Learn the Art of Combat - Poleaxe Fundamentals

[@TheWiseGuyzz]

A fearsome weapon for sure. It makes me shudder to think what it can actually do. I love thinking about and practicing with these weapons, but I always try to remember what a nasty business they are designed for.

For us, it's only really about living out this art of movement :)

[@TheWiseGuyzz]

Oh for sure! I mean no disrespect. Just interesting context:-) thanks for the wonderful content. Grüß aus Texas!

[@giovanniamore7532]

@@TheWiseGuyzz gruss aus nürnberg 😊

[@valtenLbOz1495]

Think of a steel helmet, then think of going through that steel helmet.

[@Direblade11]

If you're in North America, the SCA is a really good way to experiment with medieval melee combat

[@Specter_1125]

It wasn’t mentioned yet, but the queue end of pollaxes normally had a spike pr other offensive butt cap as well, as the queue end was used extensively.

[@kieranadamson3224]

Is it possible it could have ever been slightly hooked? From what I've heard one of the Pollaxe's main stance was held with the bottom outward and the head held high and a bit behind you to knock an opponent's attack away and sink the axe or hammer into them. A hooked bottom seems useful for that.

[@arnijulian6241]

Butt spike as you mentioned is a great minuet addition that makes the method's by which a polle is used far more broad & versatile. I prefer butt-tail point to the adversary rather then the front point shown as the head end is the located for convenient swings from above the shoulder. Most wouldn't think their are countless ways to use such a simple implement based upon it's appearance alone but 'simplicity is beauty' as we engineers say.

[@beepboop9848]

​@@kieranadamson3224I feel like that would pose a danger of hooking it on yourself accidentally while swinging the business end at your opponent

[@BernasLL]

With such a demand for originality in movies, that even drive directors to throw history out of the window, it's a disgrace that such different awesome looking weapons haven't had nearly any proper screen time.

[@Watchful049]

just wanted to say thanks for all your videos! I'm making animations for Skyrim with different weapons and your videos show me a more practical way to handle medieval weapons. Your videos have a lot of variety and a lot of detail which helps me make each weapon have unique animations.

And thank you for your kind words :) Im curious...you work on your own skyrim mods?

[@Watchful049]

@ Yeah, the there's a mod that replaces the combat to be like the Soulsbourne games. The creator of that mod made it very accessible for other people to create their own animations so its been a goal of mine to replace all the attack animations. I just like making animations, I'm not too familiar with any other aspects of Skyrim modding.

[@jallybwan3767]

@@Watchful049 Yo, how's the mod coming along 7 months later? The thing that got me into the Souls series was the selection of pretty weapons to use, so I'm interested.

[@Watchful049]

​@@jallybwan3767 The main mod is called MCO that was released back in 2022. I make animations for it called Edgemaster Animations for MCO. I'm trying to redo all my animations and releasing the weapon types separately instead of an all in one pack that I last released. But to be honest, I've lost a bit of interest in it but I still plan on finishing it even though I haven't touched it in a year. I haven't had much time on it since I picked up new hobbies and got a new job that that's taking up most of my time.

[@Geschichtsfenster]

Danke, dass du direkt nach meinem Video, dass unter anderem die Mordaxt vorstellt so ein großartiges Video bringst das die Verwendung erklärt. Wird gleich verteilt!

Ach was echt? Das ist wirklich mal nen Zufall. Muss ich mir gleich mal ansehen^^

[@heideknight9122]

Incredible as always. And on one of my favorite weapon types no less.

[@rossbabcock3790]

One of those looks like a Bec de Corbin. Good video!

[@supercintanegra]

I've been practicing karate over 20 years. I love how every martial arts are essentially the same basics with a few tweaks. This is karate but adding a spear.

[@sneakycactus8815]

mordhau introduced and enlightened me to this wonderful weapon and now youtube is giving me plenty of poleaxe videos haha. amazing weapon with some examples offering the best of all worlds, slashing, blunt, and stabbing all in one. and its quite beautiful to see some of the historical combat forms that are possible with this weapon. i can only imagine what knight duels with these weapons looked like 600 years ago.

[@dreadnought8363]

Very cool...I wouldn't mind seeing some unarmed combat (Ringen, Abrazare) up next!

[@Thecopperleadthread]

YES! I WANT THIS SO BAD! That's one of the most intresting parts of HEMA. That and Sickles, Flails and Scythes

[@flankysixtyfour]

Great video! I love to see the weapons and skills of our history! I must admit that I would rather die in an actual war with modern weapons! These guys must have been so strong both physically and mentional…🙏

[@G0thCrayon]

I loves me some warhammers... I have to use a cane to assist with walking, and due to my height, standard adjustable canes are woefully undersized at even maximum extension. Thankfully, my solution was to use a SWAT grade breaching hammer, and making a simple and effective cover for the beak/face that I can pop off should it become necessary. If you have to use a cane, might as well have a useful cane.

