Waster A waster is a practice weapon , usually a sword , and usually made out of wood , though nylon ( plastic ) wasters are also available . The use of wood or nylon instead of metal provides an economic and safe option for initial weapons training and sparring , at some loss of genuine experience . A weighted waster may be used for a sort of strength training , making the movements of using an actual sword comparatively easier and quicker . Wasters as wooden practice weapons have been found in a variety of cultures over a number of centuries , including ancient China , Ireland , Scotland , Rome , Egypt , medieval and renaissance Europe , Japan , and into the modern era in Europe and the United States . Over the course of time , wasters took a variety of forms not necessarily influenced by chronological succession , ranging from simple sticks to clip - point dowels with leather basket hilts to careful replicas of real swords . Used commonly in the modern historical martial arts reconstruction community , the term refers to wasters fashioned to resemble western European weapons like the longsword or arming sword . Historically , the term " waster " was used in English to refer to cudgel s or clubs used as weapons , in addition to wooden swords . The increasingly popular historical martial arts reconstruction groups , as well as the live action role - playing and renaissance festival groups , have provided an ample market for commercial waster retailers . As the martial art has grown and academic interest has risen in weapons other than the longsword and arming sword , other types of wasters have been produced commercially . The concept of wooden practice weapons is not limited to the Western martial arts . Some Japanese martial arts involving swordsmanship , such as kenjutsu and iaido , use bokken or shinai as practice weapons . Eskrima , a martial art from the Philippines , also uses a type of rattan stick as a practice weapon in place of a blade . The martial art of singlestick is more or less entirely derived from the use of wasters as practice weapons in place of broadsword s . Use . Historically , students and soldiers used wasters as inexpensive and expendable training tools . The cost of high quality steel weapons , especially swords , would have made them a poor choice for practice weapons . Constant training would fatigue the blade , rendering it far less effective and reliable as a weapon . To prevent the destruction of an expensive weapon and to permit the necessary training and sparring intrinsic to any martial art , wooden practice weapons were created . Today , especially in the reconstruction of historical European martial arts , wasters have experienced renewed interest . Wasters provide a number of benefits to the modern practitioner , many of which would have applied to historic trainees as well . The wood construction coupled with unsharpened edges and blunted tip , crossguard , and pommel of wooden swords provides a safer alternative to practising with a sharpened or unsharpened steel weapon . Wasters do not cut flesh , but provide a decidedly blunt impact . The lower cost of ownership in comparison to a steel weapon of the same variety makes the waster a much more affordable and expendable tool . Many modern wasters are fashioned to replicate the original weapon with accuracy , including functional integral sword parts . This functionality allows the wooden weapon to be handled more like its steel counterpart . Wasters are not without their faults . The all wooden construction usually makes wasters somewhat lighter and less balanced than steel weapons . The difference of material properties between wood and steel creates a difference in performance when training and sparring . The wood wasters tend to recoil from strong contact with other wasters as may occur in a strong parry or " absetzen " , a phenomenon colloquially referred to as " waster bounce " . Steel weapons do not display this attribute to the same extent , usually binding and sliding with minimal rebound instead . The use of wood with rounded edges makes wasters considerably safer for practice than a steel weapon , but does not make them totally safe . Strong cuts or thrusts to vulnerable body parts during sparring may lead to significant injury to the individual . Wasters provide a safer training experience than steel weapons at the cost of authenticity . Modern historical martial arts reconstruction organizations , including the Association for Renaissance Martial Arts and the Chicago Swordplay Guild use wasters as the primary training tool of new practitioners . Wasters are used to learn , practice , and later spar with a variety of techniques including cuts , slices , thrusts and ward s . During flourishes , a waster may be substituted for a blunt sword , especially if a lack of experience is a concern . Participants may also use wasters against a " pell " , a training pole roughly simulating a human target . As the individual becomes more skilled , they will begin to use blunt steel weapons which offer a more realistic set of properties in comparison with a sharpened metal blade . Construction . Modern commercial producers use primarily Hickory , a hard and resilient wood , in the construction of their wasters . Some producers allow individuals to accent the waster with wood of other types including Jatobá and Purpleheart . Manufacturers usually apply a coating of linseed oil or other protective liquid and instruct users to regularly apply it . This prevents splintering and works to create a stronger , more enduring tool . Different specimens of wood , even of the same variety , are not necessarily identical in performance , and may display different characteristics during use . The form of modern wasters follows from their use as replica training swords . Blades on wasters have a lenticular ( lens - shaped ) or diamond cross - section and defined edges . This shape continues into the hilt , which features a grip with an oval - shaped cross section oriented in the same plane as the blade . An integral part of historical swords , this oval shape permits the wielder to know the sword ' s rotational blade alignment by feeling for the position of the oblong grip in their hand . The pommel acts as suitable counterweight for the blade and a stable gripping surface , providing the sword ' s intrinsic balance and allowing the user a weighted leverage point for more powerful manipulation of the weapon . A functional cross acts as it does on a steel sword , protecting the hands and assisting in a number of guards and parries . During half - sword ing , the cross and pommel may also function as a striking portions of the weapon , used directly to cause injury as in the mordhau . History . Wooden practice swords have been in use since the Late Bronze Age , with an original sword found on Orkney ' s Mainland in [ Scotland ] still in existence at the National Museum of Edinburgh . A similar find in Ireland adds historical backing to the Irish myth , the Tain , in which the use of a wooden training sword is mentioned . Egyptian soldiers practiced a sort of sport fencing using blunt sticks as a sort of primitive waster . The Romans used a form of wooden sword , the " rudis " , for combat training . Translations of Roman poets Horace and Juvenal provide evidence of this training weapon in use . One translation of Juvenal ' s poetry by Barten Holyday in 1661 makes note that the Roman trainees learned to fight with the wooden wasters before moving on to the use of sharpened steel , much in the way modern reconstruction groups progress . In fact , it is also found that Roman gladiator s trained with a heavy wooden sword against a straw man or a wooden pole known as a " palus " ( an early relative of the later wooden " pell " ) . Wasters are mentioned in period works , including The Book of the Courtier . A number of Fechtbücher also mention the use of wasters or depict them in use by models showing proper technique . During the 16th century , the Dussack came into use in German fencing schools . A true waster , the dussack was made almost entirely of wood ( in all but one known case ) and acted as safe and cheap training weapon . The weapon ' s unique shape did not lend well to the replication of traditional cruciform - hilted swords like the arming sword or longsword . Instead , the dussack resembled the " großes Messer " or " great knife " , a weapon found more often amongst the common people than longswords , the cost of which allowed only relatively wealthy individuals to purchase them . Swords . Longsword wasters are generally between forty - two and fifty inches long and are also known colloquially as Hand - and - a - Half swords , allowing the use of both hands on the hilt while using them . These weapons incorporate a ridge or fuller , defined edges , and other sword components commonly found on steel swords . Longsword wasters are the most common type of waster today , largely because many of the fundamentals taught by Johannes Lichtenauer and his students Sigmund Ringeck and Hans Talhoffer frequently involve the longsword . The modern historical martial arts reconstruction community also focuses heavily on the longsword , providing a demand for the specific tool . Arming sword wasters span the broad gap of thirty - two to forty - two inches in length and , like their historical counterparts , have a shorter hilt than a longsword , allowing only one full hand to hold the grip . These wasters also commonly feature defined edges , pommels , and other typical sword elements . Arming swords are featured heavily in the combat of Manuscript I . 33 , the oldest manuscript on sword - and - buckler fighting , dating approximately to the turn of 14th Century . The ceremonial rudius , a wooden gladius given ceremonially to gladiator s when they won enough battles to become free men , is produced by some current day vendors and is twenty - eight to thirty inches long . The producers warn that the rudii are for ceremonial purposes , however , and should not be used in mock combat . In this sense , the waster supersedes its place as a tool for combat and becomes primarily a work of art . Dussack s and falchion , two - handed sword , cut and thrust sword , gladius , Viking sword and rapier wasters are not widely available from commercial vendors , but may be special ordered or hand - crafted . Daggers . Rondel Dagger Wasters Rondel dagger wasters , like the daggers themselves , are generally about eighteen inches in length , with a twelve inch blade and six inch hilt . These weapons may forgo defined edges altogether and take on a more cylindrical shape as the rondel dagger acted historically as a thrusting and stabbing weapon . Hilted dagger wasters are also available , featuring functional crosses and defined edges , often found in lengths of about 18 inches . References . < div class = " references - small " > These works have been used for multiple large portions of this article and as collective citations of characteristics of modern wasters . They have not been cited individually as references to prevent an unwieldy list of footnotes from a few sources .