Can You Catch a Sword Blade With Your Hands?

[@Skallagrim]

If you haven't seen the follow-up video (gauntlets vs. sword): kzbin.info/www/bejne/p4SWo4aBqbZ1la8

[@jonathanjollimore7156]

If had some mail gloves and got lucky I don't see how it impossible

[@gonorrheadischarges3021]

Salaka: oh boy.! Everyone knows that you have to put your flipflops on your hands before you try that! ...still ,she can kill you easily...

[@gonorrheadischarges3021]

The planning,the moves and the clothed head...is that you Steven segal?

[@TheManofthecross]

I see in a movie drama of oliver cromwell he was able to block sword strikes on foot with his gauntlet and fore arm armor till he found another horse and got on. could that work or would it fall victim to what you showed here and in the other vid of the same thing.

[@skeletonchampion2885]

Even Bruce Lee wouldn't do it in his movie against katana dude in Fist of Fury. By the way will you comment on that duel?

[@paulherman5822]

You CAN catch a sword with your hands, but there's a bigger question: who is going to catch your hands?

[@iseektheholygrail2055]

The sword ofc.

[@mynickisnick8270]

Nobody😔

[@onepants6081]

your feet

[@fattiger6957]

The real question is if you can catch a flying pommel if someone tries to end you rightly.

[@jamesbrooks9321]

the sorry sap who tried and failed to cut you in twain

[@acethemain7776]

I like how she has to basically attack like a minecraft character

[@neworld623]

Her sword doesnt have sweeping enchanment on it

[@whitewolf3051]

She’s doing it one handed. In most movies and anime, the characters are doing it two handed.

[@Dan_Kanerva]

@@whitewolf3051 2 > 1

[@timkienhuis575]

Nice

[@procow2274]

@@whitewolf3051 i always swing my rapier 2 handed :)

[@justjoe5373]

I'm watching a viking pirate and his wife demonstrate that you can't catch a katana mid swing in 2021 by using a messer and that's exactly why I'm here, top tier content man, keep it up

[@hadrianwolf4730]

What is a Messer

[@justjoe5373]

@@hadrianwolf4730 A type of a sword (well it was a knife if we look at history) that he was using in this video. I mean Messer literally means a knife in german but when Germans had the rule of no swords allowed to carry back in the day they took a knife and made a gigantic version of it which was really a sword by the purpose but legally a knife, so they named it Messer and it stuck

[@hadrianwolf4730]

@@justjoe5373 ok thanks for the answer

[@brentfisher902]

@@justjoe5373 Sometimes all you only need is just a little more cowbell. (TR-808)

[@elyodin6708]

@@justjoe5373 Sorry to butt in late but there was never a real prohibition of weapons (2 edge cases). Instead it was a legal dispute. In Germany there were "Zünfte" which organised craftmanship. Imagine them like crafting guilds. They regulated prices, quality but also you had to enter the "Zunft" to be allowed to sell your craft. So one day the Toolsmith-"Zunft" found out that you could not define a weapon by bladelength (daggers are shorter than kitchen knives) so as long as they used a knife handle and had only one side of the blade sharpened they could call it a knife and sell it as a tool. This allowed them to be cheaper than the weapon smiths and probably created a lot of bad blood but was also quite lucrative and resulted in some of the best swords to date.

[@zipityzap7675]

Palms are sweaty Sword is coming and speedy Catching but it’s slipping already. It’s human spaghetti.

[@KWillo]

Underrated 🤣🤣

[@optimusakc]

This is perfect

[@SinsOfOrigin]

Trying to rhyme speedy with sweaty is like when you know you're jamming the wrong puzzle piece in, but you do it anyways because it looks close enough. No offense

[@zipityzap7675]

@@SinsOfOrigin you get the joke and that’s all that matter.

[@SinsOfOrigin]

@@zipityzap7675 touche

[@josephmorse3089]

The Mythbusters tackled this one years ago. They found that a full power vertical slash would likely cut through the flesh of your palms and dig into your head.

[@stewartsherwood7769]

Was looking for this. That episode was interesting.

[@webbowser8834]

I remember that one. Yeah, even if you call it correctly, trying to stop a blow in it's tracks is simply a no go.

[@senounatsuru6453]

@@webbowser8834 Without additional equipment, ofc. Something like a ninja's climbing claws would make it much more possible.

[@unskilled822]

its too much of a risk cuz you kind of have to deflect it sideways so you dont get cut, but its best to have protection underneath the arms so you can simply block then grab the hand he's using to attack you

[@johnree6106]

I never trusted them

[@WillcraftAnimations]

Ghirahim taught me that if you're gonna pull stunts like this, you gotta wear proper protection first. Like, you know, have hands literally made of metal all the way through. That helps. Also a bit of magnet-magic to make sure you don't miss. And most importantly, don't fight an opponent using motion controls. They will confuse you.

[@calebricks4890]

Don't forget the licking. That makes your opponent uncomfortable.

[@kalebjohnson2550]

And sniff your opponent like joe biden

[@tomraineofmagigor3499]

In stormlight archive Dallonar Kolin used shardplate to do this

[@cioplasmmajic8327]

Alternatively, use the Armstrong method... NANOMACHIENES, SON!

[@mcintoshpc]

Especially don’t stop entirely and do your own highly telegraphed sword stuff because that’s boring

[@kingduckie9135]

To be fair. The scene from The Crow was him showing off, at that point he was functionally immortal so he could have just ignored the knives but he was showing off.

[@Skallagrim]

Yeah, Eric could have literally "caught" the knife with his face and it wouldn't have mattered. :)

[@poilboiler]

Also not long after he gets shot through the hand and we can see the hole closing up. Throwing knives or even bullets are not helpful against the vengeful undead.

[@XDieKillDieX]

It's too bad the actor wasn't as immortal as the character.

