I have a machete from the corner hardware store. It basically feels like a light Chinese broadsword with a short handle. I'm trained in the broadsword. However it really is a hacking weapon. It does not take the skill required of a Katana, for example, to use effectively.
![[Image: machete-a5tw04.jpg]](http://l7.alamy.com/zooms/042e8ab756fc4508bde1b8dc029e71b4/machete-a5tw04.jpg)
![[Image: cs88ddj.jpg]](http://images.knifecenter.com/thumb/1500x1500/knifecenter/coldsteel/images/cs88ddj.jpg)
I would also be fine with, or suggest an oak dowel (can be found in many hardware stores for use as mailbox posts). Make sure the grain is going the long way. In my old kung fu school we would carve these up into battle "canes" and train similarly to swords. For me a 3 ft dowel is perfect. You want a 1 inch diameter, but you can go bigger for more weight but less speed/ ease at changing direction. I'd take a "straight cane" over a baseball bat. Better for close quarters. There are many attacks aside from a home-run swing.
I would also be fine with, or suggest an oak dowel (can be found in many hardware stores for use as mailbox posts). Make sure the grain is going the long way. In my old kung fu school we would carve these up into battle "canes" and train similarly to swords. For me a 3 ft dowel is perfect. You want a 1 inch diameter, but you can go bigger for more weight but less speed/ ease at changing direction. I'd take a "straight cane" over a baseball bat. Better for close quarters. There are many attacks aside from a home-run swing.