European Sword Cutting Techniques

[JaganshiKitsune]

I have one question. Although its strengths obviously lie in cutting and slashing, and I know anything can stab if you put enough weight behind it, does the design of the Arming sword lend itself to stabbing in combat situations at all?

[ChishioAme]

@JaganshiKitsune Short answer? Yes. Long answer? All Euro designs are good thrusters, even the XIII family, which have spatulate (rounded) tips and are capable of deadly thrusts against an unarmored opponent. However, some, such as the XV, XVI, XVII, and XVIII families, are MUCH better at thrusting than other designs (though the XV and XVII sacrifice much of their cutting ability) because they were designed to thrust into the gaps in armor, so they have narrow, reinforced tips.

[PetertheGreatest1]

When you swing, you seem to pull the sword back toward you as well as side to side movement. This makes the cutting action. Am I correct in this?

[kazetehskylord]

2:36 that was beautiful

[cryora]

Dang just let me drink the water and you can cut the empty bottles

[kazetehskylord]

@cryora The bottles need the weight of the water to make them cuttable.

[maxguitarhero]

@kazetehskylord not true.

[kazetehskylord]

@maxguitarhero Or, well, it's easier that way. The target is better with some weight behind it.

[Eso1]

Cool, good to see some european swords at use

[ZARN1234O]

anyone else see how many water bottles he's used/ wasting.

[telesforillos]

beautiful sword

[ThorgalsWalhalla]

jetz haben die pädosphilen auch schon Schwerter O_o

[sirg31]

thanks for the info...i have a henry V from AA Swords that i've never used....after watching this vid i will definitely give it a go...great post....5 stars.

[Sassabian]

It's funny how some people try to speak like they know something about sword fighting, when their comments clearly show that they don't. Positive sides of the katana are usually well known, but to compare european style sword to an axe just because you don't know how the sword really handles is just foolish. Any one who has had even a little training with european sword fighting (with longsword or backsword or something along that line) knows that those techniques are really agile.

[xtcarnage15586]

@theninjaswerehere I was kidding broskies

[xtcarnage15586]

Dude The katana is so much better than this omfg holy shit!!!

Dude european swords fucking suck. Why would you even want one when you can buy a fucking katana bitch

[AntiTheory]

@xtcarnage15586 Sup, weeaboo?

[shawnbuck85]

i have been working with ahand and a half style sword for quite a while and i think that they are a-lot easyer to recover with and more divers, "something to think about"

althogh you are an amature and you tequnic needs some sharpening its not bad at all, if your not taking classes you have done homework and the more you do the sharper you tequnic will get.

[drakboner]

@shawnbuck85 your spelling, makes me cry, i'd imagine this kid is talking out his ass

[shawnbuck85]

@drakboner fuck you,.........did i spell that right?

[drakboner]

@shawnbuck85 yeah good chance this kid is trying way too hard to sound intelligent

[shawnbuck85]

@drakboner dude im 25 and by the looks of you channel your 12, so congrats, you coght an adult miss spelling words but thats ok, couse i make 500 a day without needing to spell. english and littrature was never my strong siut any way but who knows maybe youll grow up it be teacher or something and learn ppl like me how to spell, good luck. ;)

[drakboner]

@shawnbuck85 Thank you very much for your concern for my future, but common english and seemingly ego boosting are difficult problems to solve. But i hear hot iron can fix it, i'd reccomend at least a 44 caliber for effect. also i'm not 12 i'm 7 for all you know. (it wasn't spelling mistakes you made it was ridiculous respellings...)

[shawnbuck85]

@drakboner well a slug isnt iron but i get you point, ill consider it. meanwhile why dont you go to the top of the page, look up bitch slap and consider the fact that some day if you keep this kind of stuff up you could get one. ross you fingers.

[drakboner]

@shawnbuck85 Wunderbar, and let's hope its directly on my anus.

[shawnbuck85]

@drakboner lmao thats funny shit

[apledex]

@drakboner bwahahahaha

[drakboner]

@apledex yes, tarded children of the internet like internet tough guy way too much

[timothycharron]

I myself am a Hung Gar practicioner, Just by this video i cannot tell if he is combat trained, But the sword has to be very sharp to make cuts like that on such a short swing.

[Cheeseitnow]

Good video and Nice cutting. may i ask where you bought your 1h Arming sword ?

