Many people today are opting for the use of swords and knives in their self-defense. Whether for use in sparring or competitive fighting, or simply just to have as a personal defensive weapon, real swords have been around since ancient times. Back in the day, it was often difficult to identify the weapons used by various armies on the battlefields. 

This is because all blades had different shapes and edges so they were usually called "swords." What you need to remember about these ancient weapons is that most of them didn't have any real pointy parts like daggers do. They were usually straight, and rounded edges. 

Most of these weapons were made from metal, such as iron, silver and bronze. The blade was added after the metal was hardened to make a quality sword. Weapons such as these had many different uses in the past, and they still have their own uses today. 

You can get this kind of weapon easily in many places all over the world today. There are a lot of different sword types that you can use, but it's usually easy to distinguish them by just looking at their appearance and details on the body or hilt (handle).

Long swords are one of the most versatile weapons in Western culture, and have been used for centuries to slay some of the world's most fearsome foes. The word "longsword" is a bit of a misnomer. The blade has historically been used more often by cavalry and infantry than by knights on horseback. Many people confuse these full tang swords with a bastard sword. Both of these weapons have few differences. 

In fact, there are many documents that describe an exchange in which knights took part on foot with their opponents riding horses. Despite being a popular weapon during the Middle Ages, it was not until late in the 15th century that swordsmiths began using "long" blades to describe their swords. 

Though they take their name from the length of their blade, a longsword can actually be found in a number of different lengths. Indeed, many have blades that are as much as three feet longer than some of the very first longswords ever made.

The blade itself is often decorated with a cross and fleur-de-lis engravings (more commonly known as bars or pommels). It is also occasionally reinforced with a hilt covered in rivets and various pins to improve its strength and durability.

A bastard sword is a type of European sword that was used primarily before the introduction of the hand-and-a-half sword (also called a "bastard sword"). Most often, these swords were made with blades about 33 inches long and just under 2 inches wide. These swords are similar to the knightly arming sword but have an added crossguard for more defense.

The word "bastard" didn't describe the sword as much as it did what the sword was designed for: utility and craft. These blades were designed to be used with either a left or right hand grip, and were often both heavy and robust. 

The crossguard often has ornamental designs engraved on them and pretensions of the blade were purposely made to be relatively heavy in order to avoid being overloaded by armor. Although they weren't intended for use when they were first made, these swords are still very effective weapons when wielded in two hands.

Old English Bastard Saber quote: "Unlike most swords, which possess a circumferential hand-guard, every half-moon deserves a circumferential hand-guard. This makes the sword both more mobile, and more difficult to disarm. Its value will be limited to the engagement in which it was actually used." 

A bastard sword is a sword from the Middle Ages and Renaissance, which differs from the longer type of swords of that era, the longsword. It was originally designed as a hand-and-a-half weapon to give more emphasis on swordsmanship with one hand, but in the course of time it became shorter and began to be used without a shield.

The difference between these two types is their length. The longsword is about 107 cm (3 ft), whereas the bastard sword ranges from about 60 cm (2 ft) to 70 cm (2 1/4 ft). A longsword would have been too heavy for effective use by one hand and would have been unwieldy with both hands. 

A bastard one is easier to wield and thus enables a warrior to put more power behind his blows. It was also used for close-in work in unarmored combat when the warrior had to bring his sword around the shield of his enemy in order to strike him.

The length of a bastard saber is not standardized and varies considerably, due to different swordsmiths' preferences or design characteristics, but it can be estimated as being between 60 cm (23 1/2 inches) and 70 cm (27 1/2 inches). Compared to the longsword, it is about 3/4 its length. 

A bastard saber was originally designed as a hand-and-a-half sword, meaning that it could be used with one hand (one half) or two. It was used not only by foot soldiers but also by knights on horseback where it may have been used as a long lance, twisted around the body and shoulder to strike while on horseback. 

This might have played a role in the development of the estoc or stocco (which were in any case weapons primarily of use against armored opponents). This sword could also be wielded with one hand when fighting against opponents wielding shields or other weaponry which put the defender at a disadvantage.

These early swords were often made of softer steel than that found in longswords and broadswords. They were also known for being heavy in comparison to their length. This was likely a reason why soldiers had problems using bastard swords with finesse as opposed to brute strength. 

Over time, however, it became more and more common for sword-makers to manufacture lighter types of a bastard sword using materials such as high-carbon steel and better metals that not only improved the overall quality of these items but led them to be considered more prestigious than ever before.

Bastard sabers were also thought to be less prestigious than other types of sword, so their popularity may have been due to this as well. Some of these best swords came from the hands of peasants who were either born without noble ancestry or simply did not want to identify themselves with a particular post.

During this period, the only two accepted distinct forms of swords were longswords and broadswords. However, later in history, this was broken down into shortswords and bastard swords. The distinguishing characteristic of these different types was the length and width of the blade. 

Broadsword blades had a blade length from one to one-and-a-half times longer than their handle length. Shortsword lengths ranged from about half as long as their handles to a full hand's length longer than their handles. A Bastard sword, on the other hand, usually ranged from 29 to 39 inches long. At this length, they could be fully wielded with one or both hands.

A bastard sword is a type of European sword that was mostly used after the year 1400. It became popular with infantry and broadsword-wielding peasants because it was shorter than the longswords they wielded. The length of these swords usually ranges from 29 to 39 inches. 

The average weight is around three pounds and they are usually half-sharpened on one side, making them useful for slashing through the thinner armor worn by common folk during this era. As with longswords and broadswords, many bastard sabers were produced by the Europeans, particularly during the 14th and 15th centuries. 

However, they were also created outside of Europe. Some of the most popular areas for sword-making at this time included India and Persia. The Indian method used in creating these weapons was to forge them out of high-carbon steel that was then wrapped in gold. 

The sword makers wrapped this around the handle of the weapon and then welded a layer made from wood or buffalo horn over top of it. This gave a unique look to their products that were both lighter and stronger than other types of swords.