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The basic idea of the weapon is a long sturdy rope with one or two “meteors” attached at the ends. The rope is swung around the user’s body to build momentum and then the meteors are released to cause a quick and devastating blow to the opponent. The meteors can take many different forms. The two examples above are the same weapon with completely different styles. The young Chinese girl wields a single meteor hammer with a spiked ball resembling a mace at the end of it while Betty chooses to fix his meteor hammer with a sharp iron claw.

“Should I dodge the flying claw with a back flip or take it in the face? I think I’ll take it in the face!”

In reality, the meteor hammer is one of the most difficult weapons to handle and therefore almost impossible to master. It takes an incredible amount of grace and composure to build the momentum of these weapons and launch them with any accuracy. The meteor hammer is also one of the more dangerous weapons for the wielder. One wrong move, an accidental wrap around a limb or worse a neck, and the wielder will be at a significant disadvantage.

The risks to using the meteor hammer are balanced by the benefits. This is one strong weapon. An especially well placed strike to the temple can down an opponent from a far. The rope can be used for hog-tying or strangling an opponent from a distance and the meteor at the end packs a wallop of a punch.

These are not weapons to take lightly in practice though. In order to properly master the meteor hammer it is important to choose a toned down practice version. Ancient Chinese monks used to construct water meteors for this purpose. They would make their meteor hammers out of two joining bowls and then fill the bowls with water. The goal in practice was to spin th

e meteor hammers around with enough care and focus so as to keep the water from spilling with centripetal force. This is quite an accomplishment if done properly and a horribly wet mess if executed poorly.

Meteor Hammer Techniques and Styles

The meteor hammer is unique in the chain weapon genre. It is usually weighted at both ends allowing for easier momentum control and even at the most toned down levels of use it can be seen as intimidating just for the fact that . . . → Read More: Meteor Hammer]]> In the past few years the meteor hammer has been a prominent weapon in action movies. It appears in Kill Bill Volume 1, wielded with expert skill by an insane young Chinese girl, and is also hilariously featured in the spoof film Kung Pow: Enter the Fist by the villain Betty.

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The basic idea of the weapon is a long sturdy rope with one or two “meteors” attached at the ends. The rope is swung around the user’s body to build momentum and then the meteors are released to cause a quick and devastating blow to the opponent. The meteors can take many different forms. The two examples above are the same weapon with completely different styles. The young Chinese girl wields a single meteor hammer with a spiked ball resembling a mace at the end of it while Betty chooses to fix his meteor hammer with a sharp iron claw.

“Should I dodge the flying claw with a back flip or take it in the face? I think I’ll take it in the face!”

In reality, the meteor hammer is one of the most difficult weapons to handle and therefore almost impossible to master. It takes an incredible amount of grace and composure to build the momentum of these weapons and launch them with any accuracy. The meteor hammer is also one of the more dangerous weapons for the wielder. One wrong move, an accidental wrap around a limb or worse a neck, and the wielder will be at a significant disadvantage.

The risks to using the meteor hammer are balanced by the benefits. This is one strong weapon. An especially well placed strike to the temple can down an opponent from a far. The rope can be used for hog-tying or strangling an opponent from a distance and the meteor at the end packs a wallop of a punch.

These are not weapons to take lightly in practice though. In order to properly master the meteor hammer it is important to choose a toned down practice version. Ancient Chinese monks used to construct water meteors for this purpose. They would make their meteor hammers out of two joining bowls and then fill the bowls with water. The goal in practice was to spin th

e meteor hammers around with enough care and focus so as to keep the water from spilling with centripetal force. This is quite an accomplishment if done properly and a horribly wet mess if executed poorly.

Meteor Hammer Techniques and Styles

The meteor hammer is unique in the chain weapon genre. It is usually weighted at both ends allowing for easier momentum control and even at the most toned down levels of use it can be seen as intimidating just for the fact that it is incredibly unpredictable and deadly. There are a few basic techniques one can use the meteor hammer for, some of them are:

The throw: Simply put, you will throw the meteor at your opponent. Build up the moment of the weapon and then let it fly through the air towards your enemy. If you’re skilled enough to hit your mark, this can be one of the most painful blows.

