Hi All,
One other thing about double blades is, to state the obvious, they are both blades, and they are both same length.
Why does this matter? Shields tend to be cheaper than swords, and they cover more than a sword does. As such, they're better for defense than a second sword. If necessary, they can be torn to bits defending their wielder. That's why lots of people use shields, especially when they can only afford one good sword.
Thing about paired long weapons of the same length is that they tend to get in each other's way. There are three solutions for this. One is to get really, really good, like Musashi. A second is to use shorter blades, which is what many paired weapons practices (in China, Europe, Japan, and SE Asia) do. Of course, this means you've surrendered the range advantage to your opponent. A third solution is to use a long/short blade combo, which was done in the Philippines, Europe, and China. Oh yeah, I think Musashi did it as well.
Anyway, double weapons have some notable weaknesses, which is why double blades aren't common. The warriors who use them tend to be somewhat better than average.
The weird thing actually is that the Dao isn't used with a shield very often. Wonder why?
Best,
F
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