Samurai jiu-jitsu wasn’t what you think

[@Ming1975]

My 2 cents. The sword was a glorified weapon but like all melee armies over the world they use spear and bow as primary the sword is secondary. Grappling is because punching or kicking "armored men" is not viable.

[@campbecc]

Rome primarily used the gladius which is a short sword.

[@michaelellis772]

Samurai were horse archers, the katana was heavily hyped up.

[@therecalcitrantseditionist3613]

Generally agree. But then there is also that guy who KOd the other guy with a headkick in the weird m-1 armored fighting

[@thecevi9179]

@@therecalcitrantseditionist3613 imagine running into the battle and head kicking man running against you

[@marcz2903]

@@thecevi9179 imagine how many women you'd get if you survived

[@AlexanderLayko]

The wooden sword used in kenjutsu is called a bokken (木剣). The bamboo sword used in kendo is called a shinai (竹刀).

[@HarryTzianakisTheGodOfSpeed]

The sword was created by my bloodline on the island Crete by the Minoans. A stick is a stick.

[@thatwolfensteinguy8954]

@@HarryTzianakisTheGodOfSpeed the Minoans didn't create any asiab swords lol, what are you on about.

[@HarryTzianakisTheGodOfSpeed]

@@thatwolfensteinguy8954 look it up Xiphos

[@Cigarbawz]

@@HarryTzianakisTheGodOfSpeed ‘Arslantepe swords’ look that one up ☝️

[@HarryTzianakisTheGodOfSpeed]

@@Cigarbawz Rome didn't exist it's the last empire to ever be built. If they had Greek swords there then that means they stole them from Greece when the Greek Empire was destroyed. Rome was built after the end of the Greek Empire Romans took all the brains from Greece and built Rome so how can their history be older ha ha ha ha bronze swords were made by the Greeks first the Bronze Age began in Greece.

[@OptimalOwl]

It makes a lot of sense that armoured swordfighting would devolve into grappling. Long cutting blades aren't ideal for defeating hard armour, so a lot of fights would have to end some other way. Like getting the guy to give up, or breaking some bones or joints, or holding him still and pushing your sword or knife through an opening in his armour.

[@timsohn7057]

Aw man I was hoping I made a video about this before anyone else lol. I actually had the privilege to learn Kobudo martial arts many many years ago. It was from a small sized Japanese family style. Basically they teach you sword, spear, bow, horse riding, Jiu Jitsu or Goshinjutsu (literally self defense). They will first tell you they do this to preserve their roughly 500 year old family military arts as a historical piece, and you cannot master them unless you put effort at a young age. So most of the time they make you chose sword arts because they felt it was the foundation to all the other styles. Also striking grappling if you chose so. But I was also told if I want to learn a more modern application, to take their “modern” class. The modern class was basically judo and quite a bit of Kosenjudo style grappling. It was extremely similar to bjj, and in fact we cross trained with bjj and judo guys alot. Anyways, the old style jiu jitsu/self defense was extremely specialized. Meaning we actually had to learn moved accounting for wearing armor and stuff. Even the sword techniques were not applicable to use on the streets in modern times with a stick. Many of the moves actually accounting for things such as swinging your sword while not hitting your own helmet, armor piece. Also many of the fatal moves were large, wide movements or pokes of aiming for holes in the armor itself. This style slowly changed as the Japanese stopped wearing armor. Anyways the point is that martial arts “evolved” with the change of time. Alot of these Kobudo arts as my Sokei told me is to preserve history. One thing I have to disagree is according to my souke, fights did not go to the ground. In fact there is a huge chance you will be killed if you are down rolling by other opponents. Fight started with archers killing as many opponents as possible, then horse back and spears/glaives. The Katana was almost a secondary weapon. Also, you were to never lose it no matter what. Hand to hand fighting was the last resort that you do not want to happen. Armor to armor fighting had very specific strikes to certain areas such as the armpit, between the shoulder pads and helmet (neck), cutting behind knee, etc where there is no armor. You can penetrate the breast plate but that is a move that exposes your head. Its hard to explain but ancient samurai sword fighting feels alot like boxing to me, except your lead hand is also your lead leg. Also, counter attacks are king because it opens up opportunity to get to areas where the armors are weak. It sure is interesting thats for sure :) I wonder how my teacher is doing. He was a black belt in judo and he picked up bjj around 2001 and also did various other martial arts. I remember his kobudo clases were getting smaller and smaller due to dwindling popularity. He told me one of the biggest reason was that people are not rewarded for preserving history. modern martial arts at least have competitions. I wouldnt be surprised if he makes most of his money from his judo and bjj classes and teaches old style for free to those interested.

