WHAT is the BEST SWORD for HOME DEFENSE??

[Francisco Urbano García]

Right, I guess many of you would say that the best weapon for home defense would be a shotgun or similar but in my country (Spain) is virtually impossible to acquire such licenses. Having a firearm without a license grants you years in jail not to mention using it! Even swords cannot be acquire as weapons but as collection item or decoration, so legally speaking if I protect myself with it would be like using a a decorative jar.

Unfortunately thieves have become in these days extremely violent in my country when it comes to break ins; before they would wait for you to be out of home and then would search the house for money and jewels. Now they don't bother, they wait till you are at thome, and then they break in and torture you to force you disclose the location of money or jewels... and you better have something to disclose cause otherwise they won't believe you and you'll have to go through an ordeal.

I guess most of us agree there is no such thing a "best sword" cause it depends on the situation, therefore, I would like to present the most usual scenario in the modern house break ins in my country so that we can discuss about the best weapon for that situation. I am really interested in your point of view since I know many of you are great experts in the field.

Situation to consider (according to police records & news):

* Two intruders (minimum) breaks into your house.
* At least one carries a fireman axe (They use it to break doors in case you lock yourself in a room)
* The other/s usually carry big knifes, knuckle dusters and so on...
* Occasionally they might bring a handgun though not so common since they know you don't have one at home anyway.


"Weapons" that I can legally purchase in my country:

* Baseball bats.
* Knifes & Swords.
* Hammers, Axes, Chainsaw... Any garden tool.


My guess for the best weapon:

* If I use a baseball bat against the axe I am done, so nope... And so it goes for the Hammer or any garden tools that I know.
* The axe would be a fifty-fifty thing against the guy with the axe and two slow to contain two attackers.
* The Chainsaw looks terrific in theory but have a few drawbacks that makes it not so good choice:
o might not work, or take me too much time to make it work.
o heavy and slow.
o a blow with the axe on the chainsaw might take the chain out of the rails leaving me with no weapon at all.
* So that leaves me with a sword/s as best choice...
o rapier & dagger: with a trapping dagger the rapier might be the best choice for unarmored 1-1 duels, but this is not 1-1 and a good cutting powers seems to me a must in this situations.
o one long sword: perhaps if I am in the middle of the dinning room they would be the best choice, but if in a small room they could be really hard to maneuver. On the other hand they will be the best to keep away the intruder with the axe. But if I go for one long sword I think it is better a double edge longsword so that I can handle one attacker at 12 and other at 6 ( hitting with the backside edge at 6 and rapidly hitting at 12 without repositioning the blade).
o two short swords: great for small spaces, perhaps not so great against the axe, but so far imagining myself in that situation the two short swords seems to give me the best options; against the axe I can block and attack at the same time, and against the 12-6 I can use one blade for 12 and the other for 6.

Conclusion: Well I think the best choice is two short single edge swords. So how about two Chinese butterfly swords or similar? Any renaissance martial art using two swords?

[Benjamin Parker]

But if the criminal(s) has a gun your done for. Yes there is a manual that shows how to use two blades

My advice? do your best to get a gun license if you suceed get something fairly powerful. Learn martial arts something practical with plenty of weapons disarmamenttechniques along with unarmed and armed stuff, make sure you cross train

What about knuckle dusters, knives, and such can you obtain those?

As for blades I would suggest something like a longsword or messer or a katana since the guy is probably not going to be wearing armor, a knife and something like a gladius for close in stuff or in case you get in tight quarters

You also should take a look around your house, a machete or a meat cleaver could come in handy

BTW you could by some chain mail like a haubergon that you can get on quickly that way if something gets past your defenses you'll survive the blow, and get a cup

[CalebChow]

Now this is indeed a very interesting question that I would like to see answered too...

Out of gut reaction (as in, if all of a sudden someone attacked me in my house what would I hope is in my hand) I'd recommend a short slashing sword like a messer or wakizashi simply because when you're indoors swinging a large weapon around isn't very easy, and thrusts seem riskier.

[Jeremiah Backhaus]

As I am being disagreeable today, I am going to go against what Caleb says (please don't be offended). I think that a thrusting weapon is going to be preferable to a slashing weapon.

