Dealer Recommendations?

Wow, this thread has gone totally random. I hope the OP has thick enough skin to contemplate the dao advice he originally asked for and not get turned off by the rest. I rather enjoyed the thought of Santa's Kung Fu Naughty Brigade, with their little elfin dao boots....As to the question of what I trained, I spent five years in Northern Shaolin learning from a man who had genuine abilities like the Iron Shirt and one-finger paralyzing touch. I wouldn't believe it either, but he dropped me with it and held me with light pressure of one finger while all my friends started asking questions--that was a long couple of minutes. Turns out, he was also a pathological liar, sexual predator, and the last hurrah as his secrets came to light was holding his wife and daughter hostage with a shotgun and daring the police to kill him. It makes me leery of submitting to spiritual authority in the arts, and "worthy" is one of those buzzwords that set me off. I spent the next twenty years practicing Wing Chun and traditional Chen Tai Chi, and eventually took up modern Yang Tai Chi since there wasn't much else in my area. We all have our flaws, and I try to wear mine outwardly to reduce misconceptions--that's why I use BitingSarcasm as a handle and not HuggyBunny. I do hope the Prof takes whatever advice appeals to him and is amused by the rest--no one here is really mean, we all just have an opinion.
 
BitingSarcasm said:
I spent the next twenty years practicing Wing Chun and traditional Chen Tai Chi, and eventually took up modern Yang Tai Chi since there wasn't much else in my area. We all have our flaws, and I try to wear mine outwardly to reduce misconceptions--that's why I use BitingSarcasm as a handle and not HuggyBunny. I do hope the Prof takes whatever advice appeals to him and is amused by the rest--no one here is really mean, we all just have an opinion.
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If you are familiar with Scott Rodell, of Yang Tai Chi, and look him up on Wikipedia, I wrote a magazine article that was quoted in that entry.

Scott REALLY knows Chinese swords and would be an excellent resource to draw from if one is serious about Tai Chi sword.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Way I see it, worthiness isn't something that's granted by other people. Nobody tells me that I am or am not worthy. But the thing with claiming it for oneself is that if you really are, you don't need to. The people who tend to be cocksure and arrogant about their own abilities and worth, when it really comes down to it, aren't actually that confident. Self-confidence and humility tend to walk hand in hand, in my experience.

I can definitely see where you would have some qualms about the term "worthy" from those experiences. But it's a different thing when it's someone telling you that you are or are not worthy of a real sword, relative to someone saying that if you don't respect yourself enough to do it right, you'll have a tough time honestly feeling worthy of a real sword. Self-worth is just that. SELF worth. It cannot be granted by another. But it's also nigh unto impossible to gain without the self-confidence and self-respect that comes from wanting to do everything right, and to the best of one's abilities. If you don't have enough confidence to always want to do your best, that can't help but damage your self-worth.

STeven, I love the comment: "it is up to the individual to take what they need and give back what they can. Some take all and give nothing back, and they never last very long." That's very well said, and very true in my experience.
 
horseclover said:
Chances are, he will find fault with any suggestion, as he has already determined what he wants, just not where he might be most comfortable buying from. Since he makes his own armor and clothing, carries a knife to scare people away at conventions; I doubt anyone here can better serve his needs and wants.
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I think I may have accidentally misled you, I don't make "my own" clothes and armor in the sense that I have a fine suit of armor to withstand battle and such.
I have minor skill with sewing and a good ability to mentally visualize geometry, and use that to make costume pieces. I'm trying to teach myself to get to the point where I can make super-gorgeous stuff, but right now I just make more simple pieces (such as Link's outfit) and try to make them "realistic" by making them stand up to everyday wear instead of looking amazing for a single day. The armor is similarly mostly for costume purposes, with minor application in contact practice fights. I make it out of scrap, it's fun taking an old appliance and seeing how it can be recycled into something completely different.

The knife thing definitely bears explanation, I just didn't want to lose focus in my other response. I do that soooooooo easily. T_T
But yeah, if i'm rooming at a convention with people I don't know (actually a common practice at cons, if you've never been), I make sure to shave with a knife where the others can see, and it keeps people from stealing my stuff. Sometimes other's things too! people are like "hmm, that dude's odder than he looks, I don't think I want to risk trying to go through his bag". But yeah, I dont just go around waving a knife at people at a con. if i did, i'd get kicked out of the room, if not the con itself XD

Also, is there seriously a codified manual on trolling? That's hilarious.

Back on topic, how would you suggest my original question be posed? I put up the image of the amazon sword to illustrate the KIND of object i was looking for (blunt, low-maintenance), and asked if there were any suggestions of good, reliable places to buy from. I don't have any sites listed because I don't KNOW any, that's why i was looking for advice. So if you're right and the problems here are stemming from a lack of clarity of intent, I'd like your thoughts are how better to communicate it.
 
