Bladed Weapons - Cutting vs. Thrusting
I used "bladed weapons" rather than "swords" in the title, since this debate
can extend to knives/daggers, and to a limited degree, even polearms.
I've always found the sword to be the most beautiful and elegant of weapons. A tremendous amount of focus and concentration is required just to wield one without danger to oneself. After all, even a novice can pick up a weapon like the quarterstaff(rokushakubo) or nunchuku without suffering more than some nasty bumps and bruises. I've seen a friend lose most of a thumb trying to imitate Iaijutsu, which he said was "easy".
We know that thrusting and cutting(slashing) both have their pros and cons, but does one method have a distinct advantage over the other? Lets look at some of the facts:
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