How many of the katars we know were court katars?

[mariusgmioc]

Originally Posted by Jens Nordlunde

Yes Marius, the sideguards were meant for making stability of the cross bars, but if it was only that, the side bars could have been quite short, as you now and again see them.On other, more fighting style katars, you see the side guards being qiute a bit longer.
Jens

Nope! If the side bars are shorter, they cannot maintain a stable alignment between the blade and the forearm. They need a certain length for that, a length that extends well above the wrist, and that is exactly about the length they have.

But I agree that there are some Katars more suitable for combat than others, however, this doesn't mean they were deliberately designed for combat.