Landsknecht versus Knight [halberd, pollaxe and pike in armour]

Here's a video me and a few armoured fencing friends shot a few weeks back at Teylingen castle. Although it gets really complicated to draw hard conclusions at this point, it does strike me that my Landsknecht armour set was pretty great for keeping me in the fight, but that most hits that did occur ended up being pretty serious. The full sets of armour were a little more protective overall, but hits wouldn't alway have led to grievous injuries. I'd be pretty curious to see if that conclusion holds up in the future. :)
If you'd be interested in supporting the channel or are looking for extra content in general, have a look at Patreon: www.patreon.com/virtualfechts...
0:00 Intro
3:24 Tom vs. Oskar (pollaxe and halberd)
7:12 Knutzzl vs. Nick (pollaxe)
10:47 Oskar vs. Knutzzl (pike)
13:59 Oskar vs Nick (pike)
Music courtesy of epidemicsound.com
#Messer #fencing #hema #Spear #Sword #HEMA #Historical #European #Martial #Arts #Historical #Fencing #Historical #Fencing #Westernmartialarts #Middleages #medieval #Martial #Arts #Martialartist #Instructor #Athlete #Fitness #Fightingfit #Fighter #warriors #knights #Swordplay #machete #technique #Training #lecküchner, #history #historical #research #swordfighting #sparring #context #greatsword #montante #zweihander #knife #dagger #moustache #messer

[@MisdirectedSasha]

I remember watching a DCS (military flight simulator) match a while ago between a high-level civilian player and a serving fighter pilot in the French air force, and the civvy player happened to mention that the couple of times he had the opportunity to play against real military pilots, he found them *way* more aggressive than people who learned to play from the game. They would spend a lot less time trying to set up their approach and would go for early openings that gamers usually considered unacceptably risky. He happened to mention this to his opponent, who said something like "Yeah, they train us that way. When you're flying for real, the G-forces fatigue you and degrade your performance in a way that doesn't really come across in a game, so it's best to end the fight as quickly as possible to save energy in case you have to fight again before you land." Of course, as someone who also does Harnischfechten, I immediately saw some similarities; fighting in armour seems to have a similar potential for fatigue to impair your movements, judgement and technical capability as flying does. I started making an effort to be more aggressive in armoured bouts and try to get my point into the mail as quickly as possible and it did seem to work reasonably well, though obviously every opponent is different. I certainly find I get much better results being aggressive in harness than when bloss. One thing I wonder is if there's any evidence that the dynamic you see in modern military flight sims, where serving military pilots tend more aggressive than gamers, was also present in duels, combat encounters or friendly sparring matches between tournament fighters versus combat veterans in the middle ages and early modern period. Intuitively, it seems like it would. In a tournament where you might put your armour on in a tent next to the lists and walk maybe a dozen meters before having to fight, you have a lot more stamina to spare dancing around and waiting for your moment than on a battlefield where you've been marching for weeks and had your harness on for hours before getting stuck in. We do know that military armours tend to value lighter weight, better vision and breathing more than tournament armours do, but I haven't come across any sources mentioning different habits between practitioners that favor one kind or another. Do you guys find that fighting in armour, or in different levels of armour, changes your levels of aggression? Does the idea of historical military Harnischfechten being more aggressive than tournament Harnishfechten seem reasonable?

[@VirtualFechtschule]

That's a really interesting way to look at harnischfechten and I hadn't quite considered it that way. I'll definitely be chatting with some veterans who also do armoured combat to see what they think. I do think aggression pays off in fencing, both bloss and armoured, but perhaps indeed more so in armour. Tom particularly did really well coming directly for openings right out of the gate and pressing them until there was a hit. :) What I'd also be curious about is what sort of style would pay off most if you're in a pike block though. Part of me suspects aggression would be great, but you'd have to do that while also moving quite minimally on your feet. That's something for future experiments though! :)

[@Parthemonium]

Found the Growling Sidewinder viewer

[@treeaboo]

Well the value in being heavily armoured is that you're far better defended, so being aggressive is far less risky of a tactic than it is for a more lightly armoured opponent. It'd make sense to utilise that defensive advantage to allow for the aggressive that your opponent cannot really risk going for, rather than playing more cautiously which only puts you at a stamina disadvantage the longer the fight plays out.

[@brainplay8060]

It's also going to depend on your kit. Friends of mine would let me use their harness from time to time which was often made from stainless steel. It was definitely heavy and tiresome to wear. Then I got with a guy who knew how to make his own. I ended up making a almost complete (helmet had to be (12ga for safety reasons) harness out of 18ga (1.2mm) 4130 steel which we heat treated ourselves. The differences was enormous. My short sleeve mail shirt weighed as much as the rest of the kit. I could hold up the cuisses with my pinky finger. I thought it would be too light but omg did it take a beating with no issues. Even with a lot of plate overlap (safety reasons) the gauntlets were 19ga and very light. I don't know if stainless is more dense but the stainless 14ga (2mm) stainless cuisses weighed so much more. You could feel every movement as well. Also, there was a LOT less clanking when it was fitted to me.

