Hmm, so who do you think would win out of a fight of an expert swordsman and someone who's an expert with a staff (what's the name for that?).


Also, you said you practice outside. Where exactly? You've got a tiny little patio, but that doesn't sound very useful for staves. Local park? Is there a communial garden area at your condo?

 

Well, it would depend on the fighters 95% of the time. Tuhan could go barehanded and beat just about anyone in the school no matter what weapon they had, since he's so quick and could kill you (literally) with his bare hands in a second; he'd just take a hit to get in range and that would be that.

A sword would likely beat a staff for even fighters though, simply because the sword could cut through the staff, and one hit with a sword would end the fight, while a staff would need several good hits. It's more of a "oh damn that hurt" sort of weapon, with the quick jabs to the face, solar plexus, stomach, etc. Spear vs. sword is a more interesting fight, and there you're getting into what sort of armor are they wearing, what are the conditions and area they're in (spear likes more open space and flat terrain), etc. I'd say spear 80/20 over sword, since sword would basically have to take one crazy chance to get in close, but could win with some luck.

We have a concrete spot outside our condo that's a tight fit with two staves going at once, but is okay for stick and open hand and other stuff. Experts could staff duel in a hallway, since they'd have the control and it's mostly poking and such anyway.

 

To add slightly to that; a staff is most certainly a killing weapon; it's skull-cracking with ease, and it doesn't take much force with even a punch to kill if you hit the throat. But in a duel against an expert the staff would be used more for stabbing and thrusting and medium force hits, ones that would stop an opponent or injure them. Huge swings (that could kill or at least render unconscious with one hit) aren't practical against a skilled opponent while they're still capable of fighting back.

 

Assuming the weapons (sword or staff) did not shatter due to poor construction, I argue that the first attack is what will determine the winner. Sword could, in theory, splinter or break a staff with the first blow. But a high quality staff (such as heavy duty mahogany) could withstand a chopping blow. The swordsman would strike, find his cut deflected, and be completely open for a killing blow from the staff. Staff needs only to be strong enough to penetrate the eye, throat, or other soft bits. In the hands of a weapons master, it can do that. He has the ultimate reach advantage. (Think Lennox Lewis dismantling Mike Tyson in their early 2000's heavyweight fight.)

If, however, the sword was indeed able to cut through a staff... how much did it take off? The staff would essentially become a big stick. Here I would give the advantage to sword.

To date I've seen two spears in actual sparring-- one with a thin rattan shaft and the other constructed with a heavy wood of some sort. While I would assume the rattan shaft would shatter under sword, they're also incredibly flexible; it might be able to deflect the initial blow and pierce the swordsman.

The heavy spear, however, had an slight advantage that would work only once: it was also a balanced throwing spear. This heavy spear was, in fact, used to hunt game in the Philippines and was supposedly effective on the large heavy boars which roam the jungle. In the hands of an expert, I suspect the heavy spear could be thrown to penetrate a human chest cavity. Advantage: spear.

 

Right, so first hit wins, I figured as much.

Even not being able to do the really powerful swinging stunning hits, if you hit them hard enough to knock the wind out of them/disable them, even for just 1-2 seconds, then you could probably finish them off very easily. I guess the problem is being able to get that first hit in. Would going for their kneecaps/legs be better than aiming for chest/head/throat?

What if you give the sword bearer a shield?

 

The staff would stab for the body or the face, ideally. A strong thrust anywhere on the torso would at least stagger a person, giving you time to land more hits. Legs would work, but the odds of missing are far higher with a stab. Legs are more vulnerable for sweeps though, since you can't easily block them with a stick.

We've never used shields in class so it's hypothetical, but it would depend on the size of it. A buckler you could stab around, or go for the legs. A huge tower shield would protect the sword guy entirely, but be very heavy and slow him down and block his vision. How about one of those riot police shields from clear plexiglass, or better yet, with darkening on one side so they can see through it while you can't?

I'd imagine you could stagger or knock someone over with a good thrust to a shield, but the shield guy would hold it to deflect your blow, or let his arm bend to take the impact without knocking him off stride, and try to close on you then. Really comes down to the skill of the fighters, then.