no not really,

figure it like this, your body is putting up resistance and your using your arms and body to pull, push into it. A shield takes that away and makes it easier on your body.

as to over or through,,, its a personal preferance. I perfer to look over the top, specially in the rain.

Mal: "Y'all see the man hanging out of the spaceship with the really big gun?{ref, Jayne} Man's lookin' to kill some folk. So really, it's his will y'all should worry about thwarting."