i feel kinda dumb asking this, but here goes...

[Blade13]

The noise they make when they flop around adds a flare to the Wushu forms that gets higher scores. I would think that the combat steel would look better for a movie though.

[battousai16]

yeah, you'd think that. i personally thought the sound was annoying, but i guess that's just me.

[CrazyAZNRocker]

Hmm... arn't the floppy swords used mainly for practicing forms? I ask this because of all the REAL blades I have seen and touched, are stiff... some more stiff than others, but it never could bend that much.

[SaiFightsMS]

And keep in mind that some weapons are designed to be more flexible. And some are designed to be rigid. They have different uses.

[battousai16]

well, i realise that, but i'm curious as to what the uses are

[Bdaze]

okay, 3 reasons the swords are floppy

 

1. the swords of that day where extremely sharp. i mean sharper than razor sharp. to achive this level they had to sacrifice structural durability. even european swords of the day where dull in comparison.

 

2. The chinese lacked the technology to make well tempered swords that kept a razor sharp edge, so they had to make them thin

 

3. the swords where floppy because they wherre thin. they where thin because they where sharp. but they where also light because they where thin. in almost all Wushu styles speed is overwelmingly perfered over strength. who needs a durrable sword if one quick motion ends a fight?

 

And the reason Bo's are flexibl;e is that they're made of unseasoned wax wood. wax wood is very flexable and because of this they could store great potential energy and release it like a spring. most modern Bos are made of seasoned hardwood.

[JerryLove]

the swords of that day where extremely sharp. i mean sharper than razor sharp. to achive this level they had to sacrifice structural durability. even european swords of the day where dull in comparison.

 

You are substituting myth for fact. One basic rule of metals is that if they are soft, they don't hold an edge well. Another is that no one made swrods with 1-3 angstrom edges (which is the edge of a razor blade).

 

Your are also confused in that softer metals (to a point) are *more* when it comes to catrostrophic failure (the weapon breaking), though they genrally carry less tensile strength and are far more prone to incidental failure (bending, dulling, etc)

 

I would also refer you to a whole slew of spears and pole-arms (the dual axe, that general-somebody's sword that's on a pole, etc) to show a general interest in large weapons amond the Chinese at the time.

 

If I were to hazard a guess, it's that springy, folding (look he swings so hard the weapon bends), shiny ("hard" steels are typically high-carbon.. therefore dull) sword that can be moved quickly (it's light) looked better. Remember that the primary holders of kung-fu for a long time were the actors of the peking opera.

The chinese lacked the technology to make well tempered swords that kept a razor sharp edge, so they had to make them thin

 

A moment ago you said the swords were sharp. Making a blade thin does not make it sharp... all you have is the size of teh edge and the angle of incedence. I could attach a hunk-o-steel to the middle of a razor and it would have no impact on the sharpness at the edge.

 

Typically thin=fast... it also says a bit about the intended fighting style. I do have some chinese swords that are a high-carbon steel (dull, heavier and thicker than performace swords, and generally reasonably functional).

the swords where floppy because they wherre thin. they where thin because they where sharp. but they where also light because they where thin. in almost all Wushu styles speed is overwelmingly perfered over strength. who needs a durrable sword if one quick motion ends a fight?

 

Again, I don't believe that modern Wushu has any real interest in a fight. See above.

And the reason Bo's are flexibl;e is that they're made of unseasoned wax wood. wax wood is very flexable and because of this they could store great potential energy and release it like a spring. most modern Bos are made of seasoned hardwood.

But you loose as much in transferrance as you gain in potential. Unless used as a flail, flails make inferior striking weapons.

[Bdaze]

A moment ago you said the swords were sharp. Making a blade thin does not make it sharp... all you have is the size of teh edge and the angle of incedence. I could attach a hunk-o-steel to the middle of a razor and it would have no impact on the sharpness at the edge.

 

Typically thin=fast... it also says a bit about the intended fighting style. I do have some chinese swords that are a high-carbon steel (dull, heavier and thicker than performace swords, and generally reasonably functional).

 

that wasn't exactly what i was saying. when tempering the blade, it needs to be done in a certain way for the blade to keep an edge well. this is why Japanese swords are so legendarily sharp, their blacksmiths had a special method of tempering and forging.

 

either way, what i was saying was mostly speculation or hearsay. you obviously know more about the metalurgical arts than I.

 

However i know for a fact that Bo's where made of flexible wood for that reason. yes energy is lot in the transfer. energy is always lost in the transfer, but by your logic a whip would be utterly useless because the pulling back/whipping motion looses to much energy. with a flexible staff you can use this same principle to deliver a large amount of force into one precise spot, just like a whip.

 

many Qiang techniques involve whiping the spear head back and forth in a lateral path to create extremely fast grazing cuts.

[Odysseus]

It depends on what kind of sword you have.

 

A "finesse" sword, like a rapier or a katana, is much more flexible than a "hacking" sword, like a broad sword or a claymore. A good rapier that is properly made can be bent nearly 180 degrees, and will return to it's proper shape.

 

All swords need to have a degree of flexibility, otherwise they would shatter in combat!

 

Imagine to warriors fighting with large broad swords. One attacks with a overhead hack, the other blocks. The force of the impact on a long blade could easily break the blade if there wasn't some give.

 

Movies just overexaggerate this.

 

Here's a good article about sword quality.

 

http://www.angelic.org/highlander/realswords/determiningquality.html

[Warp Spider]

However i know for a fact that Bo's where made of flexible wood for that reason. yes energy is lot in the transfer. energy is always lost in the transfer, but by your logic a whip would be utterly useless because the pulling back/whipping motion looses to much energy. with a flexible staff you can use this same principle to deliver a large amount of force into one precise spot, just like a whip.

 

No offense, but a whip causes pain because the rapid change in direction from the whipping motion creates a "sonic boom" which causes great discomfort. The capacity of a whip to actually destroy things is extremely limited. I believe they make bo's flexible so as to avoid the "rattling your jaw" that occurs when something hard is struck by something else hard.