No matter how much fun you’re having, foam swords are not swords.

When choosing training implements for historical swordplay, we need to evaluate them against three criteria: physical characteristics like size and weight, handling qualities including balance point, and dynamic characteristics involving how they respond to contact.

Foam Swords: Fun But Limited

While foam trainers may have proper proportions, they fail as serious training tools. They lack accurate edge definition and suffer from poor movement characteristics. The insufficient mass and excessive air resistance mean they don’t move through the air like real swords. They can’t teach you the feeling of a true cut.

Wooden Wasters: The Traditional Choice

Wooden wasters offer appropriate weight and roughly the right shape. A well-made wooden waster can feel surprisingly similar to a steel sword in your hand. However, they typically feature thicker blades than authentic swords, and steel reacts differently to wooden blows than it does to steel, affecting training accuracy in partner work.

Synthetic Trainers: A Modern Solution

Synthetic options have improved significantly in recent years. Quality versions now approximate steel properties while remaining lighter and safer for contact sparring. The best ones capture both the physical and handling characteristics of steel swords, making them excellent tools for drilling and sparring.

Our Teaching Philosophy

At Academie Duello, our approach centers on two principles:

Proper Arms: We use accurate simulators because “the sword is our teacher.” Training with implements that handle like real weapons teaches proper technique naturally. Your body learns the right movements because the tool demands them.

Proper Respect: We acknowledge the weapon’s lethality despite training with blunted blades. A training sword represents a lethal instrument. Maintaining this awareness - even with a safe training tool - is essential for developing a martial mindset.

High-Impact Polymer Trainers

Our current training swords, developed in collaboration with Dave Rawlings of the London Longsword Academy, are high-impact polymer trainers. They provide a more realistic replacement for the wooden waster while offering safer alternatives for contact sparring with appropriate protective equipment.

These swords have since become standard equipment in major historical European martial arts competitions worldwide - a testament to their effectiveness as training tools that bridge the gap between safety and realism.