[GamerDudester]

Lovely cuts.

[TeancumElite]

I still prefer the tomahawk and dirk combo.

[WolfOfBloodAndBone]

Why are the idiots arguing on here? The katana is a sharp bar with a pointy bit, its not a magic sword that can cut through armor and machine gun barrels :P now please stop arguing thats probably why he doesn't put comments on his newer videos. Awesome videos Mike, I love watching them! :D

[ChishioAme]

@WolfOfBloodAndBone I'm not arguing, but aren't all swords essentially sharp bars with pointy bits? With that said, no sword is any better than any other sword; they are all dependent upon the arm that wields them. The only reason the katana is so hyped is because of the hype over Japanese things, beginning with Highlander. Ignoring my own like of the sword (it's still not my preferred blade, which is a dao), it's main claim to fame is the techniques to wield it, which give it impressive speed.

[tyjohnston87]

@ChishioAme Swords are more than just "sharp bars with pointy bits." While technique is important, it's also important to keep in mind that different types of swords have different techniques. Even within European history alone, there's a wide variety of swords, each with a different, or more appropriate, use than other swords. Some are better for fighting from horseback, others for what the public thinks of as dueling, some for slashing, some for stabbing, etc.

[ChishioAme]

@tyjohnston87 You clearly didn't read the message I was replying to, wherein the katana was compared to a sharp bar with a pointy bit. At their most basic, a sword is a bar of steel with an edge and a point; there is no arguing this fact, but more goes into swordcraft than just that, which is why I used the term "essentially." However, I wasn't arguing, but pointing out why there are idiots arguing about the "superiority" of the katana.

[TheIkawatay]

@kolotiti damn ur right it can thru anything and everything katana can even cut the INTERNET! and especially YouTube! and even iPhone KATANA ROCKS!!!

[WolfOfBloodAndBone]

@TheIkawatay ?Wha?

[Fight040Allah]

Get yourself a katana better overall sword and cleaner cuts.

[MikkoKuusirati]

@Fight040Allah Clean cuts are a matter of the swordsman's skill, and a sword's overall quality depends solely on how well-made the individual weapon is, not general type or culture of origin. A crappy Japanese sword is just as crappy as a crappy European sword, and both run the gamut from $50 mass produced junk to $10,000 hand-made works of art.

[TheIkawatay]

@halfassedfart YOU SHUT UP AND SHOVE YOUR HEAD UP IN YOUR ASS!!!

[TheIkawatay]

@Mikkael365's I cant didnt any argument and im not canadian so dont call me faggot!!! bwahahahahahaha!!!! and is that you n the video cutting those poor bottles like an ass??? cuz looks so gay!!!bwahahahahahahahaha

japanese sword always win against any excalibur crap swords!!!

[van1980]

Did you sharpen it yourself, or are you using a production edge? I have a William Marshall damascus with, I believe, Hanwei's edge. Can't remember if I got KoA to put an edge on it.. I bat the waterbottles more often than cutting. Really have to work on the slicing aspect of my cut I guess. Either that or my edge is not sharp. Certainly won't cut paper. That an Albion?

[gargantuanuan]

What a sad twat, I hope for his ake noone saw him doing that. How embarrsing would that be? I feel for you mate. get help lol

[aseglkj]

@gargantuanuan Who is sadder? The loser, or the one who comments on his videos?

[gargantuanuan]

@aseglkj The saddest is the twat in the video, closely followed by anybody that think it is anything but tragic..Obvious Isn't it? What do you mean the loser?

[van1980]

@gargantuanuan Judging by the comments on your channel, you appear to be nothing more than a divorce baby troll, angrily lashing out at strangers from behind the safety of a monitor in between sessions on facebook looking for your missing father.

[Nostro200]

yea, water bottels are cheap, is that what you are trying to say?

[TheIkawatay]

WHATEVER!!! THEIR GAYS THEY THINK THAT WHATEVER THEY TRY TO PROVE ARE PROBABLE SO GAY!!! LOL!!!

[halfassedfart]

@TheIkawatay Shut the fuck up and go back to wanking to your anime bullshit, you blithering imbecile.

[Mikkael365]

@TheIkawatay

so you resort to calling the mythbusters gay when you know you are beaten in an argument, not even a troll, a faggot is you.

[TheIkawatay]

@mrbeast85 mythbusters thats a fun show but no!!! a skill is different from a machine and the way u think impossible? right.... two gay guys mythbusters cant prove everything...

