Bought a wooden broadsword yesterday...

[Sam Wiley]

So I went out and bought a wooden broadsword yesterday, and when I told the Chinese lady behind the counter I definitely wanted to buy it after examining it, she said, "you practice Taiji?" I said yes, of course, but it struck me as odd that she would ask if I practiced Taiji and not something more general. Is there something about wooden weapons that says only Taiji people use them, or is it perhaps that the particular type of broadsword the wooden ones are made after is for Taiji or what? I don't think I did any moves with it until after she asked me.

I don't know, it just seemed odd.

*********

[dz]

... but yes, I've experienced this myself with relatives, friends, merchants, etc. Wooden weapons are mostly associated with Taiji in China/HK. Especially if you buy a wooden Jian! :)

[crumble]

If you asked for a giant 5 foot broadsword she would have said, "oh, you do bagua?"

-c

[Kung Lek]

Maybe she's just dealing from a reference point of familiarity?

wooden broadswords are used in Kung Fu practice also. Generally when a student is learning the fundaments of the weapon or beginning to learn the set(s).

It is at this time in the learning path that you don't want the student becoming discouraged by cutting themselves with a metal blade.

Personally, I prefer the real thing in the area of weapons. the flow is different than with the lighter wooden weapons and wushu tin foil weapons.

But, that's just me.

also, maybe she just liked you :D

peace

Kung Lek

Martial Arts Links (http://members.home.net/kunglek)

[Sam Wiley]

I have several Jians myself, one of them a very nice Damascus steel one, so I don't think I'll be looking for one of those wooden ones. One of my friends, as a hobby, carves Bokken and wooden Jians from oak, and they're very nice. But they really don't feel like the real ones. Maybe one day he'll come up with one that does. That would be neat.

I don't know any of the Bagua sets for the giant broadsword myself, but I have seen them on video. They're interesting, and I really like the way centrifugal power is used extensively.

Anyway, I nearly cut off one of my fingers when I first started training with swords because I did not know the moves very well and was doing them with real forged swords. (It was a Bagua double sword set.) I went to do a change and -whack!- nearly cut my pinkie finger off! The thing went right into the bone and everything. It was a really bloody mess. That's the worst accident I've had, though, as I'm a lot more careful nowadays.

I used to practice my Jian form with one of those case hardened wall hangers, and did a move wrong, and now the blade is permanently crooked, even though I tried to straighten it. It is still pretty to look at (as long as you don't look to closely at the blade, of course), but it's not worth practicing with, as the feel is vastly different from any of the acceptable materials.

Anyway, she was kind of cute...but I don't think her husband would have approved. Or maybe he would have, who knows, right? ;)

*********

[dedalus]

G'day Sam :D

I was just wondering if you have any advice about the process one might go through to carve one's own broadsword? I was thinking of doing just that with a local hardwood, (given some spare time over summer) but it would all be improvisation on my part ;)

[Crimson Phoenix]

When it comes to girls, I forget what the concept of husband is heheheheheheheh

Seriously, I think I remember seeing bagua broadswords for sales at www.beijingbagua.com (http://www.beijingbagua.com) for something like a 100 bucks...I have no idea of their quality though. All I know is that it's very hard to find a good quality bagua broadsword, my sifu has a nice one that was forged for him but he payed a major price, and usually brings back from China much cheaper ones...they are not very well finished and the blade is inox, nevertheless they are very well balanced and have a nice weight (two crucial parameters for such pieces), so they are very good for everyday practice...I think the ones sold by beijingbagua must be similar...
My bagua partner is learning the bagua broadsword form from Jiang bagua, and indeed it's a very nice form with plenty of nice moves in which you "curl" around the saber to use the centrifuge energy to make the changes...it's also a great way to test wether you are doing your moves with muscles only of if you really use body structure.

As for myself, I hate practicing with wooden weapons, they really don't feel like real steel...but sometimes wood is all you can put your hands on, so I guess it's better than nothing :)

[Sam Wiley]

I really don't know about advice for carving, except start with a good template for the sword. What little I know about wood has to do with sonic properties or else carving furniture out of it. But oak seems like a good sturdy wood for carving swords from, so if you can get a wood that's nice and solid, fairly dense, like oak, give it a shot. I would stick to more readily available woods than expensive rare woods, though. I have a long staff made of ash that is very strong and sturdy, and ash is a bit lighter than oak. It's possible that it'll be cheaper as well. But don't get swamp ash, because it's not very strong.

It might be cheaper, though, to just buy one. In America at least, they are pretty inexpensive. I'd imagine that they wouldn't cost much more in Oz. Anyway, if you still want to carve one, the template would be the most important thing, so that the shape and length come out right.

*********

[Sam Wiley]

Crimson Phoenix,
An awesome link! I wish I could afford all those. Hmmm...maybe if I sell an organ or two... ;)

*********

[Crimson Phoenix]

Sam, yes, actually one half of a kidney is capable of doing the two kidney's work...maybe you could sell one...or you can live really well without spleen, even if I doubt someone will need a spleen transplant so much hehehehheheh
Seriously, you're welcome for the link, I also often drool at what they are selling...for a bagua player, it makes you feel like a kid in a candy store ;)

[Mojo]

To bad that big baqua broadsword is made of aluminum. I think that's defeating the purpose of practicing with a large heavy sword.

..............................
The Dude: Fortunately, I'm adhering to a pretty strict, uh, drug, uh, regimen to keep my mind, you know, uh, limber.

[Daniel Madar]

You can call and order a steel one that weighs about 9 pounds from Brendan Lai's in San Francisco. They don't have a website, but they can get all kinds of weird things that you can't find anywhere, including the internet.

The aluminum one on Beijing bagua is also a bit short.

Merciless is Mercy.