How to Hold a Sword - Not as Simple as You Think!

[@with_outany_videos6182]

-Hey, Skall, may I ask a question? -IT DEPENDS

[@jatsantsa]

Be glad for these answer, that usualy means someone have enough knowlegde to know nuances.

[@chaos_omega]

Hey Skall, are you wearing adult diapers? ... It depends! 🤷‍♂

[@GUNNER67akaKelt]

Usually the correct answer. People who don't know what the hell they're talking about give you absolutes.

[@jatsantsa]

@@chaos_omega Well he used to be active cyclist and well they wear diapers.

[@turtlesaredifferentfromtor6745]

Each grip is akin to a whole new way of wielding, with new strengths and weaknesses. About time a big youtuber made a video on them. Thanks Skall!

[@timtheskeptic1147]

When I was a young teenage sword nerd I felt so proud of myself figuring out that placing your index finger over the crossbar of a rapier gives you substantially more control. I really thought I was the first person to figure that out... gawd I was so arrogant.

[@chrisdonnell7200]

That's hilarious. When I first messed with a HEMA friend's rapier and used a normal grip on it, then they pointed out that the finger goes into the obvious ring in the guard, I felt like an idiot lol

[@psych0185]

that would mean that it's a fact anyone could've arrived at regardless of prior knowledge and you demonstrated it.

[@jacobrude5047]

That is still rather impressive for a young teen to figure that out intuitively with no prior knowledge. So be proud!

[@tsk5328]

I think we have all had the moment in one way or another in life xD

[@davidvoncarstein2067]

Take my like for featuring a correct spanish grip. It feels like Destreza is almost non existent outside Spain :( and these small ft are gladly welcome ^^

[@samwoodfin]

This is really useful information for animators and storyboard artists

[@CausticPuffin]

Oddly enough, it’s the opposite in blacksmithing regarding the hammer grip. You loosen your grip on the hammer as you strike the workpiece and grip it on the rebound to lift the hammer above your head. Great video!

[@Ortorin]

I would guess that's because you are letting the tool do the work with blacksmithing, while fighting involves coordinating your whole body into the action. The "follow-through" for fighting is through the opponent, while blacksmithing involves controlling the rebound and setting up again. Completely different goals, completely different techniques. Cool stuff.

[@irrelevantfish1978]

@@Ortorin I suspect it's also because the tighter the grip, the greater the proportion of the impact shock ends up transferred into the user. As smithing involves repeatedly smashing metal into metal, possibly hundreds of times a day, I doubt it would take long before the constant vibration became unbearably painful, no matter how stoic you were.

[@chrisdonnell7200]

In a related way, I'd guess the technique changes a bit for heavier weapons such as maces or polearms, and for harder targets like well armored opponents. This video is just covering swords

[@MaaZeus]

​@@irrelevantfish1978 Not only pain but actual injury and wearing damage to your joints. That will happen regardless in that kind of work but smashing an object repeatedly without any kind of dampening (in this case, loosening the grip before impact) would surely accelerate the process.

[@tsk5328]

when ever I hear blacksmith working in movies there's this tempo they keep sometimes with a light second tab after the first hit, is this why? I have always been fascinated by the sound and wanted to know, but like from an actual person not just a impersonal google 😅

[@battlereed4708]

That cup-hilt is gorgeous!

[@sinisterswordsman25]

Made by Lk Chen (In case you don't know)🤘💀

[@Skallagrim]

It is! I still need to finish testing and reviewing it.

[@sinisterswordsman25]

@@Skallagrim yo skall! Yeah I'm interested to see all your reviews of the lk Chen rapiers. You have the cup hilt, Saxony and the Munich townguard right? And the 1796 and the 1886 sabers. You're gonna be a busy boy this summer. 🤘💀 the Munich in particular is a gorgeous sword. Oh and if you get a chance you should try to get a lk Templar. It's a total beast of a cutter. Only 300us$.

[@asquirrelplays]

alright that "it depends" edit was smooth

[@dayel11]

Appreciate the "you can switch grip" bit. Never tried hema, not even cutting with a proper swor, but 've played tennis (not so much, but a few years), and you can change grip by pure muscle memory when the situation needed it, I supposed for sword that allows it, it will be the same.

