www.coldsteel.com Basic Self Defense (using Saber and Cutlass) instructions brought to you by renown Anthony DeLongis and Lynn C. Thompson. Share and discuss Cold Steel at www.coldsteelfo...
I know I shouldn't, but I laugh when that last under-the-chin thrust comes up unexpectedly and the partner has to quickly deflect it. Disconcerting is putting it mildly, he damn near got a new hole to breathe out of.
I own several coldsteel blades, one of which is the 1917 Naval Cutlass. It is kept in my truck and has been used twice to defend my property. Both times were against knife-wielding assholes in parking lots. Swords can still find use in today's day and age. If you know how to use one, REALLY use one, then you have an almost insurmountable advantage in defending what you own, short of firearms coming into the equation. When guns get involved, that's what the .45 in the glovebox is for xD
De Longis is the martial arts teacher that all should be: calm, yet enthusiastic, gives you enough background theory to understand where the techniques are coming from.
I would love to see a video showing how the sabre has more reach than two handed swords. There is a reason why this sword was used for so long and in so many theaters of war.
Excellent, I was wondering who else noticed, I put my Szabla along side my Katana and found they were more or less equal length, maybe the Szabla had just an inch or two more even, it's also fairly light for it's size, which I like since I'm quite thin myself, though deceptively strong for my size, I have about 8 different types of Swords, all different and they all have their strengths and weaknesses which is what I love to study into.
A katana is not a good example of a two handed sword. Among the historical fencing community a katana is regarded as a one handed sword with a two-handed grip. It's blade is basically the same same as a saber (maybe even shorter). If you want to make a proper comparison you should compare with a longsword. There is no way a saber has more reach than a longsword. Especially because you can still use a longsword in one hand to lunge with and even hold the the grip farther down like on the pommel for maximum range.
The later very slight curve military infantry officers sabre is what i consider the highest evoloution of the practical side arm fighting sword in essence that is exactly what it is. Thats why it stayed in service so long. It is maximized for best of cut and thrust. These sabres are more curved from an earlier period and still hold the cavalry curve. Great cutters but not maximized for dueling. The rapier may still be the best dueling sword but for general purpose combat the 1845 british infantry sabre type is the best allrounder and i guess thats why it was a military sword.
I agree that the extreme curvature of the classic sabre blade allows extreme "off-angle" strikes that are very difficult to anticipate and defend against. The average novice presumes the sabre's curvature only benefits it's slashing ability, without consideration of it's advantages in the thrust. I would also like to point out that Anthony DeLongis is very "conservative" in how far he moves his blade to the outside and this is key to effective close-in sword-fighting in confined spaces such as inside the average modern home. Huge, sweeping slashes are impressive in movies perhaps, but not at all desired for real-world fighting.
That Anthony DeLongis is so skillful, he could even take on Jet Li in a sword fight! I wonder which one of them would win... He's also very good at shooting phasers on starships... especially the U.S.S. Voyager. :)
They got a knife named the Voyager to and it comes in Large & Xtra Large and the blades are crazy sharp I'm getting two for New Years in Tanto & Clip point. I would like a sword like the using also if they still have those.
This is so far the best weapon instructor I have ever come across. Love his method of instruction, he really knows how to teach and his teachings are very comprehensible.
Hahaha. In their teeth. Like pirates. Anyways, I could see this as a useful instructional tool for recreation, like your fencing class but they posit it as a "Self Defense" tutorial. I don't criticize the video. Just the name of it.
So glad this is here. I live in Texas and it's legal to carry swords again. All of my friends say that swords are useless because of how many people carry guns. They don't understand that in close quarters a sword is clearly more effective, especially id you aren't expecting a fight.
Shit, I could've used this last week when those peg-legged pirates jumped my Toyota. Seriously, how often does one defend themselves from a saber wielding lunatic? You don't see many gang bangers with swords on their hips. Which raises an interesting question: If gang bangers DID carry swords, would they actually use a sheath or would they just stuff the sword down their pants?
@Mantinae That is why the base of blades like those aren't sharpened, that's where you parry. If you parry with the flat of the blade, not only does it make it a weaker parry, but the edge is now pointing away from your opponent thus making it harder to counter attack.
All I got to say is WOW. I was just wandering RU-vid and found this. I always assumed that a saber was just a curved sword for a guy on horseback. That instructor was amazing. I think I might be buying a CS saber and taking up Saber fencing. Thanks.
