(01-08-2015, 03:21 PM)Ckayah Polaali Wrote:(01-08-2015, 03:04 PM)Gegenji Wrote: It just seems like he has all his bases covered (which is a big red flag to me)... until I actively remember that he's rather small, so things like reach and such come into play.
Reach has a lot less impact than you'd think, mainly because there's an equivalent "inside" distance for weapons. One of my favorite opponents when I fenced was a young woman who stood about 4' 2". Our bouts would usually consist of starting out beyond my reach, having a bit of a back and forth where I'd test her defense and she'd prove that it was solid, and then a very quick set of attacks and replies which either ended up with me getting the touch or her backing me into a wall with a non-stop advance inside my weapon's range. I use a size 4 or 5 foil (the longest), and she uses a 1 (the shortest), and she really capitalized on her size and short weapon reach by consistently working to get inside the reach of her opponents.
Yep, it's a drawback and a strength. One of the first things Natalie did when she was teaching swordsman ship to Roen and Kage, was how to use both of their reaches. To use their strength and leverage against smaller people, and to get in under the reach of bigger people.
Of course most of my sword knowledge comes from reading too many fantasy and history books so... your mileage may vary.
