hand on striking surface block?

[Mimic]

since the post was closed for some reason, ill edit.

i saw the post about all the mess with blocking an attack but holding the striking surface of a blade. i can understand this if they do have the chain gloves from the historical accounts.

otherwise, you've given people an unbreakable shield that you can strike with; ive seen it done, last sunday actually. block several hit then strike.

and yes weapons are smaller than shields, but anyone with even mediocre blocking ability can handle it. you dont lose noticeable offense because NO ONE keeps 2 hands at all times, they hold it long enough to deflect then they strike. they wouldnt do it if it didnt offer an advantage...

and your last part, it yes its easier to swing around, but with a sword weighting much much less than a shield, the speed more than makes the difference.

we're of course talking about higher level fighters

[Cyric]

blocking with a weapon is not the same as having an unbreakable shield. Obviously, weapons are much smaller than shields, and you're going to sacrifice a lot of offense if you keep 2 hands on a weapon in a defensive posture.

To answer your question, most people say it is legal to put a hand on your own striking surface to block a shot, but it is not as game breaking as you make it out to be. swinging around a weapon block is a lot easier than swinging around a shield.

[Derian]

As Cyric said, it's really not as effective as you're thinking it is.

Shields really don't weigh very much and provide significantly more protection. Additionally, shield breaking honestly doesn't happen all that much. Throughout the course of an entire day fighting at a large event I might have my shield broken once or twice.

[Sir Par]

If we're talking about higher level fighters I promise you they'll be albe to land that shot on an unshielded forearm.