The most significant issue we have in historical weapon practice today is — with the exception of training with a sharp blade against a soft pell — we never actually puncture a target with our actions. We only touch the surface, and sometimes our blades flex and bend in reaction to the force of impact. But this is not the same as shearing or stabbing into a moving body. When a point or edge punctures and carries through into or beyond the surface of a target it changes how we move. It obviously responds very differently than just moving it through empty air. It also affects how we follow through as well as recover from actions. That in turn can significantly color how we consider the performance of any weapons we train with.
