As some of you may know, in addition to being a martial artist, I am also a bladesmith, so I am constantly thinking about knife designs, their uses, and their pros/cons. That said, I don't have much formal knife training, in a martial arts sense. I'm curious to get your input on the knife designs you like best for your martial arts--not necessarily specific brands and models, but design features. What length of blade do you like best? What blade shape? What handle shape? What tang style? Etc.

Having that said, does any of you have any recommendations on store options for solid replicas that can withold heavy contact. What I found in Martial Arts circuits seems to break when working harder with them. I am tempted to look into HEMA stores and LARP that may have solid version. I have had a sword of this kind so far and its one that seems to last. 

Here's the whole kata performed by Nishiuchi Mikio Shihan

https://i.imgur.com/Ih0CMci.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/SN4kZSA.jpeg

Next, we were supposed to start flattening out the larger head, which was intended to be the axehead.  I ended up flattening out the hammer end, so I went with it and turned it into a spike/hook.  After that, I used a power hammer to forge out the axe head into rough shape:

https://i.imgur.com/HvOvX1g.jpeg

Next stop: the grinder.  In this case, an angle grinder with a flap disc.  I ground off the forge scale (magnetite, a specific type of iron oxide that occurs at high temperatures) and ground in the profile shape:

https://i.imgur.com/b8XZBqu.jpeg

Next came the heat treatment.  Heat it up to a reddish-orange heat, let it cool down.  That relaxes some of the stresses induced from forging.  Then heat to an orange-red and quench in oil.  That looked like this:

https://i.imgur.com/2Ozi2qB.jpeg

After that, I took a 12" piece of 1 inch square bar, used an angle grinder to split it in half down 5" down, then forged the tip out into a spear point, and forged the split ends into a pair of langets that fit over the axe/spike head:

https://i.imgur.com/rhJgHGT.jpeg

I then took a 6' long piece of hickory, rounded it, shaped the end to fit the eye of the axe/spike head, and drilled a hole through the spear tip + axe head + pole.  Attached with one 1/4" iron rivet and 4 3/16"  bronze rivets.  Add in some mild steel langets to finish things out:

https://i.imgur.com/3lfHhL4.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/xUZyxMX.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/tAKawuD.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/Us2dFfj.jpeg

Really simple question: What are some everyday items that can be used as improvised weapons that we don't usually think of?

I can easily think of keys between the knuckles, belt, anything in the hand to increase the mass, a pocket torch and the likes. What else do people often have with them that can make a good improvised weapon for defence?

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/15EpmMsVYZ/

When I first learned kobudo, I was taught a non-contact version of kumite where you had to make contact with the opponent's weapon, first, and then you would launch a strike at the opponent's arms, legs, body, or head. If it got close enough, you scored a point, and reset, very similar to karate point fighting. Even back then, I liked the idea of actual contact sparring with weapons more, and I thought up all kinds of ways to make it safe to do so, eventually landing on almost the exact same thing you see in the video, although I never got the chance to do it. I'm curious if anyone has done this type of kobudo sparring, or any sort of sparring with weapons.

I attached what my state of Victoria has in its Prohibited List. Which lists a lot of Martial Arts Weapons, Knives/Blades and a few other items. 

So legally own these, we have to apply for a special permit and list how we will store this and what purpose for us acquiring them are. 

So Sai for instance; we would indicate that we are using them for Kobudo purposes. 

My intentions are when/if I can run a full time location with Karate AND Kobudo, I would have a secure location storing them and only permitted people to access them for class. 

Prohibited-Weapons-Guide_APR-2015.pdf

I recently inherited one of my Sensei's Bo. I sanded both mine and the new one, and applied teak oil, buffed then off and they look beautiful.

Now I want to keep them safe!

Anyone recommend a nice case to use for daily transportation? Also, anyone make their own?

I take a lot of time before purchasing literally anything so I'm reaching out to our community to see what works for you all

Ty so much, kampai!

I've been dabbling in the blacksmithing/bladesmithing arena for a little over 2 years now.

As I live just north of Denver and my shop of choice is in Colorado Springs, it's generally a one or two weekend per month deal, where I take a full day, drive down to the Springs, and spend the day in front of the forge working on a project. In the meantime, I've also started setting up a workshop in my basement. My wife is adamant about not having a forge in the house, but I've added in a couple bandsaws, a multiprocess welder, a 2x72" grinder, a drill press, and a bunch of hand tools.