Very imaginative. You just have to know how to help.

[@G0thCrayon]

@ It's definitely a matter of having the willingness to devise a viable solution for a practical problem. Being 6'5" from the time I entered highschool and significantly leaner than average, I had to learn tailoring pretty quickly if I wanted pants that reached my ankles to fit appreciably around my waist... Then when I started gaining an interest in simulated "medieval combat" I didn't have the kind of money necessary to buy full rigs of custom armor, so I picked up leatherworking and started to dabble in blacksmithing and chainmaille weaving. Those skills I learned out of necessity and hobby interest ended up paying my bills a dozen times over the years. Later on in life, when a genetic medical condition began to take its toll, all the skills I learned wound up being a major boon.

[@valtenLbOz1495]

Awesome, this channel has become so diverse in weapons already!

Yep...i love the sword but im bored to do always the same ^^

[@akaviral5476]

A terrifying invention!

[@brandonfarfan1978]

This is a really good detailed explanation, on how to fight with the pole axe.That weapon is really scary. Imagine getting hit by it. x_X 9:08 Lol!😂 Great work!👍

[@WelshSwordsman]

Thank you so much! I saw your halberd video and really wanted to see the pollax in action, since I own one and it's my favourite weapon by far. I'll be sure to study this video lots!

Thx mate...hopefully it helps :)

[@philw8049]

Nice, I really enjoy your videos and always think 2 things. 1. That was an enjoyable video in which I probably learned something. 2. Why isn’t this guy in movies wearing armor and swinging weapons?!! I mean seriously, you have the look, a commanding voice and presence and actually know how to use these historical battlefield weapons.

[@kurtbogle2973]

The Halterbrad is fearsome! The hook is used to make leverage for the spear blade. It's a giant can opener for people, but no one talks about this. Once your hooked it's all over! You can be easily cut in half.

[@ZETH_27]

The advantage with the war hammer here (and especially in a dualing sense) is that it's more ballanced than a halbard due to less weight of metal on the "mean end" with a ballancing end-cap or spike often present on the back. This means you can have more flexibility and put more range into your swinsg while remaining in a position to pull back your weapon if your striek fails. To achieve the same level of speed (and cosequently a lot more power) witha Halbard you need to commit to the strike, and leave yourself open if it fails, thus creating a greater risk for the user.

[@ryanhelm888]

Great stuff. Nice to see someone talk about hip movement.

[@svenk.7980]

Ihr habt echt eine schöne dichte Hecke, muss auch mal erwähnt werden. Und danke für die tollen Videos 👍

Haha, danke! Ja die ist toll :)

[@TheBurebo]

Nice raven´s beak

[@FOVoid]

pinnacle of medieval weaponry

[@myonionsmatter7843]

thank you, cant wait to utilise these techniques when a tavern wench is being harassed by laplander scoundrels

[@magnuslauglo5356]

Interesting - and quite different from other demonstrations I've seen, which often emphasize stabbing with the spiked butt end before bringing in a strike.

[@peterlorios612]

Time to train with my two-handed woodcutters axe. Nice video. ( I asked about an axe video in the comment section of your video about the staff fundamentals). Keep up the good work! It's too bad though only Germans and Russians mostly try to preserve the older ways while other countries like Italy, Greece, France etc could participate as well.

[@serronserron1320]

In Africa there are several places were traditional martial arts like Basotho spear and stick fighting are still popular.

[@Olothur]

Beautiful and soothing performance. My weapon of choice for zombie apocalypse!

[@kentallard8852]

Originally men-at-arms and knights used the long axe/english axe/danish axe/viking axe/etc as their primary weapon but as they began to add plate armor to supplement their maille Hauberk the axe began to evolve to counter this. First the axehead began to elongate up into a plade to become the Sparth axe and then growing a full blown spear tip to become the Bardiche, as men began wearing full coat of plates and then a solid iron chestplate this finally morphed into the Poleaxe.

[@malcolmbrown5331]

Very fluid movements and good instructions. Danke!

[@RonGunsolus]

Sweet! Just found this channel. Thanks! The efficiency and precision of your movement is mesmerizing... I am going to get my Bec de Corbin off the wall and start :)

[@Erebus2075]

this is a super good/effective way to show these technics ^^ ty for uploading

[@canisarcani]

idk if its been mentioned or not, but shadiversity has a video showing what a Bec de Corbin (the version of the pollaxe that he was using in this video) can do to a fully armored knight. that spike is NASTY.

