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Hanwei Butterfly Swords
A Product Review by Phil Elmore as Reported by Sifu
Anthony Iglesias
My
Wing
Chun Instructor, Sifu Anthony Iglesias, recently purchased a set of Hanwei
butterfly swords. A traditional weapon of Wing Chun Kung Fu, the
butterfly swords resemble large D-guard Bowie knives.
Anthony told me he is very happy with the blades because they are ‘his size.’
As he is of, in his words, “small stature,” Anthony finds most blades
to be a little large for his taste. The Hanwei blades, by contrast, are
the perfect weight and very easy for him to handle.
“Typically,” Anthony told me, “the blade length of the weapon
is equal to the fist and the forearm. If the blade is longer than the
length of the fist and the arm, it could not be rotated inside the arms (a
common move in
Traditional
Wing Chun).”
Anthony
found that the Hanwei blades do tend to “stick” a little in their
scabbards. “Some may find this annoying,” he added, “but I
kind of like it because it acts as a security device.” These are live
blades, after all, Anthony pointed out. It’s best not to have them
slipping out accidentally.
The handles of the blades are a little blocky, Anthony tells me, and while
most people prefer more rounded grips, he likes the handles on the Hanwei
knives.
“The primary use of the Batt Jamm Do [butterfly
swords] is for
slashing, to maim the opponent’s wrists, knees, and ankles,” Anthony
asserts. “Some systems of Wing Chun also incorporate stabbing. This
obviously comes much later in Wing Chun history due to the fact that the system
originated at the Shaolin Temple. Their religion did not allow them to slaughter
anyone.”
Anthony spoke of his new butterfly swords several times as we
chatted before or after classes in the weeks before the blades arrived. He
was very eager to receive them and couldn’t sound happier with them now.
“These are very useful blades,” he told me.
“They’re not just wall-hangers.”