Chinese Military Saber: Destroyer of the Katana
During the Japanese invasion of China, the Chinese troops, even the Republican forces, were decades behind the Japanese in armament. For that reason, it was estimated that a unit of Japanese force has somewhere between 4 to 10 times the fighting capability of its Chinese counterparts. However, it was discovered during the battle that the dadao was a very useful close-in fighting weapon, superior to the fixed bayonet (as evident after 29th Army‘s famous victories).
One way to describe the dadao is that of a machete on steroids. The dadao is considered a peasant's sword because it is simple and does not require a lot of training. The blade of the dadao is perfectly designed for chopping and was modeled after an agricultural tool for harvesting. The Chinese Military Sabre was used for beheading criminals as well as by militias and rebels. The military never used it very much, but on occasion was issued to the troops in desperate times. The basic technique is chopping.
The dadao is an very primitive weapon in design and construction. Just about any neighborhood blacksmith can make it. If it’s off by an inch or two, so what? And for the material, even if it’s not the best steel, it’s no big deal. Its bulk usually guarantees it will have the required sturdiness. This is why there are so many variants of these swords.
The Chinese soldiers who carried the dadao practiced daily and many became quite accomplished martial artists. The sword itself was not very useful against Japanese machine guns, but when ammunition ran low on either side, hand-to-hand combat was next and the dadao performed well. The sight of an army charging with these heavy weapons was said to be terrifying. In 1933, Chinese soldiers defended the Great Wall against Japanese advances using the dadao. The dadao gained notoriety in the outside world in 1937 when the Chinese forces charged and defeated a superior Japanese force in what has become known as the "Marco Polo Bridge Incident".
The Chinese Military Saber has powerful ballistic properties, this means when two weapons meet, it will dominate over the force of the impact. The thin and narrow Japanese katana will find it hard to block the slash of the dadao directly. Being heavier and more concentrated, the dadao will move the katana back as though the latter offers insubstantial resistance, the wielder of the katana will still be hacked by the saber’s edge. However when a katana swings down on a big saber, it will not move the saber much as the saber still bears more weight; it requires more force to move something heavier. Historically the saber destroyed the katana in actual combat.
The techniques devised and taught to the general troops where no more than 8-10. Typically only one technique was used – a powerful upward sweep to knock the incoming bayonets away, and at the top, reverse course for a powerful cut downward toward the neck. So effective were these simple techniques, the Japanese military actually devised a neck protector – a folding metal collar that is attached to the helmet, in hopes of protection. But it proved to be too weak for practical usage against the Chinese Military Saber. The number and type of techniques taught conforms to what is known about martial art techniques for the battlefield in general: when it comes to the average soldiers, only those that are simple to teach, simple to learn, and simple to use are suitable.
Many a martial artist will be thinking about the difference between the Japanese Katana and Chinese Military Saber. Compared to the katana which is thin and long, the dadao is thick and broad. Due to this the katana is held with arms extended and far from the body so it can take advantage of the long reach and light weight. The dadao is held with the handle and hilt close to the body so there can be enough leverage to push out the heavier weapon to attack. This is because the weight of the weapon is closer to the dantien (center of chi and mass) so the weapon can be held better; swings can be powered with more control. Because the dadao is held close to the body, it is suitable for close quarters combat. For other weapons at that time, such as the rifle bayonet and the military sword, they have a minimum effective range of 2 to 3 feet from the user. Within that range they have to either switch weapon or use unarmed combat. However the dadao techniques allow the user to deliver stabs and slicing attacks at ranges which render other weapons ineffective.
Being capable of close combat, the dadao can not only be used in open battles. It can also be used in urban warfare and jungle warfare too, as the space is too confined to swing a sword held with a long reach. The dadao is easy to maneuver as you can keep it close to your body and hold the back of the blade, it feels almost like a rifle. This is why the Chinese Military Saber was so effective in during the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
To master the Chinese Military Saber, you will need to develop:
- Good wrist strength to handle the weapon
- Core strength is more important than arm strength
- Ability of using chi to propel the weapon for slashes
- Swift precise footwork to generate momentum for techniques
Within the TIGER SWORD SCHOOL curriculum, you will learn:
- Basic stances and conditioning exercises for wrist
- Close combat techniques
- Weapon handling and maintenance
- Footwork and techniques hidden within our forms
- Weapon counterattacks
- Combination attacks
- Partner drills
-History and TSS Concept
-and more…..
~~The TIGER SWORD SCHOOL Chinese Military Saber is a discipline of Chinese Kung Fu which delivers a good full body workout. It allows learners to immerse themselves in the fighting techniques of war patriots and of ancient warriors while earning rank. To start learning, give an email.
http://dovertaichinh.jimdo.com/big-knife/
