How are swords still have a sharp edge after blocking so many direct slashes from a sharp tempered blade.
Imo sword should look like saws after even one session of blocking really anything made of metal.
In: 1711
While swords can develop nicks along the blade during prolonged combat, there’s a few things to keep in mind:
– most battlefield fighting actually utilized spears over swords, as they provided a ranged advantage
– if you were planning to engage on the battlefield with a sword, you likely also carried a shield into the battle. It was very, very rare for a soldier to only bring a sword with no defensive tool
– most sword on sword fights are very short, either because swords are very lethal or because many armored sword fights actually turned into grappling matches ending with one opponent beating the other to death or pulling out a dagger
– for a sword blade to get seriously nicked, it needs to be hit very, very hard, at a very oblique angle. At a shallow angle the blades will slide along one another (potentially leading to some of the edge shaving off but no nick), and even at the correct angle to cause damage not every strike is strong enough to deform the edge
[EDIT] To address some comments:
– my original 4th point was meant to address those rare cases where two blade edges made contact. In most cases, a blocked strike would involve the attacking blade’s edge meeting the parrying blade’s flat. Edge on edge contact did happen in some cases, like if the parrying fighter was caught off guard, but European sword treatises discouraged it where possible.
– most strikes are not delivered at full strength, especially during UN armored combat. Usually you will probe your opponent’s defenses, and only commit to a real attack when you feel certain you have an opening (and even then it doesn’t take that much force to seriously would someone). On the defending side, it’s better to parry using the minimal force required. This is because it conserves your strength, and because it’s actually easier to control your opponent’s blade when it remains in contact with or close to yours rather than trying to fling it to the side
– *what if a sword strikes a shield?* in that case the blade edge will typically roll, since the “point” of contact is much longer, rather than chipping
– *what about eastern swords like the katana or dao?* I’m not the person to ask here, but would love to hear from people more familiar with these weapons
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