[MR] How much damage would rattan do?

[Steven Chang]

I forgot to add. You guys are also forgetting about joint locks with a
stick. We don't allow those in SCA fighting, but on the street, you
can easily break someone's arms with a lock.

On 9/16/09, Steven Chang <moondragn at gmail.com> wrote:
> I don't agree. They would not have hit hard enough to disable the
> sailor's hands or else they wouldn't be able to keep working. The
> sailors use their hands a lot. Especially during the age of sailing.
>
> In a real fight with a wooden stick, you can break joints, elbows,
> knees etc as well as hit pressure points. It only takes 3 good shots
> at a pressure point to knock someone out. It doesn't even need to be
> to the head. Unlike an SCA fight, these people are not wearing armor,
> or any kind of padding on the elbow or knees.
>
> Of course, we are talking about someone who has proficiency at stick
> fighting vs a person who doesn't know anything. From the sounds of it
> though, the student was quite proficient with that Katana.
>
> I practice Stick fighting at my martial arts school. I've gotten
> accidentally hit in the fingers before with the Ratan stick. I can
> tell you at least one time one of my fingers swelled up enough that I
> was unable to type with the finger for a week. This was just a
> practice shot with 1/5 of the force you regularly use.
>
> On 9/16/09, David Austin <grandaustino at gmail.com> wrote:
> > Historically speaking bosuns on British ships of war used to hit the
> > hands with rattan to keep them motivated.  I don't imagine that they
> > pulled their shots very much, and the sailors certainly kept working.
> > I'm not saying I would volunteer to be hit without armour, but I
> > wouldn't rely on it to disable a foe either.  The purpose of the laws
> > we are discussing seem clear.  The consequences of having a law that
> > would legitimize some overly aggressive people blowing away anyone who
> > happens onto their property would be disastrous.  After all if you
> > kill that person it's hard to figure out their intentions afterward.
> >
> > Morgant
> >
>