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Loved the parody of skippable KZread ads. The cheapness of it gives a rich chuckle. The curved shield is now leaving me wondering about their manufacture. In the case of the flat shield it's easier to for them make planks and edge joint them and add simple braces. For a curved shield I imagine that they are of a formed plywood-esque construction which requires a number of additional steps and equipment and most likely cost more than a simple flat shield. The cost seems a likely additional factor as to why the Carolingian Empire could field them in significant numbers.

@swordandshield

9 жыл бұрын

themastermason1 Glad you liked the intro joke. I find it challenging to ask for financial support without coming over in an awkward way. I would prefer to keep my videos ad-free, as I find them rather annoying as a viewer. Regarding the construction of domed shields: I have a theory that the typical swirling patterns we see in period depictions may hold a clue. I am wondering if such shields were actually constructed from semi-crescent segments, rather than planks or plywood. Compare to this miniature here: facebook.com/266934476773420/photos/a.549286731871525.1073741918.266934476773420/617335405066657/?type=3&theater

Sir, this is absolutely brilliant. You have made a powerful argument, and your work is just as valuable as any done by an academic historian. Thank you.

@swordandshield

8 жыл бұрын

+lebarosky thank you very much. Fortunately, there are various experts in academia who value my work, too. I have had the opportunity to present my ideas at some museums, conferences and universities already.

@Zamolxes77

8 жыл бұрын

+lebarosky More than that, academic historians preoccupy themselves with history, not with how weapons were used.

@swordandshield

8 жыл бұрын

Michel Dai, there is one lecture that was held at the Archäologisches Museum Harburg that was recorded by a visitor: kzread.info/dash/bejne/iqp409Gdg5nSdps.html

+Michael Cote , some bug denies me to directly respond to your comment. Anyway, thank you and welcome to my channel. Find more material here: facebook.com/pages/Dimicator/266934476773420 and here: www.patreon.com/Dimicator?ty=h

Excellent video! Can't wait to see more of the viking era fighting styles. Keep doing this great work Roland :D

@swordandshield

9 жыл бұрын

leandroadrianpaz I will do my best. You are welcome to support the making of more video by either spreading the word or even joining my ranks at www.patreon.com/Dimicator Many small streams make a big lake! Thanks for your interest.

Impressive research! I can only imagine this videos take a lot of work, but I'd love to see more of them!

@swordandshield

9 жыл бұрын

ezforsaken Happy you like it. Yes, it is a lot of work. It is thoughful of you to mention this. But we enjoy what we do and we have much more in the pipeline. You are most welcome to browse the DIMICATOR patreon pages. There is more interesting stuff. And if you feel our work is worthy of your support, even better: www.patreon.com/Dimicator Thanks for your interest anyway.

Fascinating link between hilt design and shield usage. I have never seen that grip on the late migration period / early medieval sword, and yet it makes perfect sense. The way you work out the mechanics of the weapons is very interesting.

@swordandshield

9 жыл бұрын

docjjp Well, I owe to all the great curators and staff at collections who let me pick up original weapons in the first place.

We need more voices in HEMA so we can all share what we've learned. I hope to see your channel grow.

@swordandshield

8 жыл бұрын

+dreyrugr thank you. Find more of my stuff here: facebook.com/Dimicator-266934476773420/timeline/ More essays on Early Medieval combat are compiled in this album: facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.549286731871525.1073741918.266934476773420&type=3

Dimicator, this is an excellent presentation and I am so excited to see this kind of martial arts scholarship supported to such a degree by an academic institution. This was a fantastic presentation. It will give me some inspiration when I make my video walk-through of the exhibit gallery on HEMA I curated at at my university library.

@swordandshield

9 жыл бұрын

Myles Cupp Most excellent - keep us up-dated on your project. I would be delighted if you sent me the link to your video once it is available.

Roland, your work is, frankly, awesome. I've purchased your Agilitas DVD, and I am very much looking forward to your future projects. I certainly hope that there's a manual in the not too distant future; for those of us who don't have the opportunity to attend your fencing school.

@swordandshield

8 жыл бұрын

+James Caldwell , thank you for your interest and support. Makes me proud and happy. You know, there always is the option to invite me to teach. I will continue to provide as much material in various media - but there is nothing like personal tuition.

Thank You for well procuced and informative video. I enjoyed it very much. It's a real event to see someone who can combine practical experience with historical events and timeline. So please, keep up a good work and whenever possible, share your knowledge with rest of us. It's very appreciated. Not all countries have HEMA-like clubs, so often KZread is our best source to get such information.

@swordandshield

9 жыл бұрын

Tahvel You are most welcome. Your kind reception of the video is our reward.

Awesome explanations, keep it up, we need more :D

@swordandshield

8 жыл бұрын

+Caemma, happy it made sense to you.

Excellent video, Roland! I have been using information from your older video at the Moersgard museum as reference, this adds a lot to consider. At the moment, my sparring partner and I are focusing on striking with the weapon while using the shield as cover (which can get rather tiring with the large shields we use), but the shield binding sounds like it could get very complicated very quickly (not in a bad way, there's just a lot to consider). Gonna have to play around with that next week at training. Thanks for sharing! :)

@swordandshield

9 жыл бұрын

Allbrotnar Thank you for your kind words. Regarding shield binding: No, much on the contrary, not complicated at all. It makes for much more control and is definitely a lot less tiring than lifting your shield without any bind. After years of practicing sensing through a blade, I find working with large round shields in the same way very easy and intuitive.