[@Laleluna89]

I love this model of warhammer it's also known as bec de corbin or crows beak in English.

[@BlackOmegaWorks]

Love it! Very clear and concise.

[@trikk9964]

... fantastic! Remarkable weapon and performance!

[@babyseals4872]

Such a versatile weapon. And the variety of angles and directions it can be brought to bear is terrifying. What level of armor would most welders be wearing?

[@VideoMask93]

Almost certainly full plate, but some might have had a brigandine with arm plates. Definitely full armor coverage, though.

[@JaggedVeil163]

First off, I love the work you do with Meyers system and I can't wait to see more. Second, I have a quick gear question for you. What shoes do you recommend for fencing on grass? The shoes i wear are a little too slippery for where my group trains

My Boxershoes from addidas are also a bit slippery, but its ok as long nothing is wet. I also have some leather sole shoes...really nice on gras!

[@ImperialMarque]

I will use these teaching in my journey of poleaxe combat. Should translate well to the SCA

[@Ch-thalassa]

Another beautiful study. Thank you.

[@jamesduda6017]

Great video. Thank you for posting

[@Uchilsson]

Greate lessonm, greate video. One of my favorite weapons. Thanks!

Thank you!

[@Thelordmagedon]

10/10 instructional video.

[@andrewditton7226]

German weapon names be like: What's a flammen werfer? It werfs flammen, of course... Right.. right.. sooo, What's a murder axe?

[@Kuhmuhnistische_Partei]

A common name for Zweihanders/Greatswords back then was also "Schlachtschwert" in German, so "Battle sword". And the precursor of the halberd was called "Rossschinder" - "Horse flayer". So yeah, very straight forward. But my favorite name will always be the Katzbalger. Katz -> Katze = Cat; Balger -> Balgerei = scuffle/tussle (Balger in modern German is more associated as a term meaning "brat", but that's a different word). So basically a "Cat tussler". There is also the theory that the "balger" goes back to Old High German "balg" - which is still present in some modern words like Blasebalg "blow bag" for a bellows - which means "bag" and has the same root as the English word. But it just seems more logical that it goes back to the fight of cats - close combat with sharp stuff. I also read somewhere that "katzbalgen" was already an expression as early as the 15th century meaning "to quarrel like cats". So it would make sense that they then went in the 16th century "With this sword you fight in close combat like an angry cat, so you're katzbalging, it's therefore a Katzbalger".

[@bryanvarney3383]

This is my main weapon in the sca. I will fight against anything with it

There is nothing better than a simple hammer!

[@Fyrverk]

Love your work! Enjoing every vid

[@cweeperz7760]

Great video! Love me these weapons. Which side do you reckon is more "armour piercing"? Im working on a game and cant figure out which side should be best against armour. All of them seem so powerful in different ways lol

[@monsettaroco3481]

this is a really really powerful weapon, much more affective then a sword or a spear!

[@ZETH_27]

Definitely not more efficient than a spear. It's heavier and more complciated to build. You are mor eversatile, sure, but in a war, a spear is more efficient.

[@monsettaroco3481]

@@ZETH_27 No chance. You forgot plate armour. And it's not heavier than a spear. If so, negligible.

[@ZETH_27]

@@monsettaroco3481 The amount of metal and training that goes into arming someone with a warhammer compared to that of spear is to great to be practical in a 1v1. Of course that didn't happen, but in the realm of internet comparison, the Spear still comes out on top.

[@monsettaroco3481]

@@ZETH_27 look the spike , look the hammer, look the hook, (or axe) It's not long, it's well balanced, gives you the possibility of various maneuvers. It is designed against any armoured opponent, in any situation, mate. To me much better then a spear.

[@Kara_Pabuc]

O Zeus... This is such an amazing video!

[@nonamed9613]

We train a bit different in our local club, but still with quite a few similatities. Also, I will rewatch and try your more flowing strikes without the hand change, that is something I have been trying to figure out lately. What sources have you been looking at? (Never mind, just read the discription) Hab noch nen guten Tag ^^

[@JoeYT23]

Great lesson, thanks!

[@ianbethune9235]

Good video as always! That pole-axe looks similiar to a Lucern Hammer. Would it be used in the same way as the weapon you used in this demonstration?

A Lucern Hammer is basically a Pollaxe, so yeah its quite the same but the outcome of damage-type is a bit different.

