How Swords Work (It's Complicated)

I give a brief overview of the design elements that make swords effective at specific tasks.
Believe it or not, this is a quick, simplified video in which I move through material very quickly. And it's STILL this long.
Skallagrim Video: • Splitting Wood with a ...
Urumi Video: • 'Kalaripayattu' - Figh...
0:00 Intro
0:45 Thrusting
4:01 Cutting
10:42 Chopping
16:05 Comparisons
20:25 Which is Better? (Penetration)
23:33 Other Strategies?
My Twitter: / armchairviolenc
Thanks to Metrolina Martial Arts for letting me film in their gym! Their channel: / @metrolinamartialarts
(Metrolina MA does not necessarily endorse any views expressed in this video.)

[@ArmchairViolence]

This video is basically me saying "Notice me, Senpai! OwO" to Scholagladitoria

[@timothygallagher1416]

@ them in your video description bruh and perhaps they will

[@NemanjaNislija]

A fellow knight of the order of "Context and Penetration" xD

[@Anathmatician]

I am amazed a Matt didn't appear in the background when you said the word "Context"

[@Starless85]

Would love to see you guys collaborate

[@BloodyInitiate]

I’m a big fan of Scholagladiatoria

[@FogmanS2N]

As both a historical fencer and a physicist, I have to say this is one of the - if not *the* - best "layman's crash course" on sword blade design I've seen around. There may be a few nuances to add, but they are so specific that it's not even worth doing so for such a nicely compact and already information-packed video. Great job!

[@BlurryZurry]

As someone who just really fuckin loves any kind of blade really I agree.

[@zandersalazar858]

So glad being a mechanical engineering major finally paid off for this video

[@sharpshooter9407]

I'm a follower of multiple sword channels (Shad, Lindy, Skall, Metatron, Schola) and I've been a practitioner of Kali for the past 12 years. I'd like to think I know my way around blades and swords better than most. This is probably the best video I have watched when it comes to explaining how swords work, and why they work the way they do, without getting too caught up in the historical minutiae. It's a good compromise between detail, practicality, and simplicity. Good video man, keep it up.

[@katokianimation]

I hated Lindy's and Shad's and esspecially Metatron's videos on hanf to hand fighting and martial arts. Made me question all of their videos.

[@user-jh9nw6bz6f]

@@katokianimation do shad really has hand to hand fight video? whitch one?

[@3nertia]

@@katokianimation Their "self-defense" videos, presumably?

[@ArmchairViolence]

@@katokianimation I think weapon combat can really be figured out with simple physics principles and the large amount of historical documentation that we have. Since militaries were very incentivized to understand weaponry.. Hand to hand combat, however, is way harder to get a casual grasp of. Militaries have rarely cared about it, and traditional martial arts were almost never tested. And the demands on athletic ability are comparatively high. I think a weapon person trying to gain a good understanding of hand to hand, while only putting in casual research, is going to have a really hard time. Which is probably why those videos aren't good lol

[@katokianimation]

@@user-jh9nw6bz6f im not sure if Shad had video on hand 2 hand. He talked about practicing hema and martial arts and learning how to fight generally wich wasn't good. But I would go easier on shad than the other two who really had no idea what were they talking about but talked about a topic like they were experts in the topic anyway. Metatron is the worst. The guy had the worst heavybag work i have ever seen. And he said muhay thai is better than mma. And systema is better than boxing... and even though his technics stinks he would win a sword fight because he would use dirty technics... Also it is a common belive among hema guys that they were perform as good in a real fight to death as they are doing in fencing...

[@jojojoey13]

"I am now a science educator so make the algorithm give me subscribers" had me rolling XD

[@jamesdalton1991]

There’s a final piece of this puzzle that you sort of allude to in the ‘chopping’ section and that’s the percussive element of swords. A heavier blade can sometimes be useful because in the event the blade is not able to penetrate, it is still imparting force into the target. If I swing a big old arming sword at your head I don’t need it to penetrate your helmet to knock you down or out.

[@NDOhioan]

To my understanding, this is part of the reason why a good number of Migration-Era and Viking-Era swords could get pretty hefty by sword standards. You're not going to cleave through a mail hauberk with a sword, but if you hit a guy's collarbone hard enough to break it, he's in trouble.