[@Miratesus]

I think I know you which video you meant, It was a french Rafale pilot flying a Mirage 2000? Good video!

[@pyrrhusofepirus8491]

2:00 I remember reading eye witness reports from the Battle of Flodden, wherein the authors commented that the Scots were heavily armoured and tough and right manfully fought the English whom were wielding billhooks. They apparently each took 3 to 4 strong hits and kept going, though were inevitably defeated. One thing I’ve always thought about armour is how much it allows you to be far more aggressive then normal, and be confident about otherwise being fine. I remember seeing something about an experimental unit of pike and shotte breakers modelled after Roman Legionaries, wherein they got the biggest lads in the army, outfitted them head to toe in plate and gave them big rectangular *solid steel* shields and swords and sent them against pikemen. They decimated the pikemen, handily stomped them, but the problem with them was the fact that they costed a fortune and the guys whom wore the armour and shield were exhausted after 15 minutes. So they weren’t introduced as an official unit, but units similar to them existed like the Rodeleros and an Italian Sword and Board unit I can’t remember the name of. So, if a unit of knights or men at arms literally barrelled into a unit of pikes with sword and shield, their armour combined with their bravery and now close range superiority with their shorter weapons would probably win them the day.

[@Bill0341xx]

I think something to consider is that as you know within the pike square there would be people with polearms that are better equipped to deal with the knights also I would think that if their was a large group of pikeman it would be hard to get past the forrest of spear points

[@VirtualFechtschule]

Indeed. A Landsknecht Feldordnung would have a third rank of halberdiers to presumably plug gaps and serve as breaching parties in cases where the push of pikes got deadlocked. Given that halberds have zero chill, I think a fully armoured charge would have slowed on the pikes and be broken by halberds. Of course, this is hard to say, because the biggest reason Landsknechte were good was their cohesion and high percentage of officers, meaning that most often they overmatched numerically superior opponents by local force superiority on the tactical level. So most instances where they fought fully armoured opponents, they won for that reason.

[@robertusaugustus2003]

You raised a good point about aggressiveness while in armour. In addition to the very tangible benefit of physical protection, there’s also the personal morale boost of knowing you’re encased in steel.

[@skjaldulfr]

What a fantastic HEMA gym you have.

[@VirtualFechtschule]

It is quite nice, I have to say. :D

[@Specter_1125]

Something to keep in mind with the pikes is the pikeman would have much less distance control when In formation, since he’d have people behind him. He wouldn’t be able to back up nor choke up. Now, for someone in full armor being outnumbered by pikemen, that means they already messed up, since they would ideally have also been in formation.

[@VirtualFechtschule]

Yeah. Let's be fair. This is just fun focused on how the armour interacts with our fighting. But I also have plans for more formation oriented experiments. That said, historical examples seem to indicate that committed charges of fully armoured fighters on foot would not be able to tank the pikes in a full block and the ease with which we could aim for openings seems to indicate there's at least something to that. We'll see how that goes down the line. :)

[@jtrain9926]

I think you would have seen specialist units operating from inside the pike square. Billmen would move in from the back lines to divert and stime pike ends as one example.

[@a_ham]

I always love the videos on armor, keep them coming!

[@VirtualFechtschule]

Will do! :D

[@leichtmeister]

Regarding health: When using the halberd you should look out more for the knee of your front leg. It should always be bend (when the knee is facing forwards) and yours (Oskar) is often straight. I know the Mordstoß won't occur in friendly sparring but it's generally better for the joint to look out for this. Nice video.

[@VirtualFechtschule]

Thanks! It's a known problem, I'm working on it. :)

[@joeysingingchannel]

I appreciate how cleanly the halberd strips your guard and removes the opponent's weapon. Definitely a useful weapon!

[@LowEffortDucks]

Most of the time I see videos like this armor isn't accounted for, nice to see spars where the armor is serving a practical purpose.

[@moxigen]

großartige kulisse! magnificent scenery!

[@VirtualFechtschule]

It is a really nice place to train. :)

[@knutzzl]

Next time I mix full armour and a pike I'll wear an other helmet. With a pike you look sideways a lot and my bevor is way to restrictive.

[@VirtualFechtschule]

Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. I started looking at Landsknecht helmets, and one thing I noticed is that they all allow a wide field of view and also lots of them have accomodations to help the wearer hear things better (such as signals/orders I suspect).

[@throrthrainul1362]

The exchange starting at 11:20 and ending at 11:30 is *clean as hell*, picture perfect. It looks like the kind of measured outplay that a master would pull on his students to demonstrate the importance of the spacing and initiative techniques he's been teaching them. (Not to imply that either Oskar or Knutzzl is a "master" over the other of course, only that this exchange looked like an educational experience!)

[@VirtualFechtschule]

Thanks! :D

[@sanityoverdose]

This was such an awesome video to come across! I really enjoyed the different hit markers, really helped me understand an armored blow to a fatal one. Keep it up guys!

[@Mojomirage]

Loved how the red guy in Knutzzl vs Nick used the rondel of the opponent when they were locked in.