[@ianbethune9235]

Thank you

[@edi9892]

It's a great weapon against armour, no doubt about it, but dressed like you, I'd fear facing a spearman (longer reach and still more agile weapon and has better means of offending me with small movements)

[@Zerir]

Amazing vid as always keep it up!

[@30035XD]

It would be a very bad day having to fight this dude.

[@BarsusDraco]

Ah, the Bec de Corbin.... my favorite answer to the question "How do I deal with this walking, clackering suit of tin cans and foodplates?"

[@ИванНазаров-т5щ]

Прекрасное оружие

[@AA-wd2or]

On hot day like we have these summer these activity must be extra hardwork

Absolutely...

[@АндрейЗолотарёв-ч3и]

thanx for alot of content

[@princeofcupspoc9073]

Yes you read the ancient woodcut illustrated fighting books. No, there's no use to a "pick" unless you are planning to open some tin cans, i.e. armor. A blade would work MUCH better against an unarmored opponent.

[@looming_]

nice

[@janseiler3303]

I really like the design of this Polaxe. Could you tell, where you got this from? Thanks a lot.

[@josephlucas4024]

Which manuscript is this system from?

Its based on Joachim Meyers Polearm Basics and P.H. Mairs Manuscript and can basically be used for all sources like Talhoffer, Fiore or le jeu de la Hache.

[@victorlui5955]

Hi Björn!!! 🖤🤘👊🍻🍺

[@simonphoenix3789]

I really wonder how they managed to forge such a complicated weapon back then.. a hammer with a beak is easy enough to make, but a spike on the top, a projection on the sides, and langets down from the head... were these forge welded together from separate pieces or did they somehow hammer out a single ingot into such a shape?

Poleaxe heads are made by a minimum of 2-3 pieces :)

[@mushroomhead86117]

I feel like the hammer end would be used more often than the beak.

[@felixk.5707]

❤

[@alinvid6098]

Could a lot of these techniques be applied to the Dane axe as well ?

I would say yes...but the Dane is basically a single side Weapon. Hey maybe you triggered another vid :D

[@alinvid6098]

@ ohhh goodieeesss 😃😄 I am not gonna lie... in this summer I plan to commision a dane axe and I would like to train with it in solo drills and also cutting practice so you would help me a great deal with this if you would make a video like that 😊 ! Thank you in advance ! And even if you won't do it thank you still for your answer to my comment !

[@BS-bd5uq]

Till now only Buhurt guys with shiny armor could freely spar with such pole weapons. I wonder when could we do that without having to spend thousands. Foam sticks could work but they are usually very light

[@sawyere2496]

Even those rubber headed ones hurt like crazy. Not safe without at the very least a gambeson and helmet

Thats right, still absolutely dangerous. We also dont spar with Halberds, etc. We just play around with them...

[@theodorehumphries6657]

Where did you get your pantaloons from? Awesome content

[@dr.davidhoward3179]

What's his height? What's the length of the lucerne hammer? Thanks for your reply.

[@ShagShaggio]

Cheers

[@ericr2617]

Would the fundamental movements be the same for a Dane axe?

[@whisper8742]

Are there any manufacturers producing hammers like this?

[@stephenglaudi2421]

I don't know if dude was going for this, but he looks just like Rollo from "Vikings".

[@Dorrzo]

I can see how these moves could be be effective in one vs one type of combat but with big formations of hundreds during battles aren't most of these moves completely impractical considering all the people you share the space with?

Its easy to adopt, just make the movements closer, think about the concepts and use more simple techniques. As long you can handle the movements in 1 vs 1...fighting in a row is no problem :)

[@educatedskeleton1803]

i like the poleaxe its a effective weapon but i feel like a spear would be better for a unarmored person the extra weight takes so long to swing its far to much time to be able to react but in armor i would say it would be better as the armor is going to make sure your not dead before you swing that big axehead in that case i couldn't imagine a better weapon

[@CasperTheRamKnight]

I love you polearm

[@JamesLaserpimpWalsh]

Dont cross the arms. I see the ergonomics of it. Cheers Bjorn.

[@kodain]

Any tips where one might purchase a poleaxe?

For trainers go for tempusswords.co.uk! For steel versions there a lot of vendors...the thing is, as long as you dont use it for buhurt a cheaper one is also good for practicing the drills. For partner sparring and training i recommend the heads from tempusswords :)

[@kodain]

@ Thanks. Was thinking of the metal kind for solo drills. I've mostly gotten my swords from Regenyei, but sadly they don't do polearms.