[@dorukgolcu9191]

As a modern competitive fencer, I can confirm that it happens. With the caveat that some switches are more organic than others and there is at least one option that is specifically not allowed 🤔

[@jonathanwessner3456]

With those longer handled "Choppers" it might be best to treat them as an ax, instead of a sword. Start with the hands far apart, then slide the top (forward) hand down with the swing to gain more power

[@Just_Some_Person]

Thank you for helping us all get a grip! Hey! Get appreciated!

[@oofmygoof1876]

As a beginner I could probably get a whole books worth education through just this 1 video, thank you for condesing and making sword grips a more approachable and less intimidating topic

[@bakionigeri6414]

He's the sword -sensei 💯🗡️

[@aspiringmarauder666]

This helpful as I’ve just begun HEMA training and sparring. Thanks.

[@robertlewis6915]

This type of video is gold for a writer. These sort of details make writing pop.

[@gamerboy6787]

Thank you. It's always interesting to learn about the finely detailed, nitty-gritty nuances of any skill set, art, or job.

[@robertsmith4681]

Thank you for this simple yet informative demonstration. Much like with firearms, stance and grip styles are keys to success, and somebody needs to teach you these things as there are subtleties that books can't teach you about.

[@josephlucas4024]

When handling weapons, there can sometimes be more nuances in the grip like how hard you grip the handle and even going down to how hard an individual finger grips the weapon. With a Japanese sword, for example, you mostly grip the sword with your wrists turned inward and hold the sword with ring finger and pinkie to create straighter, more powerful archs while cutting. Noticing how your opponent grips their sword can also be extremely advantageous since a hard grip can make the other fencer more susceptible to getting the sword beaten out of their hands. It may not seem like it, but they way you grip your sword can drastically affect how a swordfight goes.

[@dannenoob]

You've been putting out bangers lately. Please do more instructionals like this! Different cuts, different parries, different styles and whatever!

[@Deltarious]

The bloopers in this video were actually audible-laugh level hilarious, thanks for putting them in

[@WhiteApeMA]

It is surprising how nuanced this topic is. One would think you just grab the thing and swing it or poke with it. This was well presented. In jian play, there is another grip yet. A grip where two fingers, usually the middle and ring finger, are clasped by the thumb and the index and pinkie are a bit looser. This is to create an almost ball-and-socket effect. Or like second wrist. Objective being to have a certain fluidity and freedom of blade movement as well as a certain yielding quality. Li Jinglin, famous swordsman of fairly recent times called it the "lively grip." Indicating that the jian is dead without it, in a sense. But same is also true. You switch it up depending on your action.

[@Neiot]

I do not know if Swordsage had mentioned this on his channel, but he does indeed use his middle and ring fingers, mostly his middle, to wield his swords, and it's downright superhuman in the way he does it because he has had to train his hands to do this for many years.

[@WhiteApeMA]

Oh yeah it definitely takes some getting used to. Swordsage definitely does good in his practice. Like that guy.

[@Neiot]

@@WhiteApeMA He needs more exposure, I think. The attention is well-deserved.

[@WhiteApeMA]

Definitely. His content is awesome and he's a chill guy.

[@jimbob3332]

That segue into the 'like, comment, and subscribe' bit was smooth.

[@arquentur6226]

I practice and teach Chinese fencing, in which we use jian, and at least in that realm, in my experience, one sure fire way to discern someones grasp of and dedication to swordsmanship is the attention paid to how the sword is held and the way it "plays" in your hand. For beginners, you can never over-impress the importance of good grip technique.

[@TodayLifeIsGoood]

Nice video, quite instructive. it does remind me of the technique I was taught as a kid on how to split wood with an axe

[@BikiNhog]

>Obligatory innuendo about thrusting to my heart's content.

[@williamgeorge2580]

"That's what she said!"

[@JanetStarChild]

You people really need a timeout between porn and KZbin. Take a break and get it out of your system.

[@josku5]

@@JanetStarChildOh no! It’s the internet police! Run!

