Last Saturday I had a rapier practice. Not Meyer rappier but much later, true rapier. It really is a lot of fun. I appreciate the different approach of the weapon and the history around it. The sparing is a ton of fun too.
During the practice I pulled out a couple of dusack(s?) and did some warm up drills with an opponent. My training partner commented after a while that he had a much harder time in freeplay with dusack than rapier. Dusack was new to him, but him and I both remember when he was first introduced to rapier.
I thought it interesting and asked him why. It seems that cutting with windings really is something that takes time to get comfortable with. Rapier is so much fun to pick up, learn some basics, and play around safely with someone. Cutting sword forms demand a lot more control and fundamentals before freeplay really opens up.
Or so I’m told.