I've got the utmost respect for sabres. They're very, very tricky and dangerous weapons because of that curve. A straight thrust, and when the oponant parries, simply roll the wrist and the curve gives an extra three inches he's got to parry. Or, roll the wrist and withdraw, and your tip will slice his wrist open. Very dangerous weapon.
@pinheadman665 Like he said, depends on you and what you're fighting, and also where you're fighting. The two extremes are field warfare (large, open spaces where you can wield any weapon) and trench warfare (extremely tight, only small weapons are realy useful). As for the enemy, again two extremes: a fully armored man (no cutting or slashing, only precise stabs or bludgeoning) and an unarmored man (cutting, slashing, stabs, the whole lot)
This has been one of the most educational Sabre Fencing videos I've ever seen, I actually think it would also be most educational to see the two of you do a little Free Sparring with these magnificent Sabres.
The bottom half or so of a military saber wouldn't be sharpened. even if it were, a good parry on the forte there wouldn't damage anything that would be used for offense (the foible).
You have to hold the sword a little differently but most of these work with straight blades as well. You need a little more arm movement to pull some of these off though and the last few are especially difficult to pull off. You CAN do it, just be ready to flex those wrists and elbows a LONG way xD
Well, thats the point. Nobody has a saber. So if you are confronted by a thug or something, you are gonna dominate him. He could have a machete, a switchblade, a baton. Even if he has say colapsible baton, you will have longer reach plus edge capability. Of course, the same applies to catanas and swords, but saber is much lighter hence easier to carry and well suited to atacking uncovered (read as not wearing sheet metal armor). Its best suited to acompany a pistol or a musket (AR-15 today).
Dude, If you don't think they know what they are doing, you need a head check.Fighting with a sword is not about Flash, It's about efficiency and precision. Big, Haymaker, WoW swings don't win, and fencing is practically a different animal. It's kinda like Boxing, the perception of how it's done, and the reality of how it's done are vastly different and seldom understood until you attempt to apply it in reality.
@pinheadman665 and now there's you: what do you feel comfortable with? what flows best? how do you fight? etc. a longsword is designed to fight an armored opponent, so you can hit hard and stab precisely in the small openings in his armour. A sabre is designed to slash and lightly or unarmored men (or for use on horseback). Many warriors also carried a large knife or dagger, for tight close quarter and finishing strikes (seax, wakizashi, dirk, you name it)
The punch is a push cut, which is just lying the edge on your target and pushing the edge across. It wouldn't take much pressure to cut skin with sharpened steel. It might not damage thick clothing or armor, of course, but it's quick. It's a similar idea to the pull or draw cut that the Japanese tend to use, except moving the other way (ie: from the target's front to back as opposed to the attacker throwing the tip behind the target to pull it back towards his own body.)
I have to disagree. These cuts are slow to show the possible openings when using this sword. Having fenced myself with a saber for sport, even with padding, even with blunt metal, I have received bruises/cuts. They get especially nasty when using the tip of the sword in a thrust. If real swords were used, even the slightest flick on your shoulder could cut your muscle to immobilize your arm 6:51 this is a great example of how fast/deadly a counter attack can be
@wrght9185 actaully when a group of european fellows pre ww1 started the idea of reviving pre modern european combat arts they found modern ppl misconception of older arts to be astoundingly depressing. they found that ppl though sport fencing was more evolved and more refined than the traditional combat style
Isn't bad to parry edge-to-edge like they do? If I'm not mistaken, this will dull the edge of both blades in a very short time! Though I am not an expert fencer, I do know that it is best to parry with the FLAT of blade rather than the edge...Is there no way to do so with sabers?
It came in useful for fencing class at my local community college. Lol I'd think the gangsters would probably just bite onto the sword or something, hell the gang bangers carry knives over where I come from.
I have a problem with tutorials like this. I don't have anyone to practice with and I'm left handed, so all that stuff doesn't feel right when I'm looking at someone who has a sword in their right hand. :(
Historical swords are not damaged in the way they would be (ie significantly) from edge to edge contact. Basic longsword guards put the flat in the way of incoming attacks. You have to turn your edge into the blow, which will significantly damage your edge (which is never a good thing, particularly when factoring in how much swords costed). The nature of swordplay is not to parry then riposte, but to do both in a single motion generally by attacking from off the line.
Why don't they emphasize drawing the blade across the target to engage the cutting surface of the blade? The "bop" might not actually cut thru clothing and is more reminiscent of stick fighting.
