Why do some Chinese swords have rings?

[Daniel Rizzo]

Hello Friends,

I've been wondering that for a while--the nine ringed broadsword appears all over the place. I see a lot of references of it being used for Feng Shui (which I know is really important over there), but do the rings serve any actual purpose in combat, like help with balance or anything like that? Or are they purely ornamental?

Thanks In Advance
Daniel Rizzo

[dflanmod]

Wearing a ring on my sword keeps it functional much longer. Plus the womez seem to like the rings on my sword. I'm not chinese though.

[Permalost]

I've heard somewhere that they were used by sentry/police type patrollers, and the rings made a lot of extra noise that would attract the attention of others. I'm pretty sure its because of the sound they make, because it actually slightly hinders the speed and theoretically the penetration of a cut or thrust. It may also be a CMA thing where the sound is meant to ring just right when jing is applied correctly when practicing.

[jubei33]

Some people have problems keeping 'it' functional during some of the longer marathons, so they designed a method of keeping larger volumes of blood trapped.

No need to feel embarassed, I'm not surprised of the lack of knowledge given the state of certain kinds of education in the US, which are considered controversial for some grade levels.

[Mr. Machette]

Some people have problems keeping 'it' functional during some of the longer marathons, so they designed a method of keeping larger volumes of blood trapped.

No need to feel embarassed, I'm not surprised of the lack of knowledge given the state of certain kinds of education in the US, which are considered controversial for some grade levels.

Takes all the thought and effort out of it too.

Helps with a swordsmans performance axiety (in the case of two or more opponents) or even if the practitioner is impaired by alcohol!

[DerAuslander]

My faith in humanity has been restored.