Practice sword

by Francis J. Arnold
(Pittsburgh Pa. USA)

QUESTION: I was told that I could purchase a practice sword that did not have a sharpened blade, did have a blood slit that allowed the sword to make a noise as it traveled through the air. I am a student of Hai Dung Gum do. The forms that I am practice and perform in competition would really seem more authentic with the sound of the air flow. Are you aware of any swords that allow this noise?

ANSWER: Hi Francis,

Well, I'd recommend that the first place to start off is to ask your instructor their recommendations.

That said, my own personal preference for some very affordable, but extremely good quality iaito (I don't know what they call blunted training swords in Korean) are the Cheness Cutlery Iaito.

Even the $160 ones have a great 'sword wind sound' (Tachi Kaze) in Japanese and handle really well. Have a look and see what you think.

Best,

- Paul