Experimental Sparring: Rapier vs. Longsword! (11 March 2018)

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[@CommieCrab]

I think mixed weapon fighting is really interesting, as long as both participants are comfortable both fighting with the weapon they're using and against the weapon their opponent has. It can make for really engaging matches and I'd enjoy a series of it, personally.

[@fattiger6957]

Romans knew that 2000 years ago. Most fights in the arena were mixed weapon bouts.

[@LuckoDaStars]

Exactly. The weapon themselves is a philosophy behind it. And by sparring or fighting fully with different swords you understand the different philosophy behind the weapon and use it to your advantage or fall to it. I just love how different designs of weapons always have an air of philosophy behind it. I know it sounds a bit stupid but that's how I kind of see it

[@ringadingding7667]

its about to be a thing on kzbin.info/www/bejne/kJK2k3WnbLaXnNU&ab_channel=AkademiaSzermierzy

[@Mortablunt]

You know, nobody has done an experimental sparring series. I would love to see more of this. Think of the combinations. Messer vs Smallsword. Katana vs Talwar. Cutlass vs Arming sword. Falchion vs Sabre. Mambele vs Schwerd.Khopesh vs Wakizashi. Gladius vs Truong. Hanger vs Dao. Jian vs Kris. Spatha vs Shashka. Kilij vs Pata. Pulwar vs Takouba. Kaskara vs Estoc. I hope to see more of these odd pairings.

[@fattiger6957]

Modern non-lethal version of Roman gladiatorial fights?

[@londiniumarmoury7037]

My club is based on this premise, check out my channel and stay tuned for weekly/monthly series uploads.

[@13Kr4zYAzN13]

There was almost a mixed weapon arts league, similar to MMA. Not sure what happened to it though. Think the organizers got bought out and became a armor manufacturer or something 🤷‍♂️

[@Mortablunt]

@@londiniumarmoury7037 I sadly live an ocean away.

[@Mortablunt]

@@13Kr4zYAzN13 F1 / Battle of the Nations?

[@WakeUpUniverse66]

Mixed weapons fighting is something very very important for a true warrior to master.

[@ls200076]

WakeUpUniverse the pistol, the shotgun, the assaultrifle, the machinegun, the rocket launcher, the grenade launcher, the flamethrower and the bolt action rifle.

[@ronanvankessel6329]

elektron117 the bomb vest

[@CarrotConsumer]

Drone strike versus duel wielded long swords is a often forgotten topic of training.

[@marechalkireraman3097]

Can you dodge a pommel 🤔 probably not... It's not a skillshot.

[@eroktartonga4032]

Beware that nasty papercut WakeUpUniverse !.(Nice sparring as allways Skallagrim. It was fun to watch.Thanks)

[@davenevius6365]

Mixed weapon, mixed time-period fighting does have a use: figuring out how to make the Highlander franchise better!

[@Sheol02]

Dave Nevius mixed time-period fighting... Can't wait to see longsword vs assault rifle!

[@ls200076]

Sheol_IK h h h h h h hell yeah!

[@spiritsofthesky]

Highlander is already God tier. You cannot improve perfection

[@JkaaraKoDi]

Not without ammo

[@Alexander_D_Shaffer]

More sparring vids! Get weird with iiiiiiiit

[@SableLeaf]

Yes, get weird pls Skalldaddy ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[@benm5913]

Rodellero vs Billhookman Pikeman vs Rapierist Let's get weiiiiiiird!

[@Mortablunt]

Imagine katana vs talwar, messer vs smallsword, cutlass vs longsword, and so on.

[@aname4141]

Halberd vs dagger Rapier vs dagger Halberd vs Longsword Sidesword vs Rapier Rapier vs halberd Messer vs sidesword Dagger vs messer Messer vs Rapier

[@chaos_omega]

This is my favourite kind of weapon sparring to watch! Mixed weapons sparring seems like a relatively unexplored area in the martial arts, it seems there is much to discover.

[@scottmacgregor3444]

I suspect it's because most of the surviving manuals that HEMA users draw technique from are ones pertaining to judicial and other formalized duels, where the combatants were equipped with the same weapon types so as not to give one side or the other an advantage in the fight. Still, it's fun to see people experiment.

