Gladiatoria : Part 1/6 : Swordfight in Armour : Hammaborg

[@muyodosel1658]

How to win knight without armor 1.Eat healthy and live a long life 2.Find that knight´s grave and laugh at him

[@p3l1k44n1]

How to win a thug who just happened to steal metal armor similar to the knights wore and you live in a country that bans guns?

[@MedievalGenie]

Very fascinating how the fighting dynamics change when facing armoured rather than unarmoured opponents.

[@charlesw5919]

Thank you for sharing this. It's incredible that people are rediscovering historical European martial arts, which has its own rich traditions and history but regrettably neglected in the last couple of hundred years.

[@DierkHagedorn]

Thank you very much for your kind words. Much appreciated.

[@BombusQuadricolor]

It's impressive to see how elaborate fighting in armor can be. Very nice, thank you for uploading :)

[@DierkHagedorn]

Thnak you, you’re perfectly welcome.

[@DierkHagedorn]

I cannot help but repeating myself over and over again: We deal with a) judicial duels with a set of rules and identical weapons, and b) a different timeframe when heater shields were not in use any more.Thanks for watching nevertheless. Sorry, if my brevity sounds a bit harsh - it's not intended.

[@DierkHagedorn]

The timeframe we deal with is the 15th century, when chivalry is already declining, although its ideals are still held high. Citizens could afford and wear armour. Shields were only used in tournaments, i.e. sport, such as the joust or the "Rennen". On the battlefield, a mace might cause more damage to armour than a sword, the sword however is the most versatile weapon since by simly reversing it, it can be turned into some kind of mace as well. Fechtbücher were written for a specific purpose:

[@Anonymous00616]

God if only I had this video as a frame of reference a few months back, this one guy kept arguing that plate armor was useless against unarmored opponents who knew "death strikes" or some other such nonsense. He said that medieval warriors swung their swords around clumsily in melee combat. I honestly hope he was a really dedicated troll because you can see here just how much thought and technique went into countering plate armor.

[@titow205]

You can kill an armoured man, the thing is that it's really hard, unless you trust to opened areas (eyes holes, armpits, genitals) with a dagger or sword, or you hit his head with a mace or warhammer, you shot with a crossbow or a pistol, you are a dead man c:

[@DierkHagedorn]

Shame indeed. But nevertheless, now at least you know. And next time you’ll be prepared. Thanks for your kind words in any case.

[@manglemetamorphis2629]

While that person was clearly an idiot, there is a little bit of truth in that. Way back when, Samurai were conducting raids against Chinese shore villages. Since the emperor could not send all his forces to defend all his villages he sent a single fighting monk to teach them all how to fight. The monk went around and taught everyone a single move: a kick that could stop a man's heart (I call bullshit on that part, but moving on. More likely, the kick was so hard that it would break a man's sternum, but stopping a man's heart sounds cooler). After teaching the villagers this move, and telling them to practice it every day, the Samurai started suffering casualties to such a degree that they stopped conducting raids against undefended villagers because of how many men they were losing. I was told this story by my older cousin (Who isn't known for bullshitting) many years ago, so I can't give any precise details or references, unfortunately.

[@gaboderflinger7854]

There is a bit of truth about this, the only thing the unarmored fighter has to keep in mind is to hit and run, you're plain dumb if you stay near an armored opponent and let him do all this techniques, but of course it depends on the person, in therms of stamina and displacement speed the armored has the disadvantage. That's the main reason why Estoc and weapons of this style were invented.

[@sayanorasonic]

Mangle Metamorphis samurai have armor, how tf would they be able to beat them with just a kick?

[@DierkHagedorn]

@ liam doherty: Thanks for the barrage of comments. However, I’m afraid I have to disappoint you. Since my field of expertise are the German fechtbücher from the 15th and 16th century and the reconstructions of the techniques described therein, I will probably not deal with the Romans in the foreseeable future. After all, historical fencing as we understand it, is based on real and extant sources, and sadly there are none from the age of the Roman Empire. As far as the price of armour is concerned, it's like with cars: The sky is the limit. You can get decent ones for about € 5000.