[@kingduckie9135]

@@XDieKillDieX oof

[@ErenJeagerBomb]

To be fffaaaaaaiiiiiiiir

[@damuvang1915]

She looks like a character out of those dystopian fantasy worlds where they run around with melee weapons in the modern era. Like the badlands, hunger games, etc.

[@forickgrimaldus8301]

Necromunda?

[@johnrobia5460]

She always looks so good it's ridiculous.

[@bloodangel19]

@@johnrobia5460 she always looks interesting.... But she dosen't look that good

[@kshatriya1414]

The GoPro strap and sports outfit gives me maaad Cyberpunk vibes so I feel like Alita, Blade runner, Ghost in the shell, Carbon etc would fit as well.

[@SysterYster]

Yeah, she looks awesome. :D

[@PresidentSunday]

"And even if you put your entire body weight into i-" -Skallagrim fucking dies on camera

[@SyntheticFuture]

Yeah mildly anxious at that point 😂

[@JayM409]

Yes, all 100 lbs.

[@Eshkanama]

Omfg 😂

[@Zedrinbot]

Clearly, the no. 1 strategy when fighting unarmed against someone with a sword is run away

[@Pyranders]

No, you make a tactical withdrawal. It's like running away but manlier.

[@Yozzy22]

This is actually accepted wisdom. The self-defense community, at least those who know what they're talking about, says that the best defense is to just turn around and run if you can. On a related tangent, Metatron put out a video a couple years ago that was basically the same concept. He put forth that the best self defense weapon was a multi-LED flashlight, carried around inactive: it's entirely legal, it won't raise questions if you're seen carrying it around, you can use it to dazzle a potential attacker in a dark alley, giving you enough opportunity to run to someplace safe.

[@sierrawhite5552]

@@Pyranders Its not withdrawal its advancing backwards.

[@RESNone208]

@@Yozzy22 I follow that same practice. I just put the multi-LED flashlight on the end of my handgun.

[@TheSleepiestPlurals]

yeah I took a self defense class once and someone asked the instructor what the best defense would be against someone with a knife, and he said, "I have a special move for that, let me demonstrate" and had someone pretend to hold a knife, and then he acted like he was about to pull some cool move but instead he just turned around and ran. "don't try to fight someone with a knife, your best defense is to run away"

[@houayangthe3rd]

Sword catching is just a martial art story trope on how OP the hero is.

[@tjswc1458]

it is actually a tequnique in some Koryu. I think it was yagiu ryu there is this tequnique, but it was only supposed to be done if there is no other option

[@TheAkrillion]

@@tjswc1458 basically if you've lost all your weaponry, armor, advantages and got one foot in the grave?

[@Olebull93]

@@tjswc1458 No other option? Wouldn't just getting out of the way be alot easyer? And perhaps even achievable? Thats what I would have gone for, step out of the way then leg it.

[@pavolverescak1712]

@@Olebull93 what if you can't get out?

[@Sk0lzky]

@@pavolverescak1712 I'd use my forearm with a kind of "slap out of the way" motion hoping it will prevent the blade from biting into my arm and chopping it off.

[@blightedscourge3609]

I didn't get a sword strike to the head, I parried the sword with my face.

[@srdjan455]

So your face is your shield so to speak

[@poilboiler]

Grab it with your teeth and bite a big chunk out of it.

[@iseektheholygrail2055]

Well, skull is one of the hardest bone in your body, so you're technically blocking with the strongest part of your body.

[@mynickisnick8270]

@@poilboiler Guts moment

[@Delgen1951]

Sword 1, Face 0!

[@andrewszigeti2174]

0:38 "If you have super reflexes, speed... etc etc..." Don't forget plot armor!

[@Skallagrim]

Yep, plot armor is the most powerful protection of all, and only available to main characters.

[@TentaclePentacle]

There is a mythbuster episode proving this isnt impossible. Not even with perfect edge alignment and a gripping robot with super speed and super strength.

[@bytezero3818]

@@Skallagrim or villains who need to make another last appearance

[@Delgen1951]

And or either Superman or the Flash, or like kind of powers.

[@shaitei2397]

Don't forget to be a mysteriously strong farmers son, whose father just died due to some strangely clad assassins three chapters back and two chapter back you meet a kindly old Kung-Fu Master/MagicSwordsman/TomboyPrincess.. (you name it) and one chapter back you trained in martial arts for your first time!

[@juliamay8580]

How to deal with a sword while unarmed: unscrew the opponent's pummel and end him rightly

[@markusbrieden865]

This comment is underrated

[@Technotoadnotafrog]

I mean to be fair if you did somehow do that, they'd have a hard time using it with the hilt falling off. I guess they could hold their blade by the tang?

[@GreatWhite00000]

Lol best comment 😂

[@andreashansen5313]

@@Technotoadnotafrog Also, If you can move and react fast enough to to that, then I don't think you even need weapons to defend yourself lol

[@mineofitsown]

The only things you’d read in a manuscript of unarmed vs sword is “DON’T”

[@reapordeath]

Anyone Unarmed vs any kind of weapon: DONT

[@VemorrFrantik]

It's kinda like when I studied Krav Maga. First form of defense is running faster than the assailant. If that can't be applied it's time use the other stuff we'd learn.

[@Fozzedout]

I got a slightly more helpful manuscript: run away

[@gunnar6674]

@@VemorrFrantik Or law enforcement Krav Maga: Bring more dudes. Or military Krav Maga: Shoot the dude.

[@chrisrudolf9839]

you mean like the entry on love in the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy: "Avoid if possible"

[@sagecho4510]

I'm seriously enjoying all the new stuff ... especially the scenery and what not

[@Deseis]

MOST of NS looks like that lol. When this plague is over, come visit! There's a TON to see.

[@sagecho4510]

@@Deseis Definitely On my Visit List

[@scootergsp]

Agreed! The outdoor locations for the last several videos have been most pleasing. Makes me want to visit if I were allowed to take a vacation...