[@gaborfabian1239]

In our friendly saber group its very common to go mixed weapons, propably because we do not adhere too much to any source beyond the actual techniques and we like to tinker and build sparring tools from scrap. Its fun and really enlightening about why and how weapons were used. As far as we went: longsword vs saber is okay, sword&rotella vs longsword/saber is okay. Its all fun and games until someone grabs the spear from the corner of the room. That poky stick is made by the stinky hooved devil himself. It is OP against anything and everything. The sword&rotella has some chance but easy to slip up and you are poked. Maybe I could beat it with halberd but I need to get my halberd fixed in the first place. :D TL;DR Go mixed weapons!

[@mickepersson7733]

IM really digging the mixed weapon sparring more please

[@AFCAWorldBodybuildingArchive]

This should be a sport on TV. Not those 0,000072 sec fencing rounds. Some real HEMA. I would love watching it. And while we're at it, jousting would be nice too :)

[@hector_2999]

Cool! How about rapier vs saber?

[@metalhaed101]

that sounds fun

[@SableLeaf]

One has more reach while the other is more flexible. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[@RonJeremy514]

I prefer when it's rigid

[@m1sz3lpl24]

See polish-sweedish wars for reference on rapier vs saber ;)

[@umartdagnir]

I've sparred rapier vs. sabre (on both sides), and, to my surprise, rapier's reach gives little advantage. A sabre fencer with good footwork can close in very quickly after a deflected blow. You can hit legs more safely, but that's it.

[@calvintorgerson9686]

Sword and shield sparring would be interesting to see. EDIT: I meant sword and shield vs longsword sorry I left the second part out. :p

[@hafor2846]

One guy with a sword, the other one with a shield 👍

[@AVGyerra22]

Vys Erion, the guy with the shield is with a slight disadvantage due to the fact that he really has no way of damaging the opponent unlike with a blade, because you can thrust/cut with it. With a shield, you can only hit with the edge of the shield, now it really comes down to what type of shield, heater shield, round shield, kite shield, or even a buckler and we could even go further into the topic on like whether the shield is a hand-grip or arm-grip, aswell as what type of sword. Now in terms of the best shield is the round shield or the heater shield due to it's thickness allowing you to bash the opponent with the shield while allowing sight to come into play, as for the sword, feints are crucial to this battle, I'd recommend the arming sword due it's weight which results into easy maneuvering.

[@sephirothbahamut245]

I disagree Josh, the shield would allow you to close the distances and try disarm your opponent. Unless the shield user wants to lose, it will end in a close unarmed fight in the mud

[@YGK-tu8cy]

Josh ...Did you actually take that comment seriously?...

[@scottmacgregor3444]

Look up the dueling shield. If I had nothing but a shield, why not one that doubles as a spear?

[@quintus3032]

I'm from Belgium and I was the champion of fencing in 2013-2014, i really like your chanel, i can think about the good old days :)

[@HotshotCrayon]

More mixed weapon sparring would be cool to see

[@Shugenjya]

Mixed weapon fighting is a good thing. In my opinion you learn a lot from this, even if this is non historical! :) Its the same for unarmed fighting!

[@NathanaelBryan]

You asked what kind of content viewers want a few days ago.... Now you got it! Mixed weapon fighting!!!

[@Skallagrim]

So far it has gotten less views than usual though, so doesn't seem all that popular.

[@NathanaelBryan]

Skallagrim Skallagrim The Staff vs Sword - Guard breaker got a massive amount of views, along with fantasy stuff such as the time traveller video, or bringing weapons from games. Most of your "the most .... " vids are pretty popular...

[@ZenDragonYoutubeChannel]

Mixed weapon training is great practise as it forces you to adjust to the different ranges and functions of the weapons. When sparring with mixed weapons, I like to switch weapons and do two rounds, so we each get to try both situations. It's a lot of fun and I think there's even some degree of takeaway for self defense, as learning to adapt to the situation is important and if you spar with a lot of different kinds of weapons, you'll get a better understanding of potentially improvised weapons, but mostly it's just fun. My most recent mixed weapons video was hook swords vs guan dao, not much historical accuracy there as hook swords were mostly used by civilians while the guan dao was a battlefield weapon, but lots of fun to try and great training! :)

[@jeanjio]

I love your sparring videos, together with explanations with the instructors and such these are my favourite videros

[@Askorti]

I have to say, this was a lot more fun to watch than longsword vs longsword. The fact that the participants have to use their weapons differently and balance the advantages and disadvantages makes it very interesting. And the fact that there are no treatises on what is "the right thing to do" also contributes to the entertainment value. So if you do it again, please do record it, as I would love to see more. :)

[@andorfedra]

I love these experimental pairings. So Glad i could see something i didn't even know i wanted. Keep making more.

