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Sir Kenyth- From all of your many postings it seems to me that you portray yourself as knowledgable on a great many subjects such as physics, ballistics, pressure points and weight/pressure required to crush a larynx or dislocate a joint, as well as the armor penetration abilities of certain types of swords and the chances of a 'martial artist' to defeat an armored opponent. Just out of curiosity- what is your background that you would be an expert in so many areas?
By the way- as an argument to some of the comments made in this thread:
1. Just because you see someone doing gymnastics in plate armor on the discovery channel doesnt mean it is an accurate representation of what was possible in the 14th and 15th century. Did it ever occur to you that metallurgy and the technology used to make that armor on tv might have advanced a bit in 500 years?
2. As far as what a Katana can and cannot penetrate- Well, I have never taken a well made Katana and hacked a 15th century eauropean breastplate and I seriously doubt any of you reading this have either, so who the hell knows. What I can say is that based upon documentaries published by several historical societies and universities that some Katanas which were forged for Japanese Nobility were tested for sharpness and penetration ability by the Nobility themselves- on slaves. By one account, some of the Nobility refused to accept a sword if it was not capable of cutting- with a diagonal downward stroke- completely through a person from shoulder to hip in one swing (there are quite a few bones between the shoulder and the hip to add a little challenge to the test..). I dont know about whether that would penetrate plate armor, but hot damn I would say that I have never heard or read of a broadsword doing any such thing.
3. As far as an unarmed and unarmored martial artist versus a much larger opponent- Well my friend you obviously speak from heresay and opinion versus first person knowledge. I have seen- with my own eyes- a 64 year old man weighing barely more than 136 pounds drop a man who was 6'7" weighing well over 256lbs quite effortlessly. Granted, the majority of the force used to disable the man was his own, this argument about not being able to defeat someone based upon a size differance is the opinion of a man who speaks from opinion and not experience (by the way, if any of you doubt this subject, the old man is still alive and well and travels the country invited by current day 'masters' to teach their students. He is available for private instruction, if you have an inkling and a fat wallet).
[This message has been edited by Ashen (edited 09-05-2001).]
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