The Martialist: The Magazine For Those Who Fight Unfairly

The Sword for Serious Home Defense

By Phil Elmore

I remember the first time I read discussions of swords and swordsmanship online. It was on the old Usenet newsgroups, though I don't remember the group. I do remember thinking, "These people have all seen Highlander a few too many times." Some contemporary online discussion of swords is still like that -- a manifestation of unrealistic dueling fantasies.

Can the sword be considered a "serious" weapon in contemporary times? Is its time past? In a world in which handguns and shotguns are the preferred tools of home defense, is there any reason one would choose the primitive implement of bygone eras? If you're going to equip yourself with a sword, why not fortify your home with boiling oil and a team of pikemen?

Only the arrogance of our technologically advanced age prompts us to dismiss viable tools as "too old." We carry defensive knives whose basic design concept has not changed for centuries. We tote handguns based on designs that are decades old. Close to a century has passed since the first 1911 Colt .45 pistol saw service in the battlefields of the day. The sword is an ancient weapon, yes, but it remains an effective one.

Let's be clear about something: I'm not talking about any form of sword versus sword dueling, nor am I bastardizing arts such as Kendo or Iaido. The former has no place in contemporary self-defense unless you're a sword-toting loon among loons. Iaido and Kendo have their places, but outside the dojo you have more pragmatic concerns. The sword forms of the Chinese martial arts have their relevance, too, but stylized and flowing motions are not our goal in this case.

To choose the sword for self-defense presumes several premises. First, you are unwilling or unable to keep a firearm for home defense -- and you recognize the disadvantage at which you find yourself if facing an invader armed with a gun. Second, you are using the sword specifically for home defense. You are not carrying it in your car or in an interdimensional portable hole at the small of your back under your trendy black duster. Third, anyone invading your home will be armed with anything other than a sword, unless Duncan MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod has come calling to settle a centuries-old grudge.

Among all possible "melee" weapons (For we will borrow Dungeons and Dragons terminology in recognition of the unconventional nature of the home-defense sword concept), why the sword? Flexible weapons like whips and chains are out of the question in the close confines of a house or apartment, unless they're quite short. Sticks and collapsible batons will work -- but the sharp point and edge of the sword give it a degree of power (and lethality) lacking in sticks and batons. Knives have great power and are perfect for close quarters, but the sword has longer reach. There is also a certain amount of psychological intimidation value associated with the sword (though a defender can never count on this).

Would you be crazy to select the sword for home defense, then? Probably, if a shotgun or a handgun was an option. If not, turning to the solutions of ancient times just might be what you require. Keep in mind that you will be seen as some kind of nutjob when the police come to collect the slashed corpse of your would-be home invader. If you injure someone with a sword, you're going to get sued and the "victim's" lawyer is going to bring up your Miyamoto Musashi fantasies in painting you as a crazed duelist who should be paying out millions of dollars in pain and suffering damages. There are those among you, however, who are desperate to find some sort of advantage, some sort of leverage, in defending your homes against violent intruders. Given the limitations we have stipulated, the sword becomes a possibility.

WARNING! Swords are inherently dangerous and can cause injury and death even in training. What's more, I'm not a lawyer. Don't buy a sword and don't use it to defend yourself unless you have proper training, understand the risks, and have no choice but to use potentially lethal force. You'd better be able to explain your actions to the police and you'd better be able to separate sword fantasy from grim reality. This article cannot be construed as encouragement to go out and DO anything. It is for information purposes only.

Proper care must be taken in selecting your sword. Avoid wall hangers, fantasy swords, movie reproductions (unless you're willing to shell out the big bucks for, say, a near-reproduction from a custom smith) and anything made of 440-series stainless steel. These are not, generally speaking, functional swords. Avoid blades that are too long to wield indoors; stick to shorter blades, like wakizashi and other machete-length cutters.

You want a cut-and-thrust sword, not a rapier, small sword, or other point-only implement. At close quarters the ability to slash as well as thrust, particularly from an underhand posture, is vital.

One consideration specific to home defense with the sword is moving with it. Most of the time, if you're out investigating a bump in the night, you won't be engaging in mortal combat with brigand hordes or black-clad ninja, so you've got to learn to navigate your home without smashing your knick-knacks or putting a blade through your television screen.

I recommend carrying the sword reversed behind your body, edge out. From this position an underhand slash can be executed, if need be, and your living room won't take heavy casualties as you creep through it in the dark.

I generally find the underhand sword grip more awkward than a conventional grip, primarily because I use the sword in much the same way I would use a stick (though there are differences in technique that come naturally when cutting with the edge). I recommend you do the same, save for that underhand slash for extreme close quarters. You will have to keep your movements tight to avoid getting your blade lodged in obstacles or in your ceiling, should someone actually invade your home.

Okay, that's the mechanics and logistics of using a sword for home defense. It is possible. But how advisable is it? Just how ridiculous an idea is this?

I remember first seeing the idea in print on that old Usenet board. A poster theorized that the sword was great for home defense because A) if you use a sword it implies the attacker was close enough to be a threat; and B) the attacker might think twice about approaching someone "crazy enough:" to be wielding a sword in home defense.

A sales representative with whom I once worked, who had a high opinion of his martial prowess (he boasted of kicking the throat of a coworker who insulted the rep's wife) told me the following story. He was in his apartment sleeping when he heard a disturbance and took up his katana. (I believe he was a karateka and preferred Japanese weapons.) He discovered a man in his apartment. The interloper froze with the blade of the rep's sword poised near his throat. The intruder turned out to be a maintenance man who'd let himself in for some reason.

I'm fairly certain it is a violation of one's lease agreement to behead a member of the maintenance staff. Still, the scenario is something to consider. I don't believe you can afford to make any assumptions about the legal outcome if you use a sword (or any weapon) to defend your home -- other than the assumptions that you will be charged and you will be sued.

Speaking purely pragmatically, however, only a fool would dismiss the power of the sword as a weapon. I believe it is an effective and efficient tool, if not particularly politically correct and despite the disadvantages of using a contact weapon in a projectile age. Think about it: when wielding a sword you are holding a couple of feet of sharpened steel that tapers to a point. Place this before you and there is a formiddable barrier between you and an opponent.

Test-cutting on rolled mats, cardboard, or even pumpkins (Halloween recently passed us by, for example) demonstrates the lethality of a sharpened, tempered carbon steel blade. Your sword can do grievous injury to another person. It's not a toy and it's not a fantasy accessory. It's a real weapon and must be treated with the respect you afford a firearm (though it's harder to kill yourself cleaning it).

Remember Indiana Jones? That big guy with the sword could not dodge bullets. Neither can you. A home invader armed with a firearm will make quick work of you and your sword. Know the risks if you choose the blade over the bullet.

The sword would not be my first choice for home defense, but within a given set of restricting parameters it is a viable option. It is unconventional and it will seem strange and threatening to law enforcement officers. Know its limitations and its liabilities if you take it up.

Don't lose your head.