it slower just to get your hand on your hilt to draw. On the plus side for everyday wear, the increased size of the guard is a larger canvas for ornamentation - it isn't just a weapon, it's also a display of wealth and power.

Complex guards also offer more handholds to an opponent in grappling. Complex guards are often linked to the disappearance of armour, with the explanation that complex hilts replace gauntlets. But perhaps some of it is due to grappling becoming less common, and potential handholds for your opponent on your sword.



Complex hilts let you get away with less attention to protecting your hands. With only simple quillons, you might keep your hands fairly close to your body, to keep them safer. With a complex hilt, you can extend your arm(s) more. This lets your sword cover more of your body.

Hands in close:

Sword in front:

This, and the possibly reduced trapping, and probable more handholds for your opponent to grab your weapon, make complex guards better for longer range fighting. Yes, knucklebows and baskets can be good for striking when in-close - on shorter one-handed weapons (as opposed to longswords), you might value that striking a lot. With a longsword, a two-handed blow with pommel or simple quillons would be effective already.

A nice collection of photos of hand-and-half complex hilts: myarmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t=19720

Almost every technique would be the same.

The kind of thing that might change is if you're trying to, when blades are engaged e.g. after a parry, push your blade up theirs until your guard hits their blade, and then twist to trap.