Assuming use of either proper 6+ ambidexterity edge or offhand weapon skill...How do you handle melee combat unarmed...Technically shouldn't you get the same bonus of .5 die again? Though arguably since 99% of martial arts/brawling styles use 2 hands regularly in combat, this doesnt' really make sense...but at the same time, my left hand in notably weaker than my right, if I was ambidextrous my guess is I could do more damage with my current skill at martial arts(probably a 2 by SR standards)...

Any thoughts? Make sense for 1.5die for 2 hands or no?

They gain it in my games. But by canon, they only get if (for some strange reason) if they put on a pair of Shock Gloves before using Unarmed Combat/Martial Arts skills. Go figure.

Maybe the damage level of M assumes you're using both hands, which relates to the knife being so useless in comparison? So a one armed man would only do L damage...

I think we should consolidate these off hand weapons questions.

But I agree with Dende, there should be a way to increase the dice of your martial art. Why do weapons have to be special? Whatever.

I always thought about 'Why can't you specialize in a martial art?'

I want Kung Fu (Attacking) 5 (10)
While my opponent has Tae Kwon Do (Defending) 7 (13)

I'm going to bed. Good bye.

I don't see why you couldn't have those specialisations. Makes a lot of sense to me, and the specialisations listed are not exhaustive. You can specialise in a 'martial arts technique' as per the main rules specialisations (which I know are superceded by the martial arts rules, but bear me out), so i see no reason why 'defensive techniques' wouldn't be valid too. imho, of course.