Sorry, the best I can do is more cow-bell. 😂

Those particular swords were a bit of a complex process that is hard to explain in writing, at least in explaining how I did the padding, but I have a better method and I am planning to do some new ones that will be made similar to these, so perhaps I could do a video explaining that as I build them. However, in the meantime, if you would like a written explanation; The cores of the two great-swords are actually doubled, which is not necessary for most boffers, but I have a tendency to make my stuff with the intention of being a bit more durable and long-lasting, which sometimes results in going over-kill, but I thought that since these were going to be great-swords, the cores needed to be stronger so the swords wouldn't be too bendy and floppy. So, the cores are made of two lengths of 1in diameter PEX tubing, two lengths of 1/2in PEX tubing, and two roughly 3ft wooden dowels. I use PEX as it is a non-shattering plastic tubing, you can bend a PEX tube in a circle and it won't break, but that makes them far less rigid than PVC, which is another option (I'll explain how I do PVC cores shortly), and PEX does wear out more easily if too much stress is applied to a single spot (I had the core of a blade break recently where I used PEX as the main core and a PVC pipe over it for the handle portion, breaking at the base of the blade, right where the PVC stopped and the PEX extended out from there into the blade). For the cores in the great-swords, I cut the PEX tubes to about 4ft long, and then inserted the two 1/2in tubes inside the 1in tubes (the 1/5in are just big enough to fill the inside of the 1in), and then used nylon-fiber strapping or packaging tape to bind the two lengths together. Then, to make the handles more rigid, I used 2ft lengths of wooden dowels, using the thickest dowels I could find that would fit inside the 1/2in PEX tubes, but I had to put a couple of lengths of duct-tape along the length of either dowel so the dowels would fit snuggly inside the PEX. To ensure that the dowels didn't slide through the inside of the PEX, not only did I use the tape to make them fit snuggly, but I also drilled a small hole through all layers (the two layers of PEX and the dowels), right where the pommel (the butt-end of the handle) is, and then put a short piece of 16 gauge steel fencing wire through the hole to pin the PEX and dowels so they wouldn't slide inside of one another. If you choose to use PVC pipes instead, 1. I would suggest not using them for swords longer than 3-4ft as they do get bendy/whippy, and PVC can shatter into sharp pieces, so a really bendy weapon will more likely break sooner. To help prevent the PVC from breaking so easily, I use the nylon-fiber tape to wrap the pipes, first going length-wise, covering the entire pipe, and then spiral-wrapping it around the entire length to bind the pipe together better. But be careful, because when a PVC core breaks, it will still tear through the nylon-tape (especially if the weapon is old, the tape being old and weaker), and there will be sharp, jagged points and edges. To pad the weapon with foam, I often use foam pipe insulation (it is black and usually has a slit along one side so you can slip it over plumbing pipes to protect them from cold weather), or foam pool-noodles, which are thicker than the pipe insulation and don't have that slit along the side, but you can also use sheet of thin white packaging foam, I've seen rolls of it sold at Walmart, about 2-3ft wide, and just wrap the blade portion in multiple layers. For the blade of a sword, you want at least 1in thick padding; pool-noodles easily provide that 1in of padding, but if you use the pipe insulation, I would then add a 1.5 - 2in wide strip of 1/2in thick camping foam (it is blue, sold as 2x5ft pieces rolled up, used for extra padding under your sleeping-bag when camping, found in the Camping section at Walmart), using a strip long enough to go up one side of the blade, over the tip, and back down the other side. Using the strip adds extra padding over the pipe insulation and also gives you a more defined "cutting edge" for the blade, while using a pool-noodle just gives you a round blade that doesn't have a defined cutting edge and could basically be like a lightsaber, no matter which side touches you, it "cuts through". If you just want a sword that is only used for slashing/hacking strikes, then you can have the foam extend at least 1in past the tip of the core, but if you plan to stab with it, you should have at least 2in of padding past the tip of the core; you can just cut the pipe insulation or noodle to be 2in longer than the blade portion of the core and then stuff one solid chunk of foam into the gap so the core doesn't push through the tip of the foam. As for the pommel of the sword, you can cover it with at least 1/2in of foam around the sides and tip of the pommel, but I would suggest at least 1in of foam around it so the pommel is bigger and less likely to slide out of your hand (like the big nob pommels on the two great-swords. Once padded, you can either cover the entire blade in duct-tape, or cover it in a layer of cloth, measuring the dimensions of the blade and sewing a sleeve to cover it, or use women's panty-hose/stockings to cover the foam (I would use at least two, one over the other for a more durable covering. However, I will sometimes do both, covering the foam with duct-tape and then putting a cloth covering over that as the duct-tape is a bit rubbery and can grip the opponent's skin for a split-second, causing more of an abrasion when striking. I also use little strips of tape to help hold the pieces of foam together before completely covering the blade with tape. And then for a better grip on the handle, I usually use electrical tape or that cloth tape used to cover the handles of hockey-sticks. Like I said, written instructions may not be easy to understand, so maybe I will do a video, one of these days, however, in the meantime, you can find videos on YT for making Amtgard weapons, they will give you better step-by-step instructions. 😁

