Hunting for a good dao.

[Ironwing]

First off,
Thank you WLE for having excellent product selection at a fair pricing.
And thanks to you guys in the forums in advance, I've browsed through for a couple weeks and read quite a few intelligent and meaningful martial arts posts before deciding to join.

I've recently stepped back into studying kung fu and have been looking through a few of the WLE broadswords on the online catalogue.

I DO NOT want a wushu performance weapon.
I DO NOT want something that will flap around as I swing it.
I would like a heavier, more traditional weapon.
I would like something with a guard that could actually take a block.
I would like a realistic, balanced, and effective item, that if sharpened could be used as its ancient purpose was intended, in the very unlikely event of a zombie apocalypse or home invasion.

It comes down to:
w451 (seems to be the most balanced and cost effective with an amazing blade contruction.)

2063-GT (stylish and elegant, but the handle seems too short. I'm loving the black coloring and the actual steel fittings, it matches my schools surcoat.)

1011GT (one of the more traditional looking ones with a classical finish and sturdy looking scabbard)


I would love to hear your recommendations, and possibly consumer experiences with these items.

Also, i wouldn't mind seeing a combat steel nandao, since i study a southern style.

[Salamander Feng at Home]

I have W451. It is a real weapon -- combat weight, well constructed. It is inexpensive because (1) it is mono-steel and (2) it is not heavily polished. If what you want is something for realistic training, this is the most bang for your buck. If you have small kids around the house, you might not want to have this around.

Sal

[TenTigers]

I was at a tournament last year-Wong's, or teh WFH i Jersey,whatever, but there was this guy selling MA stuff. Well, he had this really nice dan dao-good balance, stainless steel blade,natural,sanded wood handle so when your hand sweats, it isn't s;liding. So he gave me a great price-around 50 bucks. I bought it, even let my student atthe tourney use it in his competition. The whole next week I was playing with it. Really nice. Then one day, I happened to notice-it was sharpened. The damn thing was sharp. It never even occurred to me that the sword I bought for practice and demos, was a live blade!
WTF do I want this for? I'm not looking to use this, or walk the streets carrying it, and using it in practice or letting a student use it is a recipe for disaster.
So, besides for collecting, why on earth would anyone want a sharpened sword? Sure, weight, balance, feel I understand, but why take the chance of cutting yourself or someone else wide open?
So now I simply keep it behind the front counter just in case I want to deal with a disgruntled student, or their Mom.

[Ironwing]

Thanks Sal and T.T.

I already have two practice swords (wooden one and a stiff springsteel wushu blade), looking for something more weighty for practice and wrist development as well as something for emergencies.

I'll let it weigh on my mind a bit more before deciding.

[Uchi_deshi]

for the most part you would not give a new student a live blade until there ready...

in iaido you use a live blade to train with in class... and i know high school students thats use it as well... they dont start with a live blade first of all for safety reasons...

long as the person is useing it correctly and ready for a live blade. then the chance of cutting any one is reduces...besides who says you cant hurt any one with a fake blunt blade. i have seen students get hurt by mistake with wooden swords....

if the student learns to respect the weapon and not to use it as a toy. they will be find. there should be a set of rules for this reason.

[ogrelee]

Who says You'll never have to use a sword in rl? It could happen that one day, we americans will only be allowed to use these outdated, traditional weapons. Learn to cut, and treat your weapons as what they are- deadly weapons.

You don't keep the traditions alive for just the exercise. You keep them alive because history tells us that at some point, we may have no choice but to resort to hand weapons to fight for our lives, loved ones, or even for our freedom, maybe against our own gov.

Treat your martial arts as martial arts, and keep in mind the spirit, reasons, and the intentions and experiences that brought these arts to us.

If, god forbid, there ever is a holocaust or something, we will be charged with the defense of people and places we care about. Be glad for your ability to handle the weapons of war from previous ages. Those weapons may be all you have.

[Ironwing]

I was wondering which one to get, not when I should be ready for a "live" blade. But I highly appreciate your insight and concern. I got about halfway through our styles system before leaving for college.

A weapon should be treated as a weapon, and thus should have all the safety and precautions attributed to that weapon when it is in play.
-Don't use near people or animals.
-If you don't know how to use it, why would you use it? Do not touch which you do not know how to use.
-Don't practice so far away from people that if you injure yourself you are screwed.
-Start off slow and steady to build up muscle memory and wrist strength.

Thank you all for your recommendation and advice.

And to Ogrelee, I somewhat agree with you. But all martial artists study for a slightly different reason. And sadly when I wandered to and from schools in my town i noticed a lack of what i like to call "unification of purpose". Because all of the students were there for different reasons, most of them were on different wave lengths and trying to get them on the ball together ended up hindering the growth of the class by spreading the instructors time too thin.

I think my first and favorite teacher put it as:
If you want to learn to defend yourself: buy a gun
If you want to be buff and manly: buy a gym membership
If you want to look cool and throw people around: be an mma guy
If you want to improve yourself and others mind body and spirit: then we welcome you.
As iron sharpens iron, so does man sharpen his fellow man.

Things always click together better when theres a sense of unified purpose driving the class.

[ogrelee]

I think that part of the spiritual growth that we as martial artists recieve should come from the realization of the purpose of our arts. In other words, kung fu without purpose is less than kung fu.

I realize that there are people that study for reasons like health and simple comeraderie. But, let's face it- they really aren't going to recieve all that kung fu has to offer.

Intent leads the chi, therefore kung fu without intent is an empty art.

On the other hand, whatever people study for is really there business. As long as they understand the intended purpose of the arts, they can always shift intent when the situation calls for it, right?

[Ironwing]

yep, i agree completely

I think he told us that as long as they don't disrupt the feeling and flow of the class or interrupt their fellow students training it was all good.

The development of all aspects of being grow outward, and ignoring any one of those aspects will eventually stunt the growth of others. So unification of purpose of the individual is important as they work towards their goals.

I like it when my class says "I am here to learn kung fu and improve my life in all ways"
But not just:
Im here to work out ( i could care less about the style, i just want to get healthy)
I'm here to gain spirituality ( you guys can go pound sand all you want)
I'm here to get a sense of self actualization so i can feel good about myself. (oh yeah I know kung fu, im sexy)

Some of the students I studied with just liked punching the bags and didn't like doing forms or technique at all and pretty much ignored their sifu's corrections.
Others were the opposite and just did forms but had no real technical strengths (like a good developed horse stance) and got fussy when they were made to spar or do anything for physical development.

It's when i think about times like that, where some students vastly hindered the development of the rest of the class, that i am SO freaking' grateful that I'm back with my private class where the students are there for the same, higher state of reason.

Good kung fu is grown from within through hard work and dedication to their development in all aspects. So it makes sense that good students are grown, not made. And the more effort they put into it, the faster they will grow and the faster they may help their fellows.