How to Tell if Someone Knows Swordsmanship? (Reply to Combat Outlook) 

The comment I was looking for especially if the worst swordsman feels like he has nothing to lose.

Yep when I fencing with someone who I know he is good on LARP, where is stabbing and head strikes is forbidden i even keep glasses on face. With every newbie or unkwnown person i change glasses for steel helmet.

there's a saying that goes something like "when against a scrub, think like a scrub"

Then he gets drubbed by a farmer with a stick. ;)

@@Klaaism think, not act

Verily

@farorin How do avoid the splash damage? Whenever I throw my pommel the shockwave destroys anything nearby.

These sound eerily similar to another set of safety rules concerning a certain weapon of more modern day design, and in a setting one might call... boot camp. 1. Treat all weapons as if they are fully loaded. 2. Horseplay is not tolerated. 3. Do not point the muzzle at anything you do not intend to kill, harm or damage. 4. Handle the weapon only when instructed to do so. 5. Keep your finger of the trigger until your weapon is on target. 6. Do not get ahead of instructions or anticipate commands. 7. If you do not understand an instruction or procedure ask questions. Coincidence? idk, you tell me, I just found it very oddly similar XD.

Rule of sword safety. 1. Treat it as a badass sharp as hell piece of 9260 spring steel made to cut shit.

the first rule of sword safety is to have fun

Third thing I learned: HOLY SHIT I FORGOT THERE WAS A LIGHTBULB THERE

We killed two ceiling lamps while training at home because of the lockdowns... so I hear you XD

we have never been in a real swordfight to death, yet we killed so many lightbulbs we gonna certainly all got to hell. for my part, i made a specialty of shooting lamps in my bedroom at midnight by fooling around with a sword, or bumping furnitures with the scabbard of a katana trying to draw as fast as possible, and make a racket that must be heard throughout the neighborhood...

Me, a tall person: man, never thought I'd stab the ceiling with a dagger...

You should have learned to practice in a gym, where ceiling cannot be an issue... If ceiling was an issue, I guess you had other issues with that place.

Can't wait for that reverse grip mace master who loves to throw kicks.

@@fluffywise686 ngl that does sound sick

Yes, especially considering that a lot of "don't do this" rules are intended to help beginners and intermediates learn. At a certain skill level you know how to do things effectively that beginners wouldn't get away with, and then you can bend the rules here and there.

@@Skallagrim I think that holds true for all sorts of skillsets. I know there are plenty of video games where that's held true. I know several jobs I've had where I've trained people "you might see people doing this, but you're just starting off, just do it like it says in the manual". Once someone has internalized the foundations of a particular skill, they no longer have to consciously focus on executing the task, and now understand why things are done a certain way. You end up with "kids" who try to mimic professionals, who might look cool, but in the end break both of their arms because they never learned the basics of how to actually do it that way successfully.

So you're saying exceptions don't prove rules wrong? You have sense. The vast majority of humanity seems to have forgotten this.

He didn't need to swing a sword cuz he ended them rightly

No but he did bicycle joust a car a few years ago by accident.

I was in a sword fight to the death i died I know my fighting is relay bad. lol

@@PaxofPI lol too soon man.

Or, he knows better than to just admit it.

Amazing character in the Elder Scrolls

Damn it, now all I can see is the loading screen for the arena.

@@SaltineChips you are super welcome

@@SaltineChips you are super welcome

@@r.b.rozier9692 "Good people, we have a winner! All hail the combatant from the Blue Team! Victor from the Blue Team, leave the Arena now and rest! You've earned it!"

Someone call the police the baboons are playing with swords again

Debatable. Those books definitely were not relied on in actual warfare. Since they are... books. Which were not widely accessable, and most of population was illiterate anyway. So probably it is mostly for noblemen and for dueling. And duels were conducted with certain rules, so i think saying "relied to stay alive" a bit too strong of wording.

@@SwordWieldingDuck Well for sure, but I think it's very unfair to discount them entirely (which you aren't doing of course, but some people do). And I should have added that a lot of them are relevant for sparring a dueling, very different environments to a battlefield or a life or death fight. So I'll admit my wording is a bit too strong.

You didn't need to be a qualified warrior to draw pictures.

@@SwordWieldingDuck but then again, for art which have "live master" and taught with "live tradition", those live master may also include people that: A. Fight with less skilled opponent B. Fight with less number of opponent C. Not really push their technique to the point of failure. Maybe those dueling books are made to teach dueling only to upper crust society back in the day, but i think dueling stake are also high because it is often about honour, and they most likely face another noblemen with similar access to such skill. At least thats my take on it.