[@JUDE-fn3ee]

The durag especially

[@SneakyBadAssOG]

You'll enjoy Star Gate, it's plenty of this scenery.

[@LuxisAlukard]

Marrige goal: Pack couple of sword, camera and go to the woods

[@ORBITingAroundYou]

There's only one problem. Imagine a fight between that couple... will not end well

[@phoebusapollo8365]

@@ORBITingAroundYou now I can’t help but imagine the two of them having an anime style fight over what to have for dinner. “Hmmm....what did you want for dinner?” “I’m in the mood for Taco Bell...” “Eh...I was kinda in the mood for Pizza Hut.” “Uh no, we’re having Taco Bell.” *shakes head* *unsheathes sword* *goes into high guard* “PIZZA HUUUUUUUT”

[@jcg7719]

Forgot the no one gets murdered part.

[@bloodangel19]

@@jcg7719 you sure? Why do you think the chick looks so diffrent each time?

[@hariman7727]

@@phoebusapollo8365 The combined Taco Bell/Pizza Huts solve this dilemma.

[@bigbrownhouse6999]

Next video: how to catch a sword with your carotid artery

[@notacompleteidiot...1285]

"how to catch a sword with your nostrils" 🤔

[@KOHoxton]

I'm the master of this, but I can only show you once.

[@martialartsnerdery4537]

Haahahaahaa

[@mathiashertz5078]

"Blocks with groin"

[@brentfisher902]

That easy...just invade and aggro the Middle East.....

[@caseyb1346]

There is a story I read about of a WWII veteran that 'caught' a sword in his hands. The blade was a family heirloom and was actually pretty dull. He didn't do a fancy clapping grab either, more of a instinctive reach up and grab it like it was a club as it was coming down. It cut into his palms pretty bad despite being dull but he was able to wrench it away from the Japanese soldier.

[@jesuitvampirewhoreoncrack7539]

Yh right lol

[@mattjack3983]

Pretty sure that WW2 was the last time actual swords were used in warfare, too. And that was by Japanese soldiers carrying katanas into combat, that were mostly (from my understanding) family heirlooms of the Japanese soldier who was wielding it.

[@BionAvastar3000]

Mad Props to the swords woman who never flinched when Skall was 2inches away from her face on some of the follow up attack demos.

[@SyntheticFuture]

That's some next level trust 😉

[@subbss]

It's his wife, thats why.

[@mattaffenit9898]

She's married to him. Explains a bit.

[@boxofmadness2511]

there is only one true way of dealing with a sword armed oponent, the indiana jones way, no , not a whip, a gun

[@AndreasSweden]

I love that scene. First he stares in fear like "oh crap he has a sword" the "oh wait, i have a gun" Bang. So funny

[@arx3516]

Unless the sword guy is a jedi.

[@sethmullins8346]

@@arx3516 *cough* shotgun

[@AndreasSweden]

@@sethmullins8346 A jedi, with a shotgun and lightsaber in a medieval skirmish. That i would like to see

[@Killzoneguy117]

@@AndreasSweden In the actual scene, he was supposed to engage him in a sword fight. But Harrison Ford had explosive diarrhea at the time and was just not feeling a sword fight, so he persuaded Spielberg to just have Indy shoot the bad guy

[@AndreasSweden]

Watching this makes me think that if i ever end up unarmored against a swordfighter, i'm gonna run like hell and scream my lungs out.

[@danielandrews4634]

That isn't a regular occurance?

[@AndreasSweden]

@@danielandrews4634 Well i usually run around at random directions, screaming my lungs out. There's just not that many swordsmen chasing me.

[@AndreasSweden]

@@DeruwynArchmage Good point. But the girlish screaming is sort of a cultural part of being chased by swordfighters. It just wouldn't be the same without it.

[@BelleDividends]

Running is always the best answer, even when your opponent is only wielding a knife. Despite many "catch weapons" techniques existing in various martial arts, it is almost always a very bad plan to attempt it. Even if you catch the other's wrist/arm, there is a very likely chance he/she will just twist his/her wrist and cut your arm before you manage to do something else, possibly cutting your artery.

[@erikjarandson5458]

Running is the ultimate form of self defence.

[@AncestorEmpire1]

Catching a sword with your bare hands? Eh Now catching a sword with your teeth, that’s only for the most hardcore of legends

[@othellotyrant3152]

Are you Zorro?

[@Kakaragi]

Or Guts?

[@Sk0lzky]

@@Kakaragi real warriors have their intestines trained in such a way they squeeze around the flat while moving away from the edge PS It's true trust me

[@binho6600]

Saitama

[@jurtheorc8117]

That reminds me of the beginning fight of Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas.

[@a-blivvy-yus]

TL;DR version: If you're not the person with the sword, be where sword isn't.

[@hadinossanosam4459]

*Even if you are the person with the sword, try to be where the sword isn't ;)

[@a-blivvy-yus]

@@hadinossanosam4459 No... When you have the sword, you have the option of having your hands where the less stabbity end of the sword is.

[@jonathanwienke512]

Best block: no be there.

[@Seriously_Unserious]

That's so hilarious with these movies. A katana can apparently cut through space and time itself, but can't cut through a protagonist's bare hands as long as they've got plot armor!

[@Merilirem]

Yeah but a lot of protagonists can also cut through space and time WITH those bare hands.

[@Seriously_Unserious]

@@Merilirem Especially those scenes where a hero will slash his sword lightly against some armor (worst of all is plate) and somehow that will slice through the armor, and instantly kill the person inside the armor. I like the term Shad came up with for that "lightsabering".

[@Fl4shback]

Yeah always wear your protection gear!

[@michalpecz9433]

But plot armour is the strongest substance in universe. Spacetime continuum is nothing versus that 😁

[@TheMelnTeam]

Nothing can cut through plot armor, though the plot sometimes removes it unexpectedly or even incoherently.