The grab: Having a rope can be a handy little device. Loop it around your opponent to draw them close to you and deliver some punches or kicks or keep them tied away from you and immobilize them.

The swing: Bring the meteor down from the heavens above and try to hammer it on your opponents head. Not the most effective techniques as it has a low accuracy rate but when you connect with one of these your enemy will surely feel it.

There is also an application to the meteor hammer that included the use of fire. Expert meteor hammer users can build a device similar to the water meteors I mentioned before only this time fill them with a flammable liquid. Before the battle these can be ignited and if wielded properly will not only injure through blunt trauma alone but spread flame and ember all over the place as well.

Before I leave you, I must express that you not try to use the meteor hammer unless you have practiced under a master and have sought professional guidance. These are dangerous weapons and should not be played with as toys. Be safe and live to fight another day.

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The long reach of the halberd allowed the wielder quick access to his opponent. It was particularly useful for catching mounted swordsmen off their horse. The pole-axe was actually designed with a sort of hook in it that could grip a horseman and wrestle him down to the ground and finished off with the sharp curved front axe blade.

Normally rising above the axe head sat a long pointed spear for using the halberd more like a pike or spear. A halberdier had many different options when charging an opponent because of the built in variety of his weaponry.

For defense purposes the wooden shaft of the halberd was usually reinforced with steel or iron, making it incredibly effective for defending against swords or other slashing implements. It was also possible to attach a sharp point at the end of the shaft so as to be able to use both ends of the halberd in battle and attack efficiently.

In the 14th century the Swiss army took up the Halberd as one of their primary weapons. It is still common for their soldiers to carry the halberd as decoration much like the United States soldiers will sometimes carry a small sword or rapier. In the Vatican it is the prized weaponry of the Swiss Guard and has been used as the weapon of choice for royal bodyguards for a long time.

The weapon was often carried by officers up until the late 18th century or so. A mixed squad of Swiss halberdiers and pike man was a nightmare for a group of knights on horseback and they were capable of tearing through most any other infantry divisions as well.

The halberd would be the main offensive weapon, used for all primary combat, but once the enemy was in close combat it was difficult to wield. The size of the pole-arm made it unmanageable in tight spaces and once an opponent got close enough to be out of the range of a downward strike from the axe it was difficult to defend them. The Swiss and the German armies solved this problem by carrying small side-arm daggers with them. They would use the halberd until it was no longer logical and then arm themselves with a short sword and finish the job.

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There are a few different types of parrying daggers and each of them has a unique quality that makes it useful in some situations. All of them, when paired with the skilled hand of an expert fencer, will give an aggressor some reason to pause.

The Trident Dagger

The trident dagger is similar to the Sai. The effectiveness of the parrying dagger is judged by how well it can block an attack and the trident dagger scores highly. The short dagger has a three prong design and sometimes even incorporates a spring technology to flip the blades out into a fan.

The center blade is the longest of the three and would be most useful for stabbing. The other two jut outward at thirty degree angles and are used to catch an opponents sword as it slides down the center blade. They can also be used for stabbing.

When you can easily trap an opponent’s weapon in the prongs of your trident dagger, he will be at your mercy. However, one of the trident daggers main features is also its drawback. If the wielder should fail to catch the opponent’s sword just right with the three prongs of his trident dagger, the blade could glance off in the wrong direction and slice fingers, wrist, or worse.

Sword Breakers

These are similar to the trident dagger in purpose only. The sword breaker is an incredibly strong dagger with multiple divots and deep sharp angled slots in the blade. Used to parry strikes the sword breaker will catch the opponent’s weapon between one of these sharpened teeth and stop the blow.