He rightly says that you need more room for a longsword - and what I know of European design says that there really isn't all that much space in a home. However, in a hallway with a good thrusting weapon you could keep the intruders at bay while someone calls the policia.

Thrusting is also going to be ideal in that you work much faster than any kind of swinging action would. And you can fairly safely guess that the first attacker is going to be the guy with the axe, and his attack is going to be a swing from over his shoulder, which if he misses is going to pull him off balance for just enough time for you to get a well placed thrust in. With the axe-man neutralized your attention is focused on the knife guy, who does not have as good of reach as the sword (and will probably not want to stick around after he sees his buddy get a sword stuck in him).

A good guard dog might not be a bad idea also.

-Jeremiah (SA)

[Brent Lambell]

I am on Jeremiah's side with this one, I like the idea of a longsword too. I think many of us show a bias for the longsword, but hey this is ARMA. However, there is a reason for this bias. The longsword is the most versatile melee weapon I know of. If you have the room, you have the advantage over any tool or home made weapon I can think of. A swordsman trained with a longsword against a man not trained in a fireman's axe seems to be an unfair fight. I know, the multiple opponents is an issue, but no one is asking for a perfect solution, just the best option. But again, if there is room, a practiced longswordsman might be able to handle them well enough, considering.

If you do not have much room, the thrust offers a great way to attack your opponents or just keep them at bay with a great reach. A single thrust might not kill an attacker, but its still going to hurt like hell and potentially incapacitate him. Although I have practiced it much, I can imagine that half-swording would be a great idea. It seems to offer more potential in tight spaces than blossfechten techniques, and you still have the tactical advantage of a weapon that was battle field tested and proven for hundreds of years. Thrusts from half-sword and some ringen am schwert sounds like a good possibility.

Its worth noting also that just being able to confidently brandish a battlefield weapon like the longsword could scare away timid crooks, but if it comes to blows, I doubt it would take killing all three to end the confrontation. Give one a nasty thrust or (fingers crossed) cut off a hand or leg, something cool like that and end the fight there. Really, if you lay the hurt on one of them, I would imagine there is a good chance the others would bolt. Or are these criminals so desperate or serious that you might have to stop all three?

Good question Francisco.

[Mike Cartier]

get a pit bull

or i would say a Halberd or longsword that cus and thrusts well. maybe an axe, capsicum peppr spray too is good to have to clear a room.

preparation is your best defense , knife in every room, swords in every room that are usable and several angry dogs. get a wall around your house and glue broken glass on the top.


But yeah a gun is best, but even that does you no good if they get the element of surprise on you.

[CalebChow]

hahaha it's cool, Jeremiah

I didn't really think about what houses are like in Spain...I was thinking about if I was in bed or something and someone barged into my room when I'm half in a doze, what would I want to wail on the other guy with very quickly.

But...if you're awake and you KNOW they're there...for no-gun option I'd say stick with whatever you're best at. Most people on ARMA (including me) would go longsword!

My main concern about thrusting is the possibility that the blade gets stuck in one guy while the other guy wails on you. Again, that depends on the room you're fighting in. In a hallway it'll work great, in a dining room...I dunno, might be risky. I've never actually thrust a blade into someone before, so I don't know how much it can get stuck or whether the victim would deathgrip the blade or not.

Are crossbows legal? A crossbow paired with a longsword would be awesome. Kill one with the shot, then finish the other in a 1v1 with the weapon you're skilled at--sounds like a plan to me

This is fun.

[Stacy Clifford]

I think you guys are seriously underestimating the utility of a good baseball bat. Using it with longsword technique I have no problem doing a full florysh with one two handed, can do the same with a shorter bat single handed like a messer or dussack, and for thrusting it's just as effective as a staff. It's heavy enough to knock aside an axe blow, crush his knuckles or punch in all his teeth or ribs. It needs to be used with the swordsman's skill set, not just the good ol' baseball swing, just as most of us believe the mace was used with fencing principles by Renaissance fighting men. Of course you should also look into short staff (between 4 and 6 ft.), which combines elements of spear, rapier, longsword and half-swording. If you can keep a walking cane or a hardwood closet rod in your house legally, then you have an effective weapon if you know how to use it. Personally I think once you develop your basic skills enough you can be dangerous with a soup can in a pillow case if you apply the same principles.