[@bobber0001]

I think it's pretty great that we have the same last name - it seems rare.

[@DierkHagedorn]

Christopher Hagedorn Well, depends. At least there are some 50 colleagues in Hamburg alone.

[@orionmelton3226]

Dierk Hagedorn Do you think we could figure some of it out through experimentation? I know it wouldn't be the same, but it would still besomething.

[@DierkHagedorn]

Thanks a lot. Fencing in armour is something quite different from your regular Bloßfechten. Works properly only in armour, though. All the best.

[@maestroskrappy]

This video series is outstanding. I have been a student of western and european martial arts for 21 yrs. This is a more than comprehensive overview for the shor amount of time that it is. My compliments

[@DierkHagedorn]

Thank you. The armour was in fact a childhood dream come true.

[@AliothAncalagon]

Danke für die Arbeit die du machst. Leute wie du sind der Grund dafür, wenn wir im Laufe der Zeit mehr Kämpfe in Film und Fernsehen zu Gesicht bekommen die auch Sinn machen.

[@TheDjroxtar]

Fuckin' armored Steve Jobs made me lol.

[@DierkHagedorn]

Be my guest. Any time.

[@headmellon3163]

When fighting an opponent with armour, bring a warhammer!

[@DierkHagedorn]

Yes, or a gun.

[@liamdoherty6553]

Or you could bring a very sharp spear and aim for the gaps in plate armour. Would that be effective because that demonstration you showed there was pretty good. I thought that when you put the sword behind their leg you would cut their hamstring instead of tripping them but both seem like god ideas in my opinion

[@akblabla]

liam doherty I think using a spear would be really dangerous for the spear user, as a spear can be completely destroyed after 3-4 deflects with a sword, so the spear user would have to be very fast and precise. I don't have much experience with using spears, but I guess it would also be harder to precisely hit gabs with the longer pole than when using half-swording, though that is purely a guess.

[@Wolfenkuni]

liam doherty A well designed harness has no real gaps. Maybe the armpits and the crotch and some in the knee. However those bits where protected by male. Stabing into the "gaps" is very hard till impossible. And you can trap a spear.... However when in armor a poleax is a good choice as well and you see similar techniques as the one shown here....

[@liamdoherty6553]

Indeed. I can't disagree

[@djemps7983]

I love that little dude in the full harness and sallet at the end. He looks like a badass.

[@NoelCraigNI]

Cant believe some of the jaw dropping stupid comments found here. I am grateful for the work of people like Dierk. Indeed, it is people like him that influenced me to explore the fascinating world of medieval Europe in my own way. I am working on my second full suit of Chainmaile armour. A wonderful craft that I would not have explored if it was not for videos like this. Keep up the great work Dierk.

[@sojjjer]

the clinking sound that full kit makes is glorious

[@ChamorruWarrior]

I practice Eastern martial arts, once I joined MMA and was exposed to boxing and wrestling I really wanted to look into Western martial arts. To be honest I thought all this kind of stuff had been lost to time (and guns) This is AWESOME! I wanna learn this a lot!

[@DierkHagedorn]

Thank you, I wasn't aware of that. How very, very embarrassing. It's always good to have so many observant people around.

[@Aresolar690]

What is interesting to see is the handling of the sword itself, freely grabbing the blade and using it effectively, almost like a spear.

[@oodyswe]

Wow, must have been a incredible sight to see such armoured warriors clash together! ^^

[@DierkHagedorn]

Oh, just saw this now. Thank you. I'm flattered.

[@jasma98]

This is brilliant sir! Thank you for educating us.

[@mastorione]

I love the look and style of gothic armour, the flutes and that overbite just does it for me. Where would one procure such a magnificent piece of art? And if I maybe so bold, how much would it cost?