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE--oN3-K_e_hg.html

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-aRc4GrmXlsY.html

Here are three such videos; ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-cgL4TinmOIw.html

What, the flat-top greathelm? Not so much, that was my first helmet when I started in 1999, well padded, it hardly makes a sound, but it is what we jokingly call a "mace landing-pad" because blows are not deflected off, so you feel like a tent-stack when you receive a good, solid blow down on top. 😅 The black helmet that Adam was wearing does ring like a bell, again, not so much with the padding in it.

@LordOwenLongstrider my helm is a larger helm and a good flatsnap makes me feel like I'm in a church bell, I've gotta update my padding and straps

Which person are you referring to first, and who is the “other person”? Brock is the one with the blue scarf on the back of his mask, Adam is the one in grey.

@@LordOwenLongstrider Sorry I wasnt more clear. The first person I was referring to was the guy in grey. The "other guy" is the guy with the blue ribbon.

Cool. First, I don't post the videos just for constructive criticism, I post them so the fighters can watch themselves and analyze their techniques, and also to just show off some cool fights. 😁 So for context, Adam in the grey has had some training in longsword, but also in Kendo, and has also studied and practiced using various types of weapons, mostly Asian weapons (he has a small collection of various polypropylene weapons), as well as participated in foam boffer groups, like Amtgard and Sleeping Samurai, so he is use to using very light-weight weapons and moving in sometimes odd ways to avoid getting hit, as fighters in the boffer groups seem to tend to do. He is aware that swinging one-handed is not always the best maneuver, but it is one of his go-to maneuvers as part of his personal style. Brock with the blue scarf, has had formal training in HEMA, mainly longsword, saber, and Italian Rapier, and has competed in a couple of HEMA tournaments I believe. He is also teaching us what he knows; there is a small group of us, each of us having experience in various fighting styles, and we meet about once a week to teach and spar with one another. I have a whole playlist on my channel, of videos I took of us sparring and teaching, the "HEMA" playlist.

@@LordOwenLongstrider That’s awesome! Thanks for the info. Where are you guys located if you don’t mind me asking? I have my own club where I am and have been teaching for a few years now. I have been actively looking for a Kendo practitioner to spar with (or something like it like Aiado or kenjustu). I also just love interacting with more people in the sport.

@@bubblesareawesome1368 Corpus Christi, Texas

What group and kingdom?

@@LordOwenLongstrider Darkyard in the Roaring Wastes, Detroit!

But the range tho... and if it doesn't hit you can start dodging since you aren't using your body to accelerate it, and then you just grab it right back.

@@logon-oe6un this kind of move only makes sense if you are going for first contact. If they were wearing none/light armor you would care about edge alignment and your life WAAAAY more than just throwing out a fast hit, so that big, fast one handed swing is bullshit.

@@_drnova1064 Yea, this seems to be first contact, but isn't being farther away from the opponent generally safer? The edge alignment tho? skill issue. Should gave released the right hand later and swung left hand lower for better range, stability and edge alignment at 0:40, and ended up ready to repeat LtR slash/thrust towards the opponent, for example. Hell, could have crouched a bit and definitely hit that juicy thigh safely, ruleset permitting.

