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Copyright © 2003-2004 Phil Elmore, all rights
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Bogner Drill Blades Sparring Blade
A Product Review by Phil Elmore
Soft rubber training knives are the only knives I advocate for active
sparring (with the exception of No Lie marking blades, which are
specifically designed for this purpose). Proper knife sparring requires a
degree of energy and speed that makes rigid knives unsafe for this activity.
While soft knives lack the rigidity necessary for realistic disarm practice
and do not possess enough weight to simulate the feel of real blades, they are
very necessary where practice against a noncompliant training partner is
concerned.
Recently, Darren Bogner of Bogner
Drill Blades contacted me to see if I would be interested in the Sparring
Blade that is his company’s most popular model. Shaped like a guardless
Bowie knife with a prominent clip point, the little foam-rubber sparring tool
produces a curiously pleasant tactile sensation in the hand.
The “knife” is almost three quarters
of an inch thick and about nine and half inches long. It is quite
flexible and will bend in half, taking a slight “set” that can be
undone by bending it in the opposite direction. I bent it back and forth
repeatedly at the junction of the “blade” and “handle,”
producing small crease lines in the foam rubber but doing little in the way of
damage. I also “stabbed” myself repeatedly with the Sparring
Blade, producing no noticeable discomfort. Darren’s website suggests
using washable paint to mark the “knife” for use in sparring.
The contours of the Sparring Blade fit my large
hands well, though the squared “butt” often got in the way of my
little finger. Those with smaller hands will not have this
problem. Even with my somewhat knobby ham-fists, I found the tool quite
comfortable. I think this is attributable to the Sparring Blade’s
thickness, as much as to any other factor. That thickness makes the
knife safe for thrusts while also (I imagine) lending the foam rubber enough
rigidity for firm, perceivable strikes.
I spent some time mulling over the coloring of the Sparring
Blade. It is an attractive and subdued black, which at first glance
seems quite desirable. On further reflection I wondered if a red or
orange “training knife” color might not make more sense, but of
course one could counter that this is even less realistic and could make the
“knife” easier for an opponent to see (as opposed to even a
mirror-polished steel knife).
This is a simple tool that need not be any more complicated
than it is. Developing the mechanics of knife fighting is a worthwhile
endeavor made easier with proper equipment.
If you spar with training knives, Bogner
Drill Blades may be just the tools you require.