Danny... You are playing dangerous, for sure. Official stuff, it is simply different societes, WMA is Western martial arts, also known as ARMA or HEMA. I fought last summer with some HEMA folks using blunted steel, and it was really fun. We had not face protections unless the helms themselves where so designed, so we avoided the heads unless we could land a proper cut.
There is one important rule in all fighting, as old as the training with CC weapons:
"No poking the EYE!"
We agreed that you must hit enough to show you had control and could deliver a harder blow, but not all out. So just tapping or poking did nothing, but neither did I deliver fullforce blows or thrust with my spear. If I would deliver full force with my spear, I guarantee inner bleedings!
Same, I feel certain that I can break your lower arm and easily crush your wrist or elbow if I used full force of my blunted sword.
I belive that to have a really good live steel fight, you need full body target, with restrictions about avoiding certain areas such as knews, face and elbow and unprotected heads.
You should strike a bit harder than them vikings do, but not so heard you can cause serious injury. But that is about weapon control. If you have good weapon control, you will be able to break the strokes and thrusts just enough and still swing with almost full speed.