[@DierkHagedorn]

+mastorione Meanwhile there’s an abundance of decent armourers, and in all honesty, the internet doesn’t make them particularly hard to find. You might want to look for one however who is reasonably close to where you live since some fittings are mandatory. And as far as the price is concerned, well, the sky’s the limit. Consider a good harness to be the price of a car. You can drive a small Fiat or a large Rolls Royce - your purse decides after all.

[@DierkHagedorn]

+sayan das Sharpness doesn’t matter since I don’t slide my hand up and down the blade but hold it tightly. Thus there’s no slicing or cutting. Furthermore I wear gloves.

[@DierkHagedorn]

There are events in Vienna, Dijon or Gothenburg with an emphasis on workshops, but offering a serious tournament too. These are primarily events to further the knowledge of Historical European Martial Arts. Also Fechtschule America for instance is a major event in the US. There is also an event called Battle of the Nations in Eastern Europe where armoured fighters struggle for championship. I guess you have to search a bit in order to find something to your liking - and next to where you live.

[@DierkHagedorn]

By holding the sword with one hand at the blade, you turn it in a small spear which enables you to thrust much more accurately into the small openings. You can also use it as a lever in wrestling and topple your opponent. Held in a "regular" way, either one-handed or with both hands on the grip, your best option would be blows - which are pointless (!) against armour.

[@DierkHagedorn]

Absolutely. Daniel wears an Italian suit shaped after the famous armour of Friedrich der Siegreiche from the middle of the 15th century, mine is inspired by harnesses from Augsburg from roughly 1470/80.

[@DierkHagedorn]

Steel can be polished to a mirror-finish, therefore steel it is.

[@Ott4vi4nu5]

thank you very much for the explanations, it didn't think to start suck an argument throughout the comments, I will surely read some more before commenting . Keep it up!

[@DierkHagedorn]

Yes, absolutely, I agree 100%. After all, you handle a sword and the same physics and bio-mechanics apply to you when either fighting in the lists or on the field.

[@DierkHagedorn]

I do feel flattered. Thank you so much for your kind remarks. Congrats to your mail armour.

[@DierkHagedorn]

500 characters are not sufficient to describe complex fencing actions, nevertheless: The shortened sword allows for mor stability. A thrust with one or two hands on the handle can easily be deflected with the "armoured hand" (gewappente hant). So, yes indeed, you sacrifice some of your reach for better targeting possibilities. The scenario in this fechtbuch (and others alike) is a (possibly judicial) duel with fixed rules. Both comabatants are armed alike. A fighter in armour, countering ...

[@DierkHagedorn]

Because thus you turn your sword into a little spear and you can aim and thrust with more precision and force. As has been said earlier this is called "Halbschwert" (half sword), "Kurzes Schwert" (short sword) or "mit gewappenter hand" (with armoured hand).

[@DierkHagedorn]

Both offer good mobility. The styles differ mostly in how certain plates are combined and fixed and how the surface is treated - things the wearer would not necessarily even notice. Much more important than style is that the armour be custom made and tailored (if you want to say so) to the body of the wearer. A beautiful German harness for instance is of no use if it doesn't fit.

[@DierkHagedorn]

Just some more pieces of information: The fechtbücher the techniques are based upon deal with various disciplines: armoured, unarmoured, mounted, unmounted, with swords, daggers, lances, spears, bucklers, axes, any combination of these, or even completely unarmed. The era of the German fechtbücher is a time when the cities became more important due to the wealth of their inhabitants. Although usually adressed to nobility, also the citizens had a keen interest in the so-called knightly arts.

[@ShaNagmaImmuru]

First I would like to congadulate you on your impressive mastery of this beautiful martial art sir. I would like to find some tutorial videos demonstrating a serious approach on the use of zweihander swords. Do you also deal with that weapon type, and if not, would you be kind enough to make any suggestions? thank you in andvance.