[@user-jh9nw6bz6f]

@@NDOhioan viking sword 1-1.5 kilo, pretty normal

[@NDOhioan]

@@user-jh9nw6bz6f Generally, I was thinking more about how the swords were balanced rather than their literal mass. Most swords from the Early Medieval Period were primarily chopping swords, and as such were balanced further away from the hand to ensure a harder impact. This came at the cost of *some* agility. No, they weren't top-heavy like an axe or a mace, but you're not going to be using one like a 15th-century langmesser either. And that's okay, because that's not the kind of context the sword was developed for. To my understanding, while there were *some* that would feel more nimble in the hand than average, those are the exception rather than the rule.

[@Leo.23232]

thing is the exact same design that makes it good for chopping makes it good for impacts so it makes sense to just include that with chopping swords but you are right, it is a point worth mentioning, especially regarding the advantages of a chopping sword

[@thothtahuti5509]

@@Leo.23232 well said ::)

[@junichiroyamashita]

This video just filled the niche that all the youtube sword community could not answer ,explaining the most basic types of damage and swords,with scientific and exsaustive presentation. Also i would love for you to suggest traditional martial arts and weapons to Icy Mike,after seeing how much he liked the shield.

[@Walthanar]

ok, as a physicist who practiced martial arts (armed ones too) for almost 30 years, this video was orgasmic from start to finish. Also you expose in a very entertaining and funny way. I stumbled on this video by chance but I instantly subbed :)

[@junichiroyamashita]

This video is like a gladius,a good compromise between different important sides such a depth,semplicity and clarity, good as a first for a beginner,and still useful for someone with more experience.

[@camdonmaydew876]

6 minutes in and this is already the best video on KZbin about swords

[@whitebeltexplainsjujitsu]

The very basic explanation of the curved blade's strength over the straight blade was great. The use of cam mechanism as a visual aid, and the basic demonstration of the blade self correction was very good.

[@garron6775]

This is false information. Blades do NOT self-correct in a cut. Go find a qualified tameshigiri teacher and learn to cut correctly. You will see that swords do not self-correct.

[@yoshi658]

@@garron6775 this is because you rarely cut straight down in practice, in most sword systems you cut diagonally son any mistake with with the handling is going to make sword rotate and mess the cut, curved swords like to be edge as much as edge up. TLDR I agree with you, you need a sharp sword and a skilled user to prove those theories

[@garron6775]

@@yoshi658 Most proficient sword arts have a downward cut. It is one of the standard 8 directional cuts. Further to the point of a sword righting itself in a cut (nonsense), a shinken (Japanese sword); while there are many ways to use the entirety of the length of the blade, generally it is cut using the first 2"-4" of the blade. The curve (called sori) had many purposes none of which is to right the sword in the cut.

[@yoshi658]

@@garron6775 what I meant is that the vertical cut( I mean cut number 7 in sabre or men strike in kendo) seems to be not that common in at least in drills or at least sparring(not counting kendo) and some systems like the one in fiore only counts two downward cuts(fendenti) that said I only practice german longsword, Iberian montante and a little bit of english sabre so my knowledge may be narrow or wrong

[@garron6775]

@@yoshi658 My primary sword art is kenjutsu. I study from a teacher with a direct lineage to samurai. A verticle cut is used as often as any other angle. The reason you may not see them as much in a bouting art is that a verticle shot is somewhat more difficult to land due to that particular angle offering the smallest target. Whereas an angled cut is presented with a much larger target area. However, I would argue this is a skill level rather than a practical issue. Of course, particular sword designs are going to influence the cutting options. Back to my original point, the content creator knows very little about sword fighting and curved swords do NOT right themselves in a cut. One cuts correctly or the sword tells you very quickly that you did not cut correctly.

[@shevetlevi2821]

This video is excellent. I'm a health professional and have had years of science but I'm in awe of engineers who really figure out how things work and figure out practical solutions to problems.

