need help with new sword

**Bneterasedmynam** · Posted On: 7/04/2011 1:47am

Ok so I just bought a new rapier and was wondering how springy is the blade suppose to be?? A strong slash seems to cause the blade to whip, now granted my ability with fencing isnt olympic so im probably not keeping it straight enough, but it seems like it bows easily. Is this a normal thing for rapiers?? Im more used to medieval swords so this style is somewhat new to me.

**Cake of Doom** · Posted On: 7/04/2011 2:47am

As i understand it, the rapier is more of a precision tool for piercing rather that hack and slash. A lightweight weapon for speed and accuracy so the blade needs to ductile so as to avoid breaking.

Whilst a slash will inflict injury i don't think anybody ever got dismembered by rapier. Try lunges and thrusts rather than strokes and cuts.

Did that answer your question or was it all waffle?

**MasterYourself** · Posted On: 7/04/2011 7:01am

Yes, that is normal and offers certain advantages as less effort is requried to slash, see here:

**Permalost** · Posted On: 7/04/2011 9:18am

Originally Posted by Bneterasedmynam

A strong slash seems to cause the blade to whip, now granted my ability with fencing isnt olympic so im probably not keeping it straight enough, but it seems like it bows easily.

Are you properly lining up the edge with the cut? Whipping tends to happen when you're actually swinging the flat of the blade, because that's the plane where its able to move that way.

Originally Posted by MasterYourself

Yes, that is normal and offers certain advantages as less effort is requried to slash, see here:

-Those aren't rapiers.
-Those also don't seem to be sabers, which means that cuts aren't allowed. Epee and foil only use the point.

**Petter** · Posted On: 7/04/2011 12:04pm

Having had the opportunity to test a sharp rapier on a piece of meat, I can tell you that rapiers just aren’t very good for cutting. You need good technique and a proper draw-cut to do any damage, and even then it won’t hold a candle to, say, a longsword. On the other hand, the rapier went through a few inches of pig with no more feeling of resistance than had it been, say, marshmallow or meringue: There are reasons why rapiers are very long and pointy!

A too-stiff blade would be very bad for rapier practice: Because it’s chiefly a thrusting weapon you’ll likely stab your sparring partners a lot, and a blade that does not bend will perforce either break or bruise. You want a blade that’s springy enough (and maybe has just a teensy tendency toward one side or the other) that it bends.

That said, some rapiers really are very whippy. The Cas Hanwei 43" trainers, for instance, I find too whippy, and while I am not too concerned with cutting it can get really distracting when attempting to find the blade, disengaging, counterdisengaging, and so forth, when it feels like the tip moves as much of its own accord as of mine. Hanwei’s shorter rapiers don’t seem to have this problem, but then neither do higher-end blades like Darkwood, Del Tin, &c. I know the Hanwei’s are very popular (they are very inexpensive and I suppose reasonable tools at that price); if that’s what you’ve got, I’ll agree with your assessment.

**MasterYourself** · Posted On: 7/04/2011 11:02pm

Originally Posted by Permalost

Are you properly lining up the edge with the cut? Whipping tends to happen when you're actually swinging the flat of the blade, because that's the plane where its able to move that way.

-Those aren't rapiers.
-Those also don't seem to be sabers, which means that cuts aren't allowed. Epee and foil only use the point.

I stand corrected, I should not post things half asleep, sorry, I trusted Google.

**Soldiermedic** · Posted On: 7/05/2011 7:23am

Originally Posted by MasterYourself

I stand corrected, I should not post things half asleep, sorry, I trusted Google.

How many times are you going to post "advice" about things you know nothing about, only to be disproved/contradicted by someone who actually trains and knows what they are talking about? Cause as of now its happened in multiple threads

**Mordschlag** · Posted On: 7/06/2011 6:07pm

Originally Posted by Bneterasedmynam

Ok so I just bought a new rapier and was wondering how springy is the blade suppose to be?? A strong slash seems to cause the blade to whip, now granted my ability with fencing isnt olympic so im probably not keeping it straight enough, but it seems like it bows easily. Is this a normal thing for rapiers?? Im more used to medieval swords so this style is somewhat new to me.

A rapier, in the modern sense of the word, is not much of a slashing\cutting weapon. Slashes with rapiers are usually done only using the elbow (if I recall correctly) so as to not move the point much away from the target for a follow-up thrust. The rapier is all about the thrust and an inferior rapier blade, i.e. one that springs, will severely cock up your ability to thrust and do work in the bind. Personally I recommend some kind of wooden waster rapier for sparring and a rigid rapier for self-defense or drills. Or you could buy a rigid steel rapier and just stick a cork on the tip, like they did back in the day.

Additionally any flex in the steel rapier should be minor and it should be towards the foible rather than the forte, if you desire to protect yourself well.