Awesome video. This is well explained and well narrated, as well as historically accurate.

@swordandshield

8 жыл бұрын

Thank you for your kind words. Find more material on this topic in this public gallery of mine:

Fantastic video Roland. You answered a question I've had about Viking pommels for a long time. Thank you.

@swordandshield

9 жыл бұрын

Karri Rahkonen You are welcome. I am happy if you find my reasoning convincing.

Interesting stuff Roland. Thanks for sharing.

@swordandshield

9 жыл бұрын

Stephen Curtin Anytime - you are welcome.

Greetings from San Francisco! As a martial artist and aspiring fantasy author, I value and appreciate your videos sir. I will certainly incorporate these things into my writing Keep up the great work!

@swordandshield

7 жыл бұрын

I am delighted to read this. You can find a lot more material on my FB pages in according albums: facebook.com/266934476773420/photos/?tab=albums

Awesome stuff Roland! I really like the way you're digging into how theese early weapon systems were used. I attended one of your workshops on the viking sword and shield at Swordfish in Gothenburg once, and it was really good and very interesting. Since then I must say that the flat round shield of the viking period is my favourite. It's just so lively and active. Keep up the great work, lots of love from Sweden!

@swordandshield

9 жыл бұрын

TheLordArion Thank you for this cheerful and enthusiastic message. Swordfish? That was quite a while ago, indeed. But I can fully understand your love for the Viking round shield - it was great re-visiting this weapon set after years of sword & buckler. It is a lively and active shield for sure. Best regards to the North!

@TheLordArion

9 жыл бұрын

Yes it was long ago. 2008 I think. Sadly since the year after I haven't been able to train any HEMA becaues I moved to another town away from my club. Hopefully though it seems that I will soon be moving back again. Training on your own doesn't give a whole lot, I feel.

@swordandshield

9 жыл бұрын

TheLordArion Well, I wish you competent training partners to play with soon.

Even the grip method could maybe construed as being a part of your tactics in battle. What puzzles me a bit or am curious about is what made the Vikings so effective at least early on? The Saxons for example who inhabited Britain at the time were certainly no lightweights and had been renowned warriors in their own right. The Saxon migration period swords were well designed and made and we know the Saxons were quite skilled in their use. What did the Vikings bring to the fight that made them so fearsome and difficult to deal with? I do not think it enough to say they would strike in their boats rapidly where resistance was at its weakest. Because, then they had to gain ground and hold it and from what I have seen, they were often outnumberred. I just wonder what their methodology of battle and weapons use was that gave them advantages. They did not always win of course, but early on they thumped most people pretty well. From looking at the earlier migration period Saxon sword, I am not too sure I believe that tactic alone had changed as the swords are quite similar. It is something I alwaays wonder. Most of the documentaries rely on the usual meaningless drivel which seems to simplistically boil down to silliness like "they were mean" "they were tough". Yes, but there were few wimps among any of those European peoples during that time and each group had its own warriors. Were they really that much fiercer in battle? Did they strike so hard and rapidly so as to give an enemy no room or time to react? Was this it? I would like serious opinions on this. Thanks.

@swordandshield

9 жыл бұрын

RegensEnd I think Eirikr is spot on. The shock of an enemy who comes out of nowhere and does not adhere to any known rules and even predominantly targets the most sacred places - churches and monasteries, must have had a great effect. Compare, if you will, to the impact that ISIS made in Iraq. Ultimately, the Vikings strategy to stay and keep places was to adopt local customs, religion, fashions and military as in Normandy, for instance.

Very nice video. I have an addition to the guard and pommel design. The wider pommel allows to press against the inside of the shield to prevent it from turning without your hand touching the shield. A technique that was not needed for domed shields.

@swordandshield

8 жыл бұрын

+Christian Kunert Interesting. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

@junichiroyamashita

7 жыл бұрын

Christian Kunert what are others pommel designs with a practical purpose

To the "You cannot skip this commercial here ---> X" to that I have to say *Clicks forward in video, skipped* ;-) But in all seriousness, nice content, appreciate the upload even if I know its 2 years old.

Hi Roland. Great video. Your work on shield binds is fantastic! Only one thing in the video i wonder about. The gripping of viking era and earlier migration era swords. For me it feels natural to grip a blade heavy sword first in hammer grip then to let the hand slide over to "handshake grip" when extending the arm to full length for some thrusts and cuts. But always having my thumb over or touching my index finger so that i can retain the blade more securely. I also think that the concave profile of the grip on migration era swords helped in trasferring force to the target. Especially for push and draw cuts. :-)

@swordandshield

8 жыл бұрын

+Erik Kaareson you are absolutely correct and I fully agree with you. My fingers are constantly changing grip when using a sword, even with the most basic actions. So in this respect, the demo is misleading. It was not meant to suggest that you constantly hold a sword like so. You can see in all drill and fight sequences that the hand is constantly moving, as is the sword. Thank you for pointing it out.

Brilliant Stuff! You've got another subscriber here.

@swordandshield

9 жыл бұрын

Edward LePrieur Excellent.

Fascinating as always :)

@swordandshield

8 жыл бұрын

+Tyler Blake Thank you.

Klasse Video, vielen vielen Danke für diese Lehrstunde. Was für eine Horizonterweiterung, um auch diese "Hollywoodkampfbilder" aus dem Kopf zu bekommen :-)

@swordandshield

7 жыл бұрын

Bitte, gern geschehen. Freut mich wenn es gefällt und einleuchtet.

