THE EDGE VS POINT, PART DEUX

[JOHN THURSTON]

Hello all:

WE more or less decided that we were going to use some very basic definitions to roughly deteremine a sword's (or a bladed weapon's)essence, ie: what it it best at.

To do this we related matters to some Karate movements, just for "ease of translation"

1. The slash, a wound created by a weapon as its edge is drawn back over a target; the closest Uechi who have to this would be to have a practioner perform a Kakeuke Block, sword in hand. Examples: TAI Chi Gim, Later Roman Legionary Spata (Spatha).

3. The chop, a wound created by a target by using the edge of the weapon as in a "shuto" to penetrate the target. Example: Machete, Bolo, Katana, earlier European Broad sword.


4. The Thrust(or stab in the case of knives)
wish uses the point of the weapon to penetrate the traget. Rapier, Middle period roman Gladii, Assegai as used by the Zulu and Matabele.

5. Mixture blades and pole weapons, such as the Roman "lancea" and the fighting spear of the massai, which has "leaf shaped blade" for slashing and a formidable point.


JOHN

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[This message has been edited by JOHN THURSTON (edited 06-04-99).]

[JOHN THURSTON]

brought forward

[I. Woolley]

I beg to differ on few points. Katana are more slicing/slashing than hacking.
a 'broad sword' can be used to deliver deadly thrusts and slices

but yeah its just semantics really and how you use a weapon