Unlike the trident, it was almost impossible to glance off the sword breaker. Its entire purpose was to catch and hold the opponent’s sword so that the fighter could strike with his primary weapon of choice. The only problem with these sturdy daggers was that they were kind of a one trick pony. If you weren’t using it to block an attack you could barely use it for anything else.

The name sword breaker is also a bit of a misrepresentation. Even though these swords were able to withstand much . . . → Read More: Parrying Daggers]]> Our first article was about the small sword so we figured we should provide an adequate article about a complimentary weapon. The main-gauche, meaning left hand in French, is the perfect partner to the small sword. It is a light weight dagger used to parry attacks from opponent sword fighters. These parrying daggers are held in the off-hand and can attack just as well as they defend.

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There are a few different types of parrying daggers and each of them has a unique quality that makes it useful in some situations. All of them, when paired with the skilled hand of an expert fencer, will give an aggressor some reason to pause.

The Trident Dagger

The trident dagger is similar to the Sai. The effectiveness of the parrying dagger is judged by how well it can block an attack and the trident dagger scores highly. The short dagger has a three prong design and sometimes even incorporates a spring technology to flip the blades out into a fan.

The center blade is the longest of the three and would be most useful for stabbing. The other two jut outward at thirty degree angles and are used to catch an opponents sword as it slides down the center blade. They can also be used for stabbing.

When you can easily trap an opponent’s weapon in the prongs of your trident dagger, he will be at your mercy. However, one of the trident daggers main features is also its drawback. If the wielder should fail to catch the opponent’s sword just right with the three prongs of his trident dagger, the blade could glance off in the wrong direction and slice fingers, wrist, or worse.

Sword Breakers

These are similar to the trident dagger in purpose only. The sword breaker is an incredibly strong dagger with multiple divots and deep sharp angled slots in the blade. Used to parry strikes the sword breaker will catch the opponent’s weapon between one of these sharpened teeth and stop the blow.

Unlike the trident, it was almost impossible to glance off the sword breaker. Its entire purpose was to catch and hold the opponent’s sword so that the fighter could strike with his primary weapon of choice. The only problem with these sturdy daggers was that they were kind of a one trick pony. If you weren’t using it to block an attack you could barely use it for anything else.

The name sword breaker is also a bit of a misrepresentation. Even though these swords were able to withstand much force and were designed to stop much larger weapons, it is doubtful that they were actually able to snap the blades off of opponent’s hilts. Perhaps with a nice twist of the wrist it would be possible to disarm your opponent using a sword breaker but for the most part they would just catch and hold.

The off-hand weapon today is a rarity. As sports fencing gained popularity and general sword play lost out on the battlefield to more ranged weapons it became unbecoming to wield a parrying dagger. In fiction and in video games however, the use of two-swords or dual wielding is one of the more popular fighting stances a hero can take.

They may be out of fashion because they aren’t exactly practical anymore but the parrying dagger and all of its manifestations is by far one of the most exciting sword play styles to watch.

The off hand weapon, particularly the parrying dagger, is a form of true martial arts weapons mastery. Rather than pick up a shield and protect yourself from oncoming blows with a blunt piece of wood or metal, go on the aggressive and do some damage doubly-so. The best defense is a good offense, after all.

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There is a massive variety of bow styles and forms but the premise is basically the same. Notch the arrow on the bow string, pull it back, and let it loose. The bow is able to build tension in the string as it is pulled back and the release of that string tension is what sends the arrow through the air at incredible speed.

Bows can be made out of different materials but for the most part they are constructed out of wood. There are two elastic wooden limbs that the string is connected to, pulling the string back compresses these limbs at the center and releasing the string relieves the bow’s limbs of pressure and snaps back with force. The more force a bow can withstand, or draw weight, the more powerful the bow. An archer can project his ammunition farther and much faster depending on how heavy the pressure gets.

The size of an archer’s bow is usually dependent on the way he wants to use it. For a longer range it is necessary to have a long bow with limbs that can span the length of the archer’s body but this is not going to be a useful weapon if the archer happens to be on horseback. Mounted archers will most often choose a short compact bow that can fire at short range but pack an intense punch.