I saw that Kilroy's Workshop was offering a katana making class last month, and I jumped at the chance. The class actually filled up in less than a week, even though it was announced 2 months out.

Day 1 of the class involved forging a bar of (W-2) steel into the rough shape of the katana. Getting the tip right was hard -- you have to hammer at a MUCH shallower angle than you think. We started with an oversized bar (1.5") and had to hammer it down to dimension (1.25"). The instructor gave me a few pointers on hammer technique, and that made things go MUCH faster. I was able to get the blade hammered to shape, with a well-formed tang and a very smooth curve without any major issues. I used the power hammer to flatten out the bar, but most of the work was done by hand.

Day 2 consisted of straightening the blade, then profile grinding the blade, grinding off the forge scale, and then establishing the bevels with a draw file.After a couple hours with a draw file, I went ahead and moved over to the belt grinder, but honestly that is REALLY hard to keep consistent bevels on a 30" blade without creating facets. I was able to get pretty close, and then I went ahead and used the draw file to even things out. After that, we thermal cycled the blade, added clay to the spine (to keep the spine soft and to create a hamon line), and then quenched the blades to harden them.

And that's where things went sideways.  Apparently when I applied clay to the blade, I did not put enough clay on the spine. So the spine hardened, the edge hardened, but the sides of the blade did not. As a result of the differential hardening, the blade straightened itself out. To make things even worse, when the blade went through the temper, the tip of the blade bent forward slightly -- enough to be noticeable. Sooooo... day 3 was spent annealing, re-forging the curve into the blade, and re-hardening the blade.

Next step was creating the tsuba.  They 3d printed a tsuba, which I created a sand mold out of.  The trick is apparently to pack the sand enough to keep things firm, but soft enough that the tsuba will still make an impression in.  Once the mold was created, we fired up the kiln, melted some bronze, and poured the bronze into the mold:

The next step was setting up the blade for a tang and a habaki.  I took the blade to the grinder again and made sure the tang was properly profiled and tapered so the widest point of the tang was right where the blade and tang meet.  Then I ground a pair of shallow shoulders into the tang to create a seat for the habaki to sit.  My first attempt at a habaki was a disaster -- I can't solder worth a hill of beans.  The second attempt we just soldered in place, and used some sandpaper to profile it to fit up correctly.  

The next step was to fit up the tsuba.  This required a LOT of work with a drill press (to create the initial holes, a dremel, and hand filing.  It consisted of a sequence of grind/file, test fit to see how far the tsuba slides up the tang, and then look to see where I need to grind some more.  I wanted to make sure I had a good, snug fit (that took a few hours).  Finally, it was time to make the handle.  I had to create a third set of shoulders on the tang to reduce the height of the tang, and then created a coffin-style handle using 3 pieces of 1/4" poplar.  After the handle dried and I got it ground to a comfortable shape, I added a traditional rayskin wrap on either side, and then wrapped using the traditional (synthetic) silk.  The wrapping turned out to be easier than I thought, once the instructor showed me the trick a few times.  The entire handle is held on by a single bamboo pin -- which started life as a chopstick.

Here are the (semi-)finished pics:

What's left?  A LOT of hand sanding to get out the hammer marks and to even out the bevels.  Then even more sanding to bring the edge to an appropriate thickness.  Then yet even more sanding and polishing.  And then sharpening.  At a rate of a couple hours per day, I expect this to take me another few weeks to finish.  But man will it be worth it when I'm done!

Before I get too much further, I should clarify what a daga is. Unlike the the modern ideas of a dagger, this is a Rondel Dagger. The rondel is a small cylinder of steel that comes to a point at the end. The hilts were just big enough to fit into a hand, with two circles larger in circumference than the knife itself. It had no edge, and was used exclusively for stabbing. Fiore, and other Medieval fighting masters, were concerned largely with the rondel because that was the type of dagger carried by knights. A modern dagger would be no use against full plate, and so the rondel came about due to it's ability to punch through the gaps in a plate or, if your were unbelievably strong, straight through the plate itself. Because these manuscripts were made for the upper classes, they were concerned with the type of weaponry that an upperclassman would carry.

I have found that when I talk about daga plays to other Eastern Martial Artists, it tends to translate fairly easily into what we already understand. The plays start with the master unarmed against an attack from a daga. It is mostly concerned with getting either your body, or the daga, off-line from the attack and then disarming. Since the daga is a purely stabbing instrument, there is no worry about slashing and meeting it is a little safer (though it's still a dangerous instrument). A lot of the techniques are very familiar to those with even the barest grappling training. A Judoka would be right at home reading a lot of this.