I think that's one of his best traits honestly; not being a condescending a-hole to people over-estimating their abilities online. Harder to encourage people to improve when you only ever shit on them!

He agreed with them up until the part where they replied to an a-hole (maybe a hema simp fanboy, maybe not) dissing hema in the process. It wasn't called for and he addresses that. They just need to up there practice equipment game.

🤣 The Canadian has overtaken his inner Viking.

According to the way how guy in blue moves, he certainly has a natural talent. I think you'd be quite surprised if you try to fence with him with any kind of weapon.

I feel like Skal is trying to teach a certain part of a certain community not to go 0-100 on everything they disagree with every time, and imo it's a worthy effort.

My name: AxxL My job: Superstar I like: Handsome girls I have: 2 handsome girlfriends My dream: Have more subs than my 2 girlfriends Your name: ipa

@@AxxLAfriku spam is rude

Hold on, your that guy from reddit. Earned yourself another subscriber :D

@@AxxLAfriku are you lost?

@@sd1m3 he never replied to you. There goes your serotonin that someone internet famous would pay you any attention

Well, technically you could if you got the angle right.

So you need greaves. :D

You could if you wore armor!

I miss LARPing with those rules. The LARP I played until about 8 years ago had long since transition to 'hit points'

Tis but a scratch!

"What are you gonna do, bleed on me?"

Just a flesh wound.

I remember I worked renfaire, and we did a lot of SCA style combat. I thought I was a terrible swordsman compared to everyone else who had been doing it longer than me. Then in school some of my theater friends were messing around with swords, and I took them out in seconds.

Fighting with larp, nylon or steel swords all set the context of how and what is possible. I've done alot of european larp fighting with sword&buckler. Some techniques of the manuscripts translate well and others not so well. Same probably applies to nylon or steel swords. Heck might as well apply to stick fighting too. It must however be considered what the context is and what limitations are given when using different "platforms". Do the blades bind? Do they flex? Differences in mass distribution? What about rule set for allowed hits and techniques? I've seen plenty of viking fighting with steel swords where they only gently tap the opponent. It could almost be argued that their system is less "swordmanship" than larping since they do dress up viking tag using a metallic stick with a handle. The system and the context must be considered if one is to discuss and compare different styles.

@@ordolupus context? Ahh a fellow Matt Easton Scholar I see

Boffers are wildly different from swords but due to cultural differences in the way they're used boffer/LARP "fighters" tend to become more experienced than HEMA practitioners at dealing with multiple opponents and team fighting scenarios. The more serious players are probably doing a lot more work with poles than HEMA practitioners, too.

It's easier to compare skill with firearms. Can you hit a target? How accurately, from what range, and how quickly? There's no equivalent test for swordsmanship, unless you count bamboo cutting - which is more a test of a single strike than swordsmanship in general.

I like LARP, and have a bunch of friends that do it (I don't other than on special occasions), and they don't do HEMA or anything. Everyone acknowledges that LARP is a game. It's always super fun and I love the story elements the different communities have and everything. But everyone knows it's not the same thing.

I feel like this could be a top comment here

Link for educational purposes

Found it just RU-vid machete fight Lancashire England it’s brutal it looks like a really personal beef and I’m glad the guy who threw his shirt off made out ok because he looked to be defending himself from a determined attacker who brought a superior weapon 😅 the guy who threw his shirt off was thrown a flimsy machete by a bystander and it looks like it broke during the fight he was really lucky he made it out on too

Yakuza are probably doing "full stakes approach fights" away from people's sight.

@@HanSolo__ no surprise. Criminals dont abide by rules. Its in the name.

Came to post the same

I wasn't sure whether he meant that or not. In any case it's also incorrect.

Having gone thru infantry OSUT with a then-future Green Beret with a MS in sports medicine, I can confirm that's a very important distinction that applies in both deadlifting or squatting a barbell, moving a .50cal, and fighting.

Yeah, I posted the same thing before seeing your post.

Amazing! I literally watch HEMA lose wherever I look on the internet

Were they using weapons of proper weight against you?

Did everyone clap afterward?

@@Fish2049 where?

@@marekverescak2493 Literally everywhere!! Whenever I look for “HEMA VS Certain Style” the vids usually showcase awful HEMA fighters, with a few exceptions.

A wise Witcher indeed. 🙏

I would say a second rule would be to never train only against the same opponents. Third rule: Never only train with/against the same weapons.

@@MonkeyJedi99 I think the second rule is to carry two swords: “One of silver for creatures that roam the wild. One of steel for humans in their cities of stone. They’re both for monsters.” -Kaed

@@galacticbob1 Both for monsters indeed.

