View Single Post
Old 15th September 2020, 12:37 PM   #22
Ian
Vikingsword Staff
 
Ian's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: The Aussie Bush
Posts: 4,008
Default

Hi Peter,

It depends whose fighting and the style they use. We are talking about mainly foot soldiers, not mounted cavalry, and the dha was considered a lighter and faster sword than many European or Indopersian swords. That said there were heavier swords used by the Burmese, Thai, Cambodians, etc.

The issue, I think, is not so much one of weight as of balance. Dha have longer hilts than most European sabers. When the British and other Europeans adapted them for their own use, they often cut the hilt down to better conform with their notion of a comfortable hilt. A longer hilt helps move the balance point back towards the hilt, thereby giving the blade a lighter and quicker feel. Most dha were used in a single hand, gripped down towards the blade, although two-handed use was also possible. Many fighting dha were quite short, with blade lengths of 17–22 inches, although longer forms were used also. The shorter blades were advantageous for close quarter fighting and the short blades also reduced the overall mass of the sword. In some Thai martial arts a sword is used in each hand.

I'm no expert on the martial arts of mainland SE Asia, but I'm told the techniques and skills do not involve many heavy bladed swords.

When I have made note of the balance point of the beautifully decorated dha, some of which have been shown here, I have found the balance point to be several inches forward of the hilt--as much as 6-8 inches or more in some cases. This makes for a more "blade-heavy" weapon that necessitates a slightly different fighting style.

Thai daab often have hilts longer than Burmese dha, but these are still primarily single handed weapons. The balance point for many Thai daab would be even closer to the junction of hilt and blade, depending on the composition of the hilt.

Last edited by Ian; 15th September 2020 at 01:03 PM.
Ian is offline   Reply With Quote