I would agree though that if knives are frequently used in robberies then you definitely want to develop the close-in skills to fight them unarmed. No matter how good you are, fights against determined opponents have a way of breaking down and getting way too close for comfort if you make a mistake.

Incidentally, I just stumbled across this link in my bookmarks the other day, a link I think Mike originally found. I like the idea, it has potential...

http://www.jamesmcadam.co.uk/portfolio_ ... table.html

[Shane Smith]

If I had to defend my home in the middle ages or later I'd take a spear or bill.

Nowadays I prefer a 590A1 with a bayonet lug. That is essentially a spear that shoots.

[Francisco Urbano García]

What about knuckle dusters, knives, and such can you obtain those?

Nope, everything is illegal, including pepper sprays or anything throwing arrows. The most dangerous legal thing I can get in Spain without problems is a sword.

[Francisco Urbano García]

Really, if you lay the hurt on one of them, I would imagine there is a good chance the others would bolt. Or are these criminals so desperate or serious that you might have to stop all three?

I am with you on this, I don't think they're heroes and if they see one of them down they'll get the hell out of there.

[Francisco Urbano García]

Incidentally, I just stumbled across this link in my bookmarks the other day, a link I think Mike originally found. I like the idea, it has potential...

Hey cool javascript:emoticon(':!:') This just gave an idea; how about then a saber and a shield? I am thinking in something close to a gladiator set short/middle sword and not too big shield. How about that?

[Jay Vail]

If the question is what sword to use for home defense, I’d have to pick the gladius. You don’t have the space to swing a longsword in your house, but you can swing a gladius in most rooms and it cuts well. It’s also an excellent stabbing sword for use in tight places. I imagine the intimidation factor is pretty high as well.

For other tools, I’d go with a knife. Length doesn’t matter.

If not a knife, then a baton, preferably a police baton. It’s heavier and has more impact than, say, rattan. If you can’t get one of those, get a metal collapsible one. I’ve never used one myself, but I know someone who has for real to good effect. A small aluminum baseball bat (child sized) also is useful as a baton.

The problem tho, is access to the weapon, whatever it might be. Home invasions usually fall into three categories. 1) They knock on your front door and barge in when you open it. 2) They enter while you’re asleep in bed. 3) They break in while you’re away and surprise you when you come home. Only in category 2 will you have a chance to get your weapon, assuming you’ve stashed it by the bed. Otherwise you'll have to carry the weapon all the time. That can be done with a tac folder, but it's impractical with other weapons.

So, one of the most important things -- more important than having a specific weapon at hand -- is a fighting mindset. Most people, when attacked by a home invader, don’t fight back. They just submit. You must be prepared to resist immediately, with whatever means at hand, unarmed if necessary, and actually do so vigorously if the time ever comes.

One more thing, if you choose to get a weapon, you better get some instruction on how to use it. Just having the weapon at hand is not enough. If you don't know how to use it effectively -- and how it can fail, you'll only derive a false sense of security from it.

I would also strongly suggest some good unarmed self defense training that mixes striking with grapping.

[Aaron Pynenberg]

Jay has many good points, the right attitude can be of much greater value than the actual "type" of bladed weapon you seek for your personal defense.

Having said that, if I did not have the option of a good pistol and flashlight on my nightstand, I would probably make myself a small "kit".

I would have about three nice-sized rocks for chucking, and a flashlight, and a phone, and probably a staff and a knife.

grab the light and rock first, followed closely by the phone. make as much noise as you can and let them know that you know they are there...that's usually enough to clear them out, or at least get thier head down until you place a call to the needed authorities.

Then I would probably arm myself in some way, and take control of a hallway- preferably the one leading back to the rest of my family, so they have to go over my dead corpse to get to them.

If any of you are looking to buy a house or moving soon, give some thoughts to how you would defend the place, it's a secondary consideration surely, but not bad to consider, even if it's done quitely, in your head.- later- AP

[Curt Dunham]

Don't overlook a simple staff. It's quicker than a baseball bat, can be used in a thrust, keeps the bad guys' weapons further away, and it's not a "weapon".