But what if I have no one to train with?

Very fair point. They're at least not putting anyone in danger of anything other than misjudging their own skills.

I will say that Skall has a good point about fencing masks. Putting on some well made masks both help reduce the risk of getting an eye poked while also making the head a valid target (which these guys are deliberately avoiding for safety reasons). But yeah, I've definitely seen worse, like way waaaay worse.

@@webbowser8834 I also agree with the fencing masks, and not just to add the head as a target. Accidents do happen, people can easily get hit in the head. When I used to do LARP, I saw plenty of headshots, and received plenty myself. One time, I got stabbed in the mouth, and the core of the weapon went straight through the foam and split my lip wide open, I mean a good half inch or cm laceration down the center of my bottom lip. I mean, we didn't maintain the weapons as well as we should have, and something even relatively minor like this is still on the rare side, but it'd be pretty damn hard to make an argument on why protecting yourself is ever a bad idea here.

Hey it’s fun fuck off

@@ethangarland5737 lol they can have as much fun as they want, more power to them! Just don't pretend fun translates into knowledge :D

Home defense stories never fail to surprise me.

Yep there's always a story

Definitely happend

I just left a wall of text comment about different aspects of the discussion before I had to add at the end...some of Combat Outlooks videos demonstrate some extremely bad form and techniques. He says he doesn't respect people learning from the manuals, and it shows, both in his bad footwork and a lot of wild, flashy, unnecessary movements while sparring.

And he left out the most important part of understanding whether or not someone knows what they are talking about with edged weapons - how they move. Learning good footwork and practicing it to the point where it is unconscious, shows through outside the salle.

I had quite fun in fencing longsword against olympic fencers with their respective weapons. Regarding the footwork: many sources do not delve deeply into the footwork, apart from which foot is in front and which is at the back at a certain technique. My primary source, 44A8 / Liechtenauer is especially scarce here. But the thing is, mostly people started with wrestling back in the 15th century in the germanic regions. You had wrestling matches in front of the church on sundays like you have football matches today. So, you can assume that lots of the footwork is derived from wrestling, especially given the fact that you can move around freely and are not limited by a planche. Later sources have more distinct footwork, when rapiers are coming into play, this can look quite differently. (Also, we don't talk about I.33 footwork ;) )

@@Warrior_Culture Watching him dramatically posing before each attack, he just came across like the 'instruction manual' he studied was anime and manga. Was expecting him to call out the name of his attacks as he made them.

@J C I used to be a sabre fencer when I was young, then took a HEMA sabre class and it was very transferrable/easy 90% of the guards and cuts are the same, though they used the 7 and 8 parries alot more, and everything is heavier/bulkier. Longsword and the more 1400s hema less so as far as bladework. But principles of distance and timing, balance, etc are fairly universal.

If I'm not mistaken kendo isn't really a martial art, it's more like a sport akin to fencing.

Forgive me, maybe I should gave said Kenjutsu or another term that classifies Japanese swordsmanship as a defensive art. But, many practioners of Kendo that ive met trace their style back to various schools with lineages. The Yagyu-Shinkage-ryu made famous by Munenori and Mitsuyoshi "Jubei" Yagyu, Niten-Ichi-ryu the style developed Miyamoto Musashi, and Itto-ryu founded by Itto Ittosai whose style along with the Yagyu-Shinkage style were the official styles of the Tokugawa Shogunate. But, yeah Kendo has become a sport over time rather than a defensive martial art. Most sword schools arent these day anyways.

Pretty much any martial art or sport or other competition that's practiced with rules will end up conforming to the limits of those rules without regard for original purpose. People are just naturally going to be drawn to the most efficient style you can have under that specific rule set. For example, if you're not allowed to hit the head, then all guards will ignore defending the head. If there's no force required for a hit, then people will tap as fast as they can. Then there's the whole issue with double hits...

No, no. You're right.

Agreed

Beautiful thing about HEMA. It has a very "Put up or shut up/Put your money where your mouth is" mentality. If you think you're right, and your way is better and we're all wrong, PROVE IT. Gear up and lets go, show me exactly why you're superior to me with steel. Bet none of these larpers are gonna be willing to gear up and fight with steel.

@@ChueyiCha relevant side note I have LARPed with some of the best swordsmen in the US lol. It is not a mutually exclusive hobby, it nice to be able to fight without gear on, even if you lose the binds. Steel fighting is slower than a lot of LARP fighting at that, so it is interesting means to add to your reaction time if you seek out the better boffer fighters out there. Like I ran up against one of the national level boffer competitors and I learned to parry way faster as a result. We then got into a 15-minute match, died, and got beers afterward lol. Half the people I LARP with are HEMA instructors.

