Source material

The tournament debate seems to be dying down a little now thank the Lord, but not before it has found it's way onto pretty much every forum on the internet. One line that I found particularly memorable was “2 people square off with faux swords (bamboo or plastic) and they try to hit each other for score”.

Don't worry, I'm not going to keep flogging the dead horse that is the tournargument but I simply can't ignore that line.

Before I go on I'd like to direct you to one of my older posts.

Specifically the one currently labouring under the title of “Removed Post 3”. I'd like to further draw your attention to the part where I say:

“You are an idiot.”

I'll leave it up to you to figure out who I'm referring to this time.

Now that's out of the way lets get on with this post.

“Faux swords”?????

I've got some news for you Mr Poster who I shall not name. Nylon and bamboo simulators may well be faux swords, but so are blunt steel simulators. Unless it is sharp it isn't a sword, it is a simulator. Or to use your eloquent turn of phrase a faux sword.

Now I'm assuming you don't train with sharp steel, because if you did you would be a fuckwit beyond all measure, so you are making a compromise. You are accepting that different blade geometry is ok for you and that the material is the most important thing.

Here's some more news for you.

Blunt steel is not the same as sharp steel. The very thing that makes it safer than sharp steel changes the way it reacts to impact and pressure.

Shinai aren't perfect, wooden wasters aren't perfect, nylon wasters aren't perfect and blunt steel isn't perfect.

Live with it.

Train with the lot and accept whatever compromise you have to make. Just stop pretending that because you use steel you are more of a martial artist than people who happily train with any material.

You aren't.

Incidentally, it may be worth mentioning that a tournament competitior was hospitalised recently after a steel weapon snapped and ended up in his chest.

Steel breaks. Bend it enough and it will snap. The problem is no-one knows how many times "enough" is. Steel is inherently more dangerous than the alternatives.

Now I'd like to direct you to the post entitled:

“There is no point in arguing”

Stop pretending that using only steel shows you've got massive balls. It just makes you look like a twat.

Here's a picture of a puppy in case all that ranting made you sad.