[@ericsheppard6359]

You are exactly right. Every medieval documentary and book in the world for samurai or knights says the same thing.

[@davemeads859]

I remember being told once all you had to do was get an armoured opponent flat on his back and he couldn't get up due to the armour that's why judo puts so much emphasis on ippons

[@timsohn7057]

@@davemeads859 Oh yeah that too, i forgot to mention this on my reply. The helmet is massive and heavy too. Being on your back really sucked. I dunno if that is why Judo emphasizes the ippon since Judo is a rather modern amalgamation of Japanese Jujutsu. I always thought it was due to Olympic rules to make it look more exciting.

[@richardmunoz2995]

@@davemeads859 You can easily stand in armor. It doesn't weigh much and is not truly so awkward that most normal motions are hindered. That is if the armor is properly fitted, of course.

[@jc-kj8yc]

I practiced Iaido for some months. It's a really valuable martial art in the sense of budo. You learn a minimum of very short techniques and practice them over and over and over, trying to become as efficient with the movement as possible. I honestly found it kinda dull after a while, but mostly because the use case is missing. Someone else in the comments already pointed out, that it's the equivalent of training a quickdraw for a pistol duel, which pretty much nails it. You start in a neutral stance with the sword in the scabbard and then draw and cut at the same time as fast and precise as you can. Which is fine, but sparring that way is almost impossible, since you either use padded sticks, which takes the pain and hence the tension out of the equation or you use wood or even steel and seriously hurt each other, which isn't really an option. So you're left with a martial art that is very challenging and puts you on a path of constant self perfection, but you can't really use it. To compare it to combat sports: combat sports means you're painting a picture, Iaido means you're practicing single strokes with the pen to make perfect lines, but you never draw anything (except your sword! Puns are fun).

[@DaitoryuBlog]

I think seitei iai (the synthetic forms from the Kendo association) and koryu iai (classical traditions on which seitei iai was based) have slightly different mentalities regarding the practice. The former being more about perfect motion, the latter being somewhat more open and free, and more oriented on the cultivation of a warrior's mind (although the execution and body mechanics still need to be sensical of course). I'm sure experience vary from country to country, and tradition to tradition though.

[@connorperrett9559]

"Sparring" in iaido would really have to be a sort of situational self-defense training. You'd be wearing something like HEMA style protective gear with a blunt steel sword in a scabbard and you'd be suddenly attacked and have to survive from a position of being surprised. Not very traditional, of course.

[@based_prophet]

Like wing chun it's banned in mma like loaded gloves

[@jc-kj8yc]

@@connorperrett9559 yes, but that sounds fun tbh :D

[@jc-kj8yc]

@@based_prophet you mean Iaido is banned in MMA? If so, well obviously. You can't bring a sword into the cage :D

[@stevephlyer]

As a 30 year JuJutsu practitioner I want to say that you conveyed, in very simple terms, what the whole of this martial art is, and how to explain it to the the uninitiated. Well done.

[@Tovish1988]

As a major judo nerd, can't fault a thing you said. Always appreciate your attention to the history and theory. The specific jujutsu styles that most informed judo were Kito Ryu and Tenjin Shinyo Ryu, both of which still more or less exist in their historical forms as living arts.

[@berniekatzroy]

Yawara

[@kintarocrab]

A couple of points to add: Armor was pretty much only available to rich people, poor warrior class had shaby armor Swords were banned in the 1600's for anyone not a samurai class Swords were banned for Samurai class in 1870's Japanese Grappling evolved into Judo after the sword ban ~1882

[@benitofranklyn4237]

Very true, but Samurai and medieval knights were still grappling the sh*t out of each other during sword fights (Which they usually tried to avoid, the would attack with either bow and arrow of lance first)

[@gingercore69]

The kendo sword is called a shinai, and funny thing... All sumo throws can be done in full armor, because the "no gi grips" work just the same, and the belt grips can be done to most types of japanes armor styles... And being able to throw your oponent to the ground while standing beside them with your sword is one hell of a skill to have on the battlefield

[@Cin9999]

Well the wooden sword is actually a bokken, a shinai is the bamboo version

[@SeanWinters]

Umm, it's pretty damn easy to grab samurai armour... You don't need "no gi" grips

[@krystofcisar469]

whats great about no-gi grips is that you can give 0 fucks about what your opponent is wearing :D

[@benitofranklyn4237]

​@@Cin9999 Well they usually use shinai in kendo nowadays

[@Wagyu_Jubei]

Iajutsu originally came about as a means for a swordsman to simultaneously draw and cut with a blade. Think of it like a gunfighter learning QuickDraws. Whatever gives you an advantage.

