[Bill Tsafa]

A better way to approuch this would be to join a swordmanship organization. WMA, SCA, Kendo, Epee... etc. It does not matter where you start, I think a person should get around to trying as much as they can. Convenience and cost are are the primary considerations for a 16 year old. When you start by bringing wasters and blunts into the house things will go a lot smoother. A year after that you will have no problem getting a sharp sword into the house as your parents get more accustomed to the idea. Training is more valuable anyway. The training can last you a lifetime... steel rusts, bends, breaks and is just replaced.

[Bennison N]

Well, it seems Frank, Vassilis and I offered pretty much the same advice... And all within a few minutes! Haha!

That's gotta mean it's good advice!

[P. Cha]

Well, I guess the choice of books vs training EQ depends on what aspect of sword collection Nathan is more interested in. Practical or the history. Not that he can't have both...and there are some nice good books for training as well. Anyways if you like sabres and cutlass, maybe the hanwei practical mortuary sword maybe of some help. Along with their stage sabres.

http://www.kultofathena.com/product~item~PC20...+Sword.htm

http://www.kultofathena.com/product~item~SH22...+Sabre.htm

http://www.kultofathena.com/product~item~SH21...+Sabre.htm

[David Lewis Smith]

I rarely post here, however I would like to address the original posting.

I am 43 and I still take flak from people about my collection. In my case they just find it odd, but I am in the military and we yank each others chain a lot and social ribbing is part of the job. I tend to answer with questions like 'how much do you have in guns? Thats all, heck my collection is worth more than my house". In other words if I got mad every time some one dogged on me for my hobby I would be mad all the time. I was amused when I found out that 'sword fighting' is a euphemism for a homosexual activity though.

Nathan in your situation sit write down why you like swords and weapons, and what your interest in them and your interest in collecting is. Present that to your parents when you have it boiled down and set in your mind. I also suggest you present them with your research, and show them the time and effort you put in to studding and learning. This can backfire because the next comment from them is usually, 'If you applied this to school......". Also if you display your collection make the display as classy as you can, wood plaques with labels with as much information as you would find in a museum display.

stating the obvious, they are your parents so show as much respect to their opinions as possible. Present your facts and arguments in a well thought out and organized manner. If you have to weight until you are living on your own to have your collection displayed, well dont by any more but put aside the money you would and can and buy some Really nice stuff to celibrate your first home.

[Bill Tsafa]

[Christopher Gregg]

Nathan, Lutel offers blunted sabres for training/sparring. I have one myself (I'll be offering it on the Marketplace page very soon). You should still respect you parents wishes while you're living under their roof, though. When you get your own place, you can pretty much do as you wish, within the law that is.

[Frances Perry]

Hello Nathan,

The guys here have given some excellent advice, and you should heed it well. Whilst you may feel that your parents and the law are holding you back from an interest you have, you should also consider that what you are collecting is - at the end of the day - a deadly weapon in the wrong hands. Not only is the law there for a reason, but your parents are trying to abide by the law themselves (as they have a responsibility for your actions until you are an adult in the eyes of the law) and also because they care for you and are worried about you.

Ditto regarding joining a martial arts group - then not only can swords be admired for their visual form, but you will appreciate their use as well.

As to how people react to weapons? Well, in the UK a large number of the population are not used to seeing any types of weapons being carried by either the public or the police force (other than a discretely carried baton and handcuffs). There are, of course, parts of the UK that have problems with knife and gun crime, which many feel is on the rise - though this is probably more to do with coverage in newspapers than any significant increase in crimes. It appears to me that most - if not all - crimes involving a 'sword' in the UK are conducted using cheap, easily bought 'samurai' swords - something that the curved sword ban in the UK brought in in April was trying to address. Before April, you could go into any fishing shop and buy, quite frankly, unbelievably sharp and dangerous sets of oriental swords, fantasy daggers and knives, machetes, folding knives - all meant for decoration .

So when someone mentions 'swords', perhaps the first thing that comes to someone's mind is the unspoken added sentence in their mind ...'wielding maniac'? Who knows. But perhaps the thing is that swords are a niche interest i.e. not a mainstream socially acceptable interest. What people don't understand they instinctually fear.

My partner and I have recently set up a chapter of Schola Gladiatoria in Bradford, and hired a church-hall for classes. We had to prove we were not 'nut-cases' by having a group of church committee members attend a class to see what we did. If it had been Kendo or Karate, would there have been such a question over our classes? I don't know for certain. But I don't blame them either. They wanted peace of mind, so their church would not be brought into 'disrepute' and no-one would be hurt. At the end of the day - all anyone wants is to do what is right and lawful.

Strangely enough, I have been practicing Historical European Martial Arts for over 8 years now, and have a love for swords and weapons - particualrly ones of the 15th century. However, I have a great fear of guns. I was at a multi-period re-enactment and a friend of mine - who was portraying a unit of WWI Russians - showed me a rifle and handgun (non-working, of course). I felt a gut-wrenching fear even holding the weapon in my hands. Completely irrational, but I guess it gives a brief insight for me into how other people who don't come into contact with swords / guns / weapons every day will react upon seeing a weapon.