You mean the two guys up front, in the yellow and black/white? No, they are not grappling; what we mean by grappling is grabbing ahold of your opponent and wrestling them to the ground, like in Judo, and it is not allowed. In SCA we do not allow punching, kicking, or grappling; you cannot intentionally punch your opponent with your hand or the hilt of your sword, you cannot kick them in the leg, shield, or the stomach like in 300 (definitely no THIS IS SPARTA! 😅), and you cannot grab their arm, flip them over your shoulder, slam them to the ground, and climb on top of them (just try doing that to a 200+lbs guy in 50+lbs of armor 😅). We also do not allow shield-bashing, that is, striking with the edge of the shield, back-handing them with the flat side of your shield, or striking with your shield in any way; shields are heavy and you can generate a lot of force that way. What they are doing is getting in real close and placing the edges of their shields in one another's arm-pits, this is totally allowed as long as you don't forcefully jam the edge into their arm-pit (considered shield-bashing). What this does is hinders their sword arm, making it hard for them to make a good swing and makes it hard for them to even reach around your shield to hit you. So, as you notice, the guy in yellow pulls his arm back so he can then try to stab the other guy in the face. You might be able to hear him say "disengage" as he pulls his arm back and steps back; when fighters do this, placing the edges of their shields in their opponent's arm-pit, they are pushing on their opponent, trying to keep their shield in place so their opponent can't reach around it an hit them, that is, "engaging" their opponent, so to get out of it, you have to disengage by stepping back away, sometimes even rotating as you disengage, so that your opponent, pushing on you to keep their shield pressed against you, will suddenly no-longer have anything to press against and will then stumble forward and be "off balance", kind of like bull-fighters pulling their cape away at the last moment as the bull charges past them.

To answer the other question, yes, kneeling is allowed; when you get hit in the leg, you are supposed to get down on your knees. It is much safer to kneel, as trying to hop on one foot will mean you are not stable and can be pushed over, and it is just really hard to hop on one foot on 50lbs of armor. 😅 So, when you get hit in the leg, you kneel, and as long as only one leg has been struck, you are allowed to walk on your knees, unless your opponent hits you in the other leg. Realistically, getting hit in the legs would be painful and you would likely bleed out within minutes, but since we're just playing a game of sorts, we allow kneeling. However, getting hit in the inner thigh is considered a "killing" blow, because the inner thigh has the hamstring and femoral artery, and getting struck there with a sword would severe the hamstring, making it nearly impossible to stand, and severing that artery, which is one of the biggest arteries in the body, the main artery supplying blood to the legs, that would mean you would bleed out within seconds, it is almost certainly death. That is also why groin strikes, while highly discouraged and not supposed to be legal, intentional targets, are still considered "killing" blows, because a strike there with a real sword would likely crack the pelvic bone and severe all the major arteries running throughout the groin.

Pick-up fights are basically what you and Nick did today, they are a chance for fighters to spar and critique one another's fighting, especially the older, more experienced fighters teaching and critiquing the less skilled fighters to help them improve, so you will often see two fighters spar for a minute, then stop and go over what they just did, breaking down each maneuver and showing one another what they think the other guy could have done better.

In the full video, I think he goes for at least a full minute of this constant swinging at the beginning of that particular round of sparring, pauses for a few seconds, and then does nearly another full minute. Meanwhile, Brock, during that brief pause is able to relax from being tense and 100% alert and cautious of those deadly blades, and feels like he just ran a mile, just to have to do it again moments later. 😅 BTW, the footage is sped up just a tiny bit, like 10% faster.

To be honest, I have never heard what the original reasoning for using wooden weapons for Chivalric Combat instead of metal was, but apparently those that decided had chosen rattan because it is fibrous, so the fibers break apart into a mush with constant abuse, and then just snap cleanly, no splinters or jagged points/edges, and it is more flexible than other woods. I think it was also a decision based on the SCA's acceptance of all types of armor styles, not just late period full plate, so using thicker blunt sticks as opposed to narrow-edged, even if blunt, metal weapons was deemed safer for using on metal, leather, padded, and plastic armor (or no armor in the areas rigid armor is not required to cover), and also our allowance of thrusting/stabbing, where as groups like ACL, Buhurt, etc. don't allow thrusting/stabbing. I'll leave it to any of our more seasoned fighters to explain the original choice. However, as you can see, we do have Rapier, that is more like Fencing, and then I believe Rapier also encompasses Cut&Thrust, which is more like HEMA, using blunted metal sabers, longswords, etc., that is shown in a few of the pairings.

@@LordOwenLongstrider oh damn. Thanks for the info.

