PAKARANG KALAMANTAN ( BORNEO BLADES ):

[Ian]

Originally Posted by Battara

I'm still trying to figure out why the "elbow" - is it to relieve the stress of impact?

I think the angle helps with the slicing effect of the blow. Somewhat like a curved saber--the hand is ahead of the "sweet spot" of the blade, and tends to draw the edge across the subject rather than being a purely chopping action.