[@currently7886]

Bro! I noticed you are losing weight. Keep it up man!

[@johndododoe1411]

Yep, can't have our hero wasting away.

[@ep6600]

@@johndododoe1411 was he spherical?

[@johndododoe1411]

@@ep6600 Please apply your name to the comment by @currently .

[@timmarks3050]

I never knew he got thicc... but if that's his woman and he's a married fellow, he's just kinda following suit with the rest of us.

[@johndododoe1411]

@M Yoshi I'm sure Skal would love some more cheese. Me, I was just joking about keeping his weight "up".

[@tach-uq5tw]

The "It's a peacock thing" is my favourite explanation for long hair

[@VemorrFrantik]

I know right. I've never felt so manly about my long hair. :D

[@jesuitvampirewhoreoncrack7539]

@@VemorrFrantik cringe

[@omniunown]

Learned a few of these kinds of grabs in kenjutsu. My sensei flat out admitted that the whole point was to get close enough that the cut probably wouldn't be fatal, but that you were still definitely getting cut unless you were ridiculously lucky

[@jestfullgremblim8002]

Sounds like a good teacher hahaha

[@jmoney2568]

Should have given Vigo an honorable mention at the end for deflecting the unexpected knife thrown at his head. Epic. He did have a sword though.. Great vid.

[@Orcus__]

Next video: how to catch pommels rightly with your bare hands.

[@LuxisAlukard]

Bonus content: how to catch it with your teeth

[@ugabuga2586]

you could never do this the pommel is way to sharp and will pierce you like butter

[@fattiger6957]

You would never be able to stop a thrown pommel because the force to end you rightly would create a singularity of awesomeness.

[@AFCAWorldBodybuildingArchive]

No such thing.

[@anim1-21]

ur hands will explode be4 tat happen

[@borgshadow13]

comparing this to your old videos, the growth, training and skill clearly shows

[@iseektheholygrail2055]

Remember, the most important factor to successfully catch a sword with your bare hand withoutgetting cut, is to catch it by the handle not the blade.

[@philipearakaki]

Hail Arthur, king of the Bretons

[@soanalaichnam344]

And if you are not so lucky, just pretend that your missing arm is but a scratch :)

[@GuitarsRockForever]

King? I didn't vote for you.

[@GuitarsRockForever]

@@philipearakaki Who are the bretons?

[@The_Lag_Monster]

@@GuitarsRockForever be quiet! I ORDER you to be quiet!

[@jeremysmith3701]

This was addressed many years ago, long before Mythbusters did their ' can't catch an arrow' thing, even if you're fast enough to catch an arrow or a blade, why would you? It's 100x easier to simply get out of the way.

[@leerussell8499]

Was going to say I was in a position on the flat of my back and was unable to run at that point but I did catch the weapon before it hit me fully my hands were a little messed up but not bad enough to lose the fight

[@Wetcorps]

Great coordination between you two, you could talk without having to tell Cara when to attack most of the time. Felt very fluid.

[@ColArana]

I do appreciate that you play with best case scenario for these and address the theoretical, even if the practical is just straight “no”.

[@nathanieljohnson5430]

Same, it's kinda "Well Ideally you wouldn't let this happen, but if it does well... good luck?"

[@chrisrudolf9839]

Well, if he had not played with the best case theoretical scenario, the video would have been over in less than thirty seconds ;-)

[@HotDogTimeMachine385]

I heard the theory that "catching a blade with your hands" as a myth evolved from someone blocking a sword with a Shuko (japanese cat claws) or another metal hand weapon. And through the centuries it turned into the hand clap version. It's still stupid, it can cut your fingers off at best, as opposed as the palm clap that can never work. I don't know if that's a stupid theory, but it makes at least the slight bit more sense.

[@michielzandbergen6219]

That reminds me of the mythbuster episode on swordcatching. Basically, they got a martial expert who explained that NO, he doesnt do this, he uses these claws, and he catches the balde at full arms length

[@alexkozliayev9902]

In japanese context is more reasonable to put your geta on your hands, and catch the sword with that

[@schwarzerritter5724]

Shukos where also my first thought.

[@SamuraiJames]

I don't recall where, but I've heard that theory too. I know there's at least one old ninja movie where they do that with the claws, and at a practical level it's more likely to work without injury than totally bare handed since you have steel across part of your palms. I'd still go for the "Miyagi Defense" where he said "best defense, no be there".

[@thesurvivorssanctuary6561]

I've caught knives. It's not as difficult as you'd think, but only do so after tons of practice, k? (I won't be responsible for you losing a finger) If the seordcatcher just waits for the attack, then he's going to have a bad time; but if he moves in the same direction as the cut, then he had more opportunities to: touch, feel, and grip the blade. You'd actually have to train yourself to follow the sword swing with your hands, and to be comfortable touching swinging blades. It'd still be better to just smack the blade away, and such training would make you a pro at this; and even then, it'd still be better to just run away till you can get: an advantageous postion, a weapon, or friends. The theory is sound though, as moving in the direction of an oncoming attack is how to: properly take a punch, get hit by a car, and catch a flying knife.

[@lordvarrax5060]

“By the time I deflect it once, the next thrust is already coming”

[@LilacMonarch]

that's what she said

[@Kaltsukka]

"Well the thrusts start coming and they don't stop coming Fed to the pounding and I hit the ground running"

[@GCaF]

Hi Skall! The demonstrations are usually set up in a way that the attacker is a few steps ahead. That's why the difference of speed. I've seen your argument in quite a few videos so far. I remember from my training days how these were set up: Step 1. Attacker has a sword and you don't Step 2. Attacker start raising his sword, you step towards him Step 3. Attacker starts thrusting/slashing you make your move (catch hands, hit weakness etc.) For the purpose of demonstration and understanding in most scenarios the attacker is placed on step 3 and is immovable (or moves very slowly) so that the students can focus on what they need to learn to do. I agree it's 'backwards' and if the attacker is in step 3 there's no way for you to do 1 and 2. That's not the point. The point is to learn the form but apply it in sync with the attacker not after he's raised his sword.