As for the armor standards, we require the armor to be sufficiently rigid, made of metal plate (not chainmail, that is only considered decorative armor), thick leather, or plastic, which is usually hidden, though with thick leather, unless it is hardened, it does need to be backed by or worn over some type of sufficient padding, and the only piece that MUST be metal, at minimum 16g steel, is the helmet. All fighters are required to wear rigid protection covering the entire head and face, the neck, collar-bone, top of the spine, elbows, forearms, and hands, kidney area (the area between the bottom of the rib-cage and the pelvic bone, breasts for women, the groin for all genders, the thighs are recommended but not required, but the knees must be covered; all other areas of the body can be covered per individual choice.

That depends on where you live. The SCA has groups all over the world, mainly in the U.S., Europe, and parts of the Middle East, South Africa, and Asia. You can go to www.sca.org and click on the "Join Us" link, and then scroll down a little and click on "Find your Kingdom", and from there you can type in your location or the closest major city, which will bring up the nearest group, and each group has a website and some social media page, where you can find info about their regular meetings and other activities. If you're wanting to try the fighting, look for that group's Fighter Practices or find their Officers page which will have the contacts for their officers, and look for their Knight Marshal or Rapier Marshal.

@@LordOwenLongstrider what about texas? Oddly specific i know 😂

@@Persona15773 What part of Texas?

@@LordOwenLongstrider austin leander area, maybe able to go 1hour away

@@Persona15773 The Austin group is Bryn Gwlad; ansteorra.org/bryn-gwlad/ There is also a group in San Antonio, Bjornsborg; ansteorra.org/bjornsborg/ And Ffynnon Gath in San Marcos; ansteorra.org/ffynnon-gath/ I'm from the Corpus Christi group, Seawinds; ansteorra.org/seawinds/ ; you're always welcome to come down if and when you can, our Fighter Practices are on Sundays, currently from 2-5pm, at West Guth Park (9700 Up River Rd.), but we also have a once-a-month revel either in Portland or Corpus (we switch every month to accommodate our members who live on one side or the other of the big bridge between the two cities), from 12-6pm, you can find more info on our FB page "Shire of Seawinds".

And what was that?

5:24 Brock closes, is about to grapple and then politely disengages to reset, a moment later after the pause Viljjhalmr slices his stomach ending the bout.@@LordOwenLongstrider

@@elliotthoppis6737 Brock also went for a slice; once their hilts are apart, Brock moves his sword down slightly as he turns his wrist and the sword's edge toward Vilijhalmr to try going for a slice, a moment after Vilijhalmr made his.

yes but it was in defense

@@elliotthoppis6737 Both were done in defense, they were both in a prime position to make a slash as they pulled apart. I've seen fighters that when they get legged, take a swing at the opponent as they dropped to their knees, hoping their opponent isn't expecting it and not have their guard up, and thus possibly be caught by surprise. I've seen fighters who were locked up, face-to-face, trying to hit one another's backs, their opponent's shield in the way, push apart but make a swing in hopes of catching their opponent before they have brought their guard up. I've seen fighters use all kinds of little tricks like these; it is not unheard of, nor uncommon, whatever allows them to win, as long as it isn't taking unfair advantage of their opponent, like walking all the way around a legged opponent, striking them while their back is turned and they are unaware of your presence, or intentionally striking them in an illegal target.

Also fiore is the goat

fiore is the goat

I'm glad you like it. 😁

I know; go watch the original version, it has music to mask the horrible grinding noise my camera sometimes makes now.

Check out the full video; link in the description, he has a tendency to wildly flail his sword and shield about as he backs up when I advance with a series of attacks; it is a great defense because I can't get a shot in, and I don't want to get any closer for fear of being hit by that shield, but in SCA, shield-bashing is not allowed, so yes, he needs to quit that or he'll be kicked off the field, even if he doesn't intend to strike with the shield. And he has a tendency to make an attack with his sword while moving his shield completely behind himself; I mention this early in the full video, I've already told him we need to work on that next time. 😁 There are three other videos of me and him fighting on my YT channel.