Thanks so much for your videos, really interesting =)

@swordandshield

9 жыл бұрын

ForcemasterOM You are welcome. We appreciate your kind interest.

Too many good things to say about this video. Very well done.

@JanWillemMaessen

9 жыл бұрын

Yes, loved the description of the difference in pommels and how it tied back to the difference in shield mechanics.

@swordandshield

8 жыл бұрын

+Britton Cooke thank you for your kind comment - much appreciated.

Great video, thanks.

@swordandshield

9 жыл бұрын

Michael Patchett, you are most welcome.

Great video ! Thanks !

@swordandshield

7 жыл бұрын

You are welcome.

Fascinating video! So as these curved shields become more prominent then we see the sword hand start to come out from behind the shield and as a consequence we start to see more protection for the sword hand in the form of elongated cross guards?

@swordandshield

9 жыл бұрын

TheShingwedzi Yes, exactly. Although, to be precise, while longer cross-guards apparently offer more protection for the hand, the main function of a medieval sword's cross-guard is to actively collect the opposing blade in order to safely deliver a thrust from a crossing of blades. See it being explained here: kzread.info/dash/bejne/hmZl17qimKzAk6w.htmlm32s

Great video Roland! Alse I like your eastern Rus outfit. Good work.

@swordandshield

8 жыл бұрын

+Sobiemir „Perun“ Siemowit , haha, the costume still serves its purpose even after all these years.

Hey thank you for this video ! i have a question can you still use that grip with the curved guard&pommel of Petersen Type L viking sword? Also do you think the Type L sword would have been used more with the flat round shield or the dome shield ? It is considered to be a Saxon type sword however many people disagree with that and think it is a Scandinavian type sword Like Ian Peirce from 'swords of the viking age'

@swordandshield

8 жыл бұрын

Basically you will always need what I call an *elongated* grip to make use of the full length of your weapon, not a fist. I have never come across a sword that works differently in this regard. Note that this is only one of many grips used in swordsmanship, but it is the only one that allows for full extension. And reach makes all the difference. Curved hilt fittings are a good indicator for a fencing style that moves towards covering or screening blows, and would thus suggest domed rather than flat shields, in my opinion. I also consider type L to be Anglo-Saxon or at least Anglo-Danish.

Well done.

Excellent vid. Must have been a thrill to hold those weapons.

@swordandshield

8 жыл бұрын

+Tomosan I do feel privileged to have had the opportunity to pick up and examine original arms repeatedly. And once the initial thrill wears out (which does happen) it becomes very educational and tells you a lot about historical combat.

For this unskippable commercial you have my thumb. And my axe.

@swordandshield

9 жыл бұрын

Łukasz Kos Awesome. We need more axes in the Legio Dimicatorum's shield-wall!

Roland Warzecha exceptional work, thank you!

@swordandshield

9 жыл бұрын

You are most welcome. Thanks for the kind reception.

Thank you

Thanks for the video ! Very interesting as always. I've got a question though, about the carolingian shield ; how is it good for it to be domed, if you wear it close to you most of the time ? In the beggining of the video you show a spear deflected by the dome shield held at full arm lenght. But the moment you hold it close to your body, the dome shape become a threat, because it can deflect hit right to your neck or lower body parts, am I wrong ?

@swordandshield

9 жыл бұрын

Antonin Chenel Well first off, the video does say that the shield is being extended at times. But the key phrase is *'mobile armour'*, which implies that it is primarily defensive, but at the same not static at all. So when something comes up against your face, you would, of course, lift the shield. Just as shown with the spear demo. Does that make it clearer?

@antocnl8345

8 жыл бұрын

+Roland Warzecha (Oops, didn't see the "show more" button, how rude of me) Crystal clear ! Thanks for your answer !

@swordandshield

8 жыл бұрын

Antonin Chenel, no problem.

Hey guys, you might want to remove the exclamation point in your link, or at least put a space between them otherwise it will link only to patreon.com, not your specific page. Like this: www.patreon.com/Dimicator !

@swordandshield

9 жыл бұрын

Zombigotron Excellent thanks a lot. I will edit it immediately!

@JustGrowingUp84

9 жыл бұрын

Roland Warzecha P.S.: Lovely video! Sometimes 12 min. is a long time on KZread, but in this case I didn't even notice, time just flew!

@swordandshield

9 жыл бұрын

Makes me happy to read that you enjoyed it. And thanks once again for the valuable hint regarding the patreon link.

Also...does the domed shape give the shield anymore structural strength as compare tomthe flat shield?

@swordandshield

9 жыл бұрын

khoa tran Yes, of course. Domed surfaces are much more pressure resistant that flat ones.

The music is beatiful!!! Can anyone tell me what this track is called?

@swordandshield

8 жыл бұрын

+Dicor Guardian, sure: "I Am New Born" by Andi Labes. Find it here: www.soundtaxi.net/advanced_search_result.php?language=en&manufacturers_id=736&keywords=i%20am%20new%20born&b_val=0

Awesome video, what about viking axe? Did vikings really used axes as main weapons? What was their technique in the use of the axe against a sword

@swordandshield

8 жыл бұрын

+J0z31991, according to our experiments, an axe works fine using the approach we suggest, in particular when using weapon and shield in conjunction. With using the shield edge as a guide for the axe, the top heaviness of an axe is a great advantage.

