What to do for a 12 year old who says she wants a "sword"?

blackbrit

blackbrit

Joined
Nov 6, 2014
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123
First of all, I know you all are serious, so if you want to kick me over to another forum, I will go with good grace.

Here's my dilemma. My soon-to-be 13 year old girl child spends all her free time drawing swords, and writing stories of great complexity set in a time that we've just decided to call "the middle ages." She wants a sword.

A couple years ago she wanted a bow, and under questioning said she wanted to learn to hunt so I spent what was to me a lot of money on a Mission bow. It's pretty much mine now. Not to say she doesn't go out and practice now and then, but I learned a lesson. She doesn't practice enough, and I maybe should have made her one that would have given me practice making a recurve bow from local materials. Live and learn.

I started out thinking I'd get her a knife instead. It's past time for her to have a nice one of her own. But that's not what she is asking for. She wants a sword. She's past the stage when a plastic faux sword would work for her. The edge can't be sharp, that much is clear. I think.

What would you do? I know nothing about swords, which makes this harder. I'm sure someone here must have faced this dilemma with their child. You know: your child may really be interested so you don't want to totally disrespect them by giving them a piece of you-know-what, yet in six months they may be back to the bow, or on to something completely different.

Hope you all can steer me in a good direction.
 
Why not get her a theatrical sword of some sort? Something that is not expensive, and more importantly, not particularly sharp. My 12 year old has decided that she wants me to teach her fencing. I offered to go get her a post hole digger, but she wasn't going for it. So I will most likely be getting both (the 9 year old too) of them some basic sabre gear and start working with them. But that may not be what your daughter has in mind.
 
Well, that might do it. So, do a google search on "theatrical swords"? I will start there. Believe me, that is more than what I had before you responded... :)

PS I tried the post-hole digger approach, too. Added it would build her upper body strength. :p

She doesn't want to use my scythe yet, either. Maybe this spring. And scythes fit into her medieval fascination! Children. :(
 
Wooden waster? CAS Iberia makes relatively inexpensive stage swords. Steel with blunted edges.
 
I agree, enroll her in fencing class,and pay for no more than three sessions. She may cultivate a lifelong hobby, but if not, you aren't out much. Some instructors may offer a free or cut rate "introductory session", as well.
 
If she wants real swords, then she better know some sort of sword-fighting techniques. Fencing perhaps, but I'd recommend wushu/kung fu sword form lessons, which work with any type of sword from any era! The forms start off with slow movements to build control with wooden swords, and after absorbing wushu for a while the chances of accidentally slashing yourself or someone else drop to almost zero. :D

.....almost
 
I fenced in college and it was fun, but there was little of the swashbuckling that would hook a 12 year old--worth a shot though. Two decades of chinese martial arts taught me about dao and jian and a handful of other blades, and this sort of training would definitely appeal to an active tween. It can be hard to find a traditional school that won't make you go through a few years of training before they hand you a weapon though. The only art I ever wandered into that gave you a blade right off was escrima, and I hear the kali people do something similar. It wouldn't hurt to do a google search for a HEMA group, or practitioners of western martial arts in your area. If you are looking for something to go under the tree that won't break your bank or your furniture (unless they work at it, durn kids), head over to Therion arms and look at their Rawlings synthetic sparring wasters.
 
12 is a good age to start fencing.Whether it be olympic type or others .Combine that with learning about the times and people who used them .If you're lucky your kid will become a metallurgist !!!!
 
Hello Blackbrit!

Though I do not usually find myself contributing much in these forums(due to others knowledge usually being far superior to my own) I actually feel I can in this

instance for I experienced a very similar situation though I was the child and not the adult in question. Though before I relate my own experience let me first say

this. A sword is a huge responsibility, we are talking about something designed to be a weapon and was used as such for thousands of years, such a purchase should

not be taken lightly, only you can know if your daughter is both responsible enough and deserving enough of receiving such a gift.

I actually requested and was purchased my first sword by my parents when I was 15 or 16, being fascinated by Japanese swords and swordsmanship, thought it was

fully sharp, looking back at it probably not the best idea giving a teen a three foot razor blade, so your idea of getting one unsharpened is a much better choice. My

parents obviously thought me responsible enough and though they never pushed me I did dabble in formal instruction(a very good idea and highly recommended) but

became more of a collector and eventually moved on to knives but I will always treasure my swords.

