Old? Khukuri with kora hilt

ariel · 29th April 2006, 02:11 PM

Don't underestimate the bayonet: the Brits in India proved it's advantage over a sword. After all, it is a spear. Parrying sword cuts with the rifle is quite easy and you can use both ends: the blade and the butt. Bayonet routines were quite developed and in close quarters it is a tremendously useful weapon.
As for the fine-boned Ghurkas, I asked my daughter to wield a Kora: the upper disk still bit into the wrist and she was very uncomfortable. Perhaps, there are some esthetic or other reasons for the construction of Kora's handle (just like Tulwar's), but mechanically it is awkward becase it prevents full abduction of the wrist joint. With a Kora, no movement except for a wide-arc hacking is possible. And, as they say in fencing , "It's all in the wrist"

The best sword handle for a one-hand grip from the mechanical point of view is Polish "hussar" saber: the thumb ring switches the axis in such a way that the blade becomes an extension of the forearm. Old fencing swords had a molded handle requiring a two-finger control of the blade but the introduction of "pistol" grips gave an incredible advantage, which is based on the same principle as the thumb-ring handles.
Swords are neat mechanical contraptions and were improved upon for milennia. Koras adhered to old traditions far too long and missed the path of progress (if one defines progress as a more effective way of chopping your fellow human being to pieces).

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29th April 2006, 02:11 PM	#11
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	Don't underestimate the bayonet: the Brits in India proved it's advantage over a sword. After all, it is a spear. Parrying sword cuts with the rifle is quite easy and you can use both ends: the blade and the butt. Bayonet routines were quite developed and in close quarters it is a tremendously useful weapon. As for the fine-boned Ghurkas, I asked my daughter to wield a Kora: the upper disk still bit into the wrist and she was very uncomfortable. Perhaps, there are some esthetic or other reasons for the construction of Kora's handle (just like Tulwar's), but mechanically it is awkward becase it prevents full abduction of the wrist joint. With a Kora, no movement except for a wide-arc hacking is possible. And, as they say in fencing , "It's all in the wrist" The best sword handle for a one-hand grip from the mechanical point of view is Polish "hussar" saber: the thumb ring switches the axis in such a way that the blade becomes an extension of the forearm. Old fencing swords had a molded handle requiring a two-finger control of the blade but the introduction of "pistol" grips gave an incredible advantage, which is based on the same principle as the thumb-ring handles. Swords are neat mechanical contraptions and were improved upon for milennia. Koras adhered to old traditions far too long and missed the path of progress (if one defines progress as a more effective way of chopping your fellow human being to pieces).