Never wrestle with a pig ... yada yada

They probably do know more than the average Joe.

@@kylemendoza8860 I think thed be surprised as to how short and heavy a real sword is. This would actually make you worse swordsman. Might make you a little better with Smallsword or rapier

This is also sadly the case with my country's sport. I think this is also what happened that discouraged arnisadors from parrying and rely more on risky attacks considering the use of padded weapons I hope to prevent this by constant and consistent drilling and study of sword sparring sessions (sabres in particular) with my goal to atleast encourage some form of control and a slight change to the rules to have people really treat the weapons like swords.

I ran into the same situation with LRP'ers with me in the SCA...so I just switched targeting for awhile...started targeting the meaty part of the shoulders and legs. A few score nasty bruises later and the LRP'ers got the message that simulating real sword combat and taking clean blows beats walking with a limp for 48 hours or so every time. And ended up dragging a bunch of 'em into the SCA too to learn to fight heavy. I call that a win. (please do remember that SCA heavy combat is full speed, full force.)

To be honest, if you compare stances in Japanese swordsmanship to the stances in HEMA, they're very similar. Because who woulda thunk, throwing a proper cut by engaging all the proper muscles can be done in very few varied ways.

it's ignorant so say one of the two inspired one of the two, none of the two inspired each other, and both of the two inspired each other. there is no definition of inspiring a combat technique

@@BelieverOfChrist2 If you were replying to me, all I was saying was that some modern HEMA practitioners looked to Samurai arts for help beginning to interpret HEMA manuals, I do know that medieval european and japanese martial arts evolved independently of each other though.

@@BelieverOfChrist2 To Gryphon's point, it's not even that they actively did it on purpose sometimes. There are a lot of people who transitioned into HEMA who were already doing things like Kenjutsu, Silat, what have you. They would have instinctively moved a certain way bio-mechanically that had been drilled into them. If HEMA is truly progressing and induction based vs deduction based from manuals/forms, the live elements from other arts would have bled in by default without either practitioner noticing their focus on center-lines, riposting, moving off line etc. Even a boxer who picks up a weapon would have footwork that lends to distance management that isn't by default weapons oriented. A lot can be incorporated without being accounted for (hence the dubiousness of the manuals in the first place without experimentation).

So, central Asian, middle Eastern peoples just haphazardly poked at each other with random pointy objects? Wheels are round for a very good reason, they work efficiently. The entire planet gets this. If someone didn't die in an encounter with a 'different' practitioner, they damn well learned from it. Japan is really a bad example due to its isolationist policies.

Yeah, I think the video was just saying not to round your back. Leaning would be fine, so long as your back is straight.

@@darkwingeagle there's a lot of lateral back bending in many sword martial arts. No forward curling as far as I know, true.

Yeah, straight hip is different to straight spine.

lol, I'd take a good fighter who knows distance and timing over someone who has been in a mcdojo for 10 years doing theory and form practice but has never sparred.

@@ChueyiCha lol Exactly. I remember getting lit up by a normal looking 45 year old dude who was relatively new to the school, because he had rudimentary boxing experience and wasn’t concerned about employing techniques he’d learned in that school specifically/ trying to incorporate moves from forms.

Living lineage in bullshido (thr cma in your example) is still bullshido. Stress-tested "I'm an animal, bro, I black out and go crazy" or half-assed boxing or what have you that has won fights is still less than a real art (definition: a refined skill). Benefitting from living lineages is a huge benefit in attempting to learn or reconstruct an art that we know very little or nothing about.

@@45calibermedic a) I didn’t say that lineage has no meaning at all. B) I wasn’t anywhere in my comment legitimizing the “bullshido” Kung Fu school I went to. C) Of course the techniques used by the winner of a fight between unskilled/undertrained opponents are likely not worthy of transmission; but I suspect you know that’s not what I was saying... Where is the “I black out bro” stuff coming from? I never mentioned anything approaching that. Though, if someone with less experience in one martial art (or none at all) can routinely beat intermediate/advanced practitioners of another art on fair-terms, something’s gotta be examined there. A “refined skill” in martial art that doesn’t do what it advertises is ritual dance/meditation or glorified LARP. Lastly, what do you mean “Living Lineages are of benefit in learning arts we know little or nothing about”? ... I can see *some* merit in informing the running of a school, etc.; but if they are different arts, I’d think it’d be important to actually not let the existing art tinge too much of the one being reconstructed, no?

