How to adapt a shinai sword for practicing European sword fighting styles

Purchase a couple of shinai swords. If you can find one, go to a shop that specializes in martial arts equipment. There are cheaper shinai out there, but remember, we're using these swords to actually hit people so they need to meet the safety requirements of the organization you join. Cheap shinai are sometimes made of weak, brittle bamboo that breaks way too easily. Shinai are safe to use as long as they don't break and expose any sharp edges or splinters.

I recommend getting two lenghts of shinai. Get one sword that is 40" long and another that is 35" long. That way, you have both a long, two handed sword and a shorter hand and a half sword to practice with. Different techniques are possible with each sword.

Inspect each sword before you buy it. If the store won't let you open the package up to inspect the sword, don't buy it. Good shops know the importance of making sure there are no flaws in the sword and will let you look at them. Look for cracks in the bamboo, "knots" or places where the stems of the bamboo used to be that are raised up (the blade should feel smooth not bumpy), leather straps that seem loose or like they could fall off easily, etc. The leather holds the sword together, so it needs to be of good quality and to be attached well.

Hold the sword in your hand gripping the handle lightly. The handle or grip of a shinai sword is the part wrapped in leather. Holding on mainly with your thumb and forefinger just below the knot at the top of the grip, flick your wrist so that you are "snapping" the sword in an up and down motion, kind of like if you were fishing and casting a line. If the sword feels like the grip or handle is heavier than the blade or that the sword feels like a baseball bat, it's not balanced properly. Try another one. It's important that the sword feel like an extension of your hand when you fight. If you've played tennis with a racket that was properly chosen for your body size and arm length, it should feel like that only heavier.

Once you have found two swords that feel right to you and that don't have anything wrong with them, take them home. If the crossguards are not already on the swords, don't buy them separately. You'll be taking them off anyway. Get the rest of the needed supplies at a hardware store, department store and/or sporting goods store. If the store has raquet balls that are different prices, get the more expensive ones as the cheaper ones are sometimes made of thinner, weaker rubber. You need a good quality ball for your sword. Also get the good duct tape, not the thin, cheap stuff. The tape will be taking a beating in practice, so it needs to hold up to it. You need both black and red because you need the red for marking the "sharp" edges of your sword so that you, your opponent and the field marshals can tell the "flat" sides from the edges. We're pretending that a virtually round bladed sword (the shinai) is a flat metal sword.

The difference between a European broadsword and a Japanese Katana is in the dimentions of the different parts. Broadswords have heavier and larger pommels, crossguards and blades than katanas do. We're going to approximate the size and weight of these parts by modifying the shinai.

Close-up showing the crossguard, grip and pommel of the sword.

Cut the (usually)red string that is wrapped AROUND the slats of bamboo. Not the (usually)white string that runs along one side of the sword blade from tip to handle. These strings must be removed befor most groups will let you fight with the sword. The four slats of bamboo need to move a bit upon impact in order to absorb some of the force of the blow. This and the flexibility of bamboo make the shinai safer to practice with than swords made of solid wood, fiberglass or steel. If you are hit in a non-padded spot, it won't bruise as badly as other kinds of swords will. Especially if you join a group that does not allow full force to be applied to swings (which I highly recommend). Some groups like Society for Creative Anacronisym (SCA) do hit with full force and they can really hurt you. If you like to get really bruised up and maybe even get a cracked bone, join SCA. They are the "rhino hiders" of the sport. I prefer groups like Adrian Empire that only allow 1/4 power on swings and that emphasize technique and speed instead of power.

First, let's make the crossguard. Cut a piece of rubber hose that is eight inches long. Sometimes, the hardware store will have hose on long reels and will cut off pieces for you. If so, you'll need 16 inches of hose or two eight inch pieces. The cut hose will form a sort of half circle from being rolled up this is just fine, since many cultures used swords with curved crossguards. Next, cut a slit that is about two inches wide in the middle of the hose. This slit needs to be in the sides of the hose that are inside and outside of the curve. It helps to hold the hose against the side of the blade of the shinai before you do this. This way, you can rotate the hose until lays in such a way against the blade that it forms a cross with the ends of the hose turning a little bit towards the tip of the blade. This curved style helps you keep your opponent's blade from slipping off the cross guard when you block with the crossguard, a good technique.

