Consider this small part of the video tags a targeted advertisement of this amazing sport for the people who spend time on the internet and enjoy sword fighting online. I'm just keeping everyone up to date. :) Truth be told, I did want to put "cute cats" in there as well, but unfortunately no cats were shown during the match.
This sport could really catch on... but it would need some improvements - like dozens of really good high speed cameras for slow-mo footage and better scoring based on a judge’s review of the actual damages that would be done by each strike. As is, it won’t become a popular spectator sport because it’s too fast & the severity of the strikes are not readily perceivable.
hard to do when hema has about 0% funding right now. most of the tournaments are financed by the small clubs themselves and does not have any sponsors to load up the cash
Also some stars would be good, and some branding. Hema should try to move as far away from traditional fencing and try to more replicate popular combat sports
It's not a sport and I don't want it to be. It's a martial art and every person in that audience is committed to the scholarship of it. Hema and all historical martial arts are very much about honor, if you get hit you admit it and if your not was bad you say so but even with that the judges decide it ultimately.
Love how the fencer with the more "mature" style won. Much more satisfying than seeing the restless, snipey style of A.O. win. Of course no disrespect to the silver medalist either, it takes a lot to get to the finals.
Olbrychski was thrusting and cutting more “maturely” and wasn’t just sniping the legs in the elims. Kultaev is just a scary good fighter, and his cuts hit like a truck.
Very skilled sportsmans indeed, I do feel the scoring system does not punish ''doubles'' enough. I'm not sure there was one engagement where one of the parties did not suffer an afterblow.
Wow this is awesome, I do BJJ and kickboxing along with IDS, but I really wish I had stuff like this available to me in my area as well it looks so much fun
goggles789 yeah it’s the unfortunate plague of HEMA. I do remember them trying out a continuous match where both fighters don’t stop fighting until the timer is up, but this puts pressure on the referees to spot out the hits therefore the scoring is not guaranteed to be correct. Fun and intense to watch though and I’d like to see them do it again soon.
@goggles789 Sharp swords hurt man. Even if it does not seem like there is much force, it may have cut deep were it sharp. you have to remember the longer a sword is, the faster the point (or its end in general) moves, like a giant lever. Maybe the wrist move was not very exagerated and does not seem to have much force put the speed of the tip/far end of the sword is moving FAST.
Maybe a scoring system where they fight for a set time limit while the bout is filmed from different angles. The refs could then watch the video in slow motion to determine who scored the most points.
The title of "Referee" can only be awarded to the best ninja in the facility. He is a master of his art, and can use his staff efficiently; even against two skilled swordsmen.
13:17 he feinted a thrust then proceeded to shift to a mezzano or mittelhaw or middle lateral cut. I include many feints in my own personal style of HEMA it's not all about attacking forwards you have to fool the opponent from time to time.
Чорт, почему это видео пришло ко мне только сегодня? Это круто :0 Хотелось бы видеть и больше... Дисциплин? Как, например, древковое оружие. Но я понимаю, что это сложно организовать и пожалуй, может быть травмопасно, как с алебардой, например. В прочем, прекрасная работа🗿👍🏻
@Ravenheart is correct. Additionally: A well covered thrust is really hard to perform and leaves the opponent unable to set an afterblow while also "fatally wounding" them, were it a real fight. It's generally a great way to deal with both your opponent and his weapon, if done correctly.
