Amazon: Total War Screenshots

[parthian shot]

Hahaha! It is just dance, nothing more, right?

[-Nietzsche-]

Well, I don't want to scatter anyones' enthusiasm, but all I see there are 2 or 3 Capoeira moves that can actually hurt someone... and the rest is rather ineffective hopping around. Kicking someone while jumping backwards? Maybe, your Adversary will actually stop fighting because he is rolling on the floor laughing :-S
I guess, real "Amazon Style Fighting" wouldn't have differed that much from Fighting Styles of other nations, and might have much in common with the medieval german Longsword techniques of Talhoffer and Lichtenauer in the video below - but that's just a personal guess of mine. The moves are carried out by guys, but the gender doesn't matter - moves are moves...

[parthian shot]

Are they wearing any protective gear for their upper torso? if not, this look very dangerous, I can see they are mainly attacking the opponent's head, still one accidental thrust in the wrong direction can puncture a lung or worse..

[parthian shot]

Well, I don't want to scatter anyones' enthusiasm, but all I see there are 2 or 3 Capoeira moves that can actually hurt someone... and the rest is rather ineffective hopping around. Kicking someone while jumping backwards? Maybe, your Adversary will actually stop fighting because he is rolling on the floor laughing :-S
I guess, real "Amazon Style Fighting" wouldn't have differed that much from Fighting Styles of other nations, and might have much in common with the medieval german Longsword techniques of Talhoffer and Lichtenauer in the video below - but that's just a personal guess of mine. The moves are carried out by guys, but the gender doesn't matter - moves are moves...

Also, you don't believe the back flip have use in hand to hand combat? because with correct stance, a back flip can be initiated with a kick and when the flip is complete, a punch. They in the video are doing OK, but obviously not quite fluid with the movement.
And their dance does have a great deal of traditional Cossack dance move incorporated in the choreography, that is what Hoppak is.

[-Nietzsche-]

When you do medieval fencing, you use unsharpened Swords which are also blunt at the top, so slashing and spiking moves don't do any harm (well, except a few bruises every now and then LOL). Even if it looks otherwise, the moves aren't carried out with a lot of force - in a "real life combat", these swords would have been razorsharp, and thanks to the high leverage you don't need serious power to cut someone in half... I do highly recommend the use of protective Gloves, nevertheless. A Friend of mine is fencing without, and he has already had some broken Fingers :-S
@ the dancing topic:
I don't think that these fancy moves make any sense at all. They look great at a Kung-Fu-Show or in the movies, but in a real life Confrontation you stick to simple, quick moves that keep you alife and do the job, i.e. killing someone...
besides, in a full scale battle, you haven't got a lot of space to move around.
Not very suprisingly, the medieval fencing also includes Brawling and Wrestling. The Punches and Kicks there are mostly simple hits to vital areas. Sometimes these Competitions look very much like armed Barfights LOL

[parthian shot]

When you do medieval fencing, you use unsharpened Swords which are also blunt at the top, so slashing and spiking moves don't do any harm (well, except a few bruises every now and then LOL). Even if it looks otherwise, the moves aren't carried out with a lot of force - in a "real life combat", these swords would have been razorsharp, and thanks to the high leverage you don't need serious power to cut someone in half... I do highly recommend the use of protective Gloves, nevertheless. A Friend of mine is fencing without, and he has already had some broken Fingers :-S
@ the dancing topic:
I don't think that these fancy moves make any sense at all. They look great at a Kung-Fu-Show or in the movies, but in a real life Confrontation you stick to simple, quick moves that keep you alife and do the job, i.e. killing someone...
besides, in a full scale battle, you haven't got a lot of space to move around.
Not very suprisingly, the medieval fencing also includes Brawling and Wrestling. The Punches and Kicks there are mostly simple hits to vital areas. Sometimes these Competitions look very much like armed Barfights LOL

I agree with most of your points, but for women who have disadvantage against men in close-quarter combat, they need to do something beside simply trading blows, because they will lose the fight.
Speed, veracity, as well as unexpected moves will allow them to gain advantage. It just needs to be put into practice regimen and integrate into their fighting technique.

[-Nietzsche-]

You loose Fight, when the Opponent succesfully delivers a Blow to a vital area. You can be the toughest guy in the World - when someone's Fist hits your Throat (for example), you are done for...
There is a significant Difference between 2 Guys, beating themselves up in a Bar - and a close-quarter Fight in a War:
The Guys in the Bar really don't want to kill each other, so they simply trade blows to non-vital-areas for a while, and 5 Minutes later they enjoy a Beer together...
In such Fights the toughest Guy always wins. Stamina and Strength are the key components in winning here.
In our civilized, modern World we are (luckily) so accustomed to this kind of Fight, that we have Problems imagining other kinds of fights, like a lethal Fight in a War. Even MMA Fights have Rules and are relatively harmless (at least a friend of mine who does MMA keeps saying this...)

Winning a lethal Fight means protecting your vital Areas and delivering ONE successful Hit. Plain and simple. You need neither extreme Strength nor Disco-Dancing-Moves to do that. The quicker and straighter your Moves, the higher the Chances of hitting your Opponent.
Sure, you have to have some kind of Strength for your Blow, but let's assume that EVERY Soldier has recieved a bit of training, regardless of Gender.

I know, we all like the Imagination of an Amazon moving smooth and slinky on the Battlefield like a perfect blend of an attacking Tiger and Ginger Rodgers having a Dance with Freddy - but let's be realistic, here: You'll skip the Hey-Look-at-me-I'm sexy-Attitude, when your life is at stake...

[-Nietzsche-]

LOL
Iv'e just discussed the Topic with my MMA-Friend, and he gave me the Link to a very convincing and funny video about what happens, when stylish Hollywood-Moves meet simple Techniques...