I've heard the "I black out bro" thing from so many idiots who had no idea what they were doing... that's called getting knocked out dude XD

Ok, in fairness to the man, full speed sparring is a completely different beast from simply practicing forms. When doing full speed sparring, mistakes WILL happen and missteps WILL be taken. These mistakes by themselves do not make the man wrong, especially in full speed sparring against a resisting opponent (and criticize their technique all you want, they aren't trying to pass off demonstrations against non-resisting opponents as legit). In short, I see an earnest group who has legitimate interest in martial arts but are in need of an ego check. As far as college groups go, you can do much worse.

Or you might be in one that's buhurt with foam and someone spin kicks you in the chest or breaks your fingers with a foam mace

@@bolieve603 those are the most fun)

I do two different systems. One os you bleed. If hit in thr arm with no armour, you start to bleed

What? I don't think too many lifes are safed these days by sword techniques. To make it more realistic is more of a evaluating system then actually something practical.

Sure.

@@lefloidNemesis Yes, these days. However, they’re talking about the many generations throughout history. Guns are a footnote in history compared to swords, axes, knives, etc.

@@lefloidNemesis The manuals talk about footwork and bio-mechanics, those are still very crucial to modern day soldiers, as well as civilian's ability to defend themselves. So in a way, certain aspects are practical and still absolutely used.

Taking yourself a bit seriously there my dude I don't think you're ever going to have to actually fight for your life with a sword

What happens when citizens arent allowed to own a gun. Criminals get whatever weapon they like, and I'd rather defend myself from a person with a blade with a gun

@@Sheridantank People here own a lot of guns. It's just that a machete is consider a tool in a lot of states and it doesn't draw nearly as much attention

@@addictedtochocolate920 Criminals have guns, not a lot of citizens do. Aa far as I know, they're incredibly restricted for citizens. Getting in a blade vs blade is the last thing anyone should want.

@@Sheridantank i own a gun. My uncle owns a gun. My grandfather owns a gun. We can't relay on the law. In fact, here in Mexico policeman are criminals most of the time, and they will take advantage of any situation to get some extra money from you, but they're also cowards when it comes to protecting citizens; we're on our own, and knowing how the mafia is heavily armed, we must take countermeasures. Of course, these firearms are often illegal and we can't take them outside of our houses, but we do own them for safety. So answering your question: Yes, they are restricted, but citizens here are not known for obeying the law, and most own a gun

@@addictedtochocolate920 As well they should, I wouldn't leave it at home because that's useless if you ever should need it.

tha teep

In my admittedly limited experience with unarmed co.bat, staying firmly planted on two feet is just as important as with a sharp thing in your hands. Important to the point that you neved actually lift your feet, rather drag your toes on the ground to be able to ground yourself at any moment. Spinning kicks certainly exist, but they dont provide significantly more power for the time and exposure they take. I have mostly seen them used to get around a defense or disorient, not to be effective in and of themselves. As for generating power, it almost always comes from the hip, and upper body rotation, not any lateral movement. Its more energy efficient, quicker, and much more stable.

Imagine yourself walking with your smartphone around the corner, pointing the screen away from you, and Skall is doing this thing with the rapier. Next thing you know, he has impaled an unsuspecting pedestrian!

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN IN A SPITFIRE MK-VC OR BF-109 G6 TO COMPARE THEIR PERFORMANCE?!?!!! NO REEEEEEEEEEEEE. (Joke for the geniuses out there.)

@@whatamidoingwithmylife4108 I mean I played ace combat on ps2 with inverted axis controls. Gotta be about the same.. Haha

Yeah, died unfortunately

@@supersolomob422 RIP

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN FLYING A SPITFIRE FIGHTING THE GERMANS ABOVE BELGIUM REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRR

*clinch

im going to pretend that by FMA you mean Full Metal Alchemist because that is just so much more entertaining that anything else I can imagine it meaning.

@@gabrielandradeferraz386 It's just Filipino Martial Arts.

@@carlbecklehimer1898 those are also great I suppose

Gonna do that thing where the opponent doesn't realize they've been cut in half until I sheathe my sword & then probably get stabbed because it takes them too long to realize they're dead.

@@TheLithp You know, there's a good Family Guy style cut away joke in that. Person gets slashed, other person leaves, slashed guy goes home to his wife, goes to work the next day, continues on with life events, goes to doctor for a check up, doctor tells him he's already dead, shocked face.jpg, slash cut appears, guy splits in half.

Worthless woke college nonsense.

@@Sheridantank wait whats woke about that

@@gillsejusbates6938 Schools denying access to weapons under the false guise of creating saftey. As if a person intent to harm others cares about the "no weapons" rule.

