For years, I looked for an inexpensive way to get the "blade awareness" message across to students. Although a stick makes for a serviceable alternative to a blade, it can make learning the difference between cutting and striking a little difficult.

When I began my Eskrima training, I learned that the "blade" on the stick followed the line of the middle knuckles of the fingers. The other students and I marked the sticks with a line to show where the blade would actually be. Later on, we used axe handles, which were better since they are oval shaped and made it easier to visualize the blade. Even with the constant "Remember where the blade is" mantra during practice, I found that the straight sticks still didn't give an accurate feel for how a blade moves during combat. To make up for this limit we used actual blades and would either use tape or physically dull the edge to prevent injury. The bad thing about using real blades was that we didn't have many that were unwanted or old enough to warrant the dulling process and the taped ones, since we used duct tape, were difficult and inconvenient to clean after practice.

Years go by and I ran across lots of training blades made with different types of plastic, exotic hardwoods, bahi, hickory, ash, oak and a myriad of other materials. Some were cheap, mass produced prices of junk that lasted one training session while others were expensive, beautiful pieces of art that I never used for fear of ruining them. One constant was that the hardwoods, exotic or not, had great longevity that I liked a lot but when they broke, it was ugly and scary. Shards of wood would fly in every direction and people would have to duck and cover to avoid injury.

I made these trainers over several years of personal experimentation, expense and injury and have found them to be an affordable alternative to many of the trainers available for sale. I call them "Bash and Trash Trainers" with good quality and good longevity but at a price that doesn't put a strain on the wallet. Made from one solid piece of medium-density, medium-weight wood, these trainers are for hard contact training but are also great for demonstrations, solo practice and no-touch training. Each trainer has the shape of an indigenous blade but without any unnecessary details, no sharp edges, no exotic hardwood, no inlays and no glued or pinned pieces. Each one is about 5/8" thick along its entire length, which creates a thick "blade" that can withstand repeated, heavy impacts.

Since the wood is of medium density, it will have the tendency to accumulate "dents" rather than cracking during hard contact. After each training session, just use a bit of medium or fine grit sandpaper to remove any splinters or rough spots around the dents. These dents are actually the safety feature of the trainers. Unlike hardwoods like hickory and kamagong, which tend to crack and break without much warning, the dents will gradually wear down the structure of the wood and the trainer can be discarded before it completely breaks during practice.

Please click here to check out the "bash and trash" trainers