Very convincing! 👍

@swordandshield

7 жыл бұрын

I am happy it makes sense to you.

And why a domed shield is better for cavalry or in infantry closed formation ? Is a flat shield is better in dual (1vs1) ?

@swordandshield

9 жыл бұрын

clubinglex Exactly, this is what I was trying to convey: Flat shields make excellent weapons in single combat and as battle lines break up, domed shields are great mobile armour, which is more appropriate on horseback or in formation, where edge-striking is of limited or no use at all.

@tatayoyo337

9 жыл бұрын

Roland Warzecha Excellent. Do you plan to oppose this 2 styles in experimental sparring ?

@swordandshield

9 жыл бұрын

Good suggestion. We may do so at one point.

@realtalk1041

6 жыл бұрын

Viking Shields work well in shieldwall formation. The Shields overlap and make the wall strong. This wall push away the enemy formation until it breaks. Especially if it consists of individual fighters, such as frankish miles or feudal recruits. Smaller domed shields are not good for formation fights because they are too small to cover all your body, they made for invidual fighters on horse or without. Yes small domed shields dont allow to use edges like you do in videos but if have a steel sword vs viking iron sword, mail armor, good shield and Good Footwork then you are save.

I get the impression it's a tired old topic in the sort of circles you move in, but I'd be interested in the evidence for and against the grip you advocate for viking era swords. Was there a particular image that sealed the deal for you? Or is it mainly from your own experimentation? Surely reach is less of a factor in this sort of large shield combat?Anyway, you do brilliant videos! Keep up the good work!

@swordandshield

8 жыл бұрын

Thank you for your kind words. As for your questions: It is a number of the things that make it more than likely that Viking swords were used in a rather sophisticated and very versatile way, with the grip I present being one of many, however, it probably is the one that is the most surprising to most people. It is actually very easy to show and explain sword in hand and face to face - and then it makes perfect sense-, but there are indeed period depictions that do show fully extended swords - and there are not many ways how to actually do it. Here is one example: facebook.com/266934476773420/photos/a.549286731871525.1073741918.266934476773420/861462743987254/?type=3&theater

@ausguymac

7 жыл бұрын

Would spears be the main weapon , much like a rifle while swords are more akin to a pistol or sidearm ?

@swordandshield

7 жыл бұрын

ausguymac that would depend on period. While e.g. warriors depicted in the 9th century Stuttgart Psalter carry spears way more often than swords, the latter were far from being elite weapons in the late Middle Ages. However, spears and pole arms were always important in medieval military.

@eldricgrubbidge6465

7 жыл бұрын

Interesting to note both figures seem to have one foot planted and the other up on the ball like in some forms of boxing footwork. And is that some sort of proto-lunge? I thought that was a rapier era thing.

@swordandshield

7 жыл бұрын

I do not really know which image you are refering to.

Awesome !

@swordandshield

8 жыл бұрын

+clubinglex thanks.

Any trainings in Sweden coming up?

@swordandshield

9 жыл бұрын

VikingFromHalland Not with me, I am afraid to say. But you are welcome to organize a class anytime. Feel free to get in touch, if this would be an option for you: www.dimicator.com/contact/

Are the domed shields held with a centre grip or straps? If they have a centre grip, why can't they be used to cover in the same way as earlier shields?

@swordandshield

7 жыл бұрын

Earlier ones were center-gripped (as seen in some of the miniatures shown in the video), later ones featured arm and neck straps. They provide even better protection, yet because of the domed shape, you can no longer transfer pressure into the shield edge like with a straight board, as explained in the video. It is actually just simple physics.

@Robert399

7 жыл бұрын

Roland Warzecha I understand that but if it's centre gripped why can't you still bring it forward to cover your sword hand when you're attacking like sword and buckler?

@swordandshield

7 жыл бұрын

Robert R , you can indeed extend domed and even later curved shields with arm straps forward so that they cover the sword hand when extending the weapon arm. However, period depictions suggest that there were contexts of action when such shields were held close to the body as some form of mobile armour, exposing the extended weapon arm. the challenge of reconstructing the according fighting systems is to find out which are these particular contexts.

Can someone tell me the name of the picture at 5:14? That must be the Frankish double-headed axe I read a Roman historian describe, double headed fighting axes seem to turn up extremely rarely in Europe.

@swordandshield

9 жыл бұрын

***** this is from the Utrecht Psalter. Last manuscript listed in the credits: kzread.info/dash/bejne/eKausaqHYtXgdZs.htmlm51s

@Duzzies-101

9 жыл бұрын

Roland Warzecha thanks!

@swordandshield

9 жыл бұрын

***** You are welcome.

Könnten sie auch mal ein Video oder besser noch ein paar Videos machen zum Thema RUS Säbel und die ganze Technik darum?

@swordandshield

7 жыл бұрын

Vielen Dank für dein Interesse. Der Säbel ist grundsätzlich eine Kavalleriewaffe, und ich bin weder Reiter noch Säbelfechter.

Very informative and well-presented video! Do you edit all your videos yourself? I noticed on your website that you are a graphic designer. They seem very profesionally done.

@swordandshield

9 жыл бұрын

Wayward Son Thank you for your kind words. One of my students, Karen, is a professional director and she does the filming and editing. I contribute graphics and write the script, sometimes I storyboard sequences, too.

Very very interesting! look foreward to more, your obviously expert.

