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Old 18th November 2019, 12:25 AM   #56
ariel
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Location: Ann Arbor, MI
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Paul writes in his book that the pommel disk was there for a purpose: it created a very tight grip, and this tightness resulted in the emotion of “josh”, something that can be loosely explained as aggressiveness, daring, absence of fear. Perhaps, a better translation would be “amok” or “berserk”.
Perhaps.
Realistically, tight grip and the disk immobilized wrist movements, forcing the fighter to slash from the elbow or the shoulder. As a result, in conjunction with curved Tulwar profile, it essentially eliminated the possibility of stabbing movements. This was repeatedly stressed by European travelers.

In part, this limitation could be more or less overcome by curving the index finger over the quillon or by the European “ thumb ring” . But then, which finger are you more willing to sacrifice?
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