[@ChocolatierRob]

"So old Skallagrim tried to pull off a lastclap huh? May he rest in pieces."

[@pieisnice9]

I think they even specifically call out in the book that this only works because shardblades are much lighter than regular swords.

[@jonnystrange3617]

@@pieisnice9 And because Shardbearers are used to their blades passing through solid matter effortlessly, they don't put as much strength into their swings

[@synchrai2969]

@@pieisnice9 also because it only works in shardplate. Even kaladin with magic speed and strength lost his hands from one

[@adam-bf8li]

You can actually catch it with your hands, but you'll have to go to the ER to get them reattached.

[@bolieve603]

The trick to catching a sword with your hands is to have a friend catch your hands. And preferably have a cooler to pack them in ice on the way to the hospital

[@Delgen1951]

And pay an arm and a leg for that!

[@sillygreatjaggi7946]

Might actually work for thrusts if hit in the palm and deflected. Cuts just made me think of someone being cut from middle finger to elbow trying to stop a cut

[@adrianroed2178]

@@sillygreatjaggi7946 Trading an arm for your life still seems worth it, just be ready to stop the bleeding

[@Tennouseijin]

I prefer having a friend with a gun and quick reflexes. Once the opponent is dead, I can grab his sword by the blade, no problem.

[@I_Willenbrock_I]

Only Jack Burton can catch a flying knife. It's all in the reflexes. Nice video and the scenery is awesome.

[@AndreasSweden]

One of the best action heroes of all times. My god he was funny. Got to watch it again

[@PsyKotyK]

Jack burton is a legend.

[@butwhataboutdragons7768]

Of course I love the movie, but even watching it as a kid I realized Lo Pan just kinda leisurely lobbed the knife at Jack. When he caught it he threw it back with full body weight.

[@algomez8563]

@@butwhataboutdragons7768 Lo Pan forgot how to use his body after 2,000 years of being a weird semicorporeal creature.

[@johnathanmcdoe]

Given how precise the alignment of your palms to the blade has to be, I'm wondering if this is even riskier (not that it wasn't already a move reserved for movie-humans) against someone who tends to botch their cuts. You might see the trajectory of the blade, but not the edge being off just enough to smack your palm into it anyway.

[@BelleDividends]

Now you mention it, it probably is. You need to be capable of ignoring the "swing alignment" in order to get the "edge alignment" right. And edge alignment that is a little bit of from the swing alignment does not lose that much cutting power that suddenly your hands are saved.

[@liamwalton4183]

This is the case with so many martial arts and even full battle tactics. The worst opponent for the best general in the world, is not knowing you're fighting against the worst general in the world. You may see a silly formation of troops and think "Oh god, this must be a trap, reinforce the flanks and keep half our forces in reserve" And suddenly you're not using half of your forces expecting a surprise meanuver by the opponent. Little did you know, they're just a bad general, but now have a higher chance of winning because you overestimated them. If you train against professional swordfighters your whole life, when you face an opponent who is kind of "wild" with their technique, suddenly half of that training doesn't help you too much, since your muscle memory is accostomed to parrying away against perfect techniques. There's obviously better examples, even real life ones, but I assume I explained it well enough.

[@joewaskiewicz892]

I’m here for two reasons: Skallagrim is our man, and Stormlight references.

[@bookreaderman6715]

Why was this so low? Edit as in a comment referencing stormlight

[@steverogers1269]

Dalinar Kohlin is the Chad of all Chads.

[@clarencekisamore3281]

Love the Sukiyaki Western Django clip! Great vid as always!

[@S1lva139]

remember Mythbusters covering this on their show in an episode. Whole thing started by ninja catching blades with their hand claws that were used to help them clime.

[@TentaclePentacle]

I remember the making of a catching robot, and a swinging robot to time it perfectly and they still couldn't do it.

[@TentaclePentacle]

@Fremen yes they make guesses, but they test it in real life. So it's applied science.

[@SWAT6809]

@Fremen ... how are they making guesses when they are TESTING stuff. yikes my man.

[@BoojumFed]

@@SWAT6809 The guess would be the hand-claw theory. It's not *_their_* guess and it's the most reasonable explanation out there, but like pretty much all of history it's not 100% proven.

[@williamjenkins4913]

@Fremen They are science but just not great academic science. That's not what they were trying to do though. They were trying to teach people basic scientific thinking which they did a great job at.

[@Sk0lzky]

Holy cow that GoPro placement is perfect for showing martial arts moves Having it on the forehead really doesn't show much compared to this

[@poilboiler]

Might even provide a small amount of armor.

[@peacefulphynix9641]

Feels like a throwback to an older video.

[@BitDraftAudio]

These Type of Videos are your Platinum Content man. You 2 together just demonstrating, is great.

[@andrejara4054]

I remember the Mythbusters testing this very shenanigan, they used machines to swing the sword and catch it, even using ballistic gel on the fake hands. At slow speeds it was ok, but at full speed it ended up filleting the hands.

[@Y0G0FU]

Can you catch a Blade with your Hands? Yes you could. Should you try it? Hell no! - former German Hema Instructor that is a good friend of the family watching this Video with me haha

[@iseektheholygrail2055]

Did his arm catch the blade or the blade catch his arm?

[@thefracturedbutwhole5475]

You don't have to be a Hema instructor to know trying is a stupid idea.

[@johnmullholand2044]

You "could" do it, ONCE! After that, you won't be using your hands for much at all for quite some time. After a lot of surgery to close the wounds and reattach tendons.

