Re: (TFT) Shield rush in Melee

["Neil Gilmore" <raito@raito.com>]

> I would be curious, though, if any studies have been done as to the
> momentum, etc. of sword swings, punches, etc. Or at least some sort of
> velocity measurement.

One notable SCA experiment was the bowling ball test, originally designed to
try to figure out if there was an SCA-wide concensus about what a 'good'
blow is. A bowling ball of know mass is balanced on the end of a narrow pipe
at a known height. Then a person hits it horizontally, and a measurement is
taken to where the ball hits the ground. The idea is to hit some as lightly
as possible, some that were just on the edge of 'good', and to knock some
out of the park.

When I did this (and it was close to my prime as a fighter, both in strength
and technique, now I'm old and rely mostly on deception and meanness), using
a sword with 28" blade (about average for a cutting sword), on a 16 lb. ball
at 48" high, I could put the ball about 6 feet out. I would caution that
this was with a maximum strength blow, not one I'd use in combat (too slow
overall, regardless of speed at impact).

I very, very seldom see anyone knocked back with a sword blow in the SCA (or
WMA for that matter). The shield rush is a bit different, though, in that
you can put your body behind it. Personally, I've been developing techniques
to put shieldmen on their butts while I have a pole, and within SCA rules
(no grappling allowed).

Neil Gilmore
raito@raito.com
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