[@DierkHagedorn]

Thank you very much for the kind words. Unfortunately, I have no knowledge about the huge Zweihänder swords. Since no manuals about these have survived, reconstructing a fighting scenario with these must remain entirely hypothetical. Sorry.

[@ShaNagmaImmuru]

Oh that is a pitty. Thank you for your time and keep on the good work!

[@DierkHagedorn]

Well, it depends largely on the type of helmet you’re wearing. The most beautiful helmet in the world, the sallet, has one unfortunate flaw, and that is visibility downwards. Other types of helmets have additional slits or holes for breathing, not so the sallet. Therefore we see a lot of illustrations of sallet-wearers with their visors open.

[@eolculnamo2]

I've studied longsword for years now and still have not had the chance to put armor on and try out techniques/fence! Cool video!

[@DierkHagedorn]

@KnightlyNerd Movability is only slightly restricted as far as the more lateral directions are concerned. But in fact raising the arms over the head is a bit more troublesome due to the articulation of the pauldrons. Nevertheless it's absolutely possible to stand in guard with the hands over the head (in fact there is a guard that calls for a hand held high), although a classical Bloßfechten posture like Ochs is impossibly because of the diameter of the lower vambraces and the crossed wrists.

[@DierkHagedorn]

@chongoonchua The usage of weapons depends largely on the circumstances. A judicial duel (which we are talking about here) is, after all, subject to some specifications. In Gladiatoria you start indeed with spear, sword, dagger and a targe. You start with the spear, often by casting it in order to distract the opponent. Then you work with the sword, or the dagger. Try to bring him to the ground or lead him out of the fighting area. Thus you win. No need to necessarily kill him, by the way.

[@enduraman1]

This fighting technique would work well with staff fighting.

[@DierkHagedorn]

In a way, yes, of course. After all, in halfswording you turn you sword into a little spear-or staff, for that matter. A lot depends on leverage and not only on thrusting with the point.

[@DierkHagedorn]

Mind you, we are not talking about warfare here. Medieval fechtbücher (fight books) deal almost exclusively with (judicial) duels. So, in this case, the sword seems to have been the weapons both parties have agreed upon. However, there are treatises that depict axeplay as well, like Hans Talhoffer, Paulus Kal or (without images) Jeu de la Hache. A sword, turned into a small spear like here, can be quit devastating too. And strikes with the pommel are also not too pleasant.

[@nikc888]

A very interesting clip. Good work, and thanks for putting it up

[@DierkHagedorn]

Because a) the sword has been deflected to the side before, thus preventing it from being harmful and b) you have to take the dynamics into consideration. A slow demonstration often lacks the necessary impact.

[@lokillo271]

Thanks for the teaching, your armor looks awesome

[@DierkHagedorn]

Again and again I am surprised how helpful and considerate people mostly are. Thank you so much for pointing out helpful hints how I can further enhance my achievements. Eternal gratitude shall be with thee, honourable mcpartidgeboy. (Are you a human being?)

[@OMFGHUGEWOLF]

Nice stuff, you are obviously a good instructor.

[@DierkHagedorn]

Actually, dear Chriss, from the very beginning the intention of this video was to bore particularly you. I am happy that it worked. Thanks for posting.

[@DierkHagedorn]

You’re perfectly welcome. After all, we all constantly learn. (Or at least we should.)

[@Railstarfish]

Shields were becoming less and less popular after around 1350. They did not die out completely, but were fairly uncommon. One theory why is because of armour improvements, although shields also were dying out among troops whose main armour was "jerkin" or gambeson (both refer to padded cloth) so that is probably not the entire story. For an example, the muster of 1421 by Duke Albrecht V did not require any shields, although accepted iron armour or padded cloth for troops.