[@zacharyharwell351]

I would love to see a test to see how realistic (read "safe") it is to catch a sword with your forearm when wearing armor/gauntlets. Like are we talking bruises, broken bones or amputation? And what would the limitation to that be? would a single handed sword (like an arming sword for example) be causing bruises whereas a longsword with two hands causes fractures or breaks? sorry, but this inquiring mind is highly curious lol

[@BelleDividends]

Well, it depends of the type or armour, but suppose it is strong enough to withstand a powerful straight slice from cutting. Following, I believe the amount of padding comes into question, for cushioning the bludgeoning blow that is still left. I depends on the type of sword and the type of attack - is it really powerful blow, or just a quick swing? Mind that swords are not made for heavy blows, but quick and agile cutting... any trained swordsmen would not make a wide telegraphed vertical overhead swing. Maces, hammers, axes, ... they are the kind of weapons made for a heavy bludgeoning blow, with their weight at the end of the weapon and not in the front like with a sword. (Yes, an axe is ment to slash/hack more then just bludgeoning, from apart from that the principle is the same).

[@BoojumFed]

For a straight on baseball swing, with *_really_* good plate and padding you may get away with bruises; and may suffer amputation if the sword is particularly sharp and your armour is particularly shitty. All the armour really does is negate cutting edges and maybe a bit of energy distribution, padding is what absorbs impact. Straight up force coming in is going to be slightly less (because of the way swords are balanced) than the equivalent weight of rebar (or more in the case of tip-heavy weapons, like Fallen says); bones are *_not_* going to be having a good day, even if it's just chips from a particularly short/ small weapon's impact, though those may be at the edges of the armour instead of the impact site if the plate is solid enough. This is all assuming a powerful, all out swing of course. If you're not moving away from it or taking advantage of the massive opening that's leaving you you're already beat.

[@unifiedhorizons2663]

hema players have tried to grab the back section of a side edge sword it results in broken fingers through armor

[@SuperFunkmachine]

Depends on the armour splint or plate armour will not get bruised at all. Mail will get bones in trouble, may bruise or chip even brake.

[@webbowser8834]

Yeah, you can absolutely get away with deflecting blows with your armor, but catching is another matter altogether. You see when deflecting, you're not absorbing the full impact, you're redirecting most of the force somewhere else. Armor, even light armor, excels at protecting you from partial blows like that. When you're trying to catch a blow, you're absorbing the full force of the blow, and that is much more punishing.

[@bullzebub]

i feel "run and try to find a improvised weapon" feels smarter,,,

[@AliceLucindaBronte]

Do you think he can run faster than her?

[@charlesphillips4575]

Run away was certainly my first thought. Just running fast enough may enable you to get away, alternatively you may find some allies or a weapon.

[@martijnoerlemans765]

@@AliceLucindaBronte Unlikely indeed.

[@bullzebub]

@@AliceLucindaBronte haha! well .. adrenaline sure boost your speed! but no. not over a longer strech ... but if you are in a forest you dont usually need to run that long to find a branch or some stones or something.

[@PerMortensen]

@@AliceLucindaBronte If she's running with a big ass sword, yeah probably.

[@erikbjelke4411]

Thanks for testing it against a thrust as well. I forget which specific episode, but one of Highlander added this bit to a swordfight because Adrian Paul could actually do it, but again, that was a thrust and not a massive overhead swing. Mythbusters only tested the overhead chop and declared it Busted (which, yes, for that attack is fair, and even against a thrust it's highly unlikely and there's more effective techniques). For Eric Draven and the throwing knives. . . I always read that scene as he was surprised at what he could now do, realizing the amazing power he has. I think he just dodges the first knife, realizes how easy it was, bats aside the next two, then the last one comes in and he's like "Huh, the others were so easy, I wonder if. . . holy crap, IT WORKED!"

[@benjaminolanderrasmussen3049]

So what Vasher says about the lastclap is absolutely correct. That's pretty cool

[@halfonsotercero1212]

Dalinar: Hold my orange wine

[@FinalFantasyIXIIII]

To be fair though, aren't shardblades wider and thicker than a normal sword, and much lighter? So it wont have as much momentum and there would be a larger area for your hands to catch.

[@halfonsotercero1212]

@@FinalFantasyIXIIII weight is supposedly the same as a a really big sword, but since they are so enormous they feel too light. But yeah, obviously it's easier, and it's fantasy xD (Still, Dalinar said to never try it if there were any other option)

[@tomlaptain646]

@@halfonsotercero1212 i feel like dalinar is one of the best examples of doing it in fantasy. He's already been made out as a god tier fighter, he absolutely says that it's only a thing for when there is literally no other option, and ***Spoiler*** I believe at that point he still feels and gets a somewhat buff from the thrill, so has some supernatural help.

[@FinalFantasyIXIIII]

@@halfonsotercero1212 I thought they said it was less than a normal, but people were surprised it wasn't almost weightless? Guess I'll have re-read the entirety of the Stormlight archive again to check myself.

[@robbiejames1540]

I was looking for this!

[@DatBrasss]

Old Dalinar pulled off a lastclap, did he?

[@harry1dresden]

Zahel, Azure is looking for you.

[@soanalaichnam344]

Yes, he did

[@zoltanleafy8746]

I saw a black belt test that included this "technique". My 8 y/o mind was blown

[@RE-dh3rw]

I remember this being pulled off in the stormlight archives by one of the protagonists. Another one then visits a swordmaster and asks them to teach him how to do it... and the swordmaster all but laughs at him, telling him that it's a last-ditch desperation move that he should never attempt if he has other options. The protagonist still pulls it off later, but at that point he is a superhuman fighting normal humans, so it's kiinda justified

[@TytonidaeIndustries]

To be totally fair, a Shard Blade is massively oversized, and all the art depicts them with absurdly wide blade's, so *easier* to catch in this way, but still borderline impossible, i love Stormlight Archive

[@StarshadowMelody]

3:55 I felt more like I was _picking up on someone's patterns_ for the few I got right, which may be because I was guessing before the strike even begun. Any writers reading this may want to keep that in mind if they're going to stick this little clap block in.