@swordandshield

9 жыл бұрын

Bryn Noble Thank you. There is indeed more to come. I also provide a lot more material on a daily basis on my public facebook pages: facebook.com/pages/Dimicator/266934476773420

So why did they transition from shield oriented combat to more sword play? I mean; big shield offers good protection from arrows and such, did they stop worrying about that ?

What do you think of this night? pin.it/uXKJyrA The depiction is aparently form around 1210, which would fit in with the armour he is wearing, but the sword looks like a Peterson Type H The lower guard seems a bit long, but I think you can see the typical upper guard and Pommelcap construction of a Type H sword that should be out of use for a little more than 200 year at the time of this Effigy.

@swordandshield

8 жыл бұрын

+Saurer , yes, this is indeed quite curious. Then again, you still see old-fashioned brazil nut pommels in the 13th century occasionally. I guess there are always specific combat contexts that are not in line with general trends. Plus, a good sword is a good sword and may still have been held in high esteem after generations. This being said, we should always be careful with considering contemporary art as being realistic depictions of contemporary arms and armour. If the context of a work of art was, say, illustrating a biblical scene, the depicted figure may be deliberately shown wearing out-dated equipment.

I can only speak from my own experience, but... Providing a rest for the pinky isn't going to prevent the sword from slipping out of the hand, as the pressure is on the thumb, not the pinky. The pommel is moving away from the pinky, not towards it, and as such having a rest for the pinky makes no difference for stopping the cut whatsoever, unless the pressure is going in the other direction - for example cutting with the false edge. This is further illustrated at 08:41, where you see that it is only the thumb supporting the entire cut - this requires a very strong thumb, and does not make good use of body mechanics. The strongest blows will be from the hammer grip, where the cut is supported by the entire arm, and not just the thumb. With the grip in this video, a strong cut which does not connect will easily make the sword pivot out of the grip because only the thumb connects it - unless the thumb is very strong. A strong cut which _does_ connect might result in a sprained or broken thumb - again, unless it is very strong. The increase in range is also no more than 2-3 cm (I have measured the distance with three swords), so there is little to be gained. Yes, the pommel will easily feel uncomfortable in the hammer grip at first, but this is something which quickly stopped bothering me. The notion that the evolution of grips tended toward smaller pommels is also not correct, as small pommels also existed early on (such as the type B), and large pommels also existed later on (types S and T).

@swordandshield

9 жыл бұрын

Gilmaris Thank you for your insights. What is essential to understand with early medieval swords and the associated fighting arts, is that the efficiency of cuts and blows is based on weapon acceleration most of all. Other than in later medieval swordsmanship, the overall absence of blade binds makes for a different kind of sword use, employing full blows to a much larger extent, virtually casting the sword forward and let the blade do the job. Keeping a tight grip with thumb and index is actually detrimental with such actions. With loosening these fingers, the lock for the pinky becomes crucial. What you say is partially true for the kind of half blows that are required in fencing with blade binds, which I employ all the time in sword & buckler. But this is a different beast - and the weapons used differ in design, too! Although I never ever use a hammer grip with any sword and I see absolutely no virtue in such a grip. Plus, whatever you have measured in terms of range, I come to very different results, as can be seen in the video, as well as here: kzread.info/dash/bejne/oJhkppauZKTLm9Y.html I have recently provided a more detailed description of the cast blow that works excellently when cutting with a spatha type sword here: facebook.com/266934476773420/photos/a.549286731871525.1073741918.266934476773420/668003016666562/?type=1&theater Thank you for your interest.

@Gilmaris

9 жыл бұрын

Roland Warzecha I am not sure we have the same concept of the hammer grip. To me, a hammer grip does not imply that you clench tightly with all fingers, and in fact I would classify the grip you show in your link above as a hammer grip (can't be entirely sure, as you are wearing gloves, and I cannot see the grip from above). I don't have a video camera, and my mobile is old-school, but I have kept some images I took with an even more old-school mobile phone years ago. Here is what I mean by handshake grip (sword supported by thumb): postimg.org/image/3rtaxzdeh/ And here a hammer grip, the sword supported by the wrist and arm: postimg.org/image/55kxtacnt/ My main background is in Iaido, where the hammer grip is used exclusively. And this is what I mean by the hammer grip: postimg.org/image/pgs71ufmh/ The pointing finger is just to illustrate the optimal angle of impact: if you point straight ahead, and place a sword in the hand, this is the angle the sword will have, and the angle where the wrist is the strongest. That's a different topic, though, but a narrower angle than this at the point of impact, and a lot of force from the swing will be lost. The following angle, for example, yields maximum reach, but I have yet to see it in JSA except thrusts: postimg.org/image/xnk6tf5p5/ That's still a hammer grip, though. The same angle with the hand-shake grip (or at least, what I understand as the handshake grip) looks like this: postimg.org/image/sz46y8gih/ And here you can see it is critically weak. If the sword continues to pivot forwards, either from the swing or if the opponent exerts leverage on the spine, the tsuka will continue to rotate against the thumb and out of the hand. So you see, from my understanding at least, there is no difference in reach between hammer grip and handshake grip with the iaito, and the only reason I experienced a slight reach advantage for the handshake grip with the viking sword was becase of the pommel preventing full extension - but with a loss of only about 2-3 cm. Hope that helps.

