Realism; Strength is not important for swordsmanship(?)

[Bilanthri]

Originally Posted by Anthony

That reason being a psychological trick -- it's not that accelerating actually meaningfully affects damage, it's that not decelerating does, and human instinct causes you to decelerate shortly before reaching the point you're aiming at.

So you're suggesting that accelerating into the point of impact would not have a noticeable effect on measured force of impact, relative to a strike with no delta-v? I find that hard to believe, considering the math.

I was reminded of a fun video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZblxX_AzNjg

Look at the slow-motion capture and you can see how he is accelerating into the target. The auto-collision expert mentions "build(ing) up enough velocity" which is exactly what I'm referring to by bringing up Newton's Second Law. But, I think what's more interesting is how little rebound his fist undergoes. Essentially, he is counteracting the effects of deceleration on impact by accelerating into the impact.

Oh, and he hits as hard as a 35mph car collision.