[@matthewfullerton1416]

This right here is the kinda stuff that gets me frisky 🤣 Also, physicist, and can confirm your hypothesis. It's the same reason most axe bits have a curved blade rather than a flat one. The greatest concentration of mass on an axe is directly behind the blade so you want as much of that mass hitting the target over as great an area as possible. For historical context, thrusting and cutting swords were primarily (though not exclusively) used against unarmoured opponents and so were popular for civilian use, while chopping swords were primarily (though not exclusively) used against armoured opponents

[@yoshi658]

poleaxes and halberds often have straight heads like guillotines

[@siamsasean]

@@yoshi658 Polearms have ALL kinds of blade shapes. Standard axe heads, 2' straight axe blades like a lochaber, hooking blades like the English bill, which was derived from an agricultural tool for pruning trees.

[@batteredwarrior]

Not quite true. Thrusting or cut and thrust swords (using the thrust) were the most commonly used swords against armoured opponents. Essentially, plate armour would be pretty much invulnerable to a sword (cut, thrust or chop), but mail could be penetrated with a thrust (why long, stiff-bladed daggers were important anti-armour weapons in the medieval era). They could break the mail links with a strong thrust and drive through into the target. Chopping swords (like the falchion) generally had fairly thin blades, like a modern machete. They were primarily used against unarmoured or lightly-armoured opponents, and would have no impact against armour.

[@CoffeeFiend1]

Without sounding overly pretentious I haven't learned anything I didn't already know. But I have discovered quite literally the most comprehensive, succinct and well explained newb friendly guide to just about everything I've ever tried to explain to someone. This video is an absolute fucking niche gem. It'll definitely be getting recommended.

[@Heino_HV]

It’s honestly incredible how much work and thought must have gone into this video. Nearly 30 minutes of great info, and really entertaining. Your channel is great!

[@stoneslash]

Honestly, this is really good. You should be proud of what you’ve learned and the video you produced with the information. I hope mr. Easton gives you the shoutout you deserve.

[@andreabeltrame1111]

European medieval swords actually *can* also be used for hooking and percussion: you just have to turn it upside down XD Great video! (Also, I'd like to add: you correctly say that "percussion-based" blades need to gather momentum to be affective, but their shortness also means that that momentum can be pretty likely gathered just rotating your wrist)

[@johnchao2422]

Jian pronunciation on point 👌🏼

[@camdonmaydew876]

Coaching dream team from YT Strategy: Armchair Striking: Icy Mike Grappling: Coach Brian Public Relations: Uncle Chael Head Coach: Tony Ferguson

[@superiorhema]

I've only read papers with this type of information. So it was cool to see it in a video form. Thanks for making it!

[@prosdad6438]

This was outstanding! Thank you for taking the time to make it.

[@mrdragon5142]

This is a fantastic video. You are rapidly becoming one of my favorite content creators. Thanks for the entertainment!

[@robertkiss8282]

I quite enjoyed this video and the level of detail you went into. Kudos on a solid presentation on how swords work.

[@gradybaka4946]

You are absolutely killing it with your videos. They are so packed with important information that I feel like I'm in a combat master class. Can't wait to see what else you post!

[@BaeBox]

that was REALLY good, I think you got the important stuff covered; the rest is actual specifics in the design, some stuff in swords is influenced by fencing style, whether the sword was designed for a specific battlefield and/or overall military strategy (i.e. gladius), etc. All that stuff comes on top and wouldn't belong in this video imho

[@JeanPhilippeBoucher]

I love what you decided to focus on in this video and the mechanical details. As a sword nerd I learned a lot of facts about them but it's never explained "from the ground up" like you did here. (With fantastic examples too!) I expected generic info and I came out learning quite a bit!

[@camdonmaydew876]

This was amazing. It would be interesting to see a video comparing unarmed linear strikes vs round kicks, hooks, and uppercuts.

[@leofriclac]

Sensei Seth might have done that video for you, he got his hands on a power cube and tries every strike he can think of (if I remember correctly)

[@Leo.23232]

@@leofriclac thats too simplistic to the many nuances that exist other than simple power that impact the effect each strike has to its target jabs are comparably unlikey to cause knockouts, but still cause decent superficial damage hooks measure less energy than crosses but in practice have higher knockout chance power alone won't explain why this is the case

[@itsjustjest]

Just saw this and honestly this is a really compelling video. Im excited for you channel!