[@tehalexy]

So basically no one could handblock my swordcuts because i never trained with a sword -> i will always have a bad sword alignment -> i will always cut their hands off. is this an advantage? :D

[@Aquarios1337.]

No, because most people are not dumb enough to try catching the blade.

[@tehalexy]

@@Aquarios1337. but many ppl are dumb enough to click on vids, dont get jokes and post dumb answers? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@hexhill1688]

@@Aquarios1337. some people are dumb enough to think the earth is flat... so there is surely a weeb somewhere who would try to catch a sword.

[@hariman7727]

Only against anime fans and fools.

[@tehalexy]

@@hexhill1688 hahaha, yeah thats true. Always, if you question "is someone really that dumb?" think of flat-earthers and you can say yes

[@zx6rkilla196]

Ah yes the fastest way to get palm baloney slices 🙏

[@subbss]

Ouch, great description, horrible image.

[@LDSG_A_Team]

That emoji suddenly hits different lol

[@VosperCDN]

Best blade "catch" with bare hands is the scene from Rob Roy, and even then it's just a grab and hold while the blade is pretty static, and it also shows the leverage issue that the wielder has once the business end of the sword is trapped.

[@TClaymore]

I remember one supposed origin for the bare-handed sword block that seemed even remotely plausible, and it came from ninja armed with shuko, which they'd use to scale walls. Shuko are pretty unobtrusive, especially at night and when paired with clothing that hid the band that secured it to the hand, and the sturdy claws would probably stand up to a sword strike. Not a bare-handed block by any means, but of course they'd encourage the rumor to confuse and terrify their targets.

[@jestfullgremblim8002]

Okinawan Karate also had blocks that were meant to be used while wielding either a Sai or a Tonfa.

[@ElmerBBW]

Not two minutes into the video I have to say that is one freaking beautiful scenery You got there.

[@Martysama11]

To see Skall practising karate is something I never thought I'd see.

[@christianlewis2008]

I found it interesting how the method you recommended for unarmed defense against a sword is one of ways I was taught to defend against a front kick. Even the part where it's one of the few exceptable uses of a spin. Which makes sense because they have similar ranges and targets(a sword will undoubtedly be a little longer though). I just never thought of it that way and it was very enlightening. Thank you.

[@ineednochannelyoutube5384]

Its a basic technique present in basically any martial art. Bat asude the strike, step inside the defenses, lock the atacking arm and strike the head. The problem is, its almost impossible to do the followup on a resisting opponent. Stull, it at least gives you initiative.

[@iceniwargames6347]

I remember being shown this technique in a martial arts knife defence class. It was very much a if all else has failed and your getting stabbed you might as well try it last ditch thing. Against a plastic blade being trust at you it wasn’t terribly hard, but then keeping control of the blade would involve your hands getting cut up as you say (we used lipstick on the blade edges so you could see where contact was made afterwards) a sword being swung at you is much less predictable than a trust so would be so much harder.

[@toshiarichardson9627]

I guess I missed the don't try this at home kids message....but ya still get one thumb up from me. Great work....

[@jon-from-tx]

Achievement Unlocked: Hair Flourish

[@boxofmadness2511]

can you catch a sword with your hands, yes, if you are fast enough, strong enough and have enough balls or not enough brains to go towards a sword instead of out of its way

[@Daile0303]

3:27 when you cut diagonally, you first move the tip of the sword to the side, and cut after. When you cut straight down you don't. If we are considering characters with superhuman sight/reflexes then it is predictable. But that character would also need martial training to be able to do this particular technique.

[@LeutnantJoker]

If you have super human abilities... how about running superhumanly fast away to get your own sword?

[@Daile0303]

@@LeutnantJoker If you can do something cooler to show off, then why not? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@tigerbesteverything]

not if the opponent has the same speed, because no matter what the strike will be still extremely fast for the defender.

[@scameme2610]

How to defend against sword empty handed? - run

[@them631]

Dalinar Kholin: yes absolutely

[@megustaelmate5499]

*Jetstream Sam: Mind if I cut in?*

[@beastdynasty9124]

I love this video actually I was gonna be writing how monks in my setting pull off all their martial arts, and basically, I was just gonna make it so the average monk is usually always wearing dense bracers and dense wraps on their hand's forearms and then metal covering their shins and wrapping on their feet so they can actually attempt to parry attacks.

[@waterfallhunter9642]

7:21 "If you had to defend yourself.." thought for sure he'd say "run"

[@BelleDividends]

Everybody here believes running is the only answer. He could have added "and if you're cornered".

[@butwhataboutdragons7768]

@@BelleDividends Yeah I agree. If you're cornered and there's seriously no way out it seems to me the best course is just to go full offense and charge the attacker. Sure your odds are bad but if you're about to be murdered anyway.... Go for a straight kick maybe, it has the most range.

[@r3d_dru1d]

No, you can't. Myth Busters did a good episode on this topic. :)

[@juggalox1000]

Yes you can, if you believe in Jesus hard enough you can do anything.

[@captin3149]

Yes you can, it's just highly inadvisable to do so.....And you likely only get to try once....

[@r3d_dru1d]

HAHA! Too true! I think the outcome was something like you'll either miss, or the angle of the blade will change and the force of it coming at you will cause the sword will bite into your palm, maybe sever some fingers, maybe cut down into your forearm sliding in between your radius and ulna, but you DEFINITELY won't be fit for fighting afterwards. :) I call that a "no" But in the spirit of "do or do not there is no try" you're absolutely right, you can "try" XD

[@r3d_dru1d]

Or if you believe in the One Eyed God of Rain and Storm. ;P

[@DiegoAlanTorres96]

It slices through the whole hand lmao but at least it stops it

[@natejackorjillkate4136]

5:55 that cheeky grin was great.

