Handle

Son-jabi (손잡이) means «handle» or «grip». In kumdo it is the part of the jukdo (죽도), the bamboo practice sword, that is held in the hands.

• Leather: of the jukdo's three leather pieces, the byeonghyeok (병혁) is the one that serves as the handle. The other two are the seonhyeok (선혁) at the tip and the junghyeok (중혁) in the middle.
• Construction: the four bamboo staves are inserted into the byeonghyeok. A taut cord, the deungjul (등줄), runs from the seonhyeok to the byeonghyeok and is treated as the back of the sword. On the handle side, the kodeungi (코등이), a hand guard that protects the wrist, is fitted.
• Grip: according to the Korea Kumdo Association (대한검도회) manual, the left hand takes the end of the handle (son-jabi kkeut, 손잡이 끝). The V between thumb and index finger is lined up with the knot line of the byeonghyeok and with the deungjul. The right hand is placed below the kodeungi.
• Size: a number from 36 to 39 is written on the handle to show the jukdo's size. For adults aged 20 and over, 39 (up to 120 cm) is the reference size.
• Length: the byeongjang-hyeong (병장형) type has a long handle. Its centre of gravity sits toward the handle, which favours continuous and close-range strikes and one-handed striking from sangdan (상단). The byeongdan-hyeong (병단형) type has a short handle and its centre of gravity toward the tip. It is less favourable for repeated strikes but makes it easier to reach and attack the head, and the handle gets in the way less when varying techniques.
• Shape: the handle is usually cylindrical, the dongjang-hyeong (동장형) type, which is the most common. There is also the godo-hyeong (고도형), shaped like the handle of a real sword. It concentrates finger and wrist strength for harder strikes, but makes continuous attacks and changes of direction harder.