Based on test cuts, is "edge smearing" effective?

[Richard Strey]

The longsword treatises in the Liechtenauer lineage that I personally know all follow Plan A: beating the s**t out of the opponent. Hit first, hit hard, don't stop hitting until he's dead. Really simple. Now, the manuals are written for people who can already fence (that is, beat the s**t out of other people). So there's little mention of *how* to do that.
All the other rest with binding and winding and stuff is *Plan B*. It is what you do when, contrary to your best efforts, the opponent refuses to die and even fights back. Looking for the bind therefore amounts to throwing your primary plan of attack out the window and starting with the backup.
Also, there are many fun ways to deny the opponent a bind: Meyers devices like Verfliegen, Zucken and general tactics like broken steps and aborted attacks come to mind. If you actively *search* for a bind while you should fence towards the body and accept or deny a bind as your situation describes, you open yourself to a world of deception and ,ultimately, hurt.

[Jonathan Newhall]

Yar, as simple a concept as it seems, seeking a bind is a very poor idea if you aren't losing. The manuals are written to give us a sense of the most effective and safe way for us to beat people using a sword... that involves hitting them without being anywhere near in contact with their own weapon. If they're as good as we are, we may at some point end up in contact with their weapon, and thus would need to know how to deal with that... but in all ideal situations it should be avoided as it is more dangerous than simply hitting them first and hitting them well.