In order to become skilled with a weapons form, you must have some sense
of how to use it.
Beginners always train with lightweight sword, and this is necessary.
However it can give the wrong impression to the student.
A lightweight sword (strictly speaking) is not a weapon.
If you bashed a wushu sword or a cheap steel sword against a real jian, the
blade would bend and be immediately useless.
Flashy twirls and flourishes, and over-extended
arms are impossible when the sword has some weight.
Cane and staff forms do not need to be trained with an oak staff.
The rattan stick is the weapon.
It is tough, flexible, durable and fast.
Oak is slow, heavy and unwieldy.
If you want to practice sword forms with some sense of realism and work through
the 5 stages, then you need to use a heavy weapon at some
point.