[@Railstarfish]

The very front ranks were the best armoured, but you would not need to push very far to reach less armoured troops. At Crecy, some archers were in the front (beside knights) to shoot directly forward at close-range. At Jaffa, spearmen/archers were so close that the archers used the spearmen's shields for protection. Landsknecht fahnlein did not have enough doppelsoldners to provide more than a thin screen between the enemy and the less-armoured pikemen. Etc. It seemed to work though.

[@DierkHagedorn]

I suggest to look up the term "Parrying dagger" on wikipedia. The very first paragraph deals with sword-breakers. That should answer your question sufficiently, I believe.

[@Railstarfish]

In the 1300s shields were going into decline. It was more common for a warrior to use a pike or polearm rather than shields, and it would be very impractical to carry a full-size shield just to use with your backup weapon (bucklers were the exception), so a two-handed sword made a lot of sense for knights at least. About only noble men being able to afford plate armour, most knights were essentially minor nobility. Also, plate armour was cheaper than armour in previous eras. I hope that helps!

[@liamdoherty6553]

I would like him to show us how the people in the Ancient days fought and what fighting styles they had eg: Greek hoplite and Roman legionare.

[@kaporit1]

cool stuff... I just can't imagine how they did it in the old days...

[@DierkHagedorn]

I am head instructor for the longsword at hammaborg.de, were we mostly deal with unarmoured historical fencng. Fighting in armour however is my great passion. A flamberge however would not have been used in this manner, it also comes from a later date. Thanks for watching.

[@DierkHagedorn]

Assuming we deal with a knight, he might have been ideally equipped with three horses (one for travelling, one for carrying the equipment, and one warhorse), possibly another horse for his squire. His primary weapon would have been the lance. Other weapons he might have carried include a mace, a sword attached to his belt and a dagger. They may have been used in that order. The lance delivers powerful thrusts and keeps the opponent at a distance. Once he had closed in, a mace could do ...

[@EPU01]

Perhaps you and the more heavily armored guy (I believe he is the Frenchmen from the le combat en armure video) should do a video specifically to dispel the heavy armor notion. A few athletic feats, a discussion of weights, etc. That way the rest of us could easily link it.

[@DierkHagedorn]

Oh, that's a tricky question to answer. It depends mostly on the philosophy of your school. Some train with nylon swords (cheap but floppy), some with would (cheap but very stiff), some with steel (expensive, more like the "real thing"). Also protective equipment may range from none to everything including the kitchen sink. But if you want to train in armour, you'll definitely need a custom-made suit that fits you perfectly. Steel ist not very forgiving, after all. So, you may get your gear ...

[@SkezZHD]

If you did not realise its a duel, and it also depends on who wants what, id go for a 2h sword on a duel and in a war id go for a Shield and a sword. But it also depends on who you are meeting in a duel how good he is and how strong he is.

[@Ulf_Ulfurson]

Schönes Video Dierk und danke für die guten trankribierten Fechtbücher. Da sind etliche Zettel drin(Peter von Danzig und Jude Lew), um immer wieder die gerade wichtigen Stellen fürs Training wiederzufinden. :-D. Die beiden Bücher ergänzen sich prima. Danke für das tolle Video. ich ahbe heute 2 SMB (Vollkontakt in Rüstung) Fighter aufeinander herumdrömmeln sehen und da musste ich mir einfach nochmal dein Video anschauen, was man im Harnisch sinnvolles machen kann.

[@DierkHagedorn]

Oh, ich habe ganz vergessen mich zu bedanken. Etwas spät also: Dankeschön.

[@DierkHagedorn]

Plate armour usually does not require a shield. Nevertheless, in the beginning of the 15th century, fighters in harness still carried an occaisonal ecranche, a kind of targe with a cut-out area in the upper left corner for the lance - like it is depicted in the fechtbuch these techniques are derived from. But the real trick of plate armor (which varies in thickness from under 1 to more than 3 millimetres) is that it is so solid that a shield is more a burden than an asset.

[@DierkHagedorn]

Oh, yes. That is absolutely so. Thanks for visiting.