@@Rocknoob49 A thrust in what context is more deadly than a cut? if you mean counter thrusting your opponents face/head and thus catching his sword on your own and effectively holding it off/locking it off then yes this is an very effective counter, your opponents after blow is caught and he's instantly dead by head shot, but it is no better than doing the same thing with a high or middle cut. But if you mean stabbing your opponent in the body I disagree unless you hit the spine or your lucky enough he goes into shock, most likely you've just stuck your sword in him and given him to opportunity for him to attack you back people don't instantly die from a thrust to the body, he would have the ability to pull out his dagger also, silver wrote in 1600 a case were a man was stabbed several times with a rapier yet went on to kill his opponent. Perhaps you mean a counter thrust to the right shoulder of your opponent as this often also catches their sword, but the opponent can still use their left arm to draw a dagger or grapple, it would also be less lethal than a zornhaw/diagonal or high cut counter to the right shoulder as that would likely cut through the shoulder entirely and cause more severe bodily harm. Aside from silvers example there is modern dagger and knife crime where people are stabbed tens of times before dying or often escaping with many wounds, or gun shots for that matter, stabbing you opponent in the body isn't as damaging as cutting. Perhaps you mean, "more deadly" as harder for your opponent to deal with? This is probably subjective I've encounter opponents who are poor at defending thrusts, but in my experience the easiest counters to pull off are those that use the master cuts, with zwerchaw at the top of the list, followed by the simple high cut, in all cases the off line movement does the job.
@@zachariaravenheart I don't think they are, a thrust to the face that reaches the brain, is definitely just a deadly as cutting someones head off. But a thrust to the body can do almost nothing to a opponent cooked up on adrenaline, thrust the stomach and the guy won't die for days, sword fights end in seconds. If the spine is pierced the thrust will be deadly but that is unlikely, a thrust to the heart doesn't result in instant death either there is is 30seconds-1minute of movement left. Silver wrote in 1600 of an account were a man was stabbed several times in a rapier duel only to kills his opponent, then there is modern day knife and dagger statistics that show people needing to be stabbed tens of times to die. Most likely they give more points for control, thrust counters are a very easy way for marshals to see control, where you hit your opponent but stop his after blow/remove his ability to after blow. rather than just hitting and then trying to step out of the way fast, the same thing can be done with a cut (in fact I find it easier with a cut) but it looks less clear from certain angles.
More deadly however I don't like it. Historically thrusts were outlawed I'm maybe places because of their lethality but with modern steel feders the now have give and aren't as dangerous
Idk anything about this so forgive any ignorance. Is there a purse to the winner or is it just bragging rights along with the medals? *Edit: Now I see there's a purse. My bad!
I think they would be contemplating on why people still practice their craft, despite all the scientific (technological) and social advancements. A conversation we can have anyways, a dialogue about values, beauty and understanding, a quest for knowledge and opportunity to bring to life and to be part of the sublime dreams of our past.
@@appleyanimator6541 ouk, cause i love this kinda stuff and id love to learn it but id just like to know if itd be unusual for someone my age to learn this kinda stuff, long sword fighting seems dope
I feel as though having them start the round within striking distance of each other really takes away a lot from some of these rounds? Surely the approach and the posturing is one of the most important and interesting aspects of a longsword duel, I don't wanna see which of them can swing faster and score a point quicker, swordsmen would never have done that, a killing stroke that lands 1/10th of a second earlier but still gets you killed afterwards just seems against the spirit of skilled swordsmanship. The same reason I find fencing to be really boring. Surely the truest expression of skill is in finding a kill stroke without potentially dying in return for it?
What if the scoring system was that if you got hit anywhere except in the head, if you can land a blow after getting hit there are no points given to anyone. I Don't want this to turn into sport fencing where people just suicide attack. I want 1 person to hit the other in a deadly way, parry incoming blows then back out. Now the one who was hit can just run frantically after them and flail their sword i guess but there should be a limit, so maybe 2 hits attacks after you are hit in the next i dunno 5 seconds then you lose unless you get hit in the head ofc. That way if there is a double hit, no one gets points. and if there is 1 hit followed by not getting hit in the next 5 seconds, results in a point. To get it as close as possible to reality.
I came here cus I was trying to understand katana haters still can't understand people having to hate on any sword if you like swords like um all if you like martial arts do the same
Not really. Many more “circular fighters” were eliminated in the elimination bouts. Most circling in HEMA tournaments is unnecessary, and these guys (Kultaev and Olbrychski) know how to deal with it. That’s not to say circling shouldn’t be used at all, there’s just no point in circling for the point of circling. In fact, the circling fighter is usually pushed to the edge of the ring, and is forced to use more energy and move more than the linear fighter (see Kool vs Kultaev in Helsinki 2018).