@@Sheridantank bruh

@@Sheridantank if you wanna go stab your friends with real weapons for fun go do that somewhere else not in your school

Me and my brother were fighting in the house with larp swords. I was standing behind a doorway. My brother tried a cut that bounced off the door frame slipped past my guard and got me in the eye. That shit hurts

i got a wound on the eye with a fucking piece of cardboard i wasnt able to see with 1 eye for 1 month

Use fencing masks! Or at the very least use eye protection. No amount of coolness is worth a permanent injury! I got thrusted in the eye with a wooden sword once, not fun. Luckily all I got was a bruise.

Couldn't see the typo though

Once you had a reliable bullet, carrying a sword became dead weight.

1970s france, although it was a duel to first blood

@@conniethesconnie Mad Jack would have LOVED to disagree with you, if he was still alive.

In (austrian) german fraternities you get an pretty much unbroken lineage of historical sabre... From ~1800 Not talking about Mensur btw, but the original sabre duel. The last officially known duel was made im 1936, but unofficially, well you know. Currently, officially the school-fraternities there learn sabre fencing, the "duels" (or Sabre-Mensur) are with some protection for the face and open torso, but the blades aren't sharp. The sabres are heavy, it's not the olympic sabre, however some knowledge was surely lost. The teachers are (real) "fencing master" learn it for around 5 years (daily training+teaching) and learn olympic, sabre, mensur and two other fencing disciplines they like to get to know. They are organized as some kind of guild, therefore the knowledge and fencing standards are passed by word and teaching. HOWEVER: for sabre especially there are quite many historical manuals, especially after the 1800s, so I believe it wouldnt be too different from them as the weapon remains nearly the same

Yes, when I was younger I was a nationally competing sport sabre fencer; yes there are distortions at high level due to weight of the blade and speed, but alot has direct lineage to 1800s dueling sabre (and many read manuals from the 1700-1800s) And alot of the the guards, stances, cuts etc, really havent changed that much, especially at the beginner to intermediate level. The disdain from some HEMA folks towards olympic fencing is annoying, especially since they could learn a lot form it, especially in footwork/distance/timing/balance etc. There is some influence in modern footwork from russia, that is different than the french systems, but that also has a long tradition.

Except fencing is nothing like actual combat or dueling, so having a lineage doesn't seem to mean anything does it

@@Nikotheleepic Olympic fencing is pretty safely odentical to unarmoured rapier dueling to the death. It is indeed nothing like armoured knightly combat from 1100, but the vaunted manuals are not about that, now, are they?

​@@ineednochannelyoutube5384 They still run "one hit" epee competitions which are about as close as you can get to duelling. Although a hit to toe 1/25th of a second before a hit to mask would have a different victor in the duel than in the epee fight.

Chinese "" "" "" martial arts""" "" ""

@@Slouworker considering the amount of " " you're putting in, I assume you're attempting to disparage Chinese Martial Arts. However, if you know anything about Martial Arts, you might be aware that plenty of movements within modern mixed martial arts and sports are found within Kung Fu's repertoire, and it was from Kung Fu that a lot of it has been distilled and refined. Consider Kung Fu to be at the stage of progression of early HEMA. A collection of historical movements and ideas recreated and revived, but not yet properly contextualized.

@@1Invinc The original forms of Chinese martial arts were almost certainly very effective in what they were trying to accomplish (actual combat). But over time, as actual combat became less important, the importance instead was placed upon style, aesthetic, and the such, the martial arts became extremely ineffective in an actual fight. By the time of modern China, essentially all of the traditional martial arts had become useless in genuine combat experiences. As proven by the likes of Xu Xiaodong, a self-admitted decent and past-his-prime MMA fighter who has been destroying many self-claimed (and instituionally-supported) "masters." Secondly, what do you mean that kung fu was the foundation of HEMA? I am unknown in the origins of HEMA, but I had believed that it was created by Europeans.

