The other night my wife and self were at some relative's house watching episodes of "The Walking Dead". At some point a cousin and his brother asked what type of weapon I think could prove ideal for zombie killing. Somehow they felt I should know this based on martial arts experience? lol. Anyway I thought a compound bow or maybe tomahawk would be fine. Yet they wanted to know about those Asian type weapons. Having practiced only JKD and more recently Krav Maga the level of knowledge I have of Asian weapons is VERY limited. We trained with Escrima sticks and knives in JKD, yet any other weapons training falls under the hunting/self-defense variety. Anyway, I blurted out that Sai might work nicely as they are pointed and from what I gather head shots are required for zombie killing. Anyway thought it might be a light topic everyone here on MAP might enjoy?
Paging Doctor Hannibal...Doctor Hannibal to the white courtesy phone, please... EDIT: Long bladed hunting knife or short sword for me, please. EDIT EDIT: And a really well-made spear. Though I'd want a year's dedicated training to get me to the levels where I'd be a zombie-slaying mastah with said spear.
How does a Bolo fit into the picture? Make one fall and chop away while the zombie is bound up? btw. Had to look up a Dao. Cool weapon.
http://www.coldsteel.com/bolomachetes.html This is what you're ACTUALLY learning to fight with when you're doing JKD stick.
Ah...Thinking about wrong kind of Bolo. Love those Cold Steel weapons. Although we used a different kind of weapon back then. It looked more like a dagger. Somehow I can't remember the name.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXwQx7w99Mo"]PPKM Kali Silat Pangamut Bolo Baraw sparring drill - YouTube[/ame]
Those weapons look nothing like what that we used. Daggers. Two sides. Different lenghts. Really wish I could remember the name.
OK let's slow down here everyone. In any kind of zombie related discussion, some vital parameters need to be defined. Are the zombies slow and shambling, or the sprinting/jumping kind? What is required to render a zombie harmless? Is decapitation sufficient, or must their entire body be immobilized? What is the transmission vector of the zombification? Is a bite from one of the zombies enough to infect the hypothetical weilder of this weapon, or are we to assume that he or she is immune? What is the larger global context? Are we trying to escape to safety from an isolated zombie outbreak, or are we the last few people remaining, and need to live the rest our our lives in a zombie-infested world? All of these questions need to be answered before any meaningful anti-zombie weapon suggestions can be made.
Just from the tv show I think zombies are slow and rambling for the most. Major damage to the head appears to stop them while damage to other body parts does not. And if you get bit the games up. Not sure about the last part.
OK, my apologies for not having seen the show. I think my weapon of choice in any zombie apocalypse setting would have to be some kind of blunt-force instrument, perhaps like a baseball bat. I think it could be used to do sufficient head damage to defeat zombies, and I could always use it on other parts of their body to disable them as well. I assume that even though a zombie doesn't feel pain, it would have a hard time chasing me with broken legs...
It's not an Asian blade but I'm a big fan of my Kriegsmesser... a German two-handed war knife: http://www.albion-europe.com/search/model.aspx?model=62 Certainly capable of dealing with zombies in style, and one of my favourite hand weapons from any culture. Best regards, -Mark
Sorry I didn't mean it had to be an Asian weapon. Just that my knowledge of weapons is confined to hunting or the JKD weapons.
The problem with longer weapons is that if the zombies DO get close, you could be in some serious trouble, especially if a bite means game over...
If they're that close it's game over anyway. However, if you're going to mix it up with zombies, a good suit of mail or plate will make you reasonably impervious to zombie bites. Plate is nice and balanced over the whole body which is better at minimizing fatigue than mail, which hangs on the shoulders. The only major con is heat exhaustion. Best regards, -Mark
If you check my thread Z-Day plans and preparations #1 you will see a comprehensive breakdown of the known zombie types and their (few) weaknesses. Headshots/decapitation are required for a kill, but zombies can be incapacitated by limb breakage/amputation. All zombie types except the traditional "voodoo zombie" are known to be contagious. Z-Day plans and preparations#2 deals with close-combat against zombies, and preferred weapons. Basically anything that can crack a skull or chop through a neck will be effective. The big danger comes from infection, either by bite or blood spatter as you hack into a zombie. So your Z-day kit should include bite-resistant clothing (not necessarily armour plating) and a helmet.
Sai are a horrible choice by the way. You have to get way too close, it's basically the equivalent of using a dagger but one you can only thrust with.