Registered: Feb 2006
Location: San Diego, California
Rapier fighting is very similar to the first form of fencing, which is mainly stabbing and not slashing. Dooku's style (and all lightsaber styles) mainly slash and attack with the side of the saber/blade, not the tip. So Dooku wouldn't be familiar with how to fight with rapiers. However fighting with katanas is very similar to lightsabers mainly because you chop or slash with the side of the blade, and do not stab. Also, rapiers while still "sturdy" tend to be flimsier than a katana.
Therefore, I say Mace wins.
__________________
I'm so proud of myself. I made my own sig!
I always thought that Dookus Makashi style was based on fencing. I could be wrong however. Mace MIGHT win this fight but in a duel with lightsabers Dooku would wtf pwn Mace while blindfolded and both his arms tied behind his back!!!
Registered: Feb 2005
Location: Hiding from zombies
It helps if you read.
Firstly, Dooku's style is based on Spanish fencing. Early Spanish rapiers were more like sword-rapiers than those thin French pig-stickers you see in the Three Musketeers. So he's actually got a natural advantage here.
Meanwhile, Mace's angles of attack narrow down to 8 directions, which drastically changes his fighting style.
Registered: Feb 2006
Location: San Diego, California
I used to take a fencing class, and in fencing you mainly parry and then stab at the torso. You try to keep your sword pointed at the opponent most of the time. Dooku however slashes and does lots of side attacks and swipes. The only way Dooku's style is similar to Spanish fencing is that it is more elegant than other lightsaber forms, and he uses one hand.
Btw, I like your Hugh Laurie sig.
__________________
I'm so proud of myself. I made my own sig!
Last edited by PurpleSaber on Apr 26th, 2006 at 03:45 AM
Registered: Feb 2005
Location: Hiding from zombies
Thank you.
But keep in mind not all fencing is the epee and the rapier. The saber is equally used.
And to elaborate on that, fencing is also a generic term applied to European fighting with the sword. If you check into the history of the rapier, you see that it was based on a Spanish blade that cut as well as it stabbed.
Last edited by Janus Marius on Apr 26th, 2006 at 03:59 AM
Registered: Feb 2006
Location: San Diego, California
Weren't Spanish rapiers similar to swords that were used in the Civil War? The ones used by the cavalry and generals. Because I have a sword from the Civil War and I always thought that was the kind of sword used by the French and Spanish.
__________________
I'm so proud of myself. I made my own sig!
Registered: Feb 2006
Location: San Diego, California
Both of those swords are made for fencing. (Keep in mind when I say fencing, I am talking about form one where you mainly stab and lunge) While it is possible to use Dooku's style of Makashi with those, it would be quite ineffective against a sword such as a katana. They are flimsier.
They would also be ineffective for blocking a katana. They barely have any broad side and might break if Mace put enough weight into the attack.
__________________
I'm so proud of myself. I made my own sig!
Good topic, but I'm more inclined to say that Dooku wins.
Dooku's natural style, as many have pointed out is basically a slightly adapted fencing style, with lots of neat cuts and stabs. Dooku will have the least trouble adapting his fighting style. He'll also be the one that fights the most efficiently.
Mace's natural style requires a lot of wide swings. Mace is not going to be able to strike as fast a Dooku, nor parry any stabbing thrusts with any manner of ease.
Mace has the advantage of a stronger blade, however.
This'll be hard, but I could see Dooku taking this...
Registered: Feb 2005
Location: Hiding from zombies
No, actually they're not. The top blade (Spanish rapier) is not adapted for the fencing styles you may be familiar with today (And that's because it predates them by hundreds of years.) The weapon was initially made by peasants, and was sharpened on the sides, making it useable for sideways cuts as well as thrusting. The main purpose of the blade was to make swordplay depend less on extensive physical strength and more on speed of hand and speed of mind. Also, the range gives the amateur a comfortable barrier between himself and the opponent. Later on, this evolved into the fencing form we see today. But what Dooku uses is based more on the original classic form, which DOES include cuts and deflection.
Now, I'm not sure where you concluded that a katana was stronger than a rapier (Cuz it's not- some of the best steelmakers in the western world come from Toledo, Spain) but that's not the case. Also, while Mace Windu is forced to move his entire top half with each strike (Keep in mind, swinging a katana is a lot like swinging a reaper- you have to swing from the hips more often than not), Dooku can concentrate on footwork, keep a comfortable barrier between him and Mace, and literally pick him apart. And your average katana has a smaller range than your average rapier, too.
Add that to the fact that Mace has to really adapt to a limited style, and you have Dooku triumphing in this case.
Apr 25th, 2006 02:47 PM
Attachment: 