@@Divinemakyr You seem to be talking to someone else, or making irrelevant points against an imaginary opponent instead of addressing what I've actually said but I'll humour you. 1) The techniques within Kung Fu isn't the problem. It's the application and consolidation of said knowledge. For example, Tai Chi is in fact, a Grappling Art. Movements such as a single leg takedown, hip throws and clinch control can be found within the Taolu. To say that Traditional Kung Fu is useless, is the wrong mindset. Modern Arts learnt from Traditional Arts. A can opener is useful as a can opener. Don't use it as a screw driver. Also, plenty of more modern combat arts can find some core movements within Kung Fu, having isolated and incorporated them into their game. From Kung Fu's side kick and Wing Chun's oblique kick starting to really show promise (and controversy in the case of the latter), to spinning heel kicks and high kicks making come backs in MMA. 2) Xu Xiaodong has become quite the "rallying point" for people who seem to know jack shit about Kung Fu or China. "Institutionally Supported" Masters? That's not a thing. Just because they've appeared on TV doesn't make them "State Sponsored". That's like saying Steven Seagal is a Federal Recognized Martial Agent of the USA. It's utter hogwash. Xu got his ass royally destroyed by the actual state sponsored martial artists aka the Chinese Sanda team. 3) Nobody said Kung Fu was the foundation of HEMA. You're pulling talking points out of your ass and sparring with your ass projections. What I said was that traditional Kung Fu and Karate do what HEMA is doing. Looking at historical manuscripts such as the various Shaolin forms, and Karate's Bubishi, and try to reconstruct how people used to fight. 4) Finally, as Matt Easton always loves to point out. Context. Plenty of Kung Fu was developed with different historical contexts in mind, with their weapon forms first, and the fist forms developing from the weapon forms. Plenty of Kung Fu fist movements are replications of movements that already exists within the weapon forms and it makes sense with the context that many surviving forms of Kung Fu were taught en masse to soldiers in the Imperial Armies over history, with weapons being the primary focus, and the fist movements being supplementary and convenient considering the repetition of the weapon movements over boot camp. Is traditional Kung Fu useful in a cage fight? Debatable. Is traditional Kung Fu useful for a Ming Dynasty Spearman who just lost his weapon and needs to defend himself? Definitely better than nothing.

@@1Invinc Kung Fu has definitely gathered a lot more mysticism than HEMA around itself. Mostly because people unfamiliar with the reality of martial arts look at the performative aspect of it that appeared in the last centuries (probably in large part because of the cult like secret societies utilizing it as a recuritment tool were all too eager to crank up its supernatural overtones). Kung Fu originall most certainly served as both a practical self defense (and training) regimen developed by monks, and as a drill form for imperial levy soldiers (Xing Yi spear form is the one Im familjar with that served this porpouse), and certainyl aspects of these practical uses are still found within the sport. However it is also true that in many incarnations of it, these grains of a "true martial art" so to speak have been mired in so much mystic nonsense and stage performance art that they are hard to identify. "Dsitillinf" it into a useful martial art as you put yut it is certainly possible, but it is questionable weather what you are left with could actually still be called kungfu. (As a side note, I am also not familiar of any form of grapplimg or groumd fighting technique within kung fu, however it encompasses such a wide envelope of styles undoubtedly something like that exists)

Are you though?

Oh most definitely, I’m 5 mins after upload. But it’s always a great day for a new skall video

ah yes we are the council of this comment section now. The first to arrive eh?

Comment section experts, a traditional martial art.

20 minutes after upload! This means I am sadly unable to make a meaningless comment about how I'm among the first to click on this video. Aww.

@OhioStateTexan yep and this should apply to all weapons

Oh yeah? Where is he now?!😁

@@KickyFut yeah.... I'm confused

Considering he won that fight, I think his being dead now is unimportant.

@@kyleheins Im pretty sure scal said something about how anyone 'now a days' hasn't. WW2 was 80 years ago and I'd say too much has changed to call what was in WW2 '2021 modern'

Did one of the Germans also have a sword? Because if not then it's not really a sword fight, it's just killing people with a sword. Which I'm sure does still occasionally happen.

I cant tell who you're talking about

@@bloodyhell8201 Then your comprehension skills might need some practice. He's talking about Combat Outlook, the guy in the video Skallagrim explicitly mentions of having dissed HEMA.

@@unevenelephant469 Or they had a momentary lapse in an otherwise startling career of perfect comprehension. I didn't detect malice, why get ugly?

@@unevenelephant469 What the hell is wrong with you dude. Why so angry. It was a legit question because if you don't watch the video and scroll to the comments and saw the comment you would probably think is this guy talking about Skall or Combat Outlook. It could be either one depending if you're new to the channel or have no idea what's going on because this comment could possibly be a hater of Skall and he didn't know (not saying that it is) You got some issues. Insulting someone for asking a harmless question doesn't help this channel. Are you proud and feel all good inside to talk down to others through a computer screen? You probably felt great being an ass. I seriously thought the original comment was directed at Skall too. I don't watch his videos a lot, and it took a while to guess who it was about. Does that make my comprehension skills crap because it isn't on a topic I would know? You know there are people who look at comments first or read and listen at the same time. But hey, if you feel justified to be a dick on the internet to compensate for something, go ahead. Just know you're not helping this channel grow by being an ass.