Trin Offline steps are absolutely crucial and should be utilized in most rulesets, but circular movement may suit some fighters more than others. Also, I’m just curious, how does offline movement allow you to get deeper targets?
I love that HEMA has been getting this kind of attention in recent years, and I hope it keeps going, but I have a huge gripe with these kinds of tournaments... I suppose it's a matter of perspective, but I see HEMA and Historical Fencing like a simulation of a fight with either sharp weapons, where the idea is to disable or incapacitate your oponent without getting wounded, or as a simulation of the 17th century tradition of fighting "until the first bleeding cut" with blunt Federschwerter. Based on unarmoured combat of course. Seeing this type of fighting is something that makes me cringe a little, with no disdain for these athletes' capacities I will add... but if those swords had been sharp, in 95% of the seen bouts, both contestants either would have been seriously wounded or maimed, or if it'd be with blunted swords and no armour (17th century blossfechten) then both would have broken limbs from the first rounds. One reason why I dislike these types of tournaments, both with the scoring system as with the high degree of protection that is worn, is that it takes away most defensive incentive, and promotes reckless and indiscriminate attacks: hitting is more important than not being hit, while it should be the other way around in my opinion. Also, the intensity and how hard they hit each other is completely in conflict with the concept of the sword as a weapon. It's partially the reason why at our club we fight with relatively little protection (mask, light leather or composite gloves, and a light jacket, like the SPES 350n Officer Jacket): first of all that you are more inclined to fight carefully for your own safety, and because you know your oponent is equally vulnerable, the scored hits are much lighter, craftier and elegant, while containing their historical "lethality" so to speak, since hypothetically, you really don't need a lot of force to mortally injure someone with a sharp sword. And so the sparring with blunt weapons should reflect that. Otherwise it just becomes MMA with iron rods and it won't retain any of its historical accuracy and intention. My point in short is: there's very few "clean" hits to be seen here. No matter how good your hit is, if you can't get out without being cut in return, your attack is as good as worthless. There shouldn't be this many double hits in a swordfight. For clarity: I fight in a Meyer-styled tradition of Blossfechten with minimal protection at Antwerp's Saint Michael's Guild, which isn't the most "orthodox" way of fighting in the HEMA-scene, and I know this opinion is far from new, and probably is not going to resonate with most HEMA-ists. Still, i hope it provides some food for thought.
At my club while doing free sparring when you say "one more round" they mean one more clean round, you double you go again. I'm not sure if it's my club specifically or the difference between America and Europe but even though we wear a lot of gear (can't take chances with our expensive healthcare and greedy insurance) we don't count doubles and we don't hit too hard, if it's not hard enough it doesn't count, if it's too hard you get penalized.
The form of these competitors is absolutely beautiful to watch. I really appreciate that HEMA is promoting these old forms of combat. Maybe i can get my wife interested, it would be really good exercise for us and goodness knows she has probably wanted to smack me with a sword more than once.
Imagine, instead of a verbal argument, you settle disputes with a quick spar. Then your kid learns from it and challenges a classmate to a duel to the death... 🤔
The reaction time of Sergey at 10:57 is incredible, that man was fighting for his life. What smooth transitions between parrying. That is true art, screw paintings d00d
Two constantly repeating techniques out of 4x Prinzipalhäue 12x "verkehrte Häue" 24x "handarbeiten" (for indes-Situations) and about 13x kinds of Zufechten to approach the enemy WITHOUT(!!!!) gettig hit. All described in books.. in one book very especially. This is... playing hide and seek with swords.. no respect for each other ones weapon. They fight to hit and don't fight not to be hit. I can't find a something beauty in it but the motivation of meeting people .. . To go for turnaments.. and even that mindset is questionable.
