Unfortunately, medieval sword fighting is riddled with opportunities to get these physical details wrong. There"s the unknown strength with which blows were landed, the tempo different moves were performed at – including how long to linger in each position, which could have varied widely – the exact angles of the sword"s blade as it slashed through the air. Like trying to teach someone how to become a professional ballerina while only communicating via email, what are the chances of performing all the moves correctly?