Be patient with your parents. Don't do anything unlawful. And enjoy your swords when you get them - show them respect, and use them responsibly.

Take care.

[Hunter B.]

[JE Sarge]

The above post reminds me of all the NDs we had in Iraq. Everyday someone popped off a round while clearing an M4, M249, Mk19, or M2; EVERYDAY without fail, and these were trained solders. Accidents happen, and as said above, these come as you get complacent from daily handling. You have to get into 'hey, this is dangerous' mindset 100% of the time when dealing with firearms or swords.

Safe practices can become habit. For example, I always tie my sharps into their scabbards with latigo - even if the scabbard offers a tight fit. I never put on a belt with the sword mounted in the scabbard; I take the sword out, put on the belt/scabbard, then place the sword back into the scabbard. Additionally, I wear a light mail shirt and gauntlets when cutting and always practice form before hand - especially with a new sword. I always keep my cellphone, a pressure dressing, and a single-hand tourniquet nearby (an Iraq habit). I also treat all blunts as if they were sharps while handling.

When the OP gets his first sword; sharp or blunt, he should get into a similar mindset and make these things habit early on to avoid a little heartache (or stitches) down the road.

[Bruno Giordan]

My wife has had for long time such an irrational fear.

It is quasi-religious, and I noticed actually it in people with strong religious feelings too.

They tend to see weapons as criminal. Without twisting this site's rule i can just say that it is probably related to modern cultural views, that have penetrated our societies, not excluding certain popularized psychoanalysis.

This makes many people very suspicious of anybody having weapons: it can be hard as some tend to treat you as a potential criminal for just collecting blades or guns.

I had quarrels with mother too, and also for her zealotry.

With my wife it took a lot of patience, now she is tranquil even if many blades pop up anywhere in my areas of the house.

Another concern, which is real and not imaginary, is safety.

If you have younger brothers running around blades can be dangerous, or mortal.

I myself have to be very cautious when I run around the house with a blade in hands.

this boy should first reassure his parents of his maturity under this point of view, I wouldn't be granting all the underage I know the privilege of collecting blade but just the mature ones.

[John Gnaegy]

[Pierre T.]

An alternative, if no "swordish" martial arts are available to you locally, is just to take some unarmed martial art courses. There is a lot in such training that will be useful to you later on when you reach a stage in your life where training with swords is a possibility. Agility, mental discipline, how to generate power, etc etc.

[P. Cha]

[Sam N.]

Firstly, are you actually interested in the use of swords, or just swords themselves? If you are interested in the use of cutlasses and sabers then there is plenty of material online to keep yourself amused for a while. For instance, at the Association for Renaissance Martial Arts website, they have copies of two saber fencing treatises: Alfred Hutton's "Cold Steel" and Henry Angelo's "Hungarian and Highland Broad Sword" http://thearma.org/manuals.htm. Many other manuals can be found simply by performing a google search or even a search of these forums here.

As far as practice blunts go, Darkwood Armory makes some blunt cutlasses and hangers: http://www.darkwoodarmory.com/store/index.php...Path=65_92. Darkwood Armory is known for their high quality of work and reasonable prices. If you are willing to shell out just a little more cash, you could get any hilt from just about any source replicated. You could also look at some blunt pieces by Hanwei, such as their "Hutton" style saber. I would also recommend looking at Alchem Inc. (really cheap and well built but not as historical as Darkwood) and James the Just (mainly rapiers) for more blunted weaponry. I believe I have seen sabers in their inventory before.

[Sean Flynt]

Books, books, books. The best advice by far. These offer the added advantage of educating your folks. They're going to at least peruse the books they buy for you, right? Then they'll see that this can be serious scholarship (depending on what you get, of course). They'll probably be happy with any of the Oakeshott books. Get Records of the Medieval Sword. It's a very approachable classic.

[Steven Janus]

Okay first step:

1. Get a job, it doesn't matter if it is flipping burgers or bagging groceries. Learn some fiscal responsibility and save money for that sword you want.
2. Get a credit card/ debit card in your name so when it comes time, you can buy said sword online. Don't go crazy with your credit card! You don't want to end up in massive debt like most of our non-fiscal conservative fellow Americans.
3. You said you were sixteen right? Just wait the two darn years to save up working at that minimum wage job and by then you should have enough to buy a low end Albion! All it takes is hard work and persistence! if you believe in yourself, you can do it! Not only that, you feel much better about yourself when you buy because you will have worked towards accomplishing your goal and not have your gift just handed to you!

[Darryl Aoki]

I'd heed the advice given to wait a bit. If you push the issue, all you'll most likely generate is push-back. I think you would be better served by spending time and, if so desired, money doing research into both the sword(s) and the time period(s) you're interested in. It can't hurt, and, in my experience, heightens the appreciation for a good sword.

[Ed Toton]

I started collecting when I was 13, but I only had a few by the time I turned 18. My parents didn't much care for it at first, but they warmed up to it, and none of them were gifts.

I know when you're in your teens, 18 seems a long way off, but it's really not that long. And then you're legal to buy what you want in most jurisdictions.

In my case, my parents warmed up to it when they saw that I was being responsible, and taking an interest in the history and not just the "deadly weapon" aspect.