Now, push the hose over the end of the grip and up to the knot, or part where the leather wrapping ends. Turn the hose so that the ends of the hose line up with the "edges" of the blade. Before you even modify a shinai sword, you'll notice that the top edge is already marked by a long white string. In katana sword practice, this indicates which edge is dull as the kantana only has one sharp edge. Line your hose ends up with this string.

Now, wrap the hose securely to the grip with black duct tape. Keep the tape below the knot where the string is attached as that is where the blade starts. With some sword styles, this part of the blade between the crossguard and where the sharp edges start is called the "fuller" and was handy for keeping the sharp edges of your sword from getting damaged while blocking.

Wrap duct tape around the whole hose so that no rubber is showing. Also wrap tape around the ends of the hose so that they do not appear hollow. This partly for looks and partly for safety. You don't want anyone's fingers or anything else to get stuck inside the end of your crossguards while fighting. It also stiffens the hose and makes the crossguard more rigid without making it too rigid. You want some flexibility in it still in case someone falls on the sword or in case you hit your opponent with the crossguard (which is allowed in some groups).

Next, cut a slit in one side of the raquet ball. Cut the slit just big enough that you can get the ball on the end of the handle or grip. It looks a bit better if you cut the slit wide enough that the ball retains some of it's round shape once it's on the handle. I made one sword where I kept the slit narrow and the pommel came out looking a little squished. Tape the ball securely to the handle with black duct tape. Wrap tape over the whole ball so that no rubber is showing. This will make the ball last longer as you are going to be putting a lot of strain on it while fighting. Keep wrapping tape until the ball feels like it is part of the handle and doesn't move at all when you grip it and hold the sword up by it. You don't want the pommel to come off in a fight.

Take the golf club or baseball bat grip wrap and wrap it around grip of the handle between the crossguard and the pommel. It should fit just about right as the grip on a bat or club is about the same length as the grip on your sword. Tape the ends of the wrap down with black duct tape just to make sure it doesn't come off. Here, some people customize their sword by using different colors of tape to hold the grip on. The grip with the wrap on it will hold up much better to the rigors of fighting than the white leather that was on the handle to start with.

Now, take your red duct tape and cut it into long, thin strips. Apply a stripe to the top and bottom edges of the blade. The top edge is the side with the white string on it. You can tape over the string, but do not put any tape on the leather binding towards the tip of the sword. That leather needs to stretch and give a little so that the four slats of bamboo move upon impact.

When your sword is all done, it should like this.

Also apply red duct tape to the tip of the sword. Completely cover the tip on the end and sides. Do not wrap it very tight on the sides though as you still want some give there. This will help your opponent and the marshals see where the tip and sides of the sword are even at a distance. This makes a difference if you are fighting for points as only hits with the "sharp" edges and the tip count.

You can also customize your sword by drawing designs on the blade with a permanent marker. Don't use paint as that could affect the properties of the bamboo. This helps you tell your sword from someone else's and gives it character. Different cultures decorated their swords different ways. Some, like the Vikings and Celts even thought that certain designs gave their sword special powers. It's all in your head of course, but it's still fun to come up with some neat designs.

This is what a gorget looks like. Other protective stuff is easy to find in stores, but these have to be made by hand or bought from specialty shops online.

You can swing the sword around and "shadow" practice moves that you learn without protection. NEVER EVER fight another person without the proper padding and a fencing mask. These swords are pretty safe, but you could still get hurt if you aren't protected. Sword fighting can be as dangerous as any contact sport especially hockey, lacrosse and other sports where sticks of some kind are involved. However, I have been in Adrian Empire for a couple of years and have never had any injuries worse than a good bruise. I know guys who have fought for 10 years without ever having to go to a doctor for an injury. So, it's safer than football but not as safe as some other martial arts are.

This is what the "back" side of a gorget looks like. It has adjustable straps to make it fit snug.

This step is mainly to show you more detail about the gorget. Making one is not as easy as making a practice sword. I highly recommend having someone who has made them before actually work with you in making yours. It's as important for your safety as a helmet is for a motorcycle racer so it needs to be done right. You can buy them too from specialty stores online like ancientarmour.com and zcastle.com, but a hand made one will fit you better.