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Old 05-07-2014, 04:54 AM   #21
Tomsdad
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Brighton
Default Re: Focused Defense Discussion

Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter V. Dell'Orto View Post
...
Basically because reality testing and experience led the people doing the rule - me, and Kromm - to decide that two handed weapon's reach wasn't significantly altered by shifting to a side-dominant stance. ...
I have to say I'm interested in this, because other than a thrusting attack I can't see how two handed weapon would actually be used in a side on stance.

A weapon swinging with both hands close together (so all normal grips on swung weapons) will be significantly affected because the relative positions of the lead and trailing will mean there's only so many positions the weapon can be in.

With defensive grips you have the same problem. The weapon will be held across the body, but across the body is now a very different position relevant to an opponent in your front arc than it would be in a normal face on position.

As I said thrusting I can see work (instead of thrust away form your face on body, your now thrusting along your side on body) but with a reduction in reach, since you starting from further back.

Ultimately two handed swinging from this position relies on you rear hand being brought forward past the body to work with the lead hand that is already in advance of the body something that hard to do while maintaining the bodies orientation.


I think it works fine for single handed weapons who are only relying on the lead hand's freedom of movement, but this stance directly interferes with two hands moving in conjunction with each other relative to an opponent in you front arc.

I'd rule that two handed swung weapons be restricted to defensive attacks to show this limiting factor. And I also wouldn't allow defensive two handed grip to give ist usual bonuses because what ever you'd gain from it you'd lose by the stance moving the weapon away from the opponent (interposing the weapon crossways in-between you and your opponent is half the point after all, and you can't do that with two hands and maintian a side on stance in relation to your opponent)

However, you can turn a negative into a positive here, if you have along reach two handed weapon and you facing someone with shorter reach weapon and they get inside you optimum reach and retreat isn't an option, by changing to this position you can reduce your weapons (relative) reach and to you advantage.

Anyway I'm basing this on my experience (which is by no means all-encompassing), so I'd be really interested in the reality testing you used, and experience you drew from.


Just quickly I realise that there are ways of swinging 2H from a side on stance that involves moving the body from side on to face on and then on to side on again (side reversed) but ultimately the body/shoulders has to follow the hands as they move.

Last edited by Tomsdad; 05-07-2014 at 05:02 AM.
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author explanation, combat, focused defense, house rules, martial arts: gladiators, optional rules, rules

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