05-03-2014, 11:14 PM
SCA fighters definitely don't pull their blows. Even in live steel events where this is supposed to be done, it doesn't always happen. But in "real" combat, fighters aren't swinging away at each other's body armour anyway. You can tell that by looking at the location of injuries on the skeletons found on various battlefields.
Author: Bronze Age Military Equipment, Pen & Sword Books