Yeah, I hear you. I wasn't really one of those people hugely interested in period fencing manual study. I always liked the idea of learning form, but then trying to survive by my wits. And it always bugged me a teeny little bit that clearly, if you were in a real fight for your life, you'd use any move to get an advantage. But I always understood how it wasn't really possible to figure out a way to make that playable. At least it was closer to realistic than Olympic fencing.

(I think heavy list is a bit similar; for all its rhinohiding is still pretty safety-oriented. I tried it a few times, just in practices with some friends who were good about *not* being rhinos. I think it was my first or second bout where I kind of reflexively clocked my opponent in the head with the edge of my shield -- it seemed like it made sense. Hideously illegal, though. I got out of it because I couldn't really imagine feeling okay about fighting anyone *except* for my friends.)