Did he refer to the thief as rhinoceros pizzle?

How big of a failure are you if you are 56 yrs old and decide that pulling a robbery with a Spiderman mask and sword is a good idea?

Never bring a sword to a broom fight.

Part of his ponytail? Those are some hair pulling biatches.

He should have dressed in black and wore a mask...as the store probably has a Zorro Tolerance Policy.

That Spider-Man is a menace!

Yeah. A clerk who doesn't work there anymore.

He can thank god the guy didn't use bug spray.

Evil Kirk vs Bad Ash: This is my BROOM STICK!

Hah!

optikeye: He should have dressed in black and wore a mask...as the store probably has a Zorro Tolerance Policy.

OK. That was awesome.

dj_bigbird: How big of a failure are you if you are 56 yrs old and decide that pulling a robbery with a Spiderman mask and sword is a good idea?

I don't know, but I hope to find out.

overmortal: Another article about someone with a sword being taken down by someone with something far less dangerous.

A sword is the opposite of a gun.

Much like karate or a longbow, a sword requires a baseline investment of many hundreds of hours to be even remotely useful to you. Before you train up, it's more of a liability than an asset.

The Onslow County Sheriff's Office says the clerk pulled out a broom and poked the suspect in the stomach.

See, that shouldn't be possible if you have any idea what you're doing. They might catch your shoulders or legs or even head with a nice blow, but a simple thrust to the stomach? That's sign of a retard more so that the robbery attempt and the outfit.

overmortal: Gwyrddu: overmortal: Another article about someone with a sword being taken down by someone with something far less dangerous.

I'm beginning to think that my investment in a Scottish claymore was a bad idea.

Well the problem isn't with the weapon, but with the wielder. Swords are deadly and effective, IF the user knows what they are doing,which is why they have been used for thousands of years. If you haven't specifically trained with them though, you are better off with some other method of self-defense.

Not that I claim to have any actual training whatsoever with a sword, but I have watched and listened to those who have, and the concepts in play make a lot of sense. That said, I love watching documentaries that explain "Such-and-such sword was not a weapon of finesse or tactics. It's very much a hack-and-slash weapon". Such has been said of my beloved claymore many a time. Ever actually held a real sword? One that's considered "battle ready"? Most of them are not conducive to "hack-and-slash" swordplay. On the contrary, the weight and balance of the weapon alone require that you plan at least for or five steps in advance how you're going to move the darned thing, just to maintain the kinetic energy required to ensure that "the pointy end goes in the other guy".

I also love how most people think of swords as a chopping weapons (which, of course, they can be). Draw cuts are far more common. And the use of the hilt and pommel as instruments of blunt trauma is typically a new thought of most folks, as well.

/I like swords too much.

You might like them, but you need to study them a little more.

A: You don't need to plan five steps ahead. Even a two handed sword didn't weight THAT much. Less than 7 lbs for any real type. Typical Medieval swordsmanship was one beat, meaning that rather than parry-thrust like two beat fencing in movies, your parry was always a cut as well. You can't plan ahead that far because the opponent will always have other plans.

B: Using the pommel isn't new at all. All period sources, especially Tallhoffer, illustrate being commonplace along will all manner of nasty wrestling moves. There's all kinds of wicked tricky stuff they did. My favorite is the "murder strike" where you hold the blade and use the guard and pommel as a hammer. Applied properly, you can do things they won't like, but it has draw backs.

C: Draw cuts aren't even possible with some styles of swordsmanship. such as half-swording against armored foes. They most certainly couldn't be the most common injury in the rest if only for the simple fact that most sword styles that survive don't even include them in the training. If you actually get out there and do some sword work yourself, you'll find that it's not even difficult to get chopped in the head because it will be happening to you constantly until your skills improve quite a bit. You might be thinking of late period rapier duels where, as in pistol duels in America, most people didn't go for the kill but just first blood.

But I'm glad you're enthusiastic about swords. If you really want to learn about martial swordsmanship there's many groups around America. The SCA is a nice big one that's a few steps above sport fencing. There's also more serious groups as well. Get out there and hit somebody.

doubled99: doglover 2011-10-20 05:03:57 AM

overmortal: Another article about someone with a sword being taken down by someone with something far less dangerous.

A sword is the opposite of a gun.

An elegant weapon, from a more civilized time...

Quite frankly the Marines are uncivilized. Do you see what they do? They coordinate so that multiple marines can fire upon the same target from a distance.

If the world were civilized, we'd all strip down to the buff; woad up; and just charge into battle trippin' balls and swingin' at whateves.

Quarter staff.

When you use a broom to fight off a guy with a sword, it becomes a "trusty quarterstaff".

Unless you are a Mage or Wizard, in which case it becomes a wizard's staff.

Only witches are allowed to use brooms as a weapon. And maybe Hausfraus or Innkeepers.

And trip and trip and trip and trip ....

A buck and a quarter staff.

I prefer guns to swords.

Fewer pieces for some poor dogsbody to pick up after your "civilized" fight and a whole lot less blood to mop up, at least if you avoid hitting a major artery. Of course, the duelling foil is as good as a gun in this respect, but it really hasn't got the range a civilized man wants when dealing with riff-raff. Also, if you are dealing with a brute it will be vulnerable to being knocked out of your hands, while even a palpable hit on the heart may not be enough to stop an attack--those really big apes can take a hit and keep on coming even if you hit them with small mortar fire.

Romanticism. Piffle! I'm more of the Neo-Classical type: Paladian palaces, poisoned pens and polite, witty character assassination beat swords hands down unless you bring them to a sword-fight.

Please won't anybody think of the housemaids?