[@Railstarfish]

Yes, that's why I am not entirely convinced by the armour explanation. My guess is the tactics leaned more towards two-handed weapons such as pikes, and it was unfeasible to use a shield with them. A good compromise is a buckler, since you could carry it on your belt.

[@DierkHagedorn]

Absolutely. What would you expect from such merry men as we are?

[@DierkHagedorn]

In fact you get used to wearing armour pretty quickly. Wear it once, and it is quite tedious admittedly. But after wearing your suit a couple of days in a row makes your body feel much more in ease with it. Imagine the first time you put on your heavy winter coat after a warm summer, you feel encumbered too and have to grow accustomed to it again.

[@Gaston043]

I have always been interested in knights and the way they fought. This looks like it can be used in a real sword fight. I think a real swordfight is like in boxing or any other martial art a combination of bravery, speed, power and technique.

[@UrbanCohort]

Sounds like fun, really. I'm living on a budget, alas, so I'm perfectly content with taking unarmored german longsword. I'm only a few classes in, but I'm already seeing how versatile and delicate a weapon it is.

[@DierkHagedorn]

Attention, this is a rough generalisation: European swords can be bent and they flex back into shape; Japanese "swords" (in brackets since a sword is usually a weapon with two edges) are harder on the edge but once bent, they will stay that way. But shattering the sword is always a good means to come to good work. Shattering meaning here putting it out of harms' way, not destroying it.

[@DierkHagedorn]

@TrailersProject Define "hard". But honestly it is heavy of course, and after a while you feel the strain. After a couple of hours, that is. And since I wear armour not THAT often, I could be a bit more accustomed to it. But apart from that you move quite freely. It's tricky though to scratch your back. But since it is encased in steel anyway there's no point in even trying to scratch. So the answer is: yes and no.

[@DierkHagedorn]

... someone without, would certainly grasp his sword with both hands on the handle. Why would he not? It gives him longer reach. The adversary on the other hand is truly a poor fellow. With no armour on he has to engage in a fight with a tank, so to speak. Agility would be his best asset. And of course, he would necessarily have to turn to halfswording. Could I make myself clear enough? Feel free to ask again. Sorry for the late reply.

[@GunBreaux]

@DierkHagedorn Are you referring to 'over the roof'? Danke fur de video!

[@luos8901]

It's "you're". Nobody is talking about carrying all these weapons around and switching them in mid fight, but there's nothing surreal about a warrior choosing one weapon over another based on the opponent's situation. Either way, Dierk had already answered to my question with an actual answer.

[@DierkHagedorn]

For the (judicial) duel - with a set of rules the combatants agreed upon. Swords were *not* used mainly in parades: swords changed in size and length, a rapier or a small swords are swords after all; and bladed weapons in general (such as sabres) were used as late as in WW I - or even later. What we do here is take the old medieval manuscripts and try to reconstruct the techniques meticulously. Therefore I am sure you will understand how frustrating comments are that question historical facts.

[@DierkHagedorn]

Yes I do. Mine was manufactured in the Czech Republic, and there are good armourers in Germany I know of. Since you definitely need at least two fittings, I suggest to choose something nore or less around the corner. Where do you live?

[@DierkHagedorn]

Yes, movability of the head to the sides is a little restricted, but not too bothersome. However with bevor up and visor down the visibility is rather poor. To say the least.

[@Zadentai]

Well, it does make sense now, thank you. I still held some beliefs about knights from my childhood, but I have to say, the real stuff is much more efficient, and better looking.

[@MomoFerret]

Very interesting, thanks for the video.

[@UnknowSoldier87]

cool, i'm very intrested on this kind of stuff, and since you seems an expert i would like to ask some questions like: is it worthy or not wearing a shield along with the armor?, wathever is made of iron or wood and if combine it with a spiked mace is a smart idea.

