Swordfighting+by+DavisF-CMS

Introduction
Sword fighting in the Middle Ages was a sport that was extremely famous. Most people loved the sport and always dreamed of participating. Sword fighting began in ancient times and slowly evolved to the Middle Ages. Between these two periods, sword styles changed drastically.

Background
Sword fighting has been around since ancient times. It has taken place across the entire world. Though it has spread around the world, the main places it has occurred has been East Asia, South Asia, and Middle and East Europe. People have used swords for combat, ceremonial use, and even decoration. Sword fighting is a great treasure and will never be forgotten. Swords are not just a handle and blade. They are composed of many parts you probably do not know. The two main parts are the hilt and blade. The pommel is supposed to act as a kind of counter-weight to balance the blade’s weight. The fuller, a very impotant part, is a groove cut down the center of the blade that is used to improve the sword’s strength, improve the sword’s flexibility, and to somewhat lighten the sword. Sword Parts Swords are generally made of steel. When they are made, the steel is hardest at the core. This is to reduce the risk of the sword breaking. The more you move to the outer portion, you will find the steel is not as strong. This is to reduce the amount of shock inflicted upon the Knight after he strikes. The point of balance on a sword is the area of the sword where the balance is equal. There is no such thing as a “perfect” point of balance (POB). It all depends on what the user prefers. It can also depend on how long, heavy, or what purpose the sword is used for. There are many types of swords! One of the most popular is the rapier. It is a very well designed sword. The hilt is what really gives it its intricate design. The hilt consists of a very bush-looking design. This is intended to protect the weilder’s hand. The blade can be divided into anywhere from two, to even, nine parts! A rapier blade is generally very thin and flexible depending on the Blacksmithing. Another sword, the claymore, has a very interesting past. Its name, the claymore was given to it, during the 18th century, because the word claymore was often used to recognize a one-handed basket-hilted sword. It was later on during the 18th century, the very end to be exact, that the claymore was nick-named the two-handed sword. It wasn’t a very heavy sword, like most longswords. It actually weighed about anywhere from five to six pounds! Another sword, with an interesting name as well as its past, is the Bilbo! It is a very small sword, almost the size of a somewhat large dagger. It is a sword with a very flexible, very well-tempered blade. Its manufacturer ,where it seems to have its name coined from, is Bilbao, which is between Spain and France. The Basque City of Bilbao is a town where a large number of Bilbos were made. During the Middle Ages, in Middle and East Europe, the technology of the sword improved drastically. It was then used more often as a weapon and not a decoration or sport. It was frequently used if someone was attacked. One sword, the spatha, was very popular all the way to the Middle Ages. Spathas were also beautifully decorated with intricate German artwork. Later, the Viking Age saw more being manufactured but the spatha kept its original design. As for East Asia, since sword technology had improved so much, single-edged weapons became much more popular throughout Asia. It also accompanied the production of the Japanese Tachi, which is a type of single edged sword related to the Katana, which was around 900 B.C. Japan was especially popular for the swords it created during the 13th century, because of its noble samurai which were very popular. The samurai’s basic weapon was the Katana, as I said earlier became very popular throughout Asia. The Katana was used mainly for infantry. They also used the wakizashi, nodachi, tanto, and many more swords just for infantry! Other types of Japanese swords during the Middle Ages were the cavalry swords, temple swords, and anti-cavalry swords which were said to be extremely long. In conclusion, there are lots, and lots of swords, and there is lots, and lots of information on swords alone. The styles of swords have changed drastically. They will surely continue to change in the future. Not only will styles change, but the art of sword making will continue to change also.

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