[@VirtualFechtschule]

Yeah, that was just such an epic action. :D

[@DF12612]

The best part was when he looked at rondel after he got it back, even thru a helmet you could feel "wth?" @@VirtualFechtschule

[@skywillfindyou]

I would surely aim for landsnekht legs with such great reach.

[@VirtualFechtschule]

Yeah, I think they were a bit more careful with hard leg shots for that reason. That said, hitting legs or feet is really hard with a thrust oriented weapon, and with the polleaxe it also tends to open you up above a bit. It's not as easy as one would think.

[@Jan_de_Wit]

I thoroughly enjoyed the bonkage in this video

[@VirtualFechtschule]

Same. Very much same! :D

[@farkasmactavish]

Something that this brought to mind: Some parries could be done not to direct the oncoming weapon away from your entire body...but from an unarmored portion into an armored portion.

[@VirtualFechtschule]

Yeah, that totally would make sense. I you notice something coming directly to your face, the first instinct would be to turn the head away, which would mean the hit lands on your helmet.

[@farkasmactavish]

@@VirtualFechtschule I mean, that's what I saw you doing. You both kept parrying blows that were aimed for gaps, and redirecting them onto a plate.

[@jasonjames9836]

This was really awesome. I enjoyed every bit of it!

[@VirtualFechtschule]

Thanks! :D

[@imperialus1]

First time I've seen one of your videos. Very good work. I was very impressed with how well you all were able to fight safely with those polearms. It takes a lot of skill and control to handle them at speed while preventing them from... well defeating armour which is kinda what the were built to do. Even blunt it is deceptively easy to put a lot of weight behind a swing. I've had my bell rung a few times doing Hema sword and buckler; armoured fencing is a whole other level. Thank you KZbin Algorithm.

[@VirtualFechtschule]

Thank you! It's sometimes quite nice what the algorithm sends our way right? :)

[@marvinprice6476]

Love the sparring video with icons, very helpful thanks 👍

[@VirtualFechtschule]

You're welcome!

[@cliffordjensen8725]

Really nice video! It is amazing how mobile these armored men are. I can see why shields and one-handed weapons were being phased out at this point in history. The body armor in use provided good protection and a two-handed weapon was needed to defeat it.

[@VirtualFechtschule]

Yeah. Having two hands on the weapon is always better than one, so if the protection is up to scratch, you can definitely ditch shields. And indeed even with armour that isn't the highest quality (because I feel originals would have been better than what we have) you're still highly mobile. :)

[@tylermcneeley3136]

I'm something of an amateur medieval enthusiast, but isn't there also a distinct advantage in not using two hands for one weapon?

[@sunrisejackdaw1779]

@@tylermcneeley3136 Yes. versatility. An arming sword might let you close and get out a dagger for armored work. Or you can hit the guy in the face, a gauntlet is especially funny for that.

[@mongee3614]

Never realized how much I was interested in this stuff

[@VirtualFechtschule]

Nice!

[@razen9766]

That Landsknecht armor set is so cool

[@VirtualFechtschule]

Thanks!

[@lt_hammerfist5532]

Interesting to note that after half plate became popular, we as a people never really went back to full plate (unless you were a cavalryman) even into the modern era we only wear the equivalent to half plate, armor plates in the chest and upper back area and a helmet, nothing really on your extremities.

[@strellettes8511]

One of the best pole arm combat demonstrations on youtube. this was awesome

[@VirtualFechtschule]

Thank you!

[@Mojomirage]

Thx guys nice show! I also loved that the speach in the video, to me as one not knowing the languge was like hearing Age Of Empires voice lines XD Cheers!

[@america8706]

That landschneckt sure is a slippery fellow with his pike.

[@kaiserarc478]

Looks awesome! How did you wear your fencing mask with your helmet?

[@VirtualFechtschule]

I sacrificed and old one to take the mesh and insert it into my helmet. It works quite well, but only serves to be an extra eye protection. I wouldn't trust it to really tank hard hits.

[@kooroshrostami27]

Matter of preference and playstyle. For me personally the Glas Cannon Landsknecht build is more fun, but the tanky knight is a more well-rounded build and hence more beginner-friendly.

[@HansWurst1569]

Wat een droom hobby. Geweldig om zo'n volledig harnas te hebben.

[@VirtualFechtschule]

Het is echt heel gaaf. Het is ook nog best haalbaar om mee te starten, als je een beetje handig bent en een groep vind om je bij aan te sluiten. Die kunnen je meestal wel verder op weg helpen. :)

[@Rekaert]

"We did some yoga in armour, for shits and giggles." No, that's all I need. Have a like.

[@sirxarounthefrenchy7773]

Very instructive video ! What do you use to make the pole of your pike ?

[@VirtualFechtschule]

Thanks! I used ditch hook shafts. They come tapered in lengths of 4m and then I cut them in half for ease of transport, with a connector set from Jester of Blades.

[@maxlegio5884]

Hi lads. Excellent video. May i ask where the clothing comes from ? I am looking to perfect a Landsknecht uniform of my own. Thanks !

