SLOs: Sword Like Objects

No matter how much fun you're having, foam swords are not swords.

Wasters, Foils, and S(word)L(ike)O(objects)s

Sword simulators, specifically for longsword and arming/side sword, fall into three categories: wood, synthetic, and steel. There are, of course, some gray areas that don't fall directly into these categories, such as bamboo trainers built around some manner of shinai, or various styles of foam swords. Just how useful a trainer is always come down to how closely it represents a real sword:

• Physical characteristics: Is it the correct size, weight, and shape?
• Handling characteristics: Where is the balance point? Does it move like a real sword?
• Dynamic characteristics: How does it react to contact? How does it move in the bind?

Naturally, the closest you can get to the real thing is a dull real thing, namely a rebated steel blade. Even so, there are a few differences that even just dulling the edge creates: a sharp sword has a certain "stickiness" to edge on edge contact while a dull edge is a lot slicker, and the slickness only increases if the edge is broad enough to hold up to repeated use. Other than this, a rebated steel sword, if done right, has pretty much all of the characteristics of a real sword.

At the opposite end is the foam sword. Although they can have the proportions in terms of length, the actual shape and sillhouette are not particularly accurate, as they usually don't have a discernable edge or flat. With the lightness comes a lack of inertia, and if you combine that with air resistance from the bulk they really don't move like a sword. Foam swords also tend to bounce around when they hit each other, a combination of the spring of the foam, the lightness of the weapon, and the grippiness of the weapons exterior, whether it's cloth, tape, or just paint.

Wooden swords are the right weight and roughly the right shape, although the blades have to be extra thick and they frequently don't have the right balance without extra weight being added to the grip/handle. That said, a well made wooden waster can feel just like a steel sword. Well, right up until it makes contact with another sword. Steel and wood absorb and react to blows very differently, and the thickness of a wooden sword can drastically change the interaction between blades.

Just like wooden swords, there are a number of available synthetic swords of varying qualities, many of which are bad imitations of either wooden swords. Recently, however, there has been a lot of development by a few companies who are dedicated to improving the quality of available synthetic swords. With the versatility of synthetic materials, the good training swords can approximate both the physical and handling characteristics of a steel sword, although they still tend to be a bit lighter than steel. The most recent models even act like swords in contact situations, even though some of the details, of course, are different.

So What Do I Use?

Exactly which weapon to go for depends on what you're planning on using it for, and how much you're willing to spend. Wooden swords tend to be the most affordable, steel is the most expensive, and the good synthetic swords fall in between.

For solo practice, all three are pretty good, although I recommend wooden swords as an alternative to steel, since they have a bit more heft than the synthetics. Notice that steel is still the first choice.

Other than price, the only reason that I would recommend synthetics over steel for free fencing is comfort. Steel weapons require a certain amount of protective gear (or immense control) if you want to avoid injury but maintain intensity. Since synthetic swords are both lighter and more flexible than steel, it's possible to go at it pretty hard while wearing only padding and walk away with nothing worse than some bruising. This does not mean that if someone throws on a sweater you can wail on them and nothing bad will happen, but even the occasional blow that gets away from you is unlikely to cause more than a sting. That said, if you're doing anything faster than slow work you should probably put on some manner of gauntlet, and I hope that sparring with masks on goes without saying.

If price isn't an issue, there are still a number of options for steel trainers that don't hit as hard, ranging from the not-quite-swordlike federschwert from Hanwei to the Albion Meyer. These "feather swords" have a lot of the reactive qualities of steel (because they are!) but since much of the mass is concentrated down by the handle, the blades don't hit as hard. It also makes it a bit harder for them to displace each other, so again it's a tradeoff of weapon accuracy for safety.

Just make sure that whatever sword you're using is used against more of the same. Don't use metal on anything but metal, and even wood vs. plastic can get weird.

But What About Proper Arms?

Central to Academie Duello's curriculum are the two founding tenets of the school's approach: Proper Arms and Proper Respect.

Proper Arms means that we use the most accurate simulators for the weapons and armour for the martial arts we teach and practice because the sword is our teacher: superior technique will only come from working with the properties of your weapon and your body. Thus by maintaining the most accurate environment to what you would face in a fight for your life, we create an environment where the best techniques will always come to the fore, whether those are researched or found through experimentation.

Proper Respect means that we respect the deadliness of the weapons and the deadliness of an opponent using proper technique. Though we practice and compete with blunted blades and do body to body work in slow motion, it is always important to be aware that the real weapon is sharp and contact with your opponent can be dangerous. To become a great practitioner of the arts we teach, you must approach each engagement as if it all weapons are razor sharp and needle-pointed.

As long as you keep both tenets in mind, you can still make good use of wooden wasters and synthetic trainers as supplemental to training with steel. One option is to use steel for controlled drilling and slow-work, but use synthetics or feders to go full-speed. Just don't think that what works with a non-sword at speed will necessarily work with a proper sword at speed, sharp or dull.

New Synthetic Swords!

Developed in conjunction with Dave Rawlings, founder of the London Longsword Academy and the HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts) community, our new line of polymer sparring swords is rapidly finding favour with European broadsword sparring enthusiasts. Made in the UK, the swords are crafted in a special-purpose high-impact polymer and provide a more realistic replacement for the wooden waster for drilling and pell work, at the same time providing a safer alternative for the steel blunt in contact sparring when used with appropriate protection. This range of swords is now standard in three of the largest HEMA competitions in the world and is constantly being adopted for other smaller competitions and tourneys.

Check out the complete list of options on our supplier's website, or check out our samples in the store. We'll be stocking an array of each sword in limited quantities for now, but you can always place a special order!