blood groove and blood cup
Dec 24, 2019 17:02:18 GMT
Post by tsmspace on Dec 24, 2019 17:02:18 GMT
so, i was watching a quick little vid by an instructor who teaches classes for chinese martial arts, he had a spear in one video then a broadsword in the other. In the broadsword video, he calls the fuller a "blood groove", and the handguard a "blood cup", and states that common culture is to say that the blood from the opponent will flow down the blood groove and fill the blood cup.
naturally I think it's entertaining but I thought that it would also be interesting to talk about the weight and strength of the materials the sword is made of. The fuller is there because it is possible to remove some amount of material from the blade without compromising the blades strength in any particular way, in fact, the fuller MIGHT result in a "stronger" blade, as energy now transfers in a more controlled fashion as the sword vibrates or flexes. So where a perfectly flat material might bend, the fullered blade might be free to twist or otherwise shed the undesirable energy, while still have the material where it is necessary to support the blade during a strike.
similarly, the "blood cup" is another way to make a strong piece of metal, without adding significant weight. Because of the rolled edges of the hand guard, it will not bend so easily when struck. also, if a blade were to hit a thin sheet of metal, it is possible the blade will cut the hand-guard, while with the "blood cup" design, the edge of the guard will be significantly more difficult to cut. For the sake of our imaginations, we can probably remember feeling how a flat piece of metal bends with the hands, but how a rounded shape makes the metal much more rigid and strong.
of course, I do think it's a fun celebration of "age" when you tell children it's a blood groove to get them excited about dance-battle, (which chinese martial arts CLEARLY is mostly for, fitness and dance display) but I guess I feel the need to specifically outline each detail of whatever such engineering as I think about it, for sake of future discussions.
naturally I think it's entertaining but I thought that it would also be interesting to talk about the weight and strength of the materials the sword is made of. The fuller is there because it is possible to remove some amount of material from the blade without compromising the blades strength in any particular way, in fact, the fuller MIGHT result in a "stronger" blade, as energy now transfers in a more controlled fashion as the sword vibrates or flexes. So where a perfectly flat material might bend, the fullered blade might be free to twist or otherwise shed the undesirable energy, while still have the material where it is necessary to support the blade during a strike.
similarly, the "blood cup" is another way to make a strong piece of metal, without adding significant weight. Because of the rolled edges of the hand guard, it will not bend so easily when struck. also, if a blade were to hit a thin sheet of metal, it is possible the blade will cut the hand-guard, while with the "blood cup" design, the edge of the guard will be significantly more difficult to cut. For the sake of our imaginations, we can probably remember feeling how a flat piece of metal bends with the hands, but how a rounded shape makes the metal much more rigid and strong.
of course, I do think it's a fun celebration of "age" when you tell children it's a blood groove to get them excited about dance-battle, (which chinese martial arts CLEARLY is mostly for, fitness and dance display) but I guess I feel the need to specifically outline each detail of whatever such engineering as I think about it, for sake of future discussions.
