People have a mental image of fat guys in heavy as hell plate armor slowwwwly lumbering along swatting at each other.
The Truth is that real European fighting styles were flowing and fast, however I would personally argue for their brutality as well against a more "artistic" oriental form. The oriental styles are in style because they ARE artistic, though as has been shown not always particularly useful, especially outside their designed elements. The art tends to be eschewed in European styles for the practicality of quickly and brutally killing the target.
Whats more important to remember is that they also traditionally fought in armor. While encumbering a well trained swordsman with a PROPERLY custom tailored and weighed suit could still fight full bore, and in fact the added distrubition of weight aided in several of the styles by adding more heft and force to follow through cuts.
Of course take any said swordsman out of the armor, and they're even FASTER, training in full plate had its advantages. Now I dont want this next comment to off as racist, but its genetics. A massive two handed sword (ala a Zweihander) is of modest to no use in a smaller persons hands than say a lighter, faster more flowing Katana. So some differences in styles reflect not just the cultures but also at times the races and sizes, as well as materials and techniques, available to any given race or culture across the globe.
You will see the same applied to the Maori favored, brutal clubs and natural made implements (favoring power above all else), the flowing design of oriental weapons (Technique, and speed), the massive Claymore of the highlanders (reach, power, technique), native American bows and spears (Range, ease of use and practicality). Some styles of course develop outside cultural or continental norms. People forget some of the most feared and effective mercenaries of the middle ages were the swiss and their feared pikes! There is no replacement of course for material and technological ability. One could argue Greeks could of been more effective as well in field plate but alass the technology wor such would not come along for a vary long time.
Many of the styles in these videos are from a translated "Book of Arms" from I believe the 12th century that was translated and then put into action again, for the first time in hundreds of years in fact. The real arts had died out and ceased to be practiced by anybody with the rise of gunpowder and, to a lesser though still related extent, Florentine style fencing and other more stylized arts.
Im kinda a medieval weapons nut and medieval history scholar in my spare time, with a definite slant of European techniques and history so if anybody would like to debate the Asian side things feel free I admit that's my weak point (out of a disdain for stylized weapons more than anything else really.)
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