It isn't until the 6th master that we get daga vs daga plays. This section is shorter, and is only a few plays long before the master begins talking about unarmed vs daga plays again. These largely deal with, again, disarming the opponent and then striking afterwards. Oddly, many of the plays have the master gripping the hilt and top of the daga itself in the beginning. This is to create a greater stability when knocking the attacking daga aside. These caused me the most problems, I found, because it is not my instinct to shorten the blade in this way. However, since there is no edge, these techniques are logical in their construction.

The final plays are daga vs. sword. This section emphasizes the importance of quickly closing the gap. Fiore notes that "you'll have a significant advantage if you know how to do these [plays]." I tend to disagree, as the require very precise timing. In the past, I have been whacked practicing these more than I have been successful. However, success with closing the distance is the correct way to go, and when I was successful with the play, it took away all options with the sword.

The kama isn't a favorite weapon of mine, but when I saw this...it really jumped out to me. What do you think?

A single one costs about $70 and also comes with a snap on leather sheath for the blade.

I've always been interested in blacksmithing, since I started playing D&D back in grade school. However, I never thought it was something you could actually do in this day and age. I then discovered the show "Forged in Fire" on the History Channel, and what do you know? There are actually people who do this stuff in the here and now! And I discovered that there are a number of people in my area who have been on the show (and some of them have won). So far I have a lot of incomplete projects, including a knife I made from the (old) timing chains from my truck. I've taken a few fundamentals classes, and a lot of various knifemaking classes, and now I'm at the point where I can do most of the basics with a bit of guidance here and there. It's something I find very therapeutic and great stress relief!

Fiore gives 3 ways of slicing in Il Flor di Battaglia. The Colpi Fendenti, Colpi Sottani, and Colpi Mezani. However, the ways of getting to these blows is varied. He gives you 20 guards from which you may begin and separates those in 2 categories, stable and instable. The stable ones are ones in which your arms are close to your body, or that could take a blow and you could parry with a strong rebuke. The instable ones are ones in which you are extended and, in my experience, tend to be positions that come at the end of a clash. For example, posta longa is a guard in which you would naturally end a thrust of the sword in. Fiore then further separates the guards into those that are powerful, i.e. you can make a powerful strike from them; fluid, i.e. mobile and dexterous; and fixed, i.e. somewhere in between, where you can't as easily move it around, and it isn't as powerful.

After this breakdown, we have the zogho largo and stretto plays, long and short range respectfully. These are numerous, taking up the largest section of the manuscript. Why does it take up the largest? Well, aside from it being largely what Fiore was concerned with in the first place, and the most common knightly weapon at the time, there is just so much that you can do with a sword. Hence, my earlier observation about flexibility. Fiore gives such a large number of plays because the idea here is flexibility of movement and options. A big toolbox is a boon to any martial artist. I may, in my sparring, default to only a number of moves as a baseline, but having a large toolbox is beneficial because it gives me options over the choices of my opponents. Pulling some obscure move out of the toolbox in an important moment is the difference between victory and defeat, and when the stakes are life and death, as was the case in some duels with the sword, then one must be ready for anything. In this, it struck me as important to practice ad nauseam every play, so that during sparring practice (if I ever become so lucky again) I may have the advantage over my opponent.

I know that there are a plethora of YouTube videos. I also know that for $50 I can buy a video from Jesse Enkamp that goes over the basics and teaches a kata. However, I was hoping that someone here could point me in a direction to someone or some document specifically so that I'm not just throwing myself at the whole internet during research.

I believe I saw it in a Kung fu movie, though I’m not sure. They were blocking high, low, and also blocking and striking with the ends of the Bo. So the hands didn’t move on the Bo, they maintained the overhand grips the whole time. It was very simple, but looked very interesting.

Does anyone know of any 2 person drills with the Bo uses this overhand grip of both hands?

Does anyone know of any styles in particular that are known for this?

My experience in kobudo is very limited, but I have yet to see anyone use a Bo like this.

The section on grappling is relatively short. There's certainly not a lot of room to extrapolate a whole system based on this section alone (as there might be with just the sword play). That said, the basics that it gives you are solid. It begins by showing the reader 4 stances from which they might launch an attack or defend themselves. From there, it gives us 5 sequences, or plays, that cover some common situations. Fiore mentions that one might be able, if they are skilled, to manipulate their opponent into these positions from just about any other position not covered. There are no ground fighting techniques, just techniques focused on getting your opponent to the ground.

