Samurai Katana

Martial artists and warriors have argued this debate for decades – ‘what is the best type of sword?’. Throughout history many types and styles of swords have been developed and mastered by different cultures. Many of the differing types and lengths of swords were developed out of necessity as armor and defenses changed.

Other swords in the martial arts were born due to the types of materials and metals that were available and the restrictions those materials presented. Though one thing is for sure, and that is that the sword is definitely the most recognizable and widely used weapon throughout history. Despite the other weapons that warriors have carried and used the sword always held a special and often spiritual value amongst those who used them.

Japanese Swords

The most popular types of swords still used or trained with today within military forces or martial arts include; sabres, fencing, foils, machetes, Japanese samurai style katanas and tantos, ninja style swords and Chinese broadswords of varying lengths. Of course, perhaps the most recognized and coveted swords of all time are the Japanese samurai type swords that have been popularized and made famous in so many movies.

But which is the best type of sword? This is an extremely difficult question. And it is probably more commonly agreed that it is not necessarily the type of sword but the swordsman and the situation that make the difference. It is argued that in a battle between two equally skilled swordsmen using different styles of sword the outcome will be determined by the one who makes the first technical mistake and nothing to do with the sword. However logically there must obviously be some advantages to do with range and speed.

Logic would predict that a sword that is too heavy even if it is longer or an extremely short sword like those of the legendary Spartans must present some disadvantages. Using the ‘UFC’ test of which types of swords have survived the test of time and battle and are still around, you would have to deduce that even though Japanese style swords are most popular amongst collectors, the only types of sword weapon still in active use are sabres that are carried most often by officers but rarely used or machetes that are still commonly used in guerrilla warfare in parts of Africa and Central & South America.

Nevertheless, which ever fighting style you have taken up, just make sure you are the best. Practice makes perfect!

Sword Item of the Week: 8 Tier Sword Display Black Stand with Samurai

Ringstar Kicks

The ongoing debate about whether it is better to train with shoes or barefoot has been going on for years. Of course many traditional martial arts have always insisted on it’s students training barefoot and certainly they are not permitted in the UFC octagon. However this is changing with martial arts like Tae Kwon Do and some forms of Karate allow practitioners to train with shoes. Though certainly part of this change is due to the development of specialized shoes made especially for practicing martial arts with big brand names like Adidas Taekwondo gear getting into the market.

Those arguing for the traditional way of training without footwear of course have several valuable points. Not only is it just about tradition, which probably also has something to do with the values of respect taught in traditional Dojos but also several practical reasons. Training barefoot can greatly increase your foot strength.

In turn it has been proven that having strong feet improves core strength and can enable you to lift more weight. Additionally of course there are obvious concerns with having shoes in competition. This would cause a number of problems for Ultimate Fighting Championships bouts, not only limiting some locks and potential submissions but increasing the damage of kicks which would likely result in further regulatory restrictions. Then there would be more difficulties for officials needing to check footwear for regulatory compliance or cheating. Imagine someone sneaking on some steel toe caps the the octagon!

Adidas Adiluxe Martial Arts Shoes

However those that prefer to train with shoes and even insist on it have some powerful arguments as well. Firstly hygiene is a big concern. If you have spent any length of time training in martial arts you have probably had someone in class with some seriously scary toe fungus or athletes foot, and who wants to catch that? Not only can if be transferred to your feet extremely easily, but grabbing someone’s sweaty foot or catching one to the face or mouth is anything but pleasant. Then there are those who argue that training with shoes just isn’t realistic. After all, how often are you walking down the street barefoot?

True self-defense and fight training that is meant for practical use should definitely be practised as realistically as possible. Savate, the French kicking martial art even uses the fact that they always train with shoes as a way to differentiate themselves from other styles. The bottom line is that it is really a personal choice and both sides have great arguments. May be the best thing to do is train both ways?

Shoes of the Week:   Ringstar Kicks: Martial Arts Shoes for Sparring