@swordandshield

9 жыл бұрын

Thank you for this extensive reply. Now I understand what you mean. A few thoughts: First off, I would like to point out that, while there are certainly common features between using a sword in JSA and historical European swordsmanship, there are also notable differences. After all, there is a reason why swords do not all look the same. These differences in design are indeed what stirred the research presented in this video. I am always working from the presumption that a given sword design is perfect for the context it was made for. So I do not try to force the fine motor skills that work for one sword on a different type, but try to work out the differences that were responsible for a difference in design in the first place and made it the best solution for a particular context. I generally place my thumb differently than seen in the images you kindly linked to. At the moment of impact or at maximum extension or the end position of a fully swung blow, I never fold it around the handle that much, and the same is true for the index finger. This results in a hand position much more akin to a pistol grip. Accordingly, there is hardly any strain in the wrist anymore, as it is not bent to the same degree as in your last image (which looks like a rather inconvenient position to me). For cutting, most tension is with the smaller three fingers, and it works the better, the more thumb and index digit relax as the blade is thrown forward and takes its path. Compare to this image, for example, and please also refer to the caption, which I exclusively edited for you: facebook.com/266934476773420/photos/a.348591618607705.1073741869.266934476773420/355931347873732/?type=3&theater You can see the relatively open hand in this photo even better, and, unlike with a disc pommel, the T-junction formed by a Viking/Germanic hilt's pommel plate is a great safety lock which allows for pinky and ring finger alone to prevent the sword from flying away. This indicates to me that full swings were used to a much larger extent in Germanic and Viking sword fighting than in medieval swordsmanship: facebook.com/266934476773420/photos/a.348591618607705.1073741869.266934476773420/355931304540403/?type=3&theater I hope that makes it clearer. Thanks for a civilized discussion.

Thanks!! :)

@swordandshield

8 жыл бұрын

+Quodge You are welcome.

Awesome videos! Very interesting and instructive. Do you have any thoughts on the use of the equal length pommel and cross-guard as a "handle" for pushing and manipulating the shield? (kzread.info/dash/bejne/hZ6NqrGHcry9k84.html) It looks like you are using both the handle and the blade of the sword in this manner at various points. How influential might that use have been in the evolution of that sword hilt design? Also, I am curious if it is viable use this technique to "load" your opponents pressure on one side of the shield before giving suddenly as you attack? Could this technique also be used to obscure or misrepresent the axis on which you are holding your shield handle?

@swordandshield

8 жыл бұрын

+Deathbygnome, thank you for your kind words. Would you please guide me to the specific part in the video you linked to that you feel is relevant to your query?

i liked this alot. very informative. i have to ask tho whats with the skin tight blue top?

@funkeyfunker

8 жыл бұрын

i have to add, your fighting styles are very impressive.

@swordandshield

8 жыл бұрын

I am glad you like the video. The blue top is part of my DIMICATOR brand. It is also convenient to wear when training.

@swordandshield

8 жыл бұрын

Thank you for your kind words. I am holding an according class in a month's time, if you are interested: facebook.com/events/1510115905955575/?active_tab=highlights

@funkeyfunker

8 жыл бұрын

this event looks totally fantastic, sadly this time i cant make it as it will take me some time to save and get there. i will send you an email with my contact details as id really like to go to something just like this next year. thankyou for your reply, and keep up your good work. i only found you on here, i'm looking foward to seeing alot more in the meantime.

@swordandshield

8 жыл бұрын

Steven Sinnamon excellent. Hope to see you at a future venture then.

So, who won the battle? Was it the Hamaburgers or the Danes?

@swordandshield

6 жыл бұрын

The Danes burnt the place down and plundered it.

I like your videos very much,,thanks for all of them ;0). I'm sceptic on the handshake grip though!! But it seems that it is a little 50/50 on that one.. To me (personally) it fells all wrong,,,,even with the right (historically) swords and with different grips length and design I can't make it work as good as the (hammer grip). and I'm not the only one with that opinion in the Viking amateur historian, HEMA, reenactment, and so on world :0). Some say thats why the (Viking sword) has such a short grip, but they go from 7,5 to 10 in rare cases 11-12 cm.. So that's not the best prof in anything on grip methods..but grip length is another topic I guess..but a 10 cm grip is not a small one. And i can do it (Hammergrip) with all swords without the pommel gets in the way. Agin (personally fighting-style maybe) Do you really put your thumb on top of the grip like that when you swing that thing around? Or is it simply because there is a special way to fight like that?.vs the hammer grip.. Agin thanks for your videos,,,,they are awesome.....

@swordandshield

8 жыл бұрын

+Morten Christensen thank you for your kind words regarding my videos. As for gripping methods: I can only say that with all my swords, the one grip I never implement is a fist-grip, for the reasons I have outlined in the video and elswhere. Generally, when cutting, the hand should not hold a sword any different than a knife. And I have yet to see someone who claims that he gets best results when slicing bread or a tomato when applying a fist-grip. There are, of course differences between cutting with a knife or a sword, but these have more to do with acceleration or whether one uses a half-cut or a full cut (which Viking swords were optimized for). According to my experience in years of teaching swordsmanship, the vast majority of modern practitioners use way too much force and tension when holding a sword. This is a complex issue, as with something so profane as a standard diagonal blow, it takes at least three months of constant training to learn to accelerate a sword physically and anatomically correct. I cannot possibly describe this, not even show all of it in video, as some aspects can only be conveyed in personal tuition, like with any craft. I know that some people think that I am exaggerating, but after decades of training, this is what I strongly believe. Anyway, the grip changes constantly even during one specific sword action, and so does the pressure I use to manipulate and control the sword. There is a certain margin of variation, depending on handle shape. My thumb only rests on the narrow side of a handle if it is of rather rectangular cross section. Usually, with more oval cross section (which I prefer) it shifts slightly further to the wide handle side, at least when applying pressure into the edge. All the best, Roland

@morten1975dk

8 жыл бұрын

+Roland Warzecha Thank you for the reply..very interesting too. I certainly need to dwell further into it,,but that's a good thing..All the best...