[@VirtualFechtschule]

Hi! I think most of us made our own clothing. When it comes to Landsknecht clothing, there's a few companies making stuff, but making it yourself is a good way to ensure you get the silhouette absolutely right. You can either do that yourself, or find someone near you who can help you make a good outfit. :)

[@MartinGreywolf]

Looking at that halberd vs pollaxe fight especially makes me wonder if the answer for the pollaxe guy isn't to forget about hitting the enemy with pollaxe and just use it to close in to bearhug range. Then you can draw your dagger and stab him in the back - you have a backplate, he does not. And if he tries to block your stabbing of his back with his hand, well, he doesn't have arm plates either now, does he? It sounds good in principle, but it could be one of those things that is much harder than it looks. I also wonder which weapon works better against halfplate - longsword or pollaxe? Sure, against full plate pollaxe reigns, but halfplate's greatest weakness are uncovered arms and those are much, much easier to hit with a longsword. And your defense is already excellent if you are in full plate...

[@VirtualFechtschule]

Some interesting questions. The problem with running into range to grapple, is that you have to cross that distance. While you're doing that, you're vulnerable to getting hit with a polearm, or being counter grappled (there's also armplates involved, though they are smaller). So unless you set it up perfectly (which is quite a hard skill to master), it is not easy to do. We also did other experiments with half plate, and sword works fine, as long as you use half-swording. Regular fighting doesn't work, because the half armour covers all the places you usually get hit. Half swording would be an option then, by why not use a pollaxe that can do the same, but better and at longer range?

[@dequitem]

Okay :D ich fordere dich hiermit heraus, das muss nochmal wieder wiederholt werden. Ich fühle mich etwas getriggert, aber ich möchte die Eher der Ritter nochmal richtig verteidigt sehen 😊. Liebe Grüße Dequitem_YT

[@VirtualFechtschule]

Sounds good, I'm up for it! :) To be fair, I think the knights definitely kicked my ass on a lot of exchanges, but what a lot of people say about them sparing knees is probably true. I'm working on upgrading my kit a bit so I can hide some protection under the trousers, so that alone is a good reason to try this experiment again. :) I'll be at harnischfechten symposium for sure, and otherwise there might be other events where we might run into each other? :)

[@dequitem]

@@VirtualFechtschule that sounds great. I hope I will be at the Harnischfechten symposium too. But my wife is pregnant and we will get my son in September. Mayby we see us on the montante symposium. The biggest problem I had with the knights of the video were there armor. I recognize many parts from 1,6 - 2 mm mild steel, we're historical armor is often around 0,4-1 mm. The armor slows you down and makes your actions more predictable. I train 2 times the week armored fighting and heavy sparring with ringen and dagger. That realy changes the game and fighting style! The better leg protection on you would be great, so it will be easyer to test your leg defence. 😉

[@hanshanszoon]

@@dequitem, we are definitely aware of this problem. The thing is, my armour is not mine. I starting harnischfechten while still in university and used anything I could get my hands on. My armour is not my own, it is borrowed from friends and family or bought second hand. That makes it an utter franken-armour where the parts are too heavy and also hamper each other, restricting movement in weird ways. This also makes putting it on require almost an hour, so I use it like once a month. I will improve this over time as I will have proper armour made. Hope to see you at Harnischfechten Symposium or else all health to you and yours.

[@Pastoralists777]

Just a observation or opinion,I think a problem with HEMA in general and not just this sparing match is the lack of that intense forward pressure and like crashing together with sharp objects, but obviously that’s hard to replicate sense we are not trying to kill or injury each other 😅

[@VirtualFechtschule]

It's not a problem with HEMA per se. A high level longsword fight will have intense forward pressure at exactly the right moments. But gear is good enough to do that safely. Armoured fencing makes that more difficult. If you want to do that safely, it's best to just get a really well made set of armour, but that costs a lot and takes time. With my Landsknecht stuff, that isn't going to happen in the first place. The other option is to just get really good at it, so you can up the intensity and do some crazy stuff safely. We're not there yet, but we're working on it. :D

[@VirtualFechtschule]

HMB solved this issue by just making everything about cuts with blunt weapons, but even then I think the risk of injury is really high. And it misses a lot of the stuff I find cool about armoured fighting by its very nature.

[@JustinShaedo]

As a new HMB fighter (from more HEMA background), I find it very frustrating at times not to stab & thrust. So many openings present them selves! 😅

[@davidschlageter5962]

Nice!

[@JustinShaedo]

7:55 cheeky shot there 8:07 thats it for the red knight 10:21 put that man into buhurt!

[@AliothAncalagon]

First off, great sparring! Might not be super serious, but one can still learn a thing or two. I surely did. I would comment that it seems to me as if the knight is kinda afraid of using his hammer as an actual hammer, especially making use of its reach. I used to spar in some semi serious Hema fashion with greatswords and spears and that would have been my first idea. Wait for a good opportunity and then smash some knees. Was this just too much of a safety concern?

[@TheDutchGame]

These are really interesting! What can you tell me about the pikes you used? Are they historically accurate in any way? (Except for the rubber tips of course ;) ) They seem enormous!

