Popularity of 'katar' shapes?

[KuKulzA28]

I have been doing research on kalaripayattu (what little is available to the average joe), and I saw on youtube videos that oftentimes they used a katar(a) with a curved blade like a relatively straight S. There's also ones that curved straight up like a mini-saber. Of course there's a plethora of simpler dagger-like shapes. I can see the upwards-curved katar being an excellent slasher, the S-curved ones being decent at slashing, chopping, and puncturing... and the dagger-like kind great for thrusts and decent at slashing/chopping. What's interesting is that many Indian martial arts seem to see the katar as a weapon that is to be used for slashing in addition to the obvious thrust. What surprises me is that when I look on antique websites, peoples' posts here, and eBay the most popular kind I see is the straight dagger type...

What I am wondering is: are the straight dagger-like katar more popular amongst buyers or just more popular amongst warriors back then?

For example, the keris/kris often conjures the popular image of a Malay-Indonesia wavy dagger or a Moro wavy sword... and yet, many (often more practical ones) were the swollen tipped Keris and the straight or straighter kris swords. Some obviously had more symbolic and talismanic qualities, but it came at a cost. Like the doppelsoldners' swords, some had practical straight swords, and flamed parade swords...

I'm a novice in all this stuff, but hopefully my question can spark a great discussion

[KuKulzA28]

[Lew]

Katars blade geometry are really not conducive to slashing the last few inches of the blade are quite thick with no real edge. The reason you see more straight blades is that they were more functional at punching through chain mail. A curved blade would be pretty useless against chain mail. I have seen a few curved ones but with a slight upswept blade that could still be used to pierce armor.

Lew

[KuKulzA28]

Originally Posted by LOUIEBLADES

Katars blade geometry are really not conducive to slashing the last few inches of the blade are quite thick with no real edge. The reason you see more straight blades is that they were more functional at punching through chain mail.

Thanks, but still, that confuses me.... why practice a lot of slashing moves when your main move is a punch? Is it because many went without armor of any sort (in the areas where slashes were practiced)? Is hacking away at the opponent just a way to overwhelm his defense and go in for the jab, or a throw followed up by a finishing punch...?

[KuKulzA28]

Here's another picture of a Kalaripayattu training place with curved katars



It seems more common than straight ones. Granted this is kalaripyattu, a martial art from Kerala. Perhaps the people of northern and central India used straight katars more? I say this because in all the searching I have done on Shastar Vidiya and Gatka have come up with mainly straight dagger-like katars.

Check the videos near the bottom of page

It appears to be used by Nidar Singh Nihang (along with another dagger) as a "main-gauche" of sorts. It seems like a good close-quarters and bridging weapon in combination with a sword. On the battlefield it was probably secondary to longer ranged weapons like spears, bows, swords, and matchlocks.
I imagine in the old days, in city streets and alleys, a katar alone would be a formidable close-in fighting weapon in a martial world with a plethora of knives, daggers, claws, fighting bracelets, etc.

[KuKulzA28]

bump in case any jamdhar or Indian weaponry specialist comes along