[@Neltharak]

Those sparring videos are awesome. MOAR

[@jonathangibson9098]

Keen for more of these mixed weapon fights Skall!

[@siveon298]

I love the idea behind this. More experimental sparring!

[@windsgrace688]

This was really interesting to watch. More please!

[@YevhenRawrs]

This is one of the kind of videos I love of yours. Just watching combat and having it discussed in detail. As an aspiring HEMA practitioner I find this helpful. Even if you're not the most incredibly skilled swordsman around, you do know plenty enough to inform. The fact you're willing at all to "break the mold" in some ways, like doing videos about what it'd be like to fight a fantasy dwarf for instance are both entertaining and informative, if in a way that might not be 100% practical. I do think there's at least something to be learned from thinking on these "what if" scenarios, it's sorta like brain excersise for fighting. :P

[@TheCountryKing117]

He Skal, I don't usually comment, but I do want to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this video. I love the commentary that centers around the historical accuracy and the technical aspects of this fight; very educational and enlightening, and very helpful as an author who writes a lot of mixed-weapon fighting. I'd love to see more.

[@nymalous3428]

I saw this pop up in my feed the day it came out, but I waited until I had time to properly watch it without interruption (for some reason, I thought it was going to be longer). Worth the wait. I have never seen any kind of research/testing of differing weapons used against each other like this before... and I want to know why not? This was really interesting, from a technical standpoint, because it wasn't just two guys with different swords hacking away, each was attempting to use his sword in the manner it was intended to be used. The conflict in styles was what made me interested, and your commentary (and use of occasional replays with the hits highlighted) helped me to understand what was going on. Please, do more of this in the future (even retry longsword vs rapier)! Great video!

[@gregoryrogalsky6937]

Great to see this ., Thanks for up loading .

[@MomsAgainstCatboys]

Spiral motions for defense, thrust while sidestepping, and maintain your distance. The raiper's biggest advantage is keeping maximum distance from the opponent while the flexibility and light weight of the sword allows you to make faster movements with minimal effort.

[@Atercor-kx8hs]

That was actully super interesting and fun. More please!

[@Gnomesmusher]

This was really fun to watch!

[@Grifball]

I know that not everything you do is based on whether a video gets views, but I know it certainly helps. I found this pretty interesting, so I hope that this was enjoyable enough for you (and worth your time and effort) and that more like this will come. I'm a big fan of the commentary over the sparring because sometimes I find it easy to miss stuff while watching.

[@LeonM4c]

I for one enjoy this mixed weapon sparring. Yeah yeah "historical sources" and stuff(not hating) but why not have some damn fun? Get creative, get interesting. You could do "proper historical swordsmanship" all day but I say mix it up! It's the 21st century you can do whatever you want! Besides, this could open up all sorts of interesting discussions about the weapons and armor, their designs, amd how they would be applied in these mixed weapon scenarios.

[@taintedmyth0s636]

Also in a fight people wouldn't rigidly follow their exact training. Sometimes in a fight you have to adapt and you might pick up things that might work a bit better for you than what you were taught

[@samhead4542]

More more more please, this is fascinating

[@patjenkins3032]

This is cool. I'd still love to see more.

[@porgy5978]

Like I said under the last video: I could watch these sparing sessions for hours! I'd love to see more of them :D

[@Zarkonem]

THIS! I love this! Do more of this! Mix EVERYTHING!

[@matiasaguayo3175]

I always receive your notifications.

[@54eopifkg3ehfkj43]

Very cool! In this particular match up, rapier and longsword went up against each other all the time during the Renaissance and later periods. This is a historically accurate match up.

[@MarkiusFox]

I wonder if a stiletto + rapier would have added to your defence, having that free hand forward and all from rapier practice.

