Padawan blade length?

[tech_joshua]

I'm building my son a padawan saber. He is 5 yrs old and 43" tall. The hilt is 9.5" using a Style 8 holder, which eats about 1.75" from the blade length. I'm thinking a 32" blade would be a good compromise to not look too short but be short enough that he can swing it around without constantly whacking into the floor and walls. Any insight into padawan blades would be much appreciated.

[snilam]

32" would be considered a full length blade to a lot of people. I like a 34-36" but I'm 6'2". for my 4 year old he has a 22" blade. they added length makes it hard for them to wield especially will more weight extending out from the hilt. Also if its too long it will hit the floor everytime they try to spin it making it very frustrating for them. I would have your padawan stand and put his arm out to the side parallel to the floor and measure to the ground and not make the total length of the blade and hilt not exceed that amount at the very least, but I would still take another 2" off of that.

[methos2523]

for blade length, i typically measure from elbow to floor minus 2 inches... stood up straight, the length of elbow to floor will give you a good measurement of how the blade would flow during a spin, then take away 2 inches to allow for wrist and elbow angles during duelling, and it'll give you a good measurement for a blade that can be spun without catching the floor.

thats the measurement i've always used for me, the missus, and friends... and it's always come out well :D

[tech_joshua]

32" would be considered a full length blade to a lot of people. I like a 34-36" but I'm 6'2". for my 4 year old he has a 22" blade. they added length makes it hard for them to wield especially will more weight extending out from the hilt. Also if its too long it will hit the floor everytime they try to spin it making it very frustrating for them. I would have your padawan stand and put his arm out to the side parallel to the floor and measure to the ground and not make the total length of the blade and hilt not exceed that amount at the very least, but I would still take another 2" off of that.

Thanks for the insight. I was thinking a thick-walled battle blade for durability but when considering the added weight, would a show blade hold up ok?

[snilam]

thick walled for a 5 year old is not needed at all. I personally only use thin walled and I mildly duel with them. never came close to breaking a blade. A lot of duelist I've talked to still prefer the thin walled over a thick because the weight of a thick and the balancing.

[Miraluka]

Personal preference is big here. I imagine 32" would be huge for a child 43" tall, though. I'm 69" and I just happen to like short blades (and short hilts). 32" is okay for me and I use those often but I also really like 28" and even my 24" blade. The longest I have is 37" and I never touch the thing.

When I made a saber for my little brother (7 years old) the blade was 26" and the hilt was 6 1/4" which seemed good to me.

[tech_joshua]

Thanks for the replies, guys. Very helpful. My original measurements I had him holding a yard stick and eyeballed it. After reading your replies, I realize i was placing more importance on appearance than ease of use. However, I think I'm going to go with 26" to give him some room to grow. Honestly, at his current coordination level, he won't be spinning anything for a couple of years. He'll mostly be swinging it around like a big sword.