If you do decide to purchase your daughter a sword I can give you some good advice on where to start and where to shop. Though I only own Eastern swords of

Japanese style I do know a bit of Western types which from what you wrote your daughter seems to be most fixated on the Medieval variety. If you were to look up

KoA Swords on google search, and when inside under swords, European, Medieval you will find a list of swords, only pay attention to those which have the tag 'stage

combat' for these will be blunt and are generally made for reenactment, stage, and film purposes, though they usually deviate from truly historical construction and

intended usage. If you totally want to totally blow your daughter out of the water with a more historically accurate and generally more badass sword look up

Darksword Armory, they have some amazing models(my personal favorite is the Excalibur) and come unsharpened. If you find yourself wanting more information

google Sword Buyers Guide, it's a nice primer for anyone who is thinking about buying a 'real sword', also they stock some Darksword Armory in their store. Also one

if you do decide to buy your daughter one encourage her to take formal instruction and buy her a training sword(cold steel training swords are great, economical, and

easy to find online) so she might at least a little less inclined to swing around the real deal for fun. Remember even a unsharpened sword can cause considerable

injury if misused, anything from bruises, split skin, to broken bones, so make sure to talk to your daughter properly about being responsible with it. I wish you the

best of luck and hope you find something that will make your daughter happy in the end.
 
Aleous said:
Hello Blackbrit!
...A sword is a huge responsibility, we are talking about something designed to be a weapon and was used as such for thousands of years, such a purchase should not be taken lightly, only you can know if your daughter is both responsible enough and deserving enough of receiving such a gift....If you do decide to purchase your daughter a sword I can give you some good advice on where to start and where to shop. ...if misused, anything from bruises, split skin, to broken bones, so make sure to talk to your daughter properly about being responsible with it. I wish you the best of luck and hope you find something that will make your daughter happy in the end.
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Your points and reflections here are all hitting home, and are ones I will take to heart. :)

Wolf_1989 said:
My first sword was a machete.
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Funny you would mention this, as I think - don't know though - that in the middle ages a tool like the machete would have been the peasants' multi-purpose weapon of choice! (And I need a machete. :eek: )

Mecha said:
If she wants real swords, then she better know some sort of sword-fighting techniques. Fencing perhaps, but I'd recommend wushu/kung fu sword form lessons, which work with any type of sword from any era! The forms start off with slow movements to build control with wooden swords, and after absorbing wushu for a while the chances of accidentally slashing yourself or someone else drop to almost zero.
Click to expand...

She's had a couple years of Kung Fu with a wonderful instructor. She's been talking about wanting to start again. I reminded her that she never practiced, and asked her if she is interested in practicing...No answer to that one yet. So, your point is well taken.

MTURBO said:
Be happy she is showing interest and get her what she wants!
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100% agree. That's why I came over here. The trick seems to be in figuring out what she wants, and how to support it. Lots of fantastic ideas I'd never come up with on my own. :D
 
BitingSarcasm said:
I fenced in college and it was fun, but there was little of the swashbuckling that would hook a 12 year old--worth a shot though. Two decades of chinese martial arts taught me about dao and jian and a handful of other blades, and this sort of training would definitely appeal to an active tween. It can be hard to find a traditional school that won't make you go through a few years of training before they hand you a weapon though. The only art I ever wandered into that gave you a blade right off was escrima, and I hear the kali people do something similar. It wouldn't hurt to do a google search for a HEMA group, or practitioners of western martial arts in your area. If you are looking for something to go under the tree that won't break your bank or your furniture (unless they work at it, durn kids), head over to Therion arms and look at their Rawlings synthetic sparring wasters.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the pointers, Biting Sarcasm. I'd be thrilled if something would "take" and send her toward fencing, as you mentioned or:

mete said:
12 is a good age to start fencing.Whether it be olympic type or others .Combine that with learning about the times and people who used them .If you're lucky your kid will become a metallurgist !!!!
Click to expand...

Metallurgy. :)
 
One of the reasons I mentioned fencing is we're talking about a 12 year old young lady, and a two and a half pound longsword may be a bit much to start off with. A cutlass, perhaps, I think Cold Steel sells a smaller "machete cutlass" style, where the weight may be more appropriate than a full-sized fight-capable sword.- Here it is, and the price cannot be beat.
http://www.amazon.com/Cold-Steel-97DRMS-Cutlass-Machete/dp/B006YBY91K

I'd dull it with a file or something, (just a bit,at first, until she's ready to start cutting practice) as CS usually ships em plenty sharp enough to do real damage. I'd feel 100% confident (that it won't break) - giving her this and some two-liter bottles to mess around with, (with the family safely clear, of course) and a book on basic swordsmanship, just to see if she takes to it, and if not, you've gained a fairly enjoyable little item for yourself. She can cut on old melons and such, also, and I'd take the time while she is doing so to explain that in days gone by,that exactly the sort of wounds she's seeing on that "melonhead" were the kinds inflicted on a HUMAN head- of course, it's not exactly the same, but what you'd be looking to do is instill respect for the dangerousness of the weapon, because it IS a weapon, this isn't a video game where the opponents just vanish in a flash of light once defeated. The trick is to instill a healthy respect, but not to go so far that you scare her off of what could become a lifetime passion.
Cold Steel sells other "sword-machetes" as well, but in my opinion, the single edge, and handguard make this a winner for a beginner.
 