[mrbeast85]

@TheIkawatay Maybe they are gay, although AFAIK they both have female partners. My point was twofold. 1. That even an entertainment show like Myth Busters managed to get it right. 2. If a machine capable of generating more force than a human cannot 'cut' through a sword then no matter how good your technique; a Katana will never and has never 'cut through' another iron/steel sword. Find me some evidence to the contrary, otherwise I think its you that has trouble proving things...

[TheIkawatay]

a katana can cut thru your sword...

[mrbeast85]

@TheIkawatay Err nope. Its physically impossible for a sword to cut through another sword. Even Mythbusters showed this is impossible and they used machines to test it. You need a source of information other than anime cartoons and films.

[kolotiti]

@TheIkawatay epic..... katana can cut thru concrete... thru earth and when you arent enough carefull it cuts thru dimensions and the dimensionhole sucks you in...... katana is just a sharpened iron bar with a handle nothing less nothing more......

[quixoteknight]

@xsnowxdemonx

Hey man, in point of fact a swordsman using what Giacomo De Grassi called the "straight cut" it is possible to recover amazingly fast. basically what is happening is the centrifugal force of the cut is being slowed by extending the arc of the cut instead of pulling it in to pull the mass of the blade closer, thus accelerating the blade. This results in the cut ending in what was referred to as a hanging guard where the blade rests in front of the opponent.

[Joemomma224]

DIE DASANI!!

[Knightofthetruehorne]

ihaterobbie thats bullshit iff you know what your doing you can come out of a cut im perfect position for a follow up cut or a defensive manuver

[ihaterobbie123]

@Knightofthetruehorne

Remember, I said the cut was heavy. Due to the small inertia on the katana (as a rusult of the curve) cuts can be followed up faster that the time taken for your opponant (let's just say you missed him) can get into distance. With a straight blade you would have to follow up with a pommel strike or (as you said) defensive manuveur.

[NoOne3234]

@ihaterobbie123 I agree that this sword has a large moment of inertia and that the amount of torque provided by the user is limited by the use of one hand. While some techniques have been developed to mitigate this, it's difficult to argue that this doesn't have disadvantages in recovery or control. The advantage of a single handed sword is reach and whatever you have in the other hand.

[NoOne3234]

That said, I do not believe that the Katana's curve (which can be pretty mild) results in an earth shattering decrease in moment of inertia. I believe that parameters like length and mass distribution on blade are more important...

[stevee5594]

lol i guess ur right but i do like this video

[thedoughnutanator]

i prefer a katana to a European sword, but thats just me.

[MarioPrka]

Very nice cutting and technique. You really must drink a lot of bottled water to have so many bottles leftover, or do you collect them from others :D.

[depoty]

Its rather refreshing to know that a good medievil european sword can be just a sharp and lethal as the well marketed and promoted Katana that has been purveyed as the only sword to have for so long.

rock on bastard swords, long swords, rapiers and broadswords

And lol at stevee9954 same reason theres a shortage of rolled up mats in Japan I guess.

[ihaterobbie123]

Using forging techniques available at the time, they couldn't have been as sharp as a katana. Using modern steels they can be but not for as long.

There's so many things other than the cut that makes a sword lethal. What I don't like about European swords is where you end up after a cut, wide open. It's no wonder broadswords were used with shields. The katana removes the need for a shield giving the ability to recover quickly after a heavy cut.

I don't care if I'm negged, I'm right.

[Chacoop]

@ihaterobbie123

Would it have anything to do with one-handed versus two-handed technique?

[dominique88]

Where you end up after the cut? Using a hand and a half sword with two hands leads to you ending up in a similar place as with the katana. You're applying way too much to sword styles. It's simple human body mechanics. Also, a double edged cruciform sword can deliver a back cut with the short edge, which is something the katana lacks.

Look. Both swords have their positive and negative points, and if you were educated, you'd understand why a lot of people are advocated the European sword.

[dominique88]

Also, using forging techniques of the time? If you did your homework you'd know that Japan is the iron poor region, not Europe. The construction of the katana is very respectable, but a lot of it's design stems from the once necessary steel purification process. European steel is actually much higher quality.

Lastly, please enlighten me as to how the katana's design allows one to recover more quickly, and negates the use of a shield. Bleach and Highlander are not viable sources.

