One-armed Swordsman

[golok]

About 35 years ago I watched the above movie. As a kid then, I was utterly fascinated with the fanciful sword technique of the hero in the movie.

Now decades later, I ponder over the hazards of an imaginary scenario where a man has to fight for his life with a broken blade.

If ever such a situation arises, it is possible to fight well with a broken sword, taking into consideration that the swordsman mixes his sword-fighting with some form of martial arts.

Here in the East, we do not laugh at such an imaginary situation because we heard of stories that a broken sword in the hands of a martial arts exponent can still be a lethal weapon.

Perhaps even more dangerous because the broken sword has altered the standard form of sword-fighting and opened up some new areas where the irregular length of the broken blade can be of some advantage.

Definitely, food for thought, wouldn't you say?

 

[Joe Renner]

What makes a weapon dangerous or not is the intent behind it. This goes with anything.
Everything can be dangerous with knowledge and harmful intent.
You are being attacked and youre sword is broken. The real question is how much do you want to live.
It is often thought that in face to face combat, that will matters most.
If your will to not be cut is greater than his will to cut you, you will not be cut.
Be mindful of the fight itself and not its result. Dont clutter your mind.
Intent and knowledge, my friend, are what wins battles. the weapons just happen to be there.

Joe Renner

 

[beluga]

IMHO, it is the martial artist that matters, not the weapon or the martial art itself. In the hand of an expert, even a key can be deadly, not to mention a broken sword.

 

[Ferrous Wheel]

Hi, Golok:

There are responses to this question in this thread, which you started a while back:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=223917&highlight=broken+sword

My reply is still this:

broken sword better than no sword in a duel...
If yer in a fight to the death or something and your sword breaks, you have few options:
1. die
2. get another sword or grapple opponents away if possible
3. run away
4, use the broken sword.

The 'broken sword kill' in movies is IMHO used to convey a point of miscalculation on the part of the other fighter, the one who broke the sword. He feels confident that the sword and the will of the opponent are broken, and that only some finishing move is required to kill. He begins to gloat, then gets a shard of steel in the gut. I think the latest movie to have the broken sword kill was Fellowship of the Rings, in which Isildur uses the shard of the sword Narsil to cut the one ring from Sauron's hand.

An alternative to the broken sword is the bent one. IN viking sagas, swords forged too soft would bend in battle and have to be straightened by stepping on them. so a softer sword will bend under stress, and a sword too hard will shatter like glass. The breaking makes for better cinematography, I guess.

Keith