Wooden Sword for REAL Home Defense?

[CD Lee]

Guys, I was reading the Gene Ching thread with interest as quite a few folks stated the Bokken as a weapon in their homes. I am very curious about this. I have two really nice heavy solid hickory 32" wooden swords at home. I bought them because my son wanted us to and it was fun...and I am a sucker of a dad, etc.

Anyways, I have not studied any sword techniques, but these things seem very dangerous as a heavy striking weapon. How would you guys that have a bokken in your home, use this training tool on a real person? You know, like I mean if a guy broke into your home, and your heart is racing, it's dark, your about to crack someones skull open and your kids will see it, etc...

The one I have is like the one in the middle. You can see the handle. It has a quillion, the finger guard thing. If you held the blade and swung the thing at a person, that quillion could literally kill a person if you caught them in the neck or skull.

The thing is very hard and heavy.



http://hollowearthswordworks.com/swords.htm

[Judge Pen]

Wouldn't you want something that would be effective for home defense? At least with a club type weapon you have to generally be in closer proximity and you will have more of an opportunity to recognize friend from foe. With a gun you could unload at a distance before the recogniztion could kick in.

Don't get me wrong: I'm an advocate of firearm training as well and I realize that accidents could happen in any circumstance. I'd probably go for the gun first, but I'd still have to put the clip in and chamber a bullet whereas the bokken is more accesable if the person is upon you.

[red5angel]

Judge Pen, with proper training that doesn't have to be the case. You could get as close with a club using a gun.

[CD Lee]

I guess I was really wondering if those who have a bokken would try to use it like it was a sword or broad sword.

And to be honest. I guess I hate the thought of a real sword and slicing a limb off or something. I mean, think about that. A gun is better in that regard, but I have 4 kids. I just can't stand the tought of them getting at it, and I would want it accessible quickly.

I was also thinking the bokken turned around and slammed into the legs would be devestating while keeping out of range of a grab or knife. Don't know.

Whatever a person uses however, they must be committed to using it as it was designed without hesitation. That is what scares me personally. With a real sword, you know what you gotta do with it. Ugly.

[Judge Pen]

What was the name of the famous samurai that supposedly only fought with a bokken. I'd use it like one would use a samurai sword and it should be effective in the way you are talking about. Not as ugly devastating like a live blade or a gun, but still penetrating enough to stop someone if used properly. Just hope the burglar doesn't have his own firearm. That would be the largest drawback to a bokken as a home defense tool.

[Northernboxer]

When it comes to home defense, a gun is the only way. You should always assume the worst of a perpetrator, and assume he is packing. These are not times when you can defend your families with sticks and clubs. Criminals can get guns a lot easier than citizens in most states. I couldn't imagine going to confront an intruder with the hopes that he is unprepared for the worst. Do you think he doesn't expect any house he's robbing to have armed men in it?And do you think he doesn't prepare for it? Get a gun. It has been proven that if more responible citizens had guns, the less crime there is in a town.

[MonkeySlap Too]

Musashi Miyamato is the name your looking for Judge Pen.

[Judge Pen]

Thanks MS2.

And I have a gun, but I don't keep a bullet in the chamber. If I have time to chamber a bullet, then I would. If the guy is right on me then I'll brab the nearest thing (bokken). If the "21 feet" rule is accurate, then I should be fine.

[GeneChing]

I've already addressed guns in the other thread. I would have chosen a boken because I have some skill with one, having practice kendo in college. Plus I can use many of my dao and jian techniques. Although lately, after the episode, I've been thinking I should use something sharp instead of something blunt. I'm still thinking about it. Hopefully, it won't happen again.

[BM2]

I sleep walk everyonce in a while. I own a 1911 A1. I thought that if I kept it stripped then I would be safe. For anyone that doesn't know about sleep walking, you are in a semi-awake state.
It was when I was on third shift that I heard a noise in the apartment. I droped the barrel in, spring, slide etc. and put a mag and chambered a round, all while sleepwalking. It was a dream that someone was in my apartment and I still could put that pistol together.
Ok, same apartment another day. The maintence man had a leak in another apartment. He thought that I was not home and did not ring my door bell. The leak was coming from my air conditioning drain. He was outside my bedroom door working and it woke me up. I swung the door open while standing buck naked with my .45 aimed at him. I swear he fell over. I told him it was ok to stay and fix it, I would just go back to bed. He replied that he needed to leave . Seemed preety shook up.
Then there was the time that a snake was coiled up in my bed. Man that will wake you up. Got him with an antique williow leaf dao. I have a pic of the snake somewhere on my pc. Don't know what he was. It was a little over two feet long. I was going to let it go but didn't want him back in again.
I really don't have anything near me to be used as a weapon. It just isn't safe for anyone.