[@VirtualFechtschule]

They're pretty spot on for early 16th century pikes. You generally see them being about 4m or less in length and taper really strongly. Especially that does wonders for handling characteristics.

[@sunrisejackdaw1779]

@@VirtualFechtschule the battle looks very funny though men waving sticks at eachother is hilarious

[@gianm454]

Wir zogen in das Feld!

[@christopher5723]

Having done some italian rapierI can see the same kind of geometry at play with pikes as with rapier. You can tell that the man in half armor (cant remember his name) seems to be much more confident and proficient with a pike than either red or blue brigantine.

[@dashiellharrison4070]

Awesome video! I noticed in your fight with Tom he didn't attempt any shots on your lower legs, which were arguably your most vulnerable area. Was this a concession to safety because you were unarmored there, or was Tom operating with some practical constraints, such as not being able to see your lower legs? Similarly, it seemed to me that he started getting the better of the match as it wore on. Was this your sense as well? If so, do you think it was because he was getting the hang of the gaps in your armor?

[@leichtmeister]

His weapon is shorter which makes it very hard for him to target that area.

[@dashiellharrison4070]

It's longer than a saber or messer and I've given and received plenty of lower leg hits with both.

[@VirtualFechtschule]

I think to some extent, but intentionally targeting legs with polearms is a bit harde than with a bladed weapon. I do feel he got significantly better on the middle exchanges, but that may have something to with him dialling in the intensity to keep it safe but also be able to put good pressure. I'll ask him when I see him next. :)

[@raifsevrence]

From the perspective of a viewer with no HEMA experience , it looks like Tom is much more reticent to apply effort and take aggressive actions. I don't know if he is starting the bout tired from wearing the armor, if he is concerned with injuring his partner or being injured himself or if there is some other factor I'm not seeing or thinking of. Maybe lack of experience with a poleaxe? He is noticeably more reserved than Oskar.

[@hanshanszoon]

@@raifsevrence, me being Nick, I can say we were definitely very careful of Oskar his legs. It tends to be that sparring with a partner whose armour is less protective, people are less agressive. We are friends after all. Oskar has the opposite, since Tom is very well protected from rubber weapons.

[@pug9431]

I have a question: what about leg armor?? What are the reasons why these soldiers leave their legs so lightly armored? It seems like a huge vulnerability! Thanks in advance!

[@VirtualFechtschule]

You're definitely more vulnerable without leg armour, but since the biggest danger on a battlefield is pointy things, you're going to prioritise the torso and head. It's quite difficult to stab the legs with a pike, so leg armour just comes last on the list. Additionally, marching in leg armour is just absolute hell, so anyone who had to bring their own equipment along would have to go without.

[@sunrisejackdaw1779]

I'd like to ask, where does the cavalry sabre such as the 1800s US issue heavy sabre fit into armored combat, if at all?

[@VirtualFechtschule]

Not really. In the early 1800's you'd have a few heavy cavalry units with breastplates, but armour wasn't really a factor in footcombat in the same way as you see in the video. That said, it would be interesting to compare sportsfencing sabre from the 19th century with purely military styles.

[@sunrisejackdaw1779]

@@VirtualFechtschule So, in other words, try not to fight people wearing actual armor with a cav sabre. Got it. :p

[@schmiddy8433]

I wonder sometimes to what degree the landsknechts were effective not so much in direct combat with equivalents, but merely their strategic mobility. If they went light on armor I expect they went light as far as a general baggage train too, the reduced overall equipment meaning they could get into meaningful places on a battlefield or pressure the army to respond to threats in other parts of the country they weren't expected. Against a fully armored man at arms they definitely run greater risk of serious injury, but these guys show up to fight your town militia? The overmatch in that scenario would have been astounding.

[@VirtualFechtschule]

I've recently been researching this quite a lot actually. The overmatch wasn't necessarily strategic or even tactical mobility, but a combination of recruitment from areas with already skilled fighters, together with a level of coordination that completely overmatched rebel and militia forces that made up tue bulk of the forces Landsknechte had to fight. Most medieval battles were rather a collection of smaller skirmishes, with little to no coordination above what we would nowadays call squad level. Landsknechte had the ability to form up in a battle array that could perform simple maneuvers such as retreat and advance while fighting in that formation, while also having a lot of handgun firepower, which gave them a huge advantage and usually allowed them to break numerically superior forces of irregulars. When facing equivalent forces (Bohemians, Swiss, or even peasants trained by former Landsknechte), it would quickly become quite a slugging match. This is why you see commanders experimenting with placing halberds/greatswords between ranks and increasing the number of gunners for instance.

[@schmiddy8433]

@@VirtualFechtschule Very cool, thanks!

[@arturgrzenkowicz5750]

What's the title of the song playing during the duel of pikes?

[@verimp1323]

If you're talking about that song from 10:58 , then It's "Wir zogen in das Feld" ( kzbin.info/www/bejne/mGqmmKWkgL-SrLssi=vsyZ9McbkCXVV4Ia )

[@christopherpie8559]

I'm really interested in the Landsknecht armor and outfits, as well as polearm combat. I really like the gear the person on the right at the start of the video is wearing. I'd like to get gear like that for myself, but haven't found anything suitable for me.