A bow must be made of durable material as it is going to be constantly compressed and expanded over the course of general use. The technology of the bow has improved and today the strongest bows are made of a combination of fiberglass, assorted metals, and carbon fiber. These alloys are much more resilient than the older wooden style bows though it is possible to treat a wooden bow with laminate to strengthen the quality of it.

Even the bow string has changed over time. It has become a mixture of different synthetic polymers designed to resist moisture and will not easily snap. These have become easy and cost effective to produce as well. Ideally, a string . . . → Read More: Bow and Arrow]]> One of the most famous innovations in ranged weaponry, the bow and arrow is found in almost every part of the world and has been used in warfare, hunting, and sport. The bow is one of those immediately recognizable martial arts weapons and is admired by people of all ages. Children play Cowboy and Indian with toy bows and suction cup arrows while the adults go out into the wilderness in camouflage to stalk wild animals with advanced compound bows. By the way, if you’re looking for a good compound bow you should first read some compound bow reviews before you make any purchasing decisions.

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There is a massive variety of bow styles and forms but the premise is basically the same. Notch the arrow on the bow string, pull it back, and let it loose. The bow is able to build tension in the string as it is pulled back and the release of that string tension is what sends the arrow through the air at incredible speed.

Bows can be made out of different materials but for the most part they are constructed out of wood. There are two elastic wooden limbs that the string is connected to, pulling the string back compresses these limbs at the center and releasing the string relieves the bow’s limbs of pressure and snaps back with force. The more force a bow can withstand, or draw weight, the more powerful the bow. An archer can project his ammunition farther and much faster depending on how heavy the pressure gets.

The size of an archer’s bow is usually dependent on the way he wants to use it. For a longer range it is necessary to have a long bow with limbs that can span the length of the archer’s body but this is not going to be a useful weapon if the archer happens to be on horseback. Mounted archers will most often choose a short compact bow that can fire at short range but pack an intense punch.

A bow must be made of durable material as it is going to be constantly compressed and expanded over the course of general use. The technology of the bow has improved and today the strongest bows are made of a combination of fiberglass, assorted metals, and carbon fiber. These alloys are much more resilient than the older wooden style bows though it is possible to treat a wooden bow with laminate to strengthen the quality of it.

Even the bow string has changed over time. It has become a mixture of different synthetic polymers designed to resist moisture and will not easily snap. These have become easy and cost effective to produce as well. Ideally, a string should be strong enough to withstand up to four to five times the draw weight of the archer’s bow. In the past this meant that bows would be constructed out of horse hair or muscle fibers and treated with either beeswax or some other form of wax.

The origin of the bow is clouded in history but it is generally believed that it was first brought into use around 20,000 BP in the time of Neanderthals. Arrowheads and stone points have been found in Africa dating back to at least 18,000 BP. It has been common practice since then for warriors and royalty a like to keep their arrow heads, bows, and arrows even in death, choosing to be buried with them as they would their most prized possessions.
If you’re looking to learn how to use a bow and arrow it is a good idea to find a specialty school or class before actually jumping in full force. To become a prominent archer one must have the patience and grace of any martial artist. It takes poise to carefully notch the arrow, to draw the bow string back with open fingers and a loose grip, and to release it with force and accuracy. These are skills that cannot be learned over night.

Seek a professional to learn from and then go out and buy yourself a bow and arrow and a target for practice. Have fun with it and hone your skills before venturing out into the wilderness.

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A thrusting weapon, the sword’s design evolved out of the rapier’s design. The long and heavy rapier was used in the late Renaissance and was a clunky sort of weapon. The wielder would hack, slash, and thrust at their opponents only to wear themselves out. The short sword eliminated a lot of the bulkiness of the weapon and allowed for a much more finesse based style of sword play and it is because of this that it should be no surprise that the weapon originated in France before becoming popular and spreading like wildfire across all of Europe.