[@sedarkaym3266]

I really really really like this concept please do more

[@kieranlock3070]

I know its difficult because of time, travel , finding a sparring partner , etc but I Love these sparring vids, more when you can!

[@doctorrandomiise2532]

Yeah, time travel can really prove difficult sometimes.

[@kieranlock3070]

There is a comma there, im fairly certain....

[@doctorrandomiise2532]

It was supposed to be a joke.

[@kieranlock3070]

Hackob Randomiise i never joke about grammer ... ;)

[@graemematheison8877]

Kieran Lock *grammar

[@joeturner2532]

This is actually really interesting. These mixed weapon duels really add a new dimension, It's not just individual skill with one weapon, its even more about understanding your and your opponents weapon and tactics

[@Raikiir]

The Pros and Cons of a weapon really come to light when paired up like that. Really interesting for tabeltop role-play sessions. Because in a Fantasy setting, this kind of duel happens quite regularly and having som real life reference can help make the gaming more realistic.

[@Qsaws_]

That's a very interesting concept, would love to see more of these mismatched sparing

[@kant019]

Mixing weapons looks super interesting!

[@stoniecad7805]

Awesome Skall ! ! I was thinking about this exact thing a couple of days ago, this as well as rapier vs katana .

[@kiforcekhan]

I love it! Please more mixed weapon fighting!

[@toddesamk8959]

I'd love to see more rapier sparring on your channel, Skall! It's a fascinating weapon, and i'd be interested in learning more about it.

[@RandomAllen]

DO MORE OF THESE, SKALL!!!!!!!

[@aldor9357]

Here we can see that Skall is not some sort of scrub that levels up dexterity

[@SableLeaf]

You can tell from the jiggle of his butt ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[@penttikoivuniemi2146]

Brutal.

[@jeremys9367]

Praise the sun for that.

[@cameronmccanless2248]

Very cool, enjoy these a lot

[@defectpawn7194]

Spear against sword happened if you're interested in demonstration. Also I always enjoy watching these. Very entertaining.

[@JETWTF]

It's a good way to show advantages and disadvantages and how no sword is actually better than all other swords.

[@mastathrash5609]

I may not have the time to watch the videos right away but I always make sure I get to them. Good goodstuff Skall. I wish there a HEMA the school of the my neck of the woods.

[@badoobles]

I love your sparring videos. They're so fun to watch. I think a sparring video of arming sword & shield(or buckler) vs longsword would be very interesting to see.😁

[@dominuslogik484]

More of these please

[@sweatyeti]

Thanks for doing this Skallagrim! I'm a DM using my own RPG rule system and experiments like these (in addition to all the other videos you make regarding medieval fighting and weaponry) are always helpful for inspiration of rules and abilities in the way combat is handled.

[@grayblackhelm6468]

Schrödinger's Cat Do you have a grapple mechanic?

[@sweatyeti]

Grappling happens, but it's not fleshed out in detail. It's similar to how D&D 3.5 handled it, where a lot of my rules stem from.

[@grayblackhelm6468]

Schrödinger's Cat Oh cool. What’s the setting, or is it your own?

[@sweatyeti]

Pretty typical fantasy setting, other than it's based on a show's universe (my players' decision, not mine). I made my own system because I wanted to do away with the traditional "class" concept -- you get to build a character with as much or little martial, magical, or professional aptitude as you want, everyone can wear any type of armor, weapons, and/or shields, etc. (they simply slow you down) It was a bit of work to balance out, but my players and I are pretty happy with it.

[@sweatyeti]

Are you looking for an online RPG group? :P

[@generalgage4780]

i love how this video played out you should do more sparring videos with your commentary all the way through

[@SerbianTexan]

I wish you guys were in my city! It looks a ton of fun what you do.

[@wenber2990]

I really like the mixed weapon sparring. Looks good and it is interesting how you have to behave different because of the different weapon.

[@cosmiclive4437]

It's really interesting to see how unsure the two of you were at the start but got much more comfortable after a while.

[@herrzim9656]

i myself tried a smallsword vs rapier sparring and it was also great fun and highly interesting. a fencing master whos name i sadly forgot even wrote a school about techniques for fighting with smallsword against other schools and weapons i really like your videos. keep it going :)

[@edwardkawa47]

more of these please

[@catherinestickels2591]

I think this is a really cool concept

[@VanRukh]

Hell yeaaaa, more sparring!