[@VirtualFechtschule]

It's difficult to get, so most people make their own clothing. There are a few good armourers for 16th century stuff, like Radoslaus the Armourer. Your best bet is to just get in touch with a local Landsknecht group and see where they get their stuff.

[@christopherpie8559]

@@VirtualFechtschule Got it, thank you!

[@jaredflynn3750]

those butt spike strikes to the armpit were nasty lol

[@VirtualFechtschule]

They were very controlled, but also quite aggressively set up and expertly followed through. Would have really hurt if he really went for it. :D

[@robinmarks4771]

Lekker!

[@antoniocorvalan7151]

Beautiful sparring

[@VirtualFechtschule]

Thanks!

[@Oldtimyviolence]

Nice, bij welk kasteel sparren jullie?

[@VirtualFechtschule]

Bij Teylingen! :)

[@Oldtimyviolence]

@@VirtualFechtschule Awesome, das een geweldige locatie!

[@VirtualFechtschule]

@@Oldtimyviolence Eens! Echt een fijne plek om te trainen. :)

[@MigorRortis]

Sweet.

[@jeffbutler1614]

That helmet with face guard is great, is that custom, or is there a supplier who makes these?

[@VirtualFechtschule]

Nah, unfortunately that is the result of me Frankensteining a cheepo skullcap, some rondels and the mesh of an old fencing mask.

[@VirtualFechtschule]

It would be really cool if some supplier made something like this though. Who knows! :)

[@jeffbutler1614]

@@VirtualFechtschule well done! It looks great!

[@VirtualFechtschule]

@@jeffbutler1614 Thank you! :D

[@knightforlorn6731]

I often wonder how they fought in various kinds of slippers and I think it must be because their feet were just way rougher than ours. Im sure our military vets know how many blisters they received on their marches so I wonder that it must have been this way to the extreme.

[@VirtualFechtschule]

I think you're correct. The theory is that fewer hardened road surfaces and indeed tougher feet used to the rigours of walking on thin leather all day would have combined to make it possible for people to march long distances in really simply made shoes like this. :) My Roman reenactment group will have some longer day-marches soon, so I'll ask them about their experiences. :D

[@Wien1938]

It would be interesting to see these fights replicate the restrictions of close-formation foot fighting. The halbard/poleaxe fights would take place with 6ft of room around the fighter with no opportunity for turning fights (since turning around would put one's back against the next enemy in the file!).

[@VirtualFechtschule]

We have been doing some formation fighting, and I hope to get some cool footage of it soon. :)

[@Wien1938]

@@VirtualFechtschule Looking forward to seeing it!

[@jekyle1980]

You guys should have kept track of the hits in the upper corners of the screen, like in a video game. 😂

[@VirtualFechtschule]

With a health bar that is slowly depleting with every hit. :D

[@tomwalker8944]

One thing I noticed is that with a Halberd hooking the legs would be about equally as effective either way. Arguably more so against the full armor as you could hook the plates from the backside to pull them off balance. Either way you'd get a nasty gash, but having the halberd get stuck on the plate and pull you off balance would likely get you trampled in the press.

[@VirtualFechtschule]

People getting hooked with the halberd is something we see quite a lot in original illustrations. It's not really a nice thing to do in sparring, as you're quite likely to injure your partner.

[@VirtualFechtschule]

(Unless you know each other well and you both know how to break such a fall instead of trying to remain standing and twist your knee or something)

[@mikajlod25]

Jesus, How tall is Nick? He looks like giant in that last part

[@VirtualFechtschule]

He is quite tall. It's quite hilarious that with my 1.80 I'm the shortest guy in the entire video. Welcome to NL. XD

[@hanshanszoon]

Haha, thanks. I am 2.00m.

[@ptealixpaint]

what isnt shown is that while hitting the half plate in the unarmored legs would 100% be an easy way to take the landsknecht out of the fight, it is not taken at all because we dont want to maim him IRL.

[@VirtualFechtschule]

Partially yes (which I, as the Landsknecht in the video really appreciate). But going for legs is hard. The easiest part to hit is actually covered by armour, and you can see that when I go for lower legs, my opponent can easily just avoid. And if you do that, you do open yourself above quite a bit. I am working on upgrading my kit a bit to hide some modern protectors, so sparring partners can try to go for the legs.

[@sandroclemus]

This is fantastic!!! Movie choreographies have totally distorted how knights used to fight. On the other hand, you get these so called "Experts" that like a BS Kung Fu or Aikido sensei, all they do is talk and demonstrate techniques fighting imaginary opponents or man-mannequins that stand there like idiots. Your approach is real non staged sparring that can help us understand a lot how combat was in the middle ages. Thank you so much for this.

[@Rocknoob49]

what's that half open helmet? Never seen one like this

[@VirtualFechtschule]

It's a simple skullcap with a fencing mask mesh to keep my face in one piece in case either of us messes up. Not fully historical, but safe and not too immersion breaking.