The techniques would be familiar to anyone with a knowledge of Karate or, especially, Judo. The first play ends in a standing armlock that most every martial art teaches at one point or another. The second play ends with an inside hip throw. I had a HEMA instructor who, upon my remarking that this was all very familiar to me, told me that "The body can only move in so many ways. It's not surprising that Fiore figured out the same stuff that Judo did." This familiarity makes the beginning of this journey relatively easy for anybody with martial experience. My old teacher was 100% correct. There are only so many ways that a body can move and, inevitably, there will be a large amount of overlap in movement, positioning, and philosophy.

However, where the grappling really stands out, and why it's so important to learn first, is it's application in armed fighting. Are you fighting with a spear and got to close? Drop the spear and grapple. Are you at the forteza (bottom of the blade) in a bind while fighting with a sword? Drop the sword and grapple. Are you fighting with a daga? Get in close and grapple. Grappling is the constant second option when you find yourself too close. It also serves as a surprise. An opponent might not expect you to drop your weapon and grab them. Aside from daga, there aren't many techniques that one can throw up close with a weapon in hand.

The section ends with 3 short plays using the Bastoncello, or the short staff. What Fiore means by short staff is very generous, and most of us would struggle to call it more than a dowel. It's roughly longer than the length of a forearm, which makes it convenient for carrying around. Fiore teaches you some locks with the bastoncello, as well as defense against a daga. Fiore even includes a defense against a would-be assassin attacking you while you sit.

You can find the references for this post here: https://wiktenauer.com/wiki/Fior_di_Battaglia_(MS_Ludwig_XV_13)

The folio is untranslated, but look at the pictures labeled 6r-8v for context.

The idea here is that context matters. With EMA, the context is self-defense. The context is built into the system from the ground up. Someone understood the need for defense, and then created techniques around that. We, in turn, understand the use of self defense, and learn those techniques. This is not entirely the case with learning systems of fighting from historical manuals. Firstly, it's rare to see someone walking around with a sword. There are far more efficient ways of defending ourselves now. This is true for the time periods these manuscripts were written in. Swords and steel (in general) are for the rich. This leads us to the second point: these manuscripts were for knights doing combat in lists. They assume that the chaos of a battlefield is somewhere far off, and that the combatants are just fighting for tournament entertainment. This is not true of all manuscripts, some spend some time with battlefield fighting, but it is true for a large majority of them. That context is important, because it allows the WMA/HEMA practitioner to slow down a little bit, and ask "Why is this technique like this? Why are we doing it in this way?" Thirdly, the tradition of passing these things down no longer exists in a way that is comparable with EMA. Fiore was alive in the 1300-1400s. That we have any indication of his technique is nothing short of a miracle. Studying the words and drawings takes time, especially if fidelity is the goal (and it is!).

So we learn they whos, whys, and wheres of the art before the hows. That's not a bad thing, it's just different. It is fun to learn these things. I've always enjoyed learning the history of a Martial Art, and doing that up front is just fine with me. After this, Fiore's instructions start in earnest with unarmed grappling. He reasoned that without a foundation of fitness without a sword, one could not wield a sword effectively. I agree with him. I'll be back when I'm there.

I don't want to waste my money on garbage

I am just curious about it as I have heard so many different stories about it. The fact that the weapons originated from other countries is something I am fairly sound upon, Kobudo weapons are frequently described or seen in texts and pieces of art from places other than Okinawa.

Any insight into this would be greatly appreciated

Those are the two main bits which I struggle to remember and have a lot of variation online or is simply hard to see what the direction is due to the camera angle.

Any help would be massively appreciated

I have to make an admission here that some may think should end up in the revocation of my "man card"....I am capable at many things, but working with tools? Not so much?

I have found an EDC knife (folder) that I absolutely love. So, for training purposes, I am going to buy another one and then dull the blade. The point and the single edge.

So, here is the question...how would I go about doing this? Meaning, is there a single decent priced tool that I can use to do this? Like a Dremel (sp?) or something like that? Any specific "tip" or attachment?

Since this will be a single one time use for the tool, I am trying to keep the cost down.

Any and all suggestions are welcome. Hopefully I come out of this with all of my fingers! LOL!

Thanks!

Thank you in advance!