[@griffinmckenzie7203]

​@@JanetStarChild Imagine thinking sex jokes only exist because of porn. Really demonstrates just how little of it you get. Lmfao

[@alexeytsybyshev9459]

Put a finger over the "guard" to align it more naturally

[@MercenaryJames]

Always remember the saying, "firmly grasp it." Also regarding that top guard I was painfully reminded at how important grip strength is during my own HEMA training. As not only was my weapon not oriented properly, it gave way and I got struck pretty soundly on the head. Obviously I had protection but it was steel so it hurt.

[@AnotherBrownAjah]

SKALLS FOR THE SKALLTHRONE BLOOD FOR THE SKALLGORITHUM

[@darthnihilusthebestsith]

SKALLS FOR THE SKALLTHRONE!

[@robertbuzea685]

GORE FOR ALGORYTHM!

[@m0-m0597]

I, for one, liked the video. Did *you* like the video? If not, I'm looking at you personally.

[@elshebactm6769]

BLOOD FOR THE SKALLGORITHUM

[@Efreeti]

I enjoy

[@zackb6102]

extremely simple yet effective advice. I didn't realize how complex just holding the sword in my hand was. It always felt weird to swing it and now I know why!

[@jamesfrankiewicz5768]

While experimenting with grips on staves and long-hilted swords, I've noticed that the ability to make any sort of snap movements with the weapon (whether that be a strike, cut, or simply moving quickly to a safe defense) drops off substantially when the distance between your two hands exceeds the distance between your wrist and elbow (i.e. on your primary side). So, even if the handle is longer than that wrist-elbow distance, I would advocate that it is better to shorten your grip to keep it inside this distance. Obviously, at some point, a certain weapon may be long enough and heavy enough, that it will mostly force you into a longer grip (assuming you want to actually use the weapon's length to your advantage).

[@MikeSaha89]

Grip matters for sure. Interesting video.

[@Spare_Time_G]

1:52 quote of the day!

[@notsocrazytank707]

A good insightful take on the stances and such. The bloopers are also hilarious

[@zoromax10]

You really do a great job at making this stuff understandable

[@Skallagrim]

Glad you found it useful!

[@WielkieOdpowiedzi]

WTF is youtube doing with this notifications? How people like You have problems with such things? You are a genius. One of the most passionate, interesting and hilarious at the same time creators i have ever seen and i have seen a lot since beginning of freakin internet. Skall i hope from all my hearth your views will fly back and above the top you absolutely deserve. Greetings from poland!

[@brettchristoffel6391]

Used to swing a one handed axe, 3" on one side 1" on the for the purpose of chopping into trees and filling the cuts with poison to kill them, and watching your video I realised I always used the hand shake grip to swing it, and used the snap technique you showed, it gave better control and reach and power, had bloke on leave from the army come out with us for a day he used a hammer grip and it reduced both his a hands to blisters, grip is hugley important when swing something like that all day.

[@dresdensinn6669]

If I ever have to do battle with anyone that is wielding anything but a firearm...I think I'll have a good chance of being victorious! Thanks for ALL your videos Skall!!

[@farshadmn4273]

Really enjoyed this episode. I guess the first and most important thing to learn fighting with a sword is how to keep it in hand. Especially on keeping a sword or any melee weapon with a hard grip, which makes your wrist and fingers tired in no time if you do that.

[@ChrysosEnsis]

Always amazed with your consistency of quality and regularity of uploads after all these years. Wonderful video as per usual, thanks Skall! ⚔️

[@StarshadowMelody]

As always, the bloopers are gold.

[@leppeppel]

This video isn't super-flashy, but it's clear just how much effort went into making it with all of the swords, examples, effects, and B-roll. Bravo!

[@guntertorfs6486]

Thoroughly educational, as usual. A heap of information crammed into 13 minutes.

[@daemonharper3928]

A very good vid Skal, really interesting, very informative and well presented. I really appreciate your effort.

[@danila-shershukov]

Great. The point about the cleaver being more handy when held by one hand is interesting.

[@abstractperson4895]

- Hi there - General Skallanobi

[@Enyavar1]

My comment also depended... on how informative the content was. Thumbs up!

[@youremakingprogress144]

I love the technical breakdowns like this! Thanks for making great videos like this.

