Quote Originally Posted by jfellrath
Are your single-sticks weighted at all to be more "realistic" in weight and balance? Do they weigh the same as a genuine broadsword?
No, for our purposes the weighting is unneccessary. Balance is the same but weight is about 2/3 that of the broadsword. For drills we use hardwood dowels soaked in a mixture to make them harder and heavier. For sparring we use rattan with leather baskets, they don't weigh that much but they sting and they'll leave one hell of an impressive bruise. The weight of the broadsword isn't really the issue for our purposes and comming home with a set of bruises does wonders in developing defensive skills. The use of singlestick is historically accurate Highland sword training. If we were talking training for all day battles against large armies then the weight might be more important, but for single opponent/single bout competition, no problem.

Jamie