"I'd love to have padded weapons, but there is the same problem with weight issues. And I know nothing about working with leather or any of that so this... this is the best I know how to do until I can figure out who to work with for some of this. Granted, my own training back in the day involved live blades from pretty early on."

From his understanding that isn't exactly something that most people are good with and probably not the way to take it here. Plus he has no intention on trying to enforce that with other people instructing here. Still, a wooden baton was better than nothing. And, of course there was one simple rule of combat training that Nida had always held to.

Pain is the best teacher.