[@Mcdonaldsworker-xz9lw]

I recently bought a double edged sword for 18.00$ at my local thrift store, and this video helped a lot. My grandma stood not a chance with my grippers

[@Mcdonaldsworker-xz9lw]

Thanks :)

[@Dwaynerade]

I was taught to keep my little finger beneath the kashira on a japanese sword when using two hands. For whatever reason this has become a life-long habit and I even find myself holding almost everything this way.

[@jacesmith9342]

The funny thing is, even that is style dependent among Japanese styles. I e seen styles that what you do, have the hands spaced apart about the length of a thumb, or even hands against each other. That’s not even getting into different handle lengths. So I’ve learned that handle lengths, and grip placement mostly depends on the principles/philosophies of that particular style. And I’m mostly talking about Japanese styles primarily, my main influence.

[@necroseus]

This is exactly the type of video I like :)! I've really liked your last 5 videos, they're all really engaging and fun! Hope you've been doing well :)

[@namelessbeast4868]

These types of video are great! They are very informative and entertaining.

[@prettyradhandle]

i love learning about things i will never use this is me being genuine, no sarcasm here

[@shontivafeva511]

This was a great video! You've shown off a lot of these grips in the past, but the deep dive was definitely informative and entertaining. As an aside my wife, who only has a passing interest in historical arms and armor, recently told me how entertaining she's found your recent work and how great the editing is. I second the sentiment.

[@sirbricklord8074]

Really nice vid, skal! Loved the angle diagrams

[@goroakechi6128]

Researching swords, how to hold them and wielding and all that for a story. This video was 10/10. I feel very informed.

[@fjallaxd7355]

Great video, Skall. Maybe you could do another video like this, but about spears, axes or quarterstaffs or something, just a suggestion.

[@knightjack]

Nice overlay addition at 2:41, executed very well and informative, adding to the presentation

[@johannestetzelivonrosador7317]

Obviously you hold it by the blade and strike with the pommel

[@TheOneWhoHasABadName]

the mordhau, for bonking your opponents bluntly though, with the pommel, perhaps you would like to end your opponent rightly instead? it’s even a ranged attack (or rather, has a ranged component), but is single use only

[@red833]

Very informative video Skallgrim 👍👍 thank you 👍

[@flatmosquito]

this was a great video! i did not see it mentioned, but i also like the "sneak attack" of holding a rapier basically by the pommel for an extra long range attack - people get so good at ranging that they're often within range of these extra few inches. very similar to that two-handed sword snipe with the one hand on the pommel end

[@lvasquez1123]

Thanks!

[@pRahvi0]

A nice compilation of a lot of little notions you have learned and pointed out to us. Helps to form an overall idea of the versitility of a sword use.

[@princeofdyved9837]

I don't have a sword to explore these things, so this was very fascinating and extremely helpful. Thank you for making videos like this!

[@AgentTheWookie]

One of the best medieval related videos I've seen in a while. Very informative, thank you.

[@florianfrey9258]

This was great! I had no idea that I was craving this sort of content, but here we are! I would LOVE more broadly educational content like this! :D

[@benfitzsimons7124]

1:26 what’s super cool is if you look at the Ringwraith sword designs from the LOTR films. One of them is made with a ring on the blade for this purpose

[@danamez2034]

Thank you, Skall, for the informative video. You taught us all how to properly grip our swords, the importance of arm alignment, different types of grips, and how to grip other swords. Swords I don't own, but someone else might have, and I'll need to know how to handle it if they let me. Also useful to know how to incorporate your left handle in case you have a single grip sword. The next video should be the infamous Dutch rudder saber.

[@ronwingrove683]

When I was more involved in HEMA, I demonstrated some parries with an index finger looped over the quillons, purely for demonstrative purposes because it was easier to support my arming sword that way than in a handshake grip. I even drew attention to it and said "look, my finger is in THE WRONG PLACE, do not do this." You can guess what happened 10 minutes later. Lessons were learned by everyone, especially me.

[@Schmidt54]

this is probably the best video about grips on swords that I have seen, very well done!!!

[@Sir.Alonne]

I've noticed that sometimes when cutting with a greatsword I subconsciously move my dominant hand down the grip to allow the sword to maintain its momentum and then move it back towards the guard for more control when I bring the sword around for another cut. I didn't even realise I was doing it at first. I guess once you have some Idea of what you're doing you can just adjust your grip without even thinking about it.