[@Railstarfish]

Personally, no. Then again, they might have been depending on other things; a pikeman could depend on his reach to protect him. It is interesting that lightly armoured troops discarded the shield around the same time.

[@DierkHagedorn]

a) A spear is used indeed in harness fencing. b) Please take the time and read other comments here where this issue has been adressed which weapon is how useful in what way.

[@Curaissier]

I am very impressed by your training videos and the work you have done putting together the real fighting techniques. Do you know any suppliers of plate armour that you would recommend?

[@boxesbanana6607]

Cutting weapons are utterly terrible against plate armour anyway. Axes were a poor choice for the argument. Anyway great video Dierk. I only do unarmoured fencing and its great to see how different armoured fencing is.

[@GriefOfShadow]

I was referring more to a common soldier in battle (I'm pretty sure they didn't send thousands of steel encased knights into battle. did they?) . But in the terms your referring to then of course being encased in steel is better. But one thing, was a typical foot-soldier equipped with a shield during that time? if not, why?

[@DierkHagedorn]

These are questions 500 characters are *by far* not enough to discuss these things thoroughly. However, in short: Once you have a suit of plate armour you won't need a shield. What would it be good for anyway? You're perfectly protected. Shields were made of wood, occasionally with metal bosses or armaments. A mace is a very good idea to shatter armour.

[@anders1621]

You could start out in a Gambeson or an arming boublet and slowly build up the armour bit by bit.

[@DierkHagedorn]

Wikipedia says a lot, however, bastard sword is not a historical term. Back in the old days people called it "a sword". Size did not matter, at least not for naming that piece of metal. Only we modern people feel a need to define a long sword differently than a shorter one. But you are right, of course, even a longer sword that was wielded usually with two hands could be held single handedly occasionally. Look for instance at the rather long swords in Paulus Kal’s fechtbücher.

[@luos8901]

Ok, I see... Thank you for your quick response. Another quick question: What do you grab the sword with? I assume that it has to be something strong enough to protect your hand, but not hard enough as to blunt the edge. If I recall correctly, the Talhoffer MS depicts bare hands, but surely that's just for illustrative purposes.

[@DierkHagedorn]

Please, be so kind as to scroll down a bit, this has been answered a couple of times already. And see the introduction also. Some issues are adressed there too.

[@evgeniyblinov4948]

Блестящие такие... Интересно на них было-бы посмотреть в бугурте....

[@deathlibrarian]

Great video, thanks!

[@westsideaz4pac]

being light on your feet is the best defense

[@EvilMerlin]

Its maille or chain, not chain mail. And with these types of armours, all that would likely be worn for maille are voiders and possibly a mail skirt to protect the groin and buttocks. Possibly a standard for the neck.

[@DierkHagedorn]

There are all kinds of events, tournaments, or battles. It depends mostly on the flavour you seek. It can reach from academic to brutal. What are you after? (Sorry for the late reply.)

[@KnightlyNerd]

@DierkHagedorn I see. Thankyou so much for the information and reply. :)

[@bandofbrothers122]

Aw,This is way better than fencing!

[@DierkHagedorn]

1. Timing is an important issue. 2. You’re stepping offline a bit to bring your body out of harm’s way. 3. You are wearing armour (and a helmet), of course.

[@Baergen.]

I wish I had the opportunity to wear a full set of plate armor, it would be cool to combine that with my daily claymore tai chi training that I do. I feel like it would be a fantastic workout haha!!

[@chang1865]

By being called nerd, It means you're totally giving an effort on what you love. So I wouldn't mind being called a nerd.

[@Railstarfish]

Imagine a battle situation. You start off with a spear or halberd, which got stuck in the body of an enemy. Then another enemy attacks, you draw your sword to defend yourself and cut him down. Then another enemy, but this one is wearing too much armour for you to easily cut down. So you use half-swording against him. Enemy warriors can be quite inconsiderate and do not always give you chance to select the ideal weapon for fighting them.