Estoc

As armor improved, so did the methods of attacking the armor. It was quickly realized that cutting weapons were losing their effectiveness, so crushing weapons such as maces and axes were utilized. But thrusting weapons that could split the rings of mail, or find the joints and crevices of plate, were employed. Thus was the Estoc developed. Estoc is French, meaning thrust or point. Tuck is the English version of the word. Many consider the Tuck a forerunner of the rapier, but more likely it is a merging of the civilian sword (Espada Ropera) with the effective, and lighter tuck, that produced the rapier. But the tuck was an effective weapon. The long, straight blade, very rigid could be thrust with one hand, or the second hand could be used to grip the blade to deliver an even more powerful thrust.