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If it's medieval style stuff you're after Baltimore Knife and Sword makes brilliantly tough stage swords that ing like a bell when struck--just like the movies. Not real cheap, though. There are a few vendors that carry them (such as Kult of Athena), major Ren Fairs or you can try them direct.

If a katana would work try the Musashi Shirakawa line. Decently built, light, under $100 last I looked. Would need to be dulled, or not.

I started my son with Cold Steel's polypropylene wasters--really tough and light enough, but don't match proper sword dynamics.

And I'd recommend milk jugs or even cartons before moving to 2 liter bottles--2 liters are tough targets to cut.
 
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kaotikross said:
One of the reasons I mentioned fencing is we're talking about a 12 year old young lady, and a two and a half pound longsword may be a bit much to start off with. A cutlass, perhaps, I think Cold Steel sells a smaller "machete cutlass" style, where the weight may be more appropriate than a full-sized fight-capable sword.- Here it is, and the price cannot be beat.
http://www.amazon.com/Cold-Steel-97DRMS-Cutlass-Machete/dp/B006YBY91K

I'd dull it with a file or something, (just a bit,at first, until she's ready to start cutting practice) as CS usually ships em plenty sharp enough to do real damage. I'd feel 100% confident (that it won't break) - giving her this and some two-liter bottles to mess around with, (with the family safely clear, of course) and a book on basic swordsmanship, just to see if she takes to it, and if not, you've gained a fairly enjoyable little item for yourself. She can cut on old melons and such, also, and I'd take the time while she is doing so to explain that in days gone by,that exactly the sort of wounds she's seeing on that "melonhead" were the kinds inflicted on a HUMAN head- of course, it's not exactly the same, but what you'd be looking to do is instill respect for the dangerousness of the weapon, because it IS a weapon, this isn't a video game where the opponents just vanish in a flash of light once defeated. The trick is to instill a healthy respect, but not to go so far that you scare her off of what could become a lifetime passion.
Cold Steel sells other "sword-machetes" as well, but in my opinion, the single edge, and handguard make this a winner for a beginner.
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Great link, kaotikross. This is a strong child, but your point is good. She's not *that* strong. The idea wouldn't be to tire her, but to allow her to develop some beginner skills. Do you recommend a book on swordsmanship, in particular? It would make a good combination gift, and good starting point for the discussion I completely agree has to occur.

I'm going to try to put this together for her birthday which is in about three weeks

Thanks for the thoughtful ideas here. :)
 
John T said:
If it's medieval style stuff you're after Baltimore Knife and Sword makes brilliantly tough stage swords that ing like a bell when struck--just like the movies. Not real cheap, though. There are a few vendors that carry them (such as Kult of Athena), major Ren Fairs or you can try them direct.

If a katana would work try the Musashi Shirakawa line. Decently built, light, under $100 last I looked. Would need to be dulled, or not.

I started my son with Cold Steel's polypropylene wasters--really tough and light enough, but don't match proper sword dynamics.

And I'd recommend milk jugs or even cartons before moving to 2 liter bottles--2 liters are tough targets to cut.
Click to expand...

Hmm. Interesting. I had looked yesterday after some of you posted at what I assume are the polypropylene wasters... You think she's probably a bit too old for this?

And milk cartons! Excellent.
 
Whatever you do, stay away from "King Of Swords"
They screwed many people including myself for over $100 on a knife.
Good luck in your search.
 
Baltimore Knife and Sword! Oh my gosh. Enough to make a child drool and a mama clap her hands over her wallet! Eek! Great fun to look at though. Don't think I saw anything under $300. :eek:

Wow, though.
 
FTR-14c said:
Whatever you do, stay away from "King Of Swords"
They screwed many people including myself for over $100 on a knife.
Good luck in your search.
Click to expand...

Okay; thanks so much. I will avoid them. Great heads up, which I really need as I am way out of my realm here.
 
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