The Modern Combat Sword

With each advancement in arms, there is always a presumption that all weapons that came before are rendered obsolete.  The sword has suffered from this perception probably more than any other cutting weapon, yet for no good reason other than the revelation of the true nature of human weakness...let me explain. "Weapons" such as the axe, the lance, the spear, even the pilum are rather "direct" in their employment and are relatively easy to master.  Throwing a spear, pilum, or javalin is perfectly within the capability of a modestly trained person.  The long spear and lance, again, rather simple and easy to learn as they are not meant for radical employment within the classical expectations of combat. The axe...and it's more battle oriented cousin, the Tomahawk, are a bit more diverse in their use and can be studied and "learned" with significant skill, yet as issued, they are pretty easy to master for the simple purpose of hacking someone down. ...