@@claudiahasselbach1722 The idea that witnessing one error suggests a person has a deficiency that needs fixing is pretty foolish. The comment was at best an unneeded inflammatory statement. Maybe the problem isn't their reading comprehension, but your giving an isolated incident the same weight as a history of similar incidents. You should learn how to mitigate idiotic biases from your comments before posting, that way you don't look like a dumdum, ya dummy. What kind of dumdum doesn't get an adequate set of data before sharing their conclusion with literally most of the world? SMH. Edited: for the insults. I figured you weren't a snowflake, so why not. You like brutal honesty, right?

Lmao this is too good

Most fencing books talk about duells. You can apply the art otherwise as well, but that is the context in most cases. Suppose you're a bürger (citizen) in small germanic town around 1550. It is evening, you go to the tavern, having some beers. You get into an argument with a fellow citizen. He calls your mother something nasty or otherwise insults your honor. You know, your honor is a real thing and getting it damaged may lead to real life economical consquences. You have to defend it. You demand a duell. You agree to meet with your seconds at a certain place the other night. Now, indulge me: what is a good outcome, what is bad outcome for your private duell? Suppose you both draw your sword, have a fight. You cut through the hand of your opponent, so that he loses some fingers or is otherwise unable to work with his hand for a living. You both live in the same town, you get sued and will have to pay for his injuries. Definetly not an optimal outcome. Maybe you even land a very good thrust to the face or the or the chest, exactly like your treatise describes. He dies of his injuries, either instantly or later. Doesn't matter. You're probably getting persecuted and most likely hanged. Even worse outcome. Maybe both of you draw your sharp swords, hit the other and inflict some superficial wounds. He apologises. Your honor is restored, because both of you were brave enough to fight with sharp swords. Now, do you think, that there is an incentive to fight in a controlled way in the 15th century under the circumstances described in our fencing books?

@@mephisto8101 Are you sure that people were persecuted by law because of duels? Weren't you excused to maim or even kill the other since they accepted the duel?

@@BioTheHuman That highly depends on location and time. Would have to check the laws. A good read about the martial ethic and the legal circumstances can be found in B. Ann Tlusty's "The martial ethic in early modern germany: civic duty and the right of arms" . From the back of my head, if you participate in a Fechtschule, a fencing tournament, the usual goal was to cut a bleeding wound on your opponent, preferably at the head. The so called "Höchste Rühr" or highest goal. That could win you the round. If you stab your opponent in the eye, you would have to pay a considerable fine. If you kill them in the tournament, there would be a legal investigation by the authorities on the circumstances and your relationship with the victim. If it was established, that both of you didn't know each other and held no grudge and it was indeed an accident, you could go free. That was a historic case. Later on, when duelling became really popular amongst unversity students, this kind of behavior was highly discouraged by the lawmakers, as many young lads perished during duels. The interesting thing was, that the legal punishment for duels was extraordinarily high, but it was rarely enforced. It was intended to up the stakes and create an incentive for cautious behaviour.

Yeah I've seen people hack at each other's backs with blades in some country as some kind of "tradition". Idk if it's technically full-on combat to the death intentionally. I wonder about some gang bangers (like MS 13) getting in knife fights, though.

Political affiliation is irrelevant, those guys are stupid only for one simple reason: They view their way of sword fighting as the most authentic despite the fact that they prohibit the use of thrusts. Since thrusts are so dangerous even those guys are willing to prohibit them while using sharp swords, but it definitely defeats the purpose of what they are doing in terms of authenticity. And the fact that they killed two of their own.....just wow. They are very brave (stupid?) you gotta give them that, but the way they don't realise how unauthentic their way of fighting is rendered by a simple detail is really really bad.

@@samasumo2 I haven't heard anything about banning thrusts from them, but then I also haven't watched enough of their stupidity to see if they actually do it or not. Still, disregarding proven methods of fighting because nobody who trained that is suicidal enough is just stupid.

Not exactly neonazis in the well known sense, but close. You see, that what happens when frat students and ex-military hit high adrenaline-resistant level : they seek adrenaline and they find it in "yeah, lets fight with sharp weapons". Obviously they do not want to kill each other - and lack any proper technique. Plus they fear for their lifes, which made their fencing very long-range and overall not very agressive. From what I've seen, their vid started with "just any weapon" and went to "ok, shield, axe, helmet, a bit of chainmail over the shoulders", while it started looking like some proper combat for once... Btw., no one wanted to fight longsword on longsword - they wanted to go with shield + axe, which proves the point, that in fact, they do prefer staying alive.

@@samasumo2 they actually got some kills? Never heard of it, but ok.

Parry *this* you fucking casual

or just want to get to the nazi's and don't want to waste time on the mini boss 😂