[@strikemasterice2004]

Well done mate, this video was very infomative. You went over alot of concepts in clear and concise manner.

[@haysmcgee801]

This was an awesome video and probably the best explanation of how swords work for the average person. Can I recommend you do this type of explanation for how strikes differ and why you would use a straight punch vs a hook or a front kick vs a round house…. It might help people who don’t understand why they throw these different strikes or learn them in the first place

[@harjutapa]

Excellent primer on sword mechanics! I hope you get more subs, this quality of video deserves it.

[@fromtheresearchchair]

Very cool analyses. Much appreciate the thoughtfulness and thoroughness.

[@thothtahuti5509]

Great video bro, I've never seen anything from your channel but this was fantastic, I know a fair amount, in theory and practice, about this subject and from my perspective you conveyed pretty technical concepts succinctly and eloquently, a well deserved thumbs up from me ::)

[@christopheralexander195]

Excellently well done! Praise from the perspective of 25+ years of historical fencing, competition, and study.

[@Primalintent]

Small correction, the Aztec and Mayan peoples most certainly DID have metalworking, in fact their jewellery was considering far and away more technically impressive than European and revolutionized Europe's jewellery making when it was imported via Spanish conquest. They had copper and bronze and could've theoretically made weapons from it. However, part of the reason the Macuahuitl existed as it did was because killing power was deemphasized in Meso-American warfare. They favoured capturing as many POWs as possible so they could ransom them back and then use the rest as slaves or for appropriate sacrifice or service. One of the reasons they had so much trouble with Spaniards was the steel to stone/wood discrepancy, but it was also noted by warriors at the time that the Spanish were just seen as cruel and ruthless in their more lethal-focused warfare.

[@fawazahmed4978]

high quality video, only a matter of time before it blows up was surprised to see it hasnt already

[@relshdan191]

Tremendous video and unique approach to making sense of swords w/o obvious biases. Form follows function.

[@nakotaapache4674]

i am lucky to find your channel, fresh and entertaining with logical understanding and nice spirit. thanks.

[@3nertia]

Okay, wow. This is a great video that sums up (simply) how blades actually "work"! It also helped me understand "cams" a little better xD - Kudos!

[@themyrmidon2181]

This presentation is one of the best of its kind. Facts can be so refreshing. Great Job - Thank You

[@DerrickBarrows]

This is so good. Answers do many questions I had for so long being a fan of comics and fantasy I always wondered about the different styles of swords but couldnt grasp it

[@VanilliHammer]

You are doing great work. If the universe is fair your channel will be going places.

[@Funzelwicht]

This is SOOOOOO good and well explained, thanks!!! Keep up the awesome work!

[@Leo.23232]

amazing video, really hope you do more on this kind of stuff

[@deliq9607]

This video is fucking addictive. I rarely watch through a video in one sitting.

[@kaoskronostyche9939]

Well done. Very clear, simple and informative. Thank you.

[@spiritualanarchist8162]

Young guy explains why a ' point' or blade is better then a blunt piece of metal .But he does it in such a refreshing way, i didn't even notice it's bloody obvious. 😅Well done !

[@bstskdirela]

Clearly explained, and interesting. Keep up the good work!

[@ArnetPhotography]

I just started Kendo this month, I've had about a total of 32 hours of training in it and we have a huge, huge emphasis on foot work. It would be super cool to see a video on how foot work applies towards the physics of the blade. Great video, great channel! I know very little of swordsmanship and would like to learn more :)

[@bahamuhtgames4031]

I don't know how but you made it more and less complicated at the same time and still made it make sense. Props to you sir!

[@michaelhanford8139]

A remarkably detailed, and i believe, accurate analysis, sir.👍

[@kanucks9]

Holy moly. You have explained the center of percussion better than I have ever seen! And here I thought I wouldn't learn anything new from this video.

[@pedromiguel3227]

This was a very intelligent and easy to understand presentation. Thank you!

[@youonlylikeonce9592]

One of your most fun videos yet.

[@willw.birnie8446]

Well shoot, I have to thank the algorithm! Subscribed and liked! Keep up the great work.