We should have an AMMA (Armed Mixed-Martial Arts) where we incorporate all armed martial arts into a free flowing fencing sport. Kendo, Historical Chinese fencing, HEMA,.... not just the styles but weapons as well. If sth like that can get going and we can make an intl organisation that can incorporate different styles of fencing and armed arts around the world, it can be a great Olympics sport as well.
definitely. i hate MMA. MMA actually put me off martial arts for a while, because it has stripped all of the tradition and honour out of it. Weapons are better.. i love fencing and i love two handed sword fighting=claymore. i would love to see more free flowing rallies with like twenty hits and parries in one go for example, rather than the pattern of tentative sword touching followed by someone thrusting in and usually getting struck, then the fighting broken up and they start again. i want a flowing rally of continuous blow and parries like a game of thrones sword fight, or any other medieval film.
@@MrLimbei123 Or in continious HEMA fights and sparring. Problem with that is that it is hard to keep track of points, and therefore they need to invest in alot of slow-motion cameras, etc.
People will just pick the domimant weapon/style and you ll rarely ser anything else in the finals. The firat few years before the meta is defined will be neat though
7:20 beautiful reckless uncovered thrust that is covered with an instant afterblow. Honestly don't throw around the term "good fencing" around so easily. He did nothing to cover himself afterwards even though it would have been so simple to defend his right from that incoming blade...
Historically, duels to the death were uncommon. Generally, duels that ended in death became common in the era where "lords" or wealthy folk would participate. It was lower stakes to cause death for them because they generally did not care and were not trained as combatants. People who would duel as commoners or soldiers would rarely duel lethaly, because you actually wanted to get better and have people that are experienced with a weapon along side you.
Thanks a lot for the effort put into this! Always a pleasure to see your own instructor displaying his skill against someone much better than you. Kinda funny that one of the strongest competitors representing the UK is also Russian, lol
Sergey Kultaev looks to be on a whole other level from his competition here. If they take of the armor it is not even close. The other guy moves his hands all disconnect from his body movements, just trying to score points, and he is still contained. Sergey Kultaev is challenging his actual sword craft, delivering meaningful blows, while beating the other guy to the point. Very impressive difference between Sergey Kultaev, and the other guy.
Antoni beat Sergey in the rematch (final) at Minsk, by the way. Made some smart adjustments, improved his thrust defense, and won the first and second rounds in a best of three match.
hmmm I have to disagree, that a one handed, left handed sweep at someone's legs with the longsword is a "nice blow", I highly doubt the ability of such a "cut" to maintain edge alignment, rigidity and cutting motion. Most likely it would result in a non debilitating flesh wound.
I tend to disagree, the weak of the sword tends to be extremely sharp and the force comes from the swing itself. It depends if you're going for first bruise, first blood, or something else but that will cut. You forget that people don't like getting hurt so a cut doing minimal damage with minimal long term effects is good.
I suppose you can blame it on the amount of protective gear and the rule set that rewards quick suicidal snipes. It's a complex topic; what are we trying to achieve with these tournaments ? It looks a lot like modern fencing with longswords, lacking the "H" of HEMA. It would be nice to have more categories. There are cutting competitions, so why not a category rewarding proper technique ? It would be less boring if we had tournaments more in that style : facebook.com/escrimedievale17/videos/1302844619877132/
Flat? That could also be a shallow thrust, and it doesn't take much to injure the knee. Yeah, it was pretty weak. However, most sabre fencers don't dangle at long range, they just charge into their death.
@@pa9030 Fencers don't charge in Epee, since in that event a blow to any part of the body scores a point. You might have your fencing events mixed up a bit.
I think there must be sanctions for afterblows, really looks wierd when they keep fighting after thrust in head. That just counter to main fencing rule - hit and don't get hitted, isn't it?
I've never seen anything like this! I am terrified and amazed, i cant stop watching. Does this hurt!? I lost it when the blade went straight into the guys face :O
