tai chi sword

Every few weeks a new student walks into class carrying a two pound high carbon steel cutting jian they bought because someone on a sword forum told them all stainless steel is wallhanger junk. By week three of the Yang 32 form, two things happen. First, their wrist aches every time they...

Every fall a new student asks me the same question in different words: which sword should I buy. After years of answering it one person at a time, here is the whole answer in one place. Five numbers decide whether a tai chi jian works. The tassel, the scabbard wood, the fittings, all of that is...

Somebody loves a person who trains, and decides to give them a sword. It is a beautiful idea, and it goes wrong more often than it goes right. Here is how to be the one who gets it right. First, know what you are giving. Every sword culture made the blade mean something. The Chinese called the...

A beginner question I hear every season: should my first jian be stiff or flexible. The honest answer is that flex is neither good nor bad. It is a job description. The trouble is that sellers use the same words for three very different swords, so let me sort them out, then give you a ten second...

A new jian showed up at my door last week, and before I even cut the tape on the box I caught myself doing what I always do: no scale, no ruler, just hands. Most buyers are in the same spot. The sword arrives, the spec sheet is buried in an email somewhere, and the kitchen scale tops out at a...

The question I get most often from new students is what length jian to buy, so here is the chart most schools use, plus the old way to check without a chart. 5 foot 0 and under takes a 26 inch blade. 5 foot 1 to 5 foot 6 takes a 28 inch. 5 foot 7 to 5 foot 11 takes a 30 inch. 6 foot and up...