[ihaterobbie123]

@dominique88 The steel is folded to be purified BEFORE the soft steel core is inserted. The layers have little to nil effect on the final product. No matter what quality steel is used, two different steels always produce a more resiliant edge than monosteel blades.

Katana can cut with less force than a straight blade. There are cuts in kenjutsu called "swallow cuts" which are impossible to excecute with a HAAH sword.

Learn a bit about inertia, I can't be bothered teaching university physics...

[Kunstdesfechtens]

You are mistaken. I would direct you to Joachim Meyer's German longsword manual from 1570 (for example) that advocates being able to stop the sword cut wherever you like, from all the way through to "point online". I study both European and Japanese sword arts, and both use "through cuts" and "half cuts". There is much more in common than different.

[Knightofthetruehorne]

@ihaterobbie123 sorry about my earlier comment i mistook what u meant. I do understand what ur saying but u cant really accuratly compare two diffrent swords from totally diffrent eras if you know what i mean

[temmy9]

@ihaterobbie123

The forging techniques used to make the Katana were known in Europe as far back as the celtic era. Europeans stopped using them because the steel in europe was better and did not need the labourious and time consuming folding and welding process.

Shields in europe fell out of use in the 1200's. Longswords can cut very well, Can thrust much better than a Katana, and the hilt and crossguard enables techniques no Katana could do.

[ihaterobbie123]

@temmy9 Any feature a longsword has that attributes it techniques, a katana will have a different feature for different techniques, oh and differential tempering is japanese in origin.

Pattern welding is not jacketing, pattern welding is random. Carbon distribution is at least controlled when forging a katana.

A katana can thrust very well and cut much better than a longsword. In case you don't know it doesn't matter because you can't get a sword through armour, you have to work around it.

[temmy9]

@ihaterobbie123

The Japanese learned the technique from the Chinese. Migration Era german smiths were employing the technique before there was even a Japanese state. The Vikings were masters of employing certain techniques of differential hardening that were more sophisticated than the Japanese. As I said before..European blades of the medieval era had much better steel. They did not need the process used by Japanese smiths to control Carbon. All things being equal, monosteel is often better.

[ihaterobbie123]

@temmy9 I'm sorry, but please point me to a credible source (ie. NOT a forum where YOU agree with yourself) that proves beyond reasonable doubt that the vikings created differential clay tempering.

By the way, differential tempering doesn't concern carbon content. The microstructures that are formed in different parts of the steel are what's affected.

I find all of this very hard to believe considering only viking nobles could afford swords anyway, they weren't that important.

[temmy9]

@ihaterobbie123

I did not say they invented clay differential hardening. I said they employed thier own techniques that involved steels of different carbon levels. Clay was superfluous.

All things being equal, it is still better to have a through hardened blade made made from superior steel. The cost is less, and results are the same, if not better. Differential hardening is done to compensate for poor steel or for the aesthetic qualities.

[ihaterobbie123]

@temmy9 Oh kk, must have interperated it wrongly, some uses of language are left ambiguous on the internet.

Yes I know all about the celts pioneering the practice but I still maintain that random patterns don't fare better than structured and organised placement of the different steels.

As you said, monosteel is better, especially in this day and age. Have you seen the new(ish) l6 steel? Blows everything I've ever seen out of the water, and looks good doing it.

[megadeath45]

@depoty I wholeheartedly agree. The katana is far too overrated.

[ponyfang]

@depoty Im goign to have to say, Anime gave birth to the katana being the master sword of the earth. However, I honestly dont REALLY like katanas, They can be nice and well crafted sure, but I just don't liek them as much as a good double edged scandanavian sword, Its just soemthing in me, The katana is simply soemthing made popular by a cartoon, that or 80's and 90's karate movies ;)

[depoty]

@ponyfang

Check out James Williams -- put the below sentence in youtube search

Ancient Edge Bastard Sword Cutting Demo (Tameshigiri)

slicing up a tame mat with a Bastard sword....hot knife through butter and wielded like a dream. I like these swords better than Katanas and all the hype that surronds them. My 1650's Scottish Basket hilt broadsword is lethal and I can slash and thrust with it twice as fast as my XL Katana

[ThegnThrand]

@depoty This is Thrand!!!!

