I love these…
Question:
Sir Ulrich I have a question for you.
If someone placed a sword 2 inches from your face and shoved as hard as they could, would it kill you?
There is some question as to whether a sword point placed on the face and shoved would actually kill a human and since you comment on SCA stuff all the time I thought I’d ask you.
Thanks,
Squire M
Answer:
I know the conversation you are speaking of and while I don’t want to find out on a first hand basis…but please allow me to say – YES, and anyone who says otherwise is a blithering idiot.
Let me point out something often lost in the ‘reality’ of SCA combat…our thrusting tips are big spongy squishy things that slide off of stuff easily. It takes talent to strike an area with what we use and make it ‘stick’
Swords and Spears ‘in period’ were…um sharp, and hmmm pointy (no not all swords were pointy but for the sake of argument, if you are fighting in SCA combat using a sword with a thrusting tip, lets assume you are using a….pointed sword designed to…THRUST). Much easier to catch in say the round holes of MAILLE. Catch in one of the rings and then what? Shove through into the soft meaty stuff underneath we call FLESH, which as it turns out, not so resistant to sharp or pointy metal things!
Yes most folks would, move their face away from a thrust…but um if the blade is there, and shoved….that sharp pointy part on the end is going to find one of those soft divots in the facial structure and go in, then it is going to open your face up, you’ll bleed like the proverbial stuck pig and if your lucky, really lucky it won’t shove into your brain pan or through the back of your head. it may not ‘kill’ you (but I wouldn’t want it tried on me) but it would certainly make it where you didn’t want to ‘play in a tournament’ anymore.
My advice to you “Squire M” is … do not listen to idiots.
Regards,
Ulrich
