Saber Dimension Guidelines

Food for thought on saber dimensions, I have a WWII Naval Katana with the following dimensions; the blade length, including the collar (habaki), is 27.5", the length of the hilt (tsuka) is 8.5", giving the weapon a total length of 36.25". I'm 5' 9" tall with palm width of 3.5". When I'm holding this sword there's 2 " of clearance from the tip of the blade to the ground and 1" between my hands.


With the style of Iaido I was learning I needed a blade length of 29.5" with an 11" long tsuka, for a total weapon length of 40.75". Translating this to light sabers; my main saber hilt is just shy of 13.5", 1.5" of which is the pommel, so that makes the blade 28.75" to give me the same length as my Iai sword. These dimensions allow me to just clear the floor in a neutral stance so I wouldn't strike the floor (very bad form that) & could also sever a floored opponent's neck without bending over. I also have enough space between my hands on the hilt to perform overhead strikes with the maximum velocity I can produce.


Use this information as you see fit, adjust for your size, & MtFbWY...

Wow, that's a real study you've done here, excellent! Will have a 13'5" myself (parts @ tim for some custom work atm) and am deciding for a 34" or 36" blade... So ill be toutching the ground with that!! Nevertheless again great study!

Im 6'3, so fairly tall, so i made my saber 14" including pommel. and a 40" blade, and it just above touching the ground bout 1" to 2" off.
Great food for thought.

I've mentioned it before in shoutbox, but after combining the "appropriate" lengths for a sword from the various forms and styles I've studied (Olympic Fencing, Kendo, 10th c. Viking), I've come up with the following lengths, which can be applied to anyone's height:

• A weapon in each hand: With arms hanging loosely at sides, hilt gripped gently in hand, tip of each weapon should clear ground by 1"-2"
• Weapon and Shield: With weapon tip-down on ground, pommel should meet waist or slightly above.
• 2-handed grip: With weapon tip-down on ground, pommel should meet sternum or slightly above.

Using the following measurements, and adjusting to fit the fighting style (fencing rapiers are 2"-3" longer than the Sword and Shield measurement, to accomodate the reaching/thrusting style of fighting) and personal preference, the correct size weapon can be created.

This is applicable for any type of weapon, although swords were the focus of both my training and this discussion.

Good Info... I'm 6'3" tall, and dont have issues with long weapons... except for developing speed for fast strikes with the longer blades i like to use... (I prefer the O-Katana from Cold Steel and Hand and a half sized broad swords and that translates directly into my saber designs)

Excellent additions, null! Those dimension really help for those with different styles. Thank you, sir!

Ah ha! I'm not the only one who is picky about my blade length. Though I do tend to go with a shorter hilt these days :0 What Boj-Vaati says is very spot on, good info!

Bumpty bump...

good stuff to know


i use 40in blades in all my sabers and it rare for me to hit the ground but i think a 39in blade would be better for me but i just deal with the 40in blades. im 5'10 so im not too tall but i wouldent call myself tall eather, i was always happy with my MR FX sabers the blades where alil sort for my taste but never an issue eather

Any interest in making this a sticky?