I don't KNOW any, that's why i was looking for advice.
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Right spend some time looking and then field opinion regarding a given vendor. The internet is your's and you know what you are looking for.

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=dao+practice+sword

Nothing wrong with cosplay. :rolleyes:

What do you actually practice and who is teaching you? That may seem irrelevant regarding your original question but answers might get you better response to your inquiry.

The Flame Warriors index was created long ago, in the heyday of usenet bulletin boards. Long before chat rooms and forum sites. Think 8kbs modems and magnetic tape cassete storage.

Cheers

GC
 
+1 to the horse. Style and intended use would be minimum requirements for a recommendation for a practice sword. Budget range would be useful too. Otherwise it's just a matter of pointing you at the usual suspects, which have already been mentioned, and letting you do what you want.
 
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SouthernComfort said:
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truly, your whiskey wisdom is far beyond me. I must look inside myself to divine the doubtless inspiring message wrapped in this sage offering.

horseclover said:
What do you actually practice and who is teaching you? That may seem irrelevant regarding your original question but answers might get you better response to your inquiry.
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Shaolin tiger, and my uncle is teaching me. Before you start rolling your eyes, he used to teach professionally and is ranked as a master-instuctor. I'm getting the sword to do form practice at home and to use at lessons. I prefer heavier training equipment as it gives me better feedback and forces me to control it, thus enabling better general ability with lighter weapons. And before anyone tries to say I'm doing it backwards or something, I know what works for me, not for anyone else.

Thanks for your feedback. I have a bad habit of going off-topic so I try to contain myself to minimum necessary information, and sometimes forget that what I'm saying may require additional context to be understood clearly.
 
Instruction by family members is a time-honored tradition. See what he thinks of wood. It requires a bare minimum of maintenance, as requested, and if you get a good full tang one, custom or Raven Sword, or other, it will balance correctly, and permit sparring. Hardwood can be heavier than the light spring steel or aluminum training weapons you typically find.
 
Off-topic is sometimes where the best things develop. And a very old Chinese proverb goes something like, "train heavy, fight light," so you have long historical precedent. My light sharp jian is a Paul Chen that goes wherever I want as soon as I think it. My heavy blunt is a Cold Steel Jian that is the prettiest crowbar you will ever see. Likewise, when I trim my shrubs and bamboo I use a Paul Chen ghost head saber, and for heavier stuff an old Atlanta Cutlery ghost head that feels like it weighs a pound more. My neighbors think I am eccentric, but it keeps me happy. I have lots of bad memories of all the aluminum gear at work though; it worked fine until it hit a certain point, then broke and left jagged edges every which way. Making your own gear out of wood is very satisfying and you can fine tune all characteristics through wood choice, sand paper, and elbow grease. Once you handle a purpleheart or old-growth ash weapon, commercial sticks lose their appeal. Plus, when someone gives you a straight line like SouthernComfort, you can hit him with a stick guilt-free. Seriously, even though eye rolls are part of every tai chi warmup or cooldown you should enjoy training with your uncle. The family that trains together has far more interesting family reunions and arguments, and they give better holiday gifts too.
 
BitingSarcasm said:
Making your own gear out of wood is very satisfying
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I agree, but my woodshop is in shambles atm. I have a sexy setup with all the bits and bobs a hobbyist carpenter could need, but i haven't had room to set it all back up since moving it. Bleh. BUT extra free time this weekend. If nothing else I can hopefully get enough space to set up the press and circular saw. I need to finish a shield for somebody. I've BEEN using a victorinox swiss army knife saw for all the cutting. Also, victorinox makes FUCKING MAGICAL saws for their knives. Wenger has a better DESIGN for their knives, but they all wear out so much faster.
I have a couple of CS's bastard wasters, they're the swords I regularly fight with (no training, just me and other amateurs learning how not to get hit. much fun), i'm considering how i can go about fixing their balance issue. which means i'm prolly gonna have to get a third one to practice the modifications on *sigh*

Falcon, I'm glad you said that about ravensword. THey hadn't been popping up until i had a thought to search "niuweidao", and then BAM all these pretty wooden things. The problem with buying wood is "well, theres absolutely no way of knowing if this will be good" unless you're holding it, so I'm wary of buying it online. But thats one solid recommendation and a sword i really like the look of, so I'm prolly gonna buy from there
http://little-raven.com/images/RS/MA/eoxtsaberp.JPG
lookatitsopretty!
*does a happy little dance*
 
Woof. Swiss army knife saw for making a sword? That would get old fast for sure. Yeah, I've got a couple Raven Sword pieces that I'm happy with, although these days I just make my own.

One way to fix balance issues is to drill a series of holes at the appropriate ends and fill with lead, then seal with epoxy. Keep adding holes until the balance is where you want it. Best way is to get the balance right during the making, of course, but it's not like you had a choice about that.
 
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