[@jestfullgremblim8002]

Yeah, just like battojutsu on the Tenshin Ryuu hyoho swordmanship school.

[@AveSicarius]

Quickdrawing was never legitimately used as a fighting technique though, it was a circus performance art that came about as gunfighters moved into the whole "cowboy" themed exhibitions of the day. Really you just want to draw your weapon in a way that you are absolutely sure you can both keep hold of it and defend yourself. If your opponent has the drop on you are in trouble, but they have to actually hit you first. There's only really one account of a quickdraw gun battle I can remember, and it ended with Wild Bill slowly aiming his pistol on his forearm and shooting the other guy, who drew faster and fire first, dead. I suppose it's easier to cut someone with the draw of a sword, but if they are standing that close and are already drawn, you are probably dead, if they aren't close, you can draw normally, and if they haven't drawn at all, well, that's when Iaido would be most useful probably.

[@Wagyu_Jubei]

@@AveSicarius very interesting, thank you

[@BelloBudo007]

@@AveSicarius I think your points about accuracy over speed with a firearm is borne out in movies & in technical firearm instruction too. Clint Eastwood's movie where he learns of his friend (Morgan Freeman) being shot & killed and put on display, demonstrates lots of wild shooting by others in the bar on that wet & stormy night. While he calmly aims & disposes of them one at a time. Being first does not guarantee success unless it's matched with accuracy.

[@AveSicarius]

@@BelloBudo007 In some movies yes, but it is rare to see in the Westerns where the main character is portrayed as a gunslinger aside from a few such as Unforgiven (which is the movie you mentioned), the goons attacking them surely do miss quite a bit, much like the stormtroopers in Star Wars haha. In more modern movies the gunplay often more accurately reflects actual shooting protocol now, depending on the film of course. In regards to modern firearm doctrine, accuracy and stopping power are almost going to be priorities, you don't want to sacrifice too much speed, but your focus is going to be controlling your breathing, leading the target, and firing controlled shots to the centre of mass. This wasn't too different in earlier periods of history either, but the firearms were way, way less effective. Drawing is also done in a controlled manner, because the situations where speed would be a priority are generally those where you already have a gun on you, and if that person knows how to use it, well you aren't going to finish the draw no matter how fast you are (the same goes for firearm disarms, they don't work if the person knows how to use a gun no matter how fast you are). This really also goes for most unarmed martial arts though, accuracy and stopping power are very important, and sacrificing them for speed just isn't a viable tactic. It's why you don't see Wing Chun "chain punching" in MMA or boxing, because it's better to throw (and land) to a specific target a single powerful shot than to throw many more much less powerful shots that may not do the damage you need (or do any damage). This changes a bit when talking about weapons like knives or swords, where power is less important because you don't need it as much to cut or stab, but you still need to hit your target, and that requires control and finesse. It is as you say, being first to strike doesn't ensure you hit, and indeed some people sacrifice accuracy for speed. It's always better to slow down a bit and hit your target with enough power to put your opponent down than strike first and miss or fail to strike effectively, at which point you leave yourself open for a counter, which in gunfighting could easily be threatening.

[@marcz2903]

It's not just the bind (when the sharp edges of two swords bite into each other, causing them to sort of stick together instead of being able to slide up and down along the length of the blade) that makes grappling go hand in hand with sword fighting. The Samurai and the European knights of the late medieval/early renaissance both had very effective armor that, while not impossible to defeat with a sword, was extremely good at protecting the warrior inside. That's why you see blades replaced with blunt weapons in many occasions, and why grappling was so important. You basically had to pin your opponent down so you could stab him through the gaps in his armor, or break his limbs so he couldn't fight.

[@Bless3dWithACurse]

^ this. You're not cutting someone through metal armour. You have to pin them down, keep them still, and stab them through the gaps. All armored warriors carried a small back up sword/dagger for this very reason.

[@lancehobbs8012]

Sharp edges of the swordbite into eachother? What kind of kenjutsu is that? Read about how real swords are made , you meet the edge of a blade with the back of yours. The softer steel at the back is far far less likely to shatter. Thats the whole point behind the differential quenching that creates the visible hamon

[@marcz2903]

@@lancehobbs8012 European swords weren't made like Japanese ones. Japanese swords had a very hard and sharp edge which would stay sharp longer, but was much more prone to chipping, which is why you're supposed to try to defend with the flat or spine of the blade. European swords were more or less the same hardness throughout, and they weren't as hard as the edge on Japanese swords, so they were softer and would dull faster, but the edge of the sword was far less prone to being damaged, and using that relative softness to bind with your opponent's blade was a nearly universal principal in European swordsmanship.