The small sword is a relatively short weapon. It is usually constructed to be about 24 to 33 inches long. The blades will most commonly taper at the end to create a sharp stabbing point and some of these swords will lack a bladed cutting edge all together. As you can see, this sword was for thrusting into an opponent, not for chopping them down or slashing them open.

The short sword’s hilt has developed over time but has always retained one simple quality: guard the hand of the sword fighter from his opponent. The styles have ranged from the encapsulating lobed style to the half shell, and more recently to help with sheathing the weapon and holding it on a belt, the disk guard or figure-8 lunette.

“Dodge, parry, thrust,” as Daffy Duck once famously said while wielding a small sword is the foundation of small sword technique. It is easy to see the skill involved while watching two sports fencers duel with their épées which is a derivate weapon to the small sword. The fighter will stand off at an angle pointing the sword forward in one hand at his opponent while shielding his other behind his back or at his side.

On the field this weapon was commonly a last resort or close to it. Unlike its father the Rapier, there wasn’t much length to work with so it was difficult to keep the opponent far away. The fencing technique developed out of the necessity to elongate the body so as to strike farther and faster, attacking critical points on the opponent with the sharpened point of the sword rather than the blunt edges.

The weapon was in practical use until around the midpoint of World War II but the legacy of the small sword lives on in the bayonet. Once . . . → Read More: The Small Sword]]> One of the more effective “dueling” weapons, the small sword has quite the reputation. Today it is mostly used as a decorative piece on military uniforms for ceremonies and parades but the small sword, or court sword, is one of the grandfather swords of the whole fencing tradition.

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A thrusting weapon, the sword’s design evolved out of the rapier’s design. The long and heavy rapier was used in the late Renaissance and was a clunky sort of weapon. The wielder would hack, slash, and thrust at their opponents only to wear themselves out. The short sword eliminated a lot of the bulkiness of the weapon and allowed for a much more finesse based style of sword play and it is because of this that it should be no surprise that the weapon originated in France before becoming popular and spreading like wildfire across all of Europe.

The small sword is a relatively short weapon. It is usually constructed to be about 24 to 33 inches long. The blades will most commonly taper at the end to create a sharp stabbing point and some of these swords will lack a bladed cutting edge all together. As you can see, this sword was for thrusting into an opponent, not for chopping them down or slashing them open.

The short sword’s hilt has developed over time but has always retained one simple quality: guard the hand of the sword fighter from his opponent. The styles have ranged from the encapsulating lobed style to the half shell, and more recently to help with sheathing the weapon and holding it on a belt, the disk guard or figure-8 lunette.

“Dodge, parry, thrust,” as Daffy Duck once famously said while wielding a small sword is the foundation of small sword technique. It is easy to see the skill involved while watching two sports fencers duel with their épées which is a derivate weapon to the small sword. The fighter will stand off at an angle pointing the sword forward in one hand at his opponent while shielding his other behind his back or at his side.

On the field this weapon was commonly a last resort or close to it. Unlike its father the Rapier, there wasn’t much length to work with so it was difficult to keep the opponent far away. The fencing technique developed out of the necessity to elongate the body so as to strike farther and faster, attacking critical points on the opponent with the sharpened point of the sword rather than the blunt edges.

The weapon was in practical use until around the midpoint of World War II but the legacy of the small sword lives on in the bayonet. Once affixed to the end of a soldier’s rifle the bayonet acts very similar to a small sword. The bayonet is primarily a thrusting weapon and so many of the same techniques can still apply. Of course it is useful to use the butt of the rifle as a striking weapon when wielding a bayonet and the small sword didn’t have that kind of utility.  The U.S. Army Manuel of Bayonet Drill still includes to this day instructions on typically how one would fight on foot using a small sword.

The construction, design, and fighting style of the small sword lies at the foundation of Western military close combat traditions. It is an important historical weapon and has been made famous by depictions of its use by authors like Monsieur J. Olivier and Domenico Angelo.

The small sword may be small in name, but it is not a weapon to be trifled with.