This I have to dispute. Damaging your cutting surface is never a good thing. We don't see historical swords with edge damage like that, so it is a very safe bet that edge blocking wasn't used. Nor do I think a straight vertical strike was really, due to how easy it is to step off the line and counter cut (not parry then riposte, for every move you make the enemy can make a move). Good series though about modern interpretations, though I must say.
The sword is a factor, but not a deciding factor. Most techniques that work for a saber wouldn't need much adaptation to work for a langseax. While it is true things never go as planned, there is a reason techniques are taught.
@lordofruin11 There's full basket hilts, but few are on sabers/cutlasses. For a symmetrical guard, there's the CS 1796 Light Cavalry Saber or you can look up the Windlass Steelcrafts American Revolution Saber, but just as a little tidbit, Windlass also makes their standard pirate cutlass (with the brass guard) in a left handed version, which you can find on Museumreplicas[.]com.
I have a problem that I am left handed so in terms of blades a lot of them have right handed guards i.e. to carry them in the left hand would mean the guard covered my fingers on the inside but left a lot more of my back hand exposed. Can anyone suggest blades with symmetrical guards that would better suit a lefty? Thanks X
Just shows that along with Talhoffer boxing and catch that the west - ever since the Roman perfected Pankration has an amazing history of scientific empirical fighting systems as the ancestors of the more familiar modern martial arts such as marksmanship / infantry training. For a very long time, as a practitioner of Jujitsu I always expected the Japanese fighting systems to trounce western versions but in retrospect I was wrong - because all are related and this shows how good the west is
I have read that conversation. Tell me if I have misunderstood but your point of contention is that they are punching through their cuts and you do not believe this would be used in a real saber fight. I would like to ask, how come it would not be used, because I quite certain the blow will still have power. That style of cut is also how Alfred Hutton, who wrote a practical treatise on saber fighting, thought how to attack. So their school of thought is not baseless or mere sport and it works.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that in actual sword encounters, one would rarely, if ever, have direct contact between the edge of his sword and that of his opponent. This is a Hollywood myth that is seen in nearly every swordfight...sword edges clashing together repeatedly, with no damage to the blade. By the way, I love Cold Steel. Your video demonstrations are incredible, and I have several of your products, most notably your Grosse Messer, which I am floored by
@csknives What would you say is better for combat? A standard longsword (like the ones knights used in old England), or a sabre? Which one is more durable and has more power?
Very informative and well made Video! It is explained very nicely and easy to understand. I'm courious, is there a Possibility there'd be a Video like this for Small Sword Fencing in the future?
Seems to me it works pretty well as long as the guy in the mask doesn't do a second move For example, he could block the big guy's head attacks by simply sliding his sword over or just not dropping it down.
Theoretically, if the both opponents keep doing follow up moves, they will keep going indefinitely until someone messes up. This is just for demonstration.
Actually, I think you're right. Edge to edge is a myth, but ancient fighters found a way around this, either by using the flat of the blade to defend (German long sword) or by using the stronger, non-cutting part of the saber or katana to defend. They don't actually fight cutting edge to cutting edge in this video. The cutting edge is blocked by the defending edge. I think this might prevent the edges from chopping into each other and that is one reason they do it this way instead.
Hello from 2020! Nowadays, it’s generally accepted that edge to edge contact was indeed common with longswords and other medieval weapons. However, late period sabers for sure were parried with the edge portion closest to the handle.
The problem with it is that you are leaving your opponent's sword inside your guard, meaning that they can attack you from that position and you have zero ability to parry, leading to a double hit and you both are killed or wounded. The curve isn't there to make trick thrusts, it's there to make slashing cuts more effective and, to be perfectly honest, for the sake of fashion. historically, curved swords were thought to be bad for thrusts because the curvature puts the point out of line with the hand, making thrusts weaker and less accurate. The instructor also makes out like he can instantly parry these counterattacks, which is the case in sparring where the point stops once it hits someone. However that isn't going to work in reality since if you make the hit you will have your sword inside the opponent's body when they cut you. There are many historical accounts of this; possibly the most famous one can be found on the wikipedia page for the 1796 light cavalry sabre.
More like a 70's porn star😉. However, Mr. De Longis is well known. He played and coreographed 2 episodes of The Highlander series. Same for bullwhip training with Harrison Ford Indiana Jones and Catwoman movies. If you asked me, he would've been much better than Adrian Paul for that role.