[@HikerDood]

@@kodain if you're in the US Museum Replicas has a nice looking one for a very attractive price

[@sirdaralbiscuit_1st382]

I would really like to know where to get these weapons

[@elpipi420]

Thats usually the italian style of poleaxe (also called azza)

[@einwegdiplomat3949]

Ser interessant

[@Vurseth]

sehr schöne Tanzeinlage ohne Waffe :P Woher ist die Waffe aus dem Video?

Nicht wahr...solltest mich mal Abends im Club sehn...das ist DER move xD. Spaß beiseite...hab ich tatsächlich mal auf einem Markt vor bestimmt 10 Jahren von einem Tschechischen Händler erworben...von daher, kA! :)

[@Vurseth]

@ ach schade. Dennoch vielen Dank für die Antwort 😊

[@CasperTheRamKnight]

Where could i get pants like those and get such polearm?

[@princeavaritia]

I need a polehammer in my life Just not sure if I want the polehammer or rapier first

[@MrLoobu]

That would be very hard to get around, get ahold of, block, parry, or dodge. A big guy with one of these could be pretty much unstoppable without projectiles.

[@buttered__toast_2899]

Not really but okay.

[@tarael86]

I was under the impression that the polaxe had an axe head and a spike, the lucerne hammer had a hammer head and a spike, and the Mordaxt had an axe head and a hammer head, but you treat them all as the same weapon. Is there any reason behind that?

Its indeed a bit confusing, i think so too. But in fact, in contemporary terminology, no distinction is made whether the pollaxe has an axe blade or a beak besides the hammerhead. It remains a "Mordaxt" in the german-speaking world. In fact, even in the oldest sources, the term "murder axe" or "Mordaxt" is found almost exclusively in connection with the beak form without any axeblade. In modern science, the term "Lucerne hammer" is often used and fits well, but it is not contemporary. In English-speaking areas, the axe form was more common and therefore the term "polaxe" is at least more appropriate. But whether you call it Poleaxe or Mordaxt, I would not look too much as a feature on the axe blade, but rather on the mostly 3-piece metal structure, the tendency shorter length compared to the halberd and the almost always present hammer (-ish) head. In addition: The word "axe" is to be considered here also in the context of the time. The meaning can deviate here quite something or be softened.

[@tarael86]

@ I see, that's interesting. I think we probably give much more thought to the categorization than the soldiers and weaponsmiths back then ever did. They were prolly like "oi, does it kill?" "Aye" "Aigh give it here"

@@tarael86 hehe, true^^

[@theadobeblacksmith._.]

Where did you get that bec de corbin

[@florianamann7978]

Poleaxt is best Axe 😁

[@vinskioficial8948]

Poleaxe would not be the name of just the form that have and axe head, an Acha de armas or Halberd? And the one with just the hammer would not be a Lucerne hammer?

A lot of terms are modern. At that time a "Mordaxt" was a Poleweapon with axe, hammer or beak. The modern term "Lucerne Hammer" for example was the most common Mordaxt or Poleaxe in Germany. I guess i mention that in the vid as well :)

[@vinskioficial8948]

@ Interesting. It's funny that they call something without an axe an poleaxe. XD

@@vinskioficial8948 indeed xD

[@strikingglintproduction6817]

What proportions did you use for this one? We have a pair of Meyer poleaxes in our club that reach around 7 feet total, but we know the size can very pretty heavily

I guess in average 6 feet fits better. For the play you use a lot of both ends for this, the center of gravity must not be too far forward. The hammer of my poleaxe is at the level of my neck :)

[@Anglo-NormanWarlord]

What size is the poleaxe you are using in this video?

from tip to toe 185 cm!

[@gmkgoat]

Lucy, my love.

[@kbkim1694]

thank you for good tutorial, i have a question how long pole is ?

Thx mate! This one is 180cm!

[@kbkim1694]

@ sorry one more ask is it include head or just 180cm pole?

@@kbkim1694 From tail to tip of the head. A Halberd, in comparison, is in average longer ( 210-240)

[@bernardrednix756]

how do you tell a difference between poleaxe,polehammer and halberd?

The core is very similar, but the focus with pollaxes goes more for close combat techs, a lot more backpoint action etc...Halberd is a lot more thrusting, free and wide blows etc

[@Snoeret]

Where could one aqquire such a weapon? (in the EU)

[@josefmud161]

Hello, can you please post link, where to buy this specific poleaxe you are using? Thank you!

Bought it on a open air medieval-market, sry :/

[@calzoneboi2696]

whats the height of the axe?

[@TheMan-tn4jk]

How long is this poleaxe?

[@empyrial4090]

Is a Billhook the same weapon?

No, a Billhook is different :)

[@mr31337]

what hair conditioner do you use?