The best of the world's sword fighters have known a simple truth for ages... if you want to become a reasonably good sword fighter you should endeavor to learn sword fighting techniques, footwork and the basic stances. However, if you want to be a master at sword fighting you have to eventually start fighting with a "live blade". If your ultimate goal is to wield a razor sharp sword safely and effectively, you need to train with a sword that approximates the size, feel and heft of a live blade, yet minimizes the possibility of causing grievous, permanent, or life-threatening injury to yourself or your training partner.

This concept was implemented by the ancient Romans, who used dull wooden swords to train their Gladiators and soldiers. And Japanese Samurai used a wooden training sword that was called a Bokken. It's an elegant solution to a vexing problem and effective enough to still be used today. The only problem is that a wooden sword can rot, crack, chip or splinter and eventually become useless.