[@tomconner5067]

Nice observation, an in depth study and informative video

[@jujiwastaken]

This channel is getting higher and higher in my best martial arts channels

[@ajshiro3957]

This makes a lot of sense. especially with the whole cutting versus chopping versus thrusting thing. I've seen people use swords the wrong way. Of course, a lot of people's perception of swords is from TV.

[@JingShenKuoshu]

Once again, great information

[@2rustysporks]

This was very, very cool. Thank you for this.

[@williebowmar7166]

Samehada had entered the chat. Great vid, you covered a lot of ground here!

[@matheusb.dambrowski4639]

Literally best video on swords on this platform

[@bloodwynn]

Truly impressive explanation, thank you.

[@DJ_Frankfurter]

Excellent presentation!

[@ChristopherCarpenter]

I needed this today, thank you.

[@YoutubeCommenter1]

While thrusting swords are less wide to lower the cross-sectional area, the material is still thick. One of the most important things for penetration is to prevent the blade from flexing. There is a huge difference between swords made for actual fighting and training weapons, like the one you showed in the video. Training weapons are made to flex easily, to make practicing safer. The ones made for fighting are very stiff

[@deliq9607]

@KZbinCommenter1 actually a great point. a flexible thrusting sword would be useless.

[@samnaghavi9775]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge!

[@hristoslavhinev6909]

The obsidian sword at the end Macuahuitl was used more so as a chopping weapon then a cutting or sawing one. Usually the first couple of strikes were great at penetrating, however the obsidian shards they used way too hard and lost edge quite quickly, turning it into a jagged club. As far as I know this worked as where it was used conflicts werent that big hence a few good chops, a few ok bats and then off to sharpen your rocks was a viable strategy. As a technicall geek into martial arts and HEMA of late, your video is absolutely amazing. Im so glad i stumbled on it as well as your channel

[@SirGalath]

Awesome video. Thanks for sharing 👍

[@gatohabana2382]

Great content. Thank you for this.

[@guyfawkes5012]

really liked the usage of models

[@DavidWilliams-pb6he]

Very well done sir! Subbed

[@tricksterjoy9740]

I love the idea of some dude showing up with a stick wrapped in sandpaper to a duel. “This is my blade. It’s power of abrasion is unmatched. There is no sword like this one!”

[@chengkuoklee5734]

Great explaination video of how things work. For science!

[@renatlottiepilled]

Incredibly cool info on the cutting mechanics of curved swords, pretty cool

[@shawnclifford362]

Well done Sir.☘️

[@afestar]

Amazing video man!!

[@malkomalkavian]

Not even finished and I already know more about curved swords than I ever did before. Thank you :)

[@dynamicworlds1]

Excellent work. There are a couple things what could have been slipped in, but trying to get everything into an overview video is quite the tall order so that's understandable. The 2 that stuck out to me are forward curving blades that are intended to (ideally) strike with a forward sweeping point like the falx, which is chopping and thrusting but in a very different way to the mentioned swords. There's also that thrusting swords are faced with a tradeoff between stiffness (to prevent loosing energy bending the sword) and narrowness (to increase the pressure at the point) with some adopting a T cross section instead of a wedge or diamond cross section as a way to solve this (at the expense, as you mention, of ruining their cutting potential). The fact that those are the only things I can notice that are missing is a compliment though.

[@kalathan5712]

Incredibly interesting. Especially the section about chopping, I did always wonder why some people would use axes when swords seemed more powerful.

[@hoi-polloi1863]

Fantastic analysis! Instant subscriber here and now. Of course you now have me imagining a Viking warrior at the sword dealership... "Y'know, the thrusting model sure is sexy, but I'm not sure it would work in a shield-wall. I think I'm'a have to stick with the good ol'-fashioned cutter."

[@joshua.neuhaus]

Very useful video, even helped me understand cutting and thrusting techniques better. The technique can make up for design. Like, the explanation on momentum got me thinking about the curve used in almost all thrusting motions with the Jian in Chinese martial arts. More range to build up momentum. The cuts with the straight blade of the jian likewise employ round drawing motions which I figure from this video might make up for the lack of roundness on the blade itself. By the way, your pronounciation of jian was solid!

[@qunningStunts]

Great video, randomly popped up and expected another cringe awful typical KZbin video of some creep in a dojo setting. I've since spent the past few hours watching all your videos... Awesome stuff man. Figured I should say something, you do great long form videos, do more!

