Hudiedao?

[fearn]

I find myself wondering if these could be the mysterious "elbow knives" of baguazhang.

The test would be how well you can hold them reversed, so that back of the blade lies along your forearm with the edge out, and it's fairly easy to flip back and forth. If they aren't comfortable that way, they aren't elbow knives.

While a few bagua practitioners use them, no one has seen a verified, genuine pair. There have been questions about whether elbow knives are hudiedao, simple guardless knives, or something else.

Best,

F

[Gavin Nugent]

Originally Posted by fearn

I find myself wondering if these could be the mysterious "elbow knives" of baguazhang.

F

Interesting paralell, something I hadn't thought of but personally I think not.

If I was to suggest any pairs I've had, the fastest, most secure and most comfortable of the knives for this type of application is certainly the longer narrow types with the thinner quillon....
There was another type I had, that I've seen in single and doubles with a beaked horm hilt and thin 'S' guard but wasn't long enough to reach the elbow but moved ultra fast in the hand.
These guardless varieties do have an advantage over the others in that they are concealable up a sleeve so can be quite a surprise.

Gav