[@Rocknoob49]

ahhhhhh it looked like a full facemask with a thin eye slit

[@VirtualFechtschule]

@@Rocknoob49 Which means that it's doing its job. ;D

[@evanrothwell7122]

What type of hat is our landsknecht in green here wearing?

[@VirtualFechtschule]

Ehhhh. That's a really good question. I've seen the term Dockenbaret or starfishhat being used, but I basically just tried to copy somethin based of illustrations from Dolnstein, Dürer and the like.

[@GundamReviver]

For the first landsknecht:, the way you use the poleaxe I'd nearly say you have armour on your wrong arm.. You can really notice how opponents will aim for unarmored bits, but with fully clad knights thst jsut becomes wya 2ay harder, although I guess the less armored stamina part would be helpful, also for for instance more mobility (or running away 😂)

[@jtrain9926]

I would venture that knights being fully plated head to toe was more a function of them fighting from horseback (at least in Europe, England developed more foot-knights by dint of the 100 years war). If forced to fight on foot they would still go in full-plate bc if you got it, use it. Half plate was very popular from the late middleages well through the renaissance and into the early modern era.

[@VirtualFechtschule]

Yeah. Marching in leg armour is absolute hell, so infantry that had to carry their own stuff generally went without for that reason.

[@billberg1264]

That poleaxe is quite different from what I usually think of when people say "poleaxe." It has a pretty long haft, and is the head one single piece? If you'd shown that to me and asked me to put a name to it, I'd have probably said "Lucerne hammer with a small and simple head," or maybe even "bec de corbin with a very small spike."

[@billjose3996]

Oscar is a deadly pikeman.

[@nonyabisness6306]

conclusion: equipment working as intended. ;P

[@VirtualFechtschule]

Ya, basically. XD But I do like that even the half armour does a pretty good job at keeping you in a fight. This is often overlooked I feel.

[@tosfriendly]

you should try letting the knight use a sword. I tend to look at armor as forcing the enemy to use a slower weapon and when using similar weapon that advantage is lost.

[@VirtualFechtschule]

It's an interesting idea. But I do feel that reach and power give polearms a distinct advantage. There's definitely a few tactics that a person with a sword could use though, so perhaps something to try in the future. :)

[@Eidridin]

I would like to see a match up between a Landsknecht pike vs Bohemian or Italian pavise and spear.

[@VirtualFechtschule]

Oooh! That would be so cool! :D

[@searaider3340]

17:05 nice counter

[@VirtualFechtschule]

Thanks! After getting shanked the first time, I was really happy it worked the second time around. :D

[@patron8597]

Easy for me to say, as an armchair idea guy watching the video, but I feel like the knight could have gone for way more leg-cheapshots. I understand why he didn't do it, but that's one of the biggest weaknesses if fighting a opponent who has the benefit of better armour on his side.

[@VirtualFechtschule]

Yeah, two reasons for this: 1. They're indeed being a bit careful with my knees, which is appreciated. I'm working on upgrading my pants so I can sneak in some plastic leg protectors for future sparring. That said, when you do polearms and your partner isn't wearing HMB armour, you gotta pull your blows a bit, regardless of where they land. 2. Leg shots are pretty hard to do well. Thrusts are easily voided by moving a leg (as you see a few times) and swipes are quite easily parried, usually leaving you open to a bonk up high.

[@patron8597]

@@VirtualFechtschule Thanks for the reply 1. Yeah, that is what I assumed, and it's good to have safety as a priority. 2. I don't doubt it for a second. Having done full contact martial arts myself (though never with weapons) I often made experience of thinking how easy some attack would be, only to see how wrong I was during actual sparring. Still, seeing the difference like this made me think of just how much more vulnerable a lack of armour could leave an opponent. Like, just a relatively weak poke or slash to the legs could be devastating for the performance of someone wearing landsknecht armour, while someone in full armour might barely notice it.

[@Chewy427]

shouldnt you be using foam? an impact from those even with armour on can kill

[@JustinShaedo]

Not a bad thing, but this looks very HEMA which I don't think provides a realistic rules set for one-on-one polearm fights in full armour: trying to take down a fully armoured opponent with a pole arm by stabbing is incredibly challenging. Compare to how the HMB and Buhurt crowd approach it (full swings, from maximum distance, concussing or cracking) and I think it's more effective. Of course, pack people in tightly, reduce their mobility, and now you've got a real chance of getting through a visor hole/armour weak point

[@inawarminister1277]

How so more effective? These guys are actually doing what the ancients do when they try to kill each other while staying alive at the end. Over-swings are deadly - to yourself. Wouldn't get penalized if both aren't able to use half of their weapons (the spike and the butt-spike) to stab though.

