Knives and Swords In Martial Arts

Knives and Swords In Martial Arts

Knives and swords play a huge role in nearly every martial art, from fencing to ninjutsu. Learn more about different martial arts knives online.

Balisong or Butterfly knife: The exact origin of the Balisong is somewhat disputed, but most agree it was popularized in the Philippines. When used skillfully, a butterfly knife can be an effective defensive weapon, and is used in Filipino martial arts.

Bokken: A Japanese wooden sword, shaped like a katana or samurai sword. Used in kendo for training how to use a sword. It is also used in aikido, judo, and kata to train disarming an armed attacker.

Caltrop: A small, spiked weapon carried by ninjas. Usually, they consist of four or more spikes, one of which faces upward when dropped. They were placed in the path of pursuing attackers to allow the ninja to escape.

La Canne: a French weapon that looks like a cane or a walking stick, but is used in the French art of stick fighting, which uses techniques much like fencing.

Chakar : A round, bladed weapon carried by Sikhs trained in the martial art of Gatka. This weapon could be thrown with great accuracy by experts. It represents the unity of god.

Épée: A French sword used in fencing. It is long and thin, a point weapon for stabbing rather than for slicing. It has a large hand guard and a long blade.

Espada y daga: A set of a wooden sword and dagger used to train practitioners of the Filipino martial art Eskrima. This kind of training would teach students how to use both hands effectively in combat.

Foil: A long, thin sword used in fencing, it is lighter than an épée, and requires less force to score a point. However, valid strike points are more limited using a foil.

Katana: The most common samurai sword, the katana is used in the martial art of kenjutsu, the art of thrusting and cutting rolled mats or bamboo poles.

Kirpaan: A six inch, curved Sikh knife, usually worn as to symbolize respect, honor, and power. Part of the traditional attire of the Sikh.

Khanda: The double edged sword of the Sikh in the martial art of Gatka. It symbolizes the power of the creator.

Kunai: A sharp, flattened nail that was carried by the ninja. It was easily concealed or disguised as a commonplace item, like a hairpin, but could be quickly used as a defensive weapon.

Naginata: A long pole with a blade attached to the end. Used in the martial arts of naginata-jutsu, naginata-do, and atarashii naginata.

Sabre: An edged sword used in fencing. Unlike the foil or the épée, a fencer using a sabre can score points with a touch from the point or edge of the sword.

Shuriken: Also called the throwing star. Shuriken can be throwing darts or throwing stars. Usually used for distraction rather than an attack weapon. Ninja would throw the darts or stars to make noise or catch glints of light to divert their enemy's attention in order to flee undetected or attack when the enemy was unprepared.

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