[@MisterJayEm]

I really enjoyed this and learned quite a bit from it. A+

[@jeoster7400]

Would really love If you could make videos on the best ways to increase your athleticism and power on punching. also how important technique is to actually delivering power

[@ArmchairViolence]

I'm almost tempted to say that technique would be inversely correlated with power. At least for punches. I think a giant, windmilling overhand is probably the most raw power you can get out of a punch. But raw power might not be the most important aspect of a strike.

[@biglc034]

@@ArmchairViolence A wild haymaker that misses is worse than a basic but accurate jab or something like that?

[@cspo]

"it's surprisingly complicated... or maybe I'm making it complicated" accurately describes the past 6 months of thesis writing.

[@leofriclac]

OOOhh, you used Skallagrim! This is a crossover I was not expecting!! (Mind you, I did know that Shadiversity watches Icy Mike) I know it's not your usual lane but a collab would be very cool!

[@moonbane8121]

Great video! there's only one thing I would comment on in this video and it's about hooking. Most blades with serious or even slight curves on them often used hooking as a strategy in combat. Even if its design was used to make deadlier cuts or chops a curved blade is super useful for hooking swords and limbs. I think this is largely the case because a lot of sword fighting boils down to armed grappling.

[@notdanroth]

Good job!

[@lsporter88]

This was a very good engineering video.😎👍🏾

[@taoisttiger4702]

Ive been around martial arts a long time and learned a lot here, it was funny because your explanations made a lot of stuff i already 'knew' click in a more cognitive way as opposed to intuitive. The chinese oxtail dao and butterfly knives are other good examples of choppers. The dao with its recurve handle does help reduce hand shock and now i know why.

[@camdonmaydew876]

If you could make a video covering how to use angle in striking you would up my game by 250%. I’ve been watching so many videos on it and am only slightly closer to understanding, but anytime you put out a video you teach in 10-20 minutes what takes me 6-18 months to learn otherwise.

[@steveleavell114]

In the SCA I was once tasked with teaching a young man with Ausberger (?) in rapier. He was great at drawing so I drew a pic of a sword and labeled the parts and how they were used to help him. Wish I had this video to show him

[@mariaconcepcionrodriguezhe2850]

Its assburger

[@tonyrandalljonesmead]

Thank you for this wonderful dissertation on the mechanics of murder with a sword.

[@thescholar-general5975]

Pretty good video overall! I am not a longsworder, but I feel like the cutting mechanics can be a little more complex here than you imply. I am fairly knowledgeable on chinese weapons like hook swords. You are correct that they were mostly a 19th century weapon used by civilian or criminal martial artists, but I wouldn't say that they are necessarily bad weapons. Many aspects of their design (like the hooks) are more optimized for manipulating the opponents weapon as opposed to inflicting damage onto the target.

[@Sirron2007]

This video pleases my inner sword nerd. Thanks for this and I've subscribed!

[@diomedes39]

As a physics major turned icu nurse who likes weapons this made me very happy! I only saw your other video on why HEMA sucks and wasn’t a fan but now I see that your way of speaking wasn’t trying to be antagonistic. Kudos on the great vid and the physics nostalgia.

[@Mightylcanis]

Great video as a massive HEMA nerd. My only criticism is on the curved cutting/slicing swords: different designs have differing degrees of curvature for different reasons. Very curved swords like the kilij are great at focusing their energy on a very short area. Whereas less-so curved swords like katanas have more emphasis on reach (for the amount of metal used), having moderate to decent thrusting capability for the design (and for what armor was being faced for most of Japan's history), and the aforementioned self-correcting edge alignment- though the thickness of the blade also helps with this, katanas are one of the *easiest* swords to cut properly with. And the reason some swords may have a straight section (again, like some examples of kilij) before the curvature is to get reach *and* the specialized slicing ability. Also with straight swords like a longsword, you can easily mix a chop and a slice/cut by drawing/pushing as you make contact.

[@bladecommando]

as someone who is mediocre (at best) with HEMA skills, I very much enjoyed this

[@althesmith]

It's been said before, but a lot of the time "good enough " is pretty damned awesome.