[@JustinShaedo]

@@inawarminister1277 I would suggest plate armour necessitated crushing, hammering weapons (polearms, becdecorbins, etc) They work because they deliver significant force; which is not happening here. late 15th century onwards, you are either using a rondel or you are delivering significant force (or hoping your opponent can't afford full plate) So, yes this is amazing, they are very talented, and it's incredible to watch their skill, but no, they are absolutely not "try(ing) to kill each other". FWIW totally agree 'over-swings are deadly' If this is genuinely something you'd like to discuss I'd be super happy to show you video evidence to back this up? I'd even put on my late 15th milanese armour and you can wail away trying to penetrate it by stabbing with any pointy thing, other than a rondel, you'd like (I almost certainly don't live in your country, so to be honest, it's kind of a hollow offer)

[@nicholasthompson6152]

So two knights got it

[@Amalvipls]

"who would win, a knight or a landsknecht?" whoever strikes first

[@VirtualFechtschule]

Wouldn't that be, whoever strikes last? ;)

[@Amalvipls]

@@VirtualFechtschule whoever strikes first strikes twice, so they are the same

[@VirtualFechtschule]

@@Amalvipls Not necessarily.

[@Amalvipls]

@@VirtualFechtschule fool

[@VirtualFechtschule]

@@Amalvipls Okay, random dude on the internet, okay. See you at sparring hour some time?

[@elshebactm6769]

🗿👍🏿

[@josephbevacqua9217]

How was the video

[@Ceisriel]

why are you moving so slow and lightly?

[@VirtualFechtschule]

Next time we'll strap some rocket boosters to our armour mate.

[@Ceisriel]

​@@VirtualFechtschuleI can't imagine historical fighting being so slow and sluggish, like what's the armor weight? 12-20kg ?

[@VirtualFechtschule]

@@Ceisriel Unless you're referring to the slomo bit at the beginning, I don't know what you're talking about. There's mindful positional fighting going on (because just flinging yourself at the opponent is silly), but that's also punctuade by pretty intense exchanges.

[@argfasdfgadfgasdfgsdfgsdfg6351]

Why not hold the weapons only at one end and go full force BONK? If that fails, you can still transition to half grip.

[@VirtualFechtschule]

There's some instances of that happening here and there in the video, iirc. But it mostly poses a real risk. If it connects, it's a really solid hit. If not, you're kinda screwed, as it's easy to counter. Transitioning to half grip is possible, but good fighter will seize that moment. Happened to me last training; guy used the moment perfectly to just stab me in the face. :P

[@argfasdfgadfgasdfgsdfgsdfg6351]

@@VirtualFechtschule Interesting. I wonder, would you fight with a spear in a half grip, too?

[@VirtualFechtschule]

@@argfasdfgadfgasdfgsdfgsdfg6351 They're less top-heavy, and you would swing less often anyway, so with a spear or pike it's less of a problem. There are some situations in which I find a half grip can set you up for an advantage, but most often I hold a spear at the end.

[@rpscorp9457]

Lucerne hammer

[@lowfpsman]

This guy: sertain hits will KO opponent People in HMB: getting hit with full halberd swings to the head and keep fighting. It may be dull, but it still a halberd, most strikes to squshi parts are real bad. One my friend got his ass "broken" when 1st halberd of Russia striked him into the back of his thigh leg plate. Leg plate was broken and his ass too. Not a bone broken but really bad bruise, for 1 week he couldnt even land half of his ass.

[@edgarburlyman738]

So heavy infantry vs super heavy infantry

[@VirtualFechtschule]

Basically, yes.

[@ivano.i.shtrausmeluhim-di2mv]

Its like watching realistic Dune fight😅

[@reinoldi1097]

actuell skill is important yes.. and one vs 1 .. ok... but letzt not forget that armys faught in formations... and overll tactics against each other. :)

[@VirtualFechtschule]

As it happens: kzbin.info-i5bC0oceM0?si=cy2OfpaRpxSTrctz. ;)

[@Ulexcool]

Are they even trying? 🤣

[@anonymousdev1l]

I drop my pike and run in and grab your pike and pull you into my dagger.

[@VirtualFechtschule]

Okay... Enjoy your fantasies I guess?

[@anonymousdev1l]

@@VirtualFechtschule lol so serious

[@crazkurtz]

Nothing will come of this unless you get two people who actually want to kill each other. Come on step up your game.

[@ttchme9816]

Cringe

[@dennit1221]

Great scenery. Great gear. Poor performance.

[@VirtualFechtschule]

Thanks for a helpful and insightful comment

[@peterzapfl7439]

Why do you assume that every fullplateguy is a Knights?

[@VirtualFechtschule]

I don't. But nuance doesn't really work that well in video titles unfortunately.

[@VirtualFechtschule]

Also, simplistic as it may be, this dichotomy of 'landsknecht versus knight' is actually pretty topical for early 16th century discourse on the changing nature of warfare.

[@HoboMeow]

Was that a Yogscast Horny Jail reference?

[@VirtualFechtschule]

I think this meme has spread it wings and made it far and wide into the world, as I got it from somewhere else completely. ;P

[@murderyoutubeworkersandceos]

Uuuuuu Ooooo Aaaaa Knight vs lance knight

[@jothegreek]

Did I heard the language made in heaven dutch?

[@VirtualFechtschule]

Inderdaad! ;D