Force profiles

A repeat of a discussion I had with another fighter over practice.  The question asked was "what is the point of using a heavier weapon?".  The short answer is the force profile.  That's vague, I know, so let me break that down a bit.

Force

F  =M*A is the equation that tells us exactly how much force is exerted on an object by another object.  It stands for Force is equal to an object's mass, times it's acceleration.  If you can get an object moving faster it will hit harder.  If you get a heavier object it will hit harder then a lighter object swung at the same speed.  Since the numbers are multiplied jumping either of them significantly will lead to a big jump in the force generated.  Generally speaking the differential between a "slow" swing and a "fast" swing in belegarth is pretty marginal, so assuming that you can get a heavier weapon moving, that's the best way to generate the most force from any particular swing.  Using correct body mechanics (like using your hips) will also generate significantly more force.  A weapon that's heavy but still light enough to swing at your maximum velocity will have a heavy force profile.  A weapon that's light so even when it's swung at your maximum velocity it still doesn't have much force has a light force profile.  Using the information in this paragraph you can mess with speed generated from good body mechanics and weapon weight to do what you can to generate either a heavy or a light force profile from each swing.  From here on out I'll just talk about a heavy or a light swing.  So refer back to this paragraph as necessary.

Attack

Heavy swings have some pretty obvious downsides, but like anything else in bel, it's not without it's merits.  Neither a heavy nor a light swing is inherently superior.  They're both just tools in your tool shed.  They both have their place if you know how to use them right.  A light swing typically has more speed then a heavy swing.  If you're trying to throw a very accurate shot, or you're about to combo it into another swing because you're building momentum then a light swing is great.  The downside of a light swing is that it's pretty easy to block, and it's also easy to redirect or swat away if the person does an offensive parry instead of a standard block.  This becomes increasingly true of stabs, where the lower your force profile the easier it is to evade.  That having been said, there's a feint where you stab for torso, they block aside and then you flip your wrist into an arm strike.  When going for that particular feint a stab with a light force profile is what you'll want.

A heavy swing tends to be slower moving then a light swing because, for the most part, it involves using a heavier weapon to really generate the kind of force that you'd need for it to matter.  A heavy swing can often blow right through an opponents blocks.  This is becoming even more true, as more people in bel are starting to use min-weight weapons, even when it comes to reds.  A heavy swing can either go through a block into the target area that's supposed to be protected, or can just disarm the person if they aren't prepared for it.  When thrown as a wrap shot this also usually means more angle on the swing, leading to a higher rate of success.  Thrown as a stab it is going to be very difficult to block or redirect, but, if you miss it's going to be a while before you'll be able to return to guard.  Generally speaking the downside of a heavy shot is going to be that you can't quickly transition into a guard or a second strike and depending on how you throw the shot you may telegraph what you're about to do, giving your opponent more time to react.

A quick additional note on how this effects red weapons... If the heavy swing was a red swing aimed at a shield and someone punch blocks it, this is often the kind of thing that will crush that individuals hand.  Most people only make the mistake of punch blocking a red swing once.  That having been said, as more fighters switch over to lighter and lighter reds it's reaching the point where even red swings can have light force profiles making it possible to safely punch block.  Generally speaking people, don't punch block reds.  If you think it's coming in light and you're wrong, your mistake may mean either the end of your fighting day or a rather serious injury to your hands ESPECIALLY if you aren't wearing gloves.

Defense

A heavier weapon tends to mean much higher defense then a lighter weapon.  The downside of a heavier weapon is that you won't be able to move it quite as fast as a lighter weapon, which means that blocking things at extreme angles is going to be much more difficult.  The relevant metric here is that in order for someone to move your gear out oft he way to get a swing in, they need to impart enough force into that piece of gear to get it moving.  The heavier that piece of gear is, the more force is required to move it.  The lighter that piece of gear is, the easier it is to move.  That having been said your opponent can always try to get you to move that bit of gear for them.

In the case of a shield, having a heavier board makes it much less susceptible to shield manipulation (the process of using one shield aggressively on the other shield to create an opening).  Having a heavier board also means that if you use shield manipulation on an opponents board the effects of this aggressive shieldwork will be magnified.  A heavier shield will also do a better job of absorbing strikes from things like reds and spears, which will sometimes seek to open a shieldsman up by knocking the shield around.  The downside to having a heavy shield is that it takes longer for you to move it, resulting in lower defense against fleet of foot fighters throwing wrap shots.  It also means that if someone can get you to bite on a feint you are even more likely to get hit by the subsequent swing because it will take you longer to recover from your mistake.

Having a heavier melee weapon is going to make you less susceptible to melee strikes, but potentially more vulnerable to stabs.  Especially against an opponents red weapon, having a heavier weapon yourself will give you a fighting chance of warding of their heavy swings.  It will also mean that you can get the block without having to rely on a punch block, which, as mentioned above, is potentially hazardous to your health.  I have a particular heavy stick I use as a down stick when I take a shield into a siege that I use to ward off red swings if my shield gets broken.  A heavy melee weapon can also mean that the effectiveness of your offensive parry is magnified.  The differential between the weight of your weapon and your opponents force profile means that when you deflect their weapon away from you it will travel farther then if you had a lighter weapon.  The reason why a heavier weapon will make you more vulnerable to melee strikes is because when trying to deal with a stab the most important aspect is not, how far away you can deflect the stab, but rather, how quickly you are able to deflect the stab.  If you're doing it correctly you only need to redirect a stab a few inches to make it miss and having extra deflection won't do anything else for you.  In fact, ideally, you get a stab to slide straight past you, deflecting it only enough to make it miss, while allowing it to pass by you, thereby increasing the amount of time it takes your opponent to return to guard.  Having a heavier weapon means that, in many cases, you're simply dead before you have the opportunity to deflect the strike.  Assuming you do manage to get the deflection you'll often give your opponent back some of their momentum, making it easier for them to turn the missed stab into another shot.

Balance

Hopefully I've shown you some of the merits of a heavier weapon and you can see how the decision to use a light or heavy weapon isn't completely one sided (or if you're more advanced, the decision to throw heavy vs light swings regardless of weapon weight).  A light weapon/swing is nice if you're a person who relies on speed, combos, momentum and shot selection to take your opponent apart a piece at a time.  A heavy weapon/swing is going to give your shots a much higher chance of going through your opponents defenses - crushing their guard to land the hit, wrapping at a more extreme angle to bypass a guard, being a stab that's more difficult to stop or simply allowing your manipulation of your opponents gear to be more effective.  A heavier weapon generally speaking will also do a much better job of absorbing swings, even though it also leaves you more vulnerable to feints.