Then this is a perfect opportunity to introduce ourselves to you. I am Lord Owen Longstrider, this is my YT channel, where I post a lot of videos that I take at various events and activities that I attend and participate in. For instance, this particular video was taken at an event held by the Society for Creative Anachronism or SCA, a worldwide nonprofit organization that emphasizes the research and recreation of the Middle Ages, primarily Europe, the Middle East, and Asia from 400AD to 1600AD, though unofficially I would say we start at about 500BC. Our members study whatever aspect of the Middle Ages most interests them, and then tries to recreate it, for example, the video is of two gentleman who are interested in the armored combat of the Middle Ages, and so created armor from the particular region and/or culture they are interested in, and are sparing with one another to improve their skills in combat. For those that are not interested or not just interested in the fighting, we also have the Arts&Sciences, which includes such crafts as blacksmithing, leatherworking, calligraphy, sewing, woodworking, etc., as well as archery, thrown weapons, cooking, horse-back riding, and bardic. If you wish to learn more, I have several playlists on my channel of videos on SCA related stuff, such as the one titled "Society for Creative Anachronism", which has various videos further explaining the SCA, and you can also visit our website, www.sca.org. 😁

@@LordOwenLongstrider I think I got recommended this video because I recently became a cast member at my local ren faire organization. :) I am also a LARPer, er... former LARPer, but we didn't have any physical contact with that one. Combat was resolved through dice or through rock paper scissors. One of my coworkers does this sort of thing, though. She's an archer who shoots padded arrows at people.

@@daleketer7369 Yes, we do full-force, full-contact fighting, and our weapons are mostly unpadded, except for like a foam axe or mace head and a little padding on the tip of the blade so we are not jabbing one another with the blunt tip of a stick, hence the need for armor. The video is of our heavy armored Chivalric combat, but we also have Rapier combat, which is more like fencing, with similar equipment, but for both, we of course don't use dice, it is until first "kill", or at least until one fighter loses both arms. And we also have Combat Archery, using arrows with golf-ball sized rubber blunted heads. I also have a playlist of videos I took of my local Amtgard group, Stormsurge, much more like LARPing as they use magic, with foam boffer weapons, but they are also full-contact, but don't target the head.

Sort of, this is from an event held by the Society for Creative Anachronism, a worldwide nonprofit organization that emphasizes researching and recreating life during the Middle Ages, so it is mostly a historical reenactment organization for recreating and teaching about various aspects of the Middle Ages, but each member creates a persona, a character if you will, of someone that could have lived during a particular time and place that the SCA focuses on, which is Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, from 400AD (though unofficially I would say 500BC) to 1600AD. For example, my persona is Honorable Lord Owen Longstrider, a late 12th Century Englishman from Derbyshire, England, who served in the Third Crusade under King Richard the Lionheart, as a soldier/archer (as I participate in fighting and archery), who is also the son of a blacksmith (since I dabble in blacksmithing on occasion), chainmail-maker, and leatherworker. The fighters in the video are participating in what we call Chivalric Combat, heavy armored combat; think Vikings, Roman Legionaire, Samurai, and your typical knight-in-shining armor. Chivalric combat involves the use of mostly unpadded weapons made of rattan (solid bamboo) wrapped in nylon-fiber tape and duct-tape, in full-force, full-contact fighting, hence the requirement of rigid armor covering the most vital areas of the body. We also have Rapier combat, much like fencing, so they wear lighter gear much like Olympic fencers, and use blunted metal rapiers. We have both 1v1 fights, 5v5, etc., all the way up to full melee battles with 100+ on either side, for both Chivalric and Rapier fighting. And then we also do various other activities, crafting such as blacksmithing, leatherworking, sewing, weaving, painting, calligraphy, etc., and also archery, bardic, horse-back riding (even jousting), cooking, dancing, etc. If you want to learn more, go to www.sca.org , and I also have several playlists on my channel of SCA-related stuff; the one titled "Society for Creative Anachronism" has a variety of videos that further explain the SCA. 😁

So this is from an event held by the Society for Creative Anachronism, or SCA, a worldwide, nonprofit organization that emphasizes the research and recreation of life during the Middle Ages. We do a variety of activities, such as armored Chivalric combat (as in the video) and Rapier combat (like fencing), as well as archery, horse-back riding, bardic, and crafting such as blacksmithing, leatherworking, sewing, calligraphy, etc. If you want to join, you can go to www.sca.org, where you can find more info, and to find your local branch, go to the Kingdoms link and look up your city, there should be a group somewhere near you. And if you have any other questions, just feel free to ask; I do also have a "Society for Creative Anachronism" playlist on my channel, that has a number of videos further explaining the SCA. 😁