Dha for blah,blah,blah.

Mark · 27th March 2007, 09:23 PM

Both are Burmese (Burman), the second considerably older than the first, I would say.

I can't comment on the possible diffence in styles, but I have seen some modern videos of a Kachin martial arts festival where some sword techniques were demonstrated, and I have a short contemporary book on Burmese dha forms. There are a lot of sweeps and blade spins involved, which I think would be easier with a point of balance further out on the blade. Balance closer to the hilt would suggest a style involving more direct strikes and blocks, such as are used in muay thai. In the latter the sword has a long handle and is held in one hand close to the hilt, moving exactly with the hand, which does not need the momentum from a weighted tip to carry it around. The power comes directly from the arm rather than from the momentum of the blade, in other words.

Maybe the second sword was designed for use in a Thai style of sword fighting?

27th March 2007, 09:23 PM	#2
Mark Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 987	Both are Burmese (Burman), the second considerably older than the first, I would say. I can't comment on the possible diffence in styles, but I have seen some modern videos of a Kachin martial arts festival where some sword techniques were demonstrated, and I have a short contemporary book on Burmese dha forms. There are a lot of sweeps and blade spins involved, which I think would be easier with a point of balance further out on the blade. Balance closer to the hilt would suggest a style involving more direct strikes and blocks, such as are used in muay thai. In the latter the sword has a long handle and is held in one hand close to the hilt, moving exactly with the hand, which does not need the momentum from a weighted tip to carry it around. The power comes directly from the arm rather than from the momentum of the blade, in other words. Maybe the second sword was designed for use in a Thai style of sword fighting?