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Who has a Spear?

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clarkford

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Nov 11, 2006
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I ordered a Samburu spear from Cold Steel and would seriously consider hunting with it. It looked flimsy on the video and I just wanted it to throw for fun, but when it came in, it was anything but flimsy. My friend is thinking of getting himself an Assegai.
Does anyone have a spear? what do you think of yours? what kind is it? I never expected a spear to hold such respect as a weapon until mine came in.
 
Cold steel's stuff looks MEAN.

I've got a birthday coming up soon, policy between me and my best buddy is to pick something awesome and buy two. This year it's tomahawks for my bday, but I'm considering the CS boar spear for his... or a graduation present maybe :D


Reason for the boar spear is, I'm no thrower. And yes, the spear/polearm holds dominion over most anything short of a gun (or a bow if your opponent is good).



If you look on the site they keep copies of full-page ads/articles they've run.. one of them is on the spear and very informative.

Edit: I can use the internet..
http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/csstoreonline/spear.pdf
 
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I've had a few spears, including a 7' training spear made of micarta and with a hard plastic head: about 7 lbs, IIRC.

Spears are the ultimate short-range manual weapon.
 
I have a naginata, which is probably more halberd than spear, but I like it. It was a pretty cheap one that the pole would not hold up to any serious training. I broke it within a day just cutting air. Good thing I'm a handy guy and somewhat of a bladesmith. I cut a new tang from the base of the blade and fit it to a new pole. Bought a hickory shovel handle at Home Depot and cut and recontoured it (to look less like a shovel handle). Now it's pretty rugged. Overall I shortened the length about 5 inches but that makes it much more handy and quick. I like quick better personally.
 
Interesting videos.. hey John, how do the (yarijutsu?) students hit a target with those floppy spears? It looks like it'd be hard to direct your point where you wanted it to go, especially if the shaft was being banged by another spear.... how do they adjust for that?
 
Kaylee, do not think of the spear shaft as solid. In Northern CMA the spear is a "soft" weapon and is mean to mainly slice, not thrust (although there is that as well).

There is no question that what has become known as wushu in the West is for show, not for go. Lok Gwok Churn that I posted is a familarization set to get the student acclimated to handling the weapon. Sets like it are done by some mantis clans (Wah Lum in that case) as well as other divisions of Northern CMA, such as Eagle Claw. Praying mantis has other spear sets which set the spear against the staff, the broadsword (tradition rival of the spear in infantry weapons), the daggers, etc.
 
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Kaylee,

The sojutsu that you saw in the video is basically a spear version of kendo; the sojutsu I practiced did NOT use floppy spears! In fact, we usually used a 9' purple heart spear with a shaft over 1 1/4" around. The head was made safer by putting a tennis ball over it, then covering that with PVC insulation, and then tape.
 
I always wanted one of the Cold Steel models. Unfortunately I do not have any place to throw one.
 
Spears can be short, also. Watch the movie "Zulu" to see the short spear being used more like a Roman gladius. A 6- to 9-foot spear is a very impressive weapon in the hands of someone who knows how to use it.

Regards,
Dirty Bob
 
I've got one of Cold Steel's short Assegai spears in the closet (maybe 3 foot total length). Don't really handle it much, but 8" of SHARP double-edged steel will get you attention. If you didn't have a firearm, this would be a great SD option. It's quick and light. Great reach. Technique is as simple as it gets: impale assailant anywhere between crotch and neck, maintain pressure until desired results achieved. Plus, this thing was a bargain for me - Cold Steel had it marked way down during a sale and I happened to find someone that was practically giving away a factory leather sheath for it on one of the knife forums I frequent. Even when it's not on sale, it's still cheap.

Reality check: As effective as a short spear may theoretically be, it isn't very convenient or socially acceptable to walk around with one, even in your own home. And it's probably a terrible idea to have one of these around if there are children or dumb adults around.
 
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