For example, men fighting in battle are arrayed shoulder to shoulder. They don’t have room to. Move sideways, or on angles. If they did, they would be stepping in front of a comrade’s weapon. Daofa rarely makes use of thrust as the curve blade makes it difficult to put the tip on target. And powerful cuts are need to cause damage through armor, often budging the enemy rather than cutting. In short, the circumstances of their use, namely battle between armies, required this methodology. Considering how different this situation is in comparison to duels between unarmored individuals it is easy to see how Daofa evolved in a different direction that the more adaptive Jian.
Having laid out these neat categories, the straight forward, power oriented Military method of Daofa and the adaptive, lively stepping, cut and thrust of Jianfa, it is also essential to note that while these categories clarify our understanding of these arts, things are rarely so 100% uncomplicated. Yes, military saber work is more linear, etcetera. However, moving into the Qing dynasty, we see a mixing of methodologies. Dao forms develop that are adjusting to the ever changing world. With the growing use of matchlock muskets for example, armor disappears from the battleground. Obviously that means that no longer does every Dao cut need to hit like a sledge hammer. Also as the dynasty settles down into ruling having conquered the Ming, solders are more likely on patrol than in a large scale battle. Sword tactic are thus freer as there is more room to move in street combat that there is on the battle front. Dao forms respond, incorporating diagonal moves and spins. And so the neat lines get blurred.