@swordandshield

8 жыл бұрын

Morten Christensen you are most welcome!

@wiskadjak

8 жыл бұрын

+Roland Warzecha I think this all comes from watching too much Conan the Barbarian.

@swordandshield

8 жыл бұрын

wiskadjak Haha - although I have to admit that I like the 1982 Conan!

the trikot?

@swordandshield

7 жыл бұрын

Club colour.

Great video, thanks for posting it. Your work is always interesting and well presented. I'm quite surprised you didn't mention the development of longer crossguards, although you had a clear example in your hands. Never the less, you made a really good reconstruction. Cheers

@swordandshield

9 жыл бұрын

MedievalAge9 , actually, the longer crossguard is mentioned at 9:40, although, admittedly, I did not go into further details of its benefits. kzread.info/dash/bejne/eKausaqHYtXgdZs.htmlm39s Thank you for the kind reception of this video - much appreciated.

0:23 Why? I laughed so hard. :D

@swordandshield

8 жыл бұрын

+Nick, felt the same when I first saw the footage!

Roland love the videos, but why are you always wearing super tight under armor lol

@swordandshield

9 жыл бұрын

+Steven Swingler , happy you like my work. It is not under armour that I am wearing - it is a superhero outfit. Next I will be looking for a cape!

I can see it now the Original Star Trek fashion will be brought back thanks to you Mr Warzecha ;P fc00.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2013/217/0/8/spock_by_amandatolleson-d6gsfq4.png Well at least you're not a Red Shirt.

@swordandshield

9 жыл бұрын

Rollo Red Ah - you must be an expert shrink then! I am an open book to you: Spock was one of my childhood heroes, next to Prince Valiant. So *that* is when it all started …

@EhAmes94

9 жыл бұрын

Now what you need is the the Prince's wig and all the ladies will come knocking at your door.

@swordandshield

9 жыл бұрын

The Prince was wearing a wig? Oh no - that comes as a shock!

@EhAmes94

9 жыл бұрын

Roland Warzecha Wait that was an actual hair style? Oh god no! Anton Chigurh had the same hair cut that just proves it is evil. :P

@swordandshield

9 жыл бұрын

Rollo Red I am afraid it was. But no danger of myself mimicking it - I am seriously running out of hair!

Great as usual. I would like to you take a look at some strange fighting scenes and equipment from the famous Val Camonica engravings have always puzzled me in terms of fighting techniques. Some seem like a sort of buckler and sword and in some cases we have not to small crossguards. Of course pictoral evidence should be taken with a grain of salt however the strange axeheads and other elements have also been found in iron form. Overview: www.rupestre.it/tracce/imma2003/updat14.jpg 0.academia-photos.com/5990749/2536485/2944051/s200_valcamonica_rock_art._archaeology_studies.jpg encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR96ZJtlHIm8gCfl60OSW3d0MjoUuDq6p1Aj9heI8KoUjjbvWFc www.rupestre.it/lajolo/fig11.jpg 2.bp.blogspot.com/-55gDONRCczc/VZOy0mUwXqI/AAAAAAAAICk/ZfUzdM9uECs/s400/incisione%2Bcamuna.jpg encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ4r7-M6gfeZyfXkfe9hUw0TX1bbkDLjsE-fiTPgjWn69CnYjW3ZA www.in-sieme.it/impegno/foto/valcamon%20guerr.jpg

@swordandshield

8 жыл бұрын

Intriguing. Pretty crude images, but I find it noteworthy that the most typical pre-fight sword position in all sword & shield combat, with the sword hand back and the point forward, is seen here, too: encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR96ZJtlHIm8gCfl60OSW3d0MjoUuDq6p1Aj9heI8KoUjjbvWFc

@flordebattaglia5993

8 жыл бұрын

Yes they are crude, especially compared to contempary situle. The 'local' shield types were subject to a number of influences from hellenic, italic and celtic spheres as we can see from their material culture and art. Overall I have only seen center-grip ones, which of course doesn't rule out others. Extending your shieldarm with small shield is just part of sensible biomechanics, I guess. www.rupestre.it/valcamonica_rupestre/img/img094.JPG www.rupestre.it/valcamonica_rupestre/img/img112.JPG Swords also take insipriations from those spheres and the iron age kopis-like (Haumesser) ones got increasingly replaced by the classic Celtic types. Overall those engraving are fascinating because there are a lot of cases in which one can see the same design in a material object or a fine situla depection while in rare cases elements like the axes are mentioned by Roman sources. I would also not interpret too much into it but certain elements are interesting when view from our current knowledge...

B

@swordandshield

8 жыл бұрын

+Eilis Cassidy ?

Do u think u can beat a Viking in a fight

@swordandshield

8 жыл бұрын

+david fredericksburg, this is difficult to say. I have never met one.

The Hamburg bitches still ran off and hid in Bremen for 100 years. Better shields or not.

THer is a reson it was called the dark ages. Being unable to organize a defense given a few hundred scruffy invaders is not a sign of strength. During classical times the pirate fleets numbered in the thousands, THey were defeated despite that. Think of these days as times of extreme weakness by central govts.

