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The art and need of the
sword has been among us for thousands of
years, yet there was no way to train, fight
and compete without pain, suffering and
sometimes death. Wood, metal and bamboo
swords offered the combatant a cumbersome
and often dangerous venue to train and
practice.
New age swords, designed by
Japanese swordsmen, enabled them to develop
and hone their fighting strategies at full
speed. Rhythm and timing were also
accelerated at an unbelievably fast rate.
You can now take advantage of that design
and develop your personal sword fighting and
fencing strategies and techniques.
There are two
varieties of swords used in chanbara:
Choken:
The choken 40-inch sword is by far the
combatant's sword of preference. It is
designed from the world-famous Japanese
samurai sword coupled with advances in
science and technology.
The choken consists of 28
inches of striking area and 12 inches of
handle, offering the combatant a realistic
fight in the Ultimate Physical Game of
Chess.
Full-speed offensive and
defensive capabilities give the combatant a
large array of fighting possibilities.
Capture the rigors of real contact sparring
with this amazing Action Flex sword.
Mini-ken 34-inch
sword.
Throughout history,
swordsmen have scaled down their swords to
fit younger hands and beginners. The 34-inch
mini-ken, which consists of 24 inches of
striking area and 10 inches of handle, is
designed for the younger martial artist and
sword practitioner who has difficulty
wielding the longer choken sword.
The length of the blade also
offers young and adult combatants strong
defensive and offensive capabilities. This
medium range one- or two-handed sword is
sometimes called a shoto or gunto.
The longer choken sword is
more difficult to wield and consequently,
most combatants start off with a smaller
version, then graduate to the longer and
faster choken. This is a personal preference
only. Matches using the choken offer the
combatant a realistic fight and a chance to
play the Ultimate Physical Game of Chess.
Scoring
Points:
The target areas of the body are head,
torso, legs and arms. Slashing, thrusting
and cutting techniques receive points. All
completed mein, kote, do, ashi and tsuki
strikes are legal. The strike must be clean
and swift, not allowing the opponent to make
a counterattack.
Kodachi:
The kodachi is the most forgiving weapon for
beginning and intermediate combatants who
wish to practice and match wits in the
Ultimate Physical Game of Chess. From the
beginner to the master, this two-foot short
sword offers the combatant speed and
agility.
The length of the blade also
offers a strong defense as well as a good
offense. This reliable medium-range,
one-handed sword offers 18 inches of
striking area with 6 inches of handle.
Scoring
Points:
The target areas of the body are head,
torso, legs and arms. Slashing, thrusting
and cutting techniques receive points. All
completed mein, kote, do, ashi and tsuki
strikes are legal. The strike must be clean
and swift, not allowing the opponent to make
a counterattack.
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