You can Check out a comparison speed and cutting of Katana to Viking long sword in my Youtube Video "Deadliest Warrior : Thrand's Viking Vs. Samurai Wrap up 1 of 3 "

also you can see style comparison of sword and shield to Katana in " Deadliest Warrior : Thrand's Viking Vs. Samurai Wrap Up 3 of 3 " and " Deadliest Warrior : Viking Vs. Samurai Thrand's reply "

Enjoy !!!!!

[leeham991]

@depoty

People only think the katana is best because of hollywood. In reality the katana is a mediocre sword.

[Sablestone]

@leeham991 I'd say that once the iron age started, there was really no example of a mediocre sword left on earth. At least until us space age people started designing "sword-like objects" that weigh 10 lbs and have the balance of a man carrying a walrus on a ten-foot pole...

[ChishioAme]

@Sablestone Walrus on a ten-foot pole... xD I gotta remember that.

[gangrail]

@depoty a sword is only as good as the wielder

[depoty]

@gangrail

actually, this is a very good observation and I will have to agree with it 100% good one yeah as its has to be true anyone should see that. gnagrail cool.

[stevee5594]

this guys the reason we have a water shortage

[Oblivion4pcand360]

@stevee5594 but doesnt the water evaporate then go back to the canel when it rains? where it was in the first place?

[doctorxring]

They better brink a gun to a fight with you or they or chopped liver !! Dude you are awesome. I saw your from the scabbard quick-draw stuff. I'm getting a sword.  And f*ck a katana. I'm getting one of those medieval jobs.

[90hammer1]

how much waterbottles did you use for this video?

[wolpack1116]

Have you tried any cutting with empty bottles? I just tried it with some kitchen knives with nowhere near the striking power of a sword and it worked pretty well, even after they were slightly dull, by my standards.

[drkcloud123]

too bad there wasnt any thrusting techniques, but me being an idiot, didn't read the full title of european sword CUTTING techniques

[sonic9451]

the katana wood do better

[THEPIELORD42]

no no no

[0puest0]

you need more time.

: ) you not are good.

[woodpeckerJR]

he's using it with a fencing-ish style which is for rapiers not long swords

[ShooterMikeSBG]

This is a single-hand arming sword of the cut&thrust variety, circa 1250-1400. It is appropriate for early versions of Silver and various other techniques.

[mrbeast85]

Check out some of the images in Hans Talhoffer or any other medieval fight manuals; they show fighting with single handed swords and messers with the free hand tucked behind the back as is demonstrated in this video. Its not in fact a-historical to use the same technique with medieval swords.

[Tarimoth]

@woodpeckerJR indeed he is



[princepor5]

since europen swords are double edged, they have more space for techniques than katanas......

[worldfest]

right you are, and the guard was more than just protecting hands. it locked w/ other swords

[DeHeld8]

fun fact: One edged swords were concidered inferior and for the peasants in europe. :P

[MasiukA]

what about falchions

[DeHeld8]

Falchions and Großes messers were mostly the cheaper alternative. regular food soldiers, man at arms or well to do farmers would have had one of these as their weapon of war. Although daggers such as rondel or ballock daggers would usually be worn as dayly arms/tools.

[Gilmaris]

At no point were single edged swords considered "inferior". Even though falchions and Messers weren't considered to be a "noble-man's weapon", they were nevertheless extremely popular because they were damned good blades. Crossbows weren't considered a "noble-man's weapon", either, but that doesn't mean it was considered inferior. And indeed, it wasn't.

[quixoteknight]

@princepor5

I agree, however sometimes this complexity can be a problem... some of the finest martial artists I know (form wise) have difficulty in full contact situations against practitioners of Muy Thai because the smaller skill set allows for more focused training or perfection of technique. I only bring this up because as a western martial artists I sometimes see too much emphasis on memorizing specific traditional moves when we might do better by training based on the underlying theory.

[Obiwan198]

@princepor5 so not true :D You can do a shit load of stuff you can't do with european sword. Like support the blade in order to CUT {european won't cut, he might break if block like that}. You can hardly compair two weapons that different. And both weapons were influenced by totally different things.

[clarke88chris]

What sword is that? Is that the Castille?

[Master293]

Looks to be an Albion knight.

[Jonbino]

castille has a 14" blade..rather tiny..

[Morrighna]

Thanks that was just awesome. It will come in really handy when I get a European sword!

[Berethorn]

Excellent, well done! Just what I needed. Thank you! :)