@swordandshield

8 жыл бұрын

It is primarily called the Dark Ages due to a lack of sources, plus, this is an English term only, coined in the Victorian Era. Admittedly, culture and administrative efficiency was declining with the fall of Rome. But one must not forget that piracy did exist in classical times, too, and it took a major effort to get a grip on it - at least for a while. But this is exactly true for the Viking onslaught, too. Also, guerilla warfare is difficult to counter even today.

@kennkid9912

8 жыл бұрын

The VIkings happened at a weak time for everybody else.They were not that formidable facing organized forces. Compared to the Roman Empire ERA Europe was in severe decline.Without organization and infrastructure to meet notable threats.

@swordandshield

8 жыл бұрын

walter chiappini , I can fully subscribe to this. It is very likely that Scandinavian merchants became aware of more profitable raider business when they realized exactly this. It should be noted, though, that for mainland Europe the Magyar threat was more severe. But after a few decades, this was completely stopped by according counter-measures.

you should not wear that clothing while holding real Viking swords

Tut mir Leid, und bitte nicht persönlich nehmen, aber Du redest Blödsinn. Du umgreifst da lediglich den Kernstab des Griffes. Und daraus schlussfolgerst Du dann die Haltefähigkeit. Das geht nicht. Entscheidend ist der Griff mit allen Umwicklungen, Holz, Leder, etc. Und das kann je nach Nutzergeschmack erheblich abweichen. Diese Analyse da steht auf extrem tönernen Füßen und hat so einfach keine Substanz.

@swordandshield

9 жыл бұрын

Tobias Dahlmann Es ist sehr begrüßenswert, dass Du so kritisch bist. Die stumpfen und scharfen Schwertrepliken, die ich für Kampfrekonstruktionen und Schnittests verwende, haben selbstverständlich komplette Handhaben und die sind natürlich notwendig, um Überlegungen im Experiment zu überprüfen - sieht man aber auch im Video. Ausschlaggebend für meine Thesen ist allerdings insbesondere die Formgebung des Knaufes und dessen Morphologie. Worauf, wenn ich fragen darf, stützt sich Deine Behauptung, dass Hilzen, je nach Nutzergeschmack in der Formgebung erheblich von einander abwichen? Eine entsprechende Beobachtung konnte ich an erhaltenem Material bisher nicht machen. Die Handhaben einzelner Typen sind im Gegenteil immer sehr gleichförmig gestaltet. Noch ein gut gemeinter Rat: Falls Du in Zukunft ernst genommen werden willst, dann solltest Du vielleicht davon absehen, Dich zur Begrüßung zu herablassenden Äusserungen zu versteigen - insbesondere, wenn Du jede Vorstellung Deinerselbst und vor allem jeden Kompetenznachweis schuldig bleibst.

@IsenbergerHerold

9 жыл бұрын

Roland Warzecha Na, da brauchst Du nicht gleich so empfindlich zu sein... In manchen Kreisen kenne ich da noch ganz andere Umgangstöne. Es kommt ja immer auf den Zusammenhang an... Zur Sache: Ich weiß, dass ich selbst relativ dicke Griffe durchaus mag. Andere mögen oft schlankere Formen. Entsprechend verändert sich bei gleicher Dicke des Knaufs auch die Stärke dieses Gegenlagers. Die Stärke im Metall ist ähnlich, ja. Das spricht für mich allerdings eher für Massenproduktion - nicht im Sinne von Manufakturen, sondern im Sinne von Schmiedeschulen. Entsprechend rechne ich mit einer Anpassung beim Endverbraucher (dem Berserker als Kundengruppe eben). Entscheidend dabei ist auch die Körpergröße. Die wirkt sich auch auf die Handgröße aus. Dabei glaube ich irgendwie nicht an Normen.... :-)So weit in den Details glaube ich eher, dass die Unterschiede im Knauf deutlich kleiner sind als die in den individuellen Führungsmöglichkeiten.

@swordandshield

9 жыл бұрын

Interessant. Allerdings verstehe ich nicht, welche Relevanz Deine persönlichen Präferenzen für die Bewertung der Gestaltgebung historischer Gehilzformen haben sollte. Und wen meinst Du mit "andere"? Auf welche Befunde und Erhebungen stützt Du Deine Schlussfolgerungen?

@IsenbergerHerold

9 жыл бұрын

Roland Warzecha Die Meinung eines Einzelnen sagt wenig aus, ja. Die Präferenzen einer Personengruppe geben dagegen eine gewisse Bandbreite vor. Mit "Andere" meine ich alle möglichen Leute, die Einem in rund 12 Jahren Schwertkampf (CB) so über den Weg laufen... Da sollte man nicht so an Realien kleben... (Nota bene: Ich bin von Hause aus Altskandinavist, und damit Mediävist und "Buchwissenschaftler". Und genau deshalb weiß ich Quellen je nach Zusammenhang auch manchmal zu ignorieren.)

@swordandshield

9 жыл бұрын

Ja, das habe ich mir gedacht. Ich weiß zwar nicht, was CB sein soll, aber ich habe selbst viele Jahre Wikinger-re-enactment gemacht und die dort üblichen Sportgefechte mit dafür optimierten, stumpfen Schwertsimulatoren fand ich seinerzeit auch klasse. Ich wünsche Dir weiterhin viel Freude am Hobby.