Saturday, June 18, 2011

Protection in a sword fight

So I am sitting here wondering, what provides a person the most protection in a sword fight (or axe,knife, club fight - you get the picture)? Would it be their shield, their skill, their armor, or even their weapon?

3 comments:

Norman J. Harman Jr. said...

Their tongue, parlay before the fight is surest way of remaining safe ;)

Tim Newman said...

Footwork. A shield is nice to have, of course, but not being in the path of an attack is better. Blocking with a weapon can often damage that weapon. And being hit hurts, even if the blow doesn't get through your armour.

I suppose that comes down to skill, of your options.

Aires Penlaw said...

Armour and a shield can stop a blow, but it's not guarenteed. Parrying, blocking, and redirecting the opponents attack is sometimes necessary - German longsword manuals often use the same motions for attacks and defences, intercepting and redirecting the opponents blade while simultaneiously striking your opponent.
"Skill" is about taking note of your assets - weapon, shield, armour, footwork, etc - and using them appropriately. Thus, it is ones skill that protects one best, but armour is good too.

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