Is 10 too young to get my child his first katana? Maybe a wakizashi or is that going to ingrain bad reflexes in them once they finally get a full blade?
you waited until age 10?! you might as well send them off to be a pacifist monk!
yes.
Give him a Real Longsword , not this Japano Dork shit. Or at least take an actually exotic weapon,
Aztec Glas Blade or something...
A chakram, and sign them for ultimate Frisbee lessons.
Probably best to start em with a wakazashi and just make sure their bushido fundamentals are up to snuff.
There’s plenty more to the blade than the blade itself.
Start with a bowstaff and tuck some numbchucks in the back of the pants for emergency
Can't go with a bowstaff. I'm currently wielding a short-range battlehammer and if they have a type advantage against me they might use it to fight their way out of bed time.
May I recommend some tactical throwing stars in a belt holster?
When I was 11 I decided that the bō is the coolest weapon.
I lost interest within a year but I can still do cool tricks!
Hmm, what's his kenjutsu level? Anything below second kyu and he should still be using a wooden bokken.
Katana?! Unless based off Japan, people are gonna be generally wearing chainmail or plated armour, you'd be much better off with polearms imo
I get my friends kid's swords as baby shower presents.
If you follow my posting you know I'm not joking.
That said, idk what you start kids off with for katana but I imagine there are junior sized bokken and shinai out there.
https://www.gorgtech.com/shop/red-vs-blue-swords/
If you've got the scratch you can get the kid a set of these. They're absurdly high-tech artisan produced foam swords. They'll probably last for at least a year, likely longer. Gorg makes solid kit.
In this modern day of firearms and other ranged weapons, it's best that they learn to close the gap as quickly as possible. A larger weapon like a No-Dachi is probably best for that, teach them to finish every fight with the first charge and swing is best for their health and safety.
Alternatively, maybe branch out and give them a Naginata instead, this is especially useful for a child as it relies more heavily on skill rather than pure strength, and the reach it gives is a huge benefit, especially since a child will have fairly short reach to begin with, compensating for their natural weaknesses.
When I was in early-mid middle school, My mom bought me an extremely dull, decorative set from a thrift store when I asked her to. It rocked and I still like to pretend to do kata with the wakizashi. Most tweens are smart enough to not impale themselves. It is obviously a judgement call. Never give a child a sharp edge.
Crew served weapons, like a mortar or heavy machine gun, are much safer for small children to operate.