[@scoople6]

I love the idea of mixed weapon/A-historical combat and I'd love to see more. If imagine it makes fights a lot more novel and engaging as the fighters need to account for the strengths and weaknesses of their own weapons and their enemies, as well as needing to come up with altered strategies and forms to attain advantage in the duel. Awesome stuff!

[@jamesforgie6594]

I liked this. Quite interesting, and outside both peoples comfort zones, or at least, experience.

[@Avutardapachucha]

AWESOME VIDEO! thanks and bring more experimental cross style fights with comments :)

[@GallopingWalrus]

I absolutely love mixed weapon fighting. It adds a new element that usually we never get to see.

[@JeveGreen]

Regardless of historical accuracy, it's certainly interesting to see the different weapons and techniques clashing with each other. I for one would like to see more! :)

[@TheFabioki]

I'm from Brasil and i love this Channel

[@sreckocuvalo8110]

Do more mixed weapons springs, looks fun as heck

[@gregscalzo5259]

Very fun. Would love to see other anachronistic match-ups

[@Lord_Epsilon]

Yay! more sparring!

[@jodexstar2238]

interesting to watch, would like to see more

[@Alexiuli7]

i love these videos where you train/sparr

[@ismakami]

Thanks a lot for all your vids Skallagrim! I'm a hobbist 3d artist. I love swords and armors. And right now I'm working on a long sword vs Rapier-like. Your video just came in the best moment.

[@proffski]

Superb, thank you!

[@jacobrosales5376]

Wow, all day I was thinking about what a rapier v long sword duel would look like, then this vid drops.

[@westonsiegel2883]

Very much not historical but fun and entertaining! Would love to see more.

[@johnnylams3948]

This is highly enjoyable.

[@yvc9]

I would have thought the rapier would have more of a speed advantage but your point about longsword cuts explains it quite well

[@somnius2519]

I'm really liking these kinds of videos from you. Let's us really see this kind of fighting in an obvious and analytical light, thanks to your commentary. I'm still trying to figure out whether I prefer polearm combat or longsword, but one day I plan to learn both. Two quick questions, 1). You mentioned that the longsword had fallen out of favor in favor for the rapier. Would you happen to know why that happened? And 2). Do you often draw an audience when you go out and practice in the tennis courts like that? Love your content. Keep it up.

[@KaraThrace0001]

The wonders of the modern world, I love you

[@onionsnbananas1]

This was awesome!

[@WebOnion]

More mixed weapon fighting please. That shit was dope.

[@simonmcnicholas]

I like the bit where Skal told him to "go home n get your fuckin shine box"!

[@formerowner6024]

That was cool, do some more.

[@Stratigoz]

These fights are hillarious.

[@seedfan8548]

I'd very much like to see more of this kind of thing. I'm currently writing a sword and sorcery book and this very thing will be coming up soon.

[@GreenShyGuyJeff]

I'd like to see more of the Mixed Weapon videos. Its interesting to see how different weapons match up against one another, and the kind of benefits and down sides that come from the different styles associated with each.

[@hairyviking6047]

Awesome video. I never see anything like this on other hema based channels

[@TrueMentorGuidingMoonlight]

Now this is way better than tennis!

[@undeadzerg8758]

I find this very entertaining.

[@ASecondStory]

I really liked this! esp as I just recently had this argument with a friend of mine.

[@Elentirion]

Mixed weapon fighting is always interesting to watch, historical accuracy be damned! But seriously, it's great to see how different weapons compare to each other in a 1 on 1.

[@sonobitches]

Love videos like this

[@Veringetorix]

Do more videos like this!!!!

[@T3alFoReal]

What I find extremely interesting is that the rapier and the longsword never meet in battle historically. So you both had to make up your own way of fighting to counter the other weapon, using the strategies for your respective weapon to try and make it work. I hope to see more like this in the future :)

[@kazukikazuma27KK]

This was awesome! You should try to do more experimental sparring. Like kendo vs longsword, etc.

[@bobdrenan4402]

Thibault actually depicts rapier vs longsword in his manual