[@youremakingprogress144]

Something that was touched on but I felt was worth emphasizing: even if you deflect the blade, the attacker is going to make another attack immediately, and you're still probably toast. Also, you look like your weight loss is progressing well, Skall! Congratulations on the progress you've already made. Also, you have some terrific scenery around where you live. I love the nature locations.

[@Possi_ball]

I'm pretty sure Mythbusters had an episode where they tested this by having made robot hands (with silicon flesh) that tried to catch the blade. If I remember correctly it was impossible unless they had the hands 100% coordinated with the blade at the max of the hands speed. Can't find the clip in KZbin though.

[@mikeoxlong1395]

Are you sure? I know they were testing the myth that you can cut a machinegun with glorious 10 000 times folded Nipponese steel, forged in the fires of Mt Fuji, colloquially known as "katana". Maybe you are confusing it with that?

[@mikeoxlong1395]

Never mind, somebody else mentioned it in the comments, too.

[@Overonator]

This is what I like to call low probability defenses.

[@TheAngryAsianAnimations]

I think I'm more amazed by this having any possibility at all even if it is slim. Cuz in fiction you can just say the hero has superhuman abilities. Or they're that good compared to the average mook (IE you or me). So basically possible, just plot-armor levels of improbable.

[@shadeknight6537]

I seem to remember the MythBusters tested that cliché. Unsurprisingly, it was Busted - similar to the cliché of catching arrows mid-flight, you could *technically* catch a sword between your hands if you had proper hand protection and training, but it wouldn't remotely be practical. Plus, if you somehow had the speed and reflexes to pull it off consistently, you'd have plenty of time to just move out of the way or parry the attack.

[@anthonyhodgson825]

What a picturesque backdrop for a video. Nice to see Cara too. Cheers

[@Fintank_]

With the ability of Star Platinum, yes

[@mark9960]

I remember seeing a documentary about these climbing Claws that early ninja would use. But using it was the same idea. I think it was a last resort weapon doh.

[@KingQwertzlbrmpf]

There's only one reliable technique to defend unarmed against an attacker armed with a sword. Run like hell.

[@MaGiCMushroomClouds]

No, there is another. Let them strike you down and become more powerful than they can possibly imagine.

[@KingQwertzlbrmpf]

@@MaGiCMushroomClouds Unfortunatly that only works for jedi^^

[@yias2815]

Even if you would be able to catch it, the attacker could just thrust and you would be screwed anyway :D

[@mstandenberg1421]

Offhand gauntlets absolutely were armoured for withstanding the holding of blades around the edges via rings and stitched small plates. At complete grip, leather is still in primary contact with equipment handles. One’s own blade was thus supported by the offhand halfway along the blade to act as a fulcrum for the dominant hand for finding and penetrating joints and gaps in heavily armoured opponents. Thus fending and grabbing the opponent’s sword with the offhand was absolutely done and practiced. The naked clap is an insane choice.

[@hawkknight4564]

I would love to be like “no that’s entirely possible.” but that’s not how life works.

[@seanpoore2428]

(spoiler free) When this happened in stormlight I was like "Goddamnit!!!" But then they came up with a genuinely good explanation for how this was pulled off with a shardblade

[@HRRRRRDRRRRR]

Literally read that chapter an hour ago, and now there's this video...

[@seanpoore2428]

@@HRRRRRDRRRRR Hahaaaa! That's awesome lol

[@erickdredd]

At least in Stormlight there's literally no other defense (without shards of your own) other than not getting hit. It also just makes much more sense when the expected result of failure and not making the attempt at all are both death.

[@erickdredd]

@@HRRRRRDRRRRR Just wait until you learn about the Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon

[@Hittin_Bombs]

Life before Death

[@tigerbesteverything]

If you have gauntlet, don't try to catch it, just deflect it, it will be much easier than try a fancy move that will get you injured 99% of the time. But what about mail gloves?

[@bythesilverlining8258]

I mean your right but blocking with a gauntlet would fucking hurt

[@tigerbesteverything]

@@bythesilverlining8258 blocking, yes, but deflecting it wouldn't much, and it's still better than having the hand cut off.

[@bythesilverlining8258]

@@tigerbesteverything that’s why I said your right

[@tigerbesteverything]

@@bythesilverlining8258 i know, i just (try to) clarify my thoughts

[@bythesilverlining8258]

@@tigerbesteverything ok

[@Dalorath]

@6:40 Thanks bro, I love your videos :-D You are highly skilled at demonstrations and Explanations when it comes to the reality of Blade wielding :-D Only a 1 in a million situation would wield the results of movie magic basically is what you are demonstrating :-D

[@Umbra_Nocturnus]

TLDR, catching swords with your hands is TAS-only

[@joffrecordan]

Skalla is looking almost as "healthy" as me. It's cool, bro. More of us to love.

[@anvos658]

So the moral is this is literally a desperation move, where you have no other options (including running away) or if you outclass your opponent in skill or physical ability enough the weapon doesn't matter.

[@BrettCaton]

Even thinking about this makes me wince.

[@seamusrichardson5601]

Nice beard

[@chrisruzsa2798]

The only reason to catch a knife is to make it so you are no longer unarmed. But yes it’s a risk and when in a fight there is always three truth to get familiar with. 1 you will get hurt. 2 if you don’t fight with the intent of killing you will lose. 3 accept that you can die and so can your opponent. These truths make it so you can overcome however being unarmed is never a great position against an armed assailant good thing everything is a weapon if you know how. Great video.

[@hilliard665]

The grabbing of hands while they are attempting an over head strike: I was attacked by a guy with a baseball bat and pulled this off, i sensed hesitation from him, if I hadn't had that sense I would have covered up at that point.