[Judge Pen]

Originally posted by BM2
I swung the door open while standing buck naked with my .45 aimed at him.

:eek:

Add this to the list of mental images I never want to have again!

[Banjos_dad]

Guess it depends on how tight the confines of your house are too. I have a narrow hallway in between living room & other rooms. You might want to hone special techniques to make sure you can make power from a spot where you can't just swing from any angle. For instance, the ceiling would obstruct the classic, big vertical chop?
I guess if there were a lot of obstructions in your place you wouldn't have suggested using one in the first place.
I have only rifles & shotguns, I don't expect having enough time to wake up, go fetch & load one & point it etc. That would be more if something really sick was happening outside, or having the element of surprise (which assumes having time to prepare too).

I live in an apartment, so I think facing a burglar if I didn't have a gun loaded ****ed & aimed at the guy's chest, I'd feel best with a pair of 'chucks. Especially if it was in the dark. Outside, my sharpened jian.

Best case? 12 gauge Winchester Defender loaded with progressively larger sizes of shot :) :)

[GeneChing]

...but I've always caught and released them. Usually, I just use a lobby broom to get them. As for maintenance men, I own my home, so I'm the maintenence man. Which reminds me I have to fix my screen this weekend...:rolleyes:

[GeneChing]

Getting woody. READ How the Pandemic Made Me Love Wooden Swords (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=1585) by Gene Ching

http://www.kungfumagazine.com//admin/site_images/KungfuMagazine/images/ezine/2072_Wood-Jian_Lead.jpg

threads
Wooden-Practise-Swords (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?3510-Wooden-Practise-Swords)
Wooden-Sword-for-REAL-Home-Defense (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?30345-Wooden-Sword-for-REAL-Home-Defense)

[YinOrYan]

How the Pandemic Made Me Love Wooden Swords by Gene Ching


Oh, I love wooden swords. I have some hardwood one that are weighted the same as the metal ones!

There's a long history of peachwood swords in China. Just do a search on it and you will find a huge variety, like this:

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=peachwood+sword&t=h_&iax=images&ia=images

[GeneChing]

You're spot on with the peachwood thing. It's a common scabbard wood too. I'm not sure why that is. Do you know?

[YinOrYan]

You're spot on with the peachwood thing. It's a common scabbard wood too. I'm not sure why that is. Do you know?

It has to do with peach symbolism used mostly in religious Taoism. It is not well documented because its been considered part of folk-religion that was never much institutionalized. The peachwood swords were often used in rituals that involved with walking patterns of the north stars. Some traces of it can be found in the poems associated with tai chi sword forms, like the Yang 13 that has parallel seven-character phrases and the Yang long form that has many variations. If you can't find much information on the internet let me know. I have some books in storage going back to the days when I was working on my religious degree...

[GeneChing]

So you think that it relates to the symbolism of peaches in general? I'm thinking about the Peaches of Immortality that Monkey steals in Journey to the West and the peaches that the 8 immortals carry sometimes.

[YinOrYan]

So you think that it relates to the symbolism of peaches in general? I'm thinking about the Peaches of Immortality that Monkey steals in Journey to the West and the peaches that the 8 immortals carry sometimes.

Well, since its April Fools Day, there's also this https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Monkey%20Steals%20the%20Peach

No joke. This is the name of a move in the Choy Lay Fut long-fist form, starting at about frame 1:23 until the payload is thrown over the right shoulder:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1wLNvSUuyM

Monkeys tend to do this when fighting humans. Really. A guy named Moe was killed this way a few years ago in Los Angeles...

[highlypotion]

Well, since its April Fools Day, there's also this https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Monkey%20Steals%20the%20Peach

No joke. This is the name of a move in the Choy Lay Fut long-fist form, starting at about frame 1:23 until the payload is thrown over the right shoulder:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1wLNvSUuyM

Monkeys tend to do this when fighting humans. Really. A guy named Moe was killed this way a few years ago in Los Angeles...

Lol, this is so funny. :D