[@jackmcphaden3964]

a few non sword connections i made when with hamers, lacrosse sticks, and bo staff. all are used with a variety of gips and grip positions for various purposes, quite interesting

[@erinsaunders2787]

I have been here for a long time, and I love it. Thank you for your time and effort. I appreciate it.

[@MagickPistacho]

This video is amazing, great information and your delivery and explanation with everything was spont-on (even with hilariousness on the menu!). Thanks a lot for it, Skall =)

[@LionAstrology]

I find my grip is often more like a Japanese katana grip style modified for everything else..pointer fingers knuckles (big knuckle) on the top of the hilt in a hand shaking style grip.

[@W4iteFlame]

Thank you for the explanation

[@maximilianobartomucci6044]

Great video as usual, might even be my favorite from all of the latest ones. Keep up the good work!

[@UltraBurner]

Skal,you should totally wear those gloves while showcasing weaponry. They look so badass.

[@ondrat9790]

From your latest videos, you seem to be full of energy and I really enjoy your videos (since 2016). Hope you're doing well!

[@ShagShaggio]

You handled that nicely. Cheers!

[@Ky-Nas]

Seeing the handshake grip with those thick black gloves gives me major V for Vendetta vibes. Looks fresh as fuck stylistically.

[@nicholasking6066]

Thank you for the bloopers at the end. I needed a good laugh. It helps a lot Thank You bro

[@NuclearDaro]

as always, IT DEPENDS!

[@fatman80000]

This video deserves a Thumbs Up! 😄

[@fi4re]

It's amazing how similar badminton grip theory is to sword fighting. - Avoid hammer grip -> loose grip gives you more reach and speed with the light racket - thumb grip is a thing for backhand net kills - switch grips in the middle of a point for the best control over the racket

[@leojampolsky3226]

I love it here, man! It is like 20 years back in imagination "what i should've told my co-trainees"! They were so angry at me, that i aim at exposed wrists, for example! Funny, how it is available now! Love ya, man!

[@Kargoneth]

Quite informative and demonstrative. Thanks, Skallagrim.

[@sensationalfailure]

Brilliant video!

[@leeroyjenkins6665]

Interesting. I don't have a lot of experience with swords, just a little fencing. I was doing epee, using a modern grip handle when someone let me try a French grip handle. The thing got knocked around quite easy, I was gripping with a sabre grip, I guess I needed to try something like that handshake grip 🤷‍♂️

[@אליהומלט]

Can you make a review video of the "bolas" weapon?

[@arthurdsjrjbr]

Thanks a lot from video game animation, Skall! Your videos are always extremely informative!

[@nazarnovitsky9868]

Thank You very much for this topic !! - 😊😊

[@ankokuraven]

I do not do hema. One time at a renfaire they had a larp sword duel booth. I kicked ass, and I ascribe it purely to your videos. The people who ran the booth were very confused by someone using a thumb grip against them.

[@wiskadjak]

According to Paul Wagner, and also Bolognese School instructors, the finger over the guard supports really good false edge parries.

[@podden22]

Interesting topic! I have never held a sword but now I feel I understand it a bit more.

[@JetFightzer]

Good video, I would like to see more videos on biomechanics of fencing.

[@taifu13781]

Love the info in this video. Sure, we laymen tend to attribute gripping handles as instinctual, but as with many things there’s better finesse to it. Also love your shirt! Where can I buy one…

[@Leif3GHP]

What a timely video!

[@Midaspl]

There is one grip you did not mention (probably for a good reason), but I've seen it in some treaty and I saw a picture of police forces somewhere in SEA still using it with their swords (unfortunately can't find it right now :/ ). The grip looks like this - you place your hand with index finger in a place you would have thumb in a thumb grip, then support the crossbar with thumb and middle finger. It looks weird, feels weird and is impossible in HEMA gloves, but surprisingly feels like it could work out in some rare scenarios.

[@andrejara4054]

Could have expanded to knives as well! Mentioning the icepick grip, or the infamous "reverse sword grip".

[@SpieleFlut]

This was a real good and informative video. Thank you.

[@lvasquez1123]

Such a nice topic and i loved every second

[@schooljs1]

Nicely done.