[@jc-kj8yc]

In case of the knights the pin/submissions had one extra reason though. Knights were valuable hostages. Pinning them gave them a chance to surrender, so you could exchange them for money

[@marcz2903]

@@jc-kj8yc yes, that is also true.

[@torrancejones2072]

" wrestling is the prerequisite to any fighting" ~ Tank Abbott. Excellent video Ramsey.

[@jansettler4828]

"Come again?"- Any sort of machine combatant or really most modern infantry.

[@edi9892]

I'd like to point a few things out: 1) Katana was just like the arming sword a backup weapon! You can think of it as the role a pistol has both in the military and civilian life. Thus, duells were very rare, unless scheduled! They were far more likely to face off against someone with a polearm or ranged weapon! 2) armour makes you punch like a heavy weight champion, but punching armour is pointless! However, armour facilitates wrestling as it moves the weight up and it can add leverage. 3) armour allows you to close in for wrestling as you can take some hits. Immobilising the opponent is the best way of exploiting weak points in armour. Even in unarmoured fighting good cuts are rare as it's really difficult to make one if the target keeps avoiding getting hit and even worse attacks you! Thus cutting through cloth, or stabbing through mail is not as easy as if you do it on a mannequin...

[@無主-f2z]

can you imagine fighting someone in full plate armor with no armor yourself

[@thecevi9179]

@@無主-f2z its like fighting a car

[@ishitrealbad3039]

@@無主-f2z the unarmored person would be in an advantage, as he would be faster and is able to move more agile.

[@szarekhthesilent2047]

@@ishitrealbad3039 nope.

[@marcz2903]

@@ishitrealbad3039 no, they would be at a severe disadvantage. Armor wasn't as encumbering as it looked. The highly developed European plate armor of the late medieval period was easy to move around in. There are videos of people in replica armor running around doing summersaults and cartwheels. The common misconception that armor was ridiculously heavy comes from examples of jousting armor, which was made extra thick because it needed to stand up to repeated heavy impacts from blunt jousting lances. The knights weren't expected to do any fighting on foot in that armor, and it was competition, not battle, so they went in for maximum protection, disregarding any need for mobility. Actual battlefield armor was pretty light when you actually wore it on your body. The biggest disadvantages would be 1) temperature: it gets really hot under all that armor, but an unarmored person wouldn't have to worry so much about that. 2) vision: the eye slots on late medieval plate armor were miniscule to protect against anything getting through them and hitting the knight in the eyes, which obviously is really bad for vision, but there were ways to deal with that. Most fully enclosed helmets at this time had visors that opened up or that you could take off entirely. So, assuming you and some other person are going to fight, and neither of you have been trained to fight, but they're wearing full plate armor and you aren't, they can hit you literally anywhere and will be able to hurt you, but there are only tiny gaps in the armor for you to be able to hurt them. Even if you take the helmet off, they only really have to defend one target, whereas you have to defend your whole body. If you manage to get to grappling/hand to hand range, they have very hard armored limbs to beat you bloody with, but you're only going to hurt yourself if you try to hit them with your soft, squishy limbs. Assuming you've both been trained to fight, all those same things are still true, but now you know exactly how to defeat their armor, but so do they, and they know how to defend against your attempts to defeat it. Bottom line, all other things being equal, you are extremely unlikely to be able to defeat someone who is wearing armor if you have no armor yourself.

[@atticusstevenson5360]

I would recommend watching kumiuchi armored battles, great show of how armored samurai would use jujutsu and kenjutsu in combat.

[@gushlergushler]

I once heard a hema guy say "the guy who first realizes it has become a wrestling fight instead of a sword fight is the one to win". I don't know if Hema people can agree on this but it kinda stuck with me.

[@benitofranklyn4237]

Absolutely, usually the one who starts grappling and gets side mount wins.

[@GuitarsRockForever]

I think you got something wrong. The main weapon was not their sword, the main weapon is spear, bow, other polearns, sometimes big two handed sword (like polearm size). The sword we know best now, is always their side arm, a backup weapon (like modern day soldiers, main weapon is rifle, pistol is only side arm). Wrestling/grappling is arguably important for all hand to hand weapon based fighting.

[@ninjafruitchilled]

Indeed that's how it always was across the world. Swords are sidearms. Pole weapons and missile weapons are the primary weapons of war. In the case of samurai it is indeed the bow that was their most important, most trained, most vital skill for warfare.

[@HarryTzianakisTheGodOfSpeed]

Greeks invented everything

[@M3124-t5f]

@@HarryTzianakisTheGodOfSpeed Untill the romans came about with large shields and short swords

[@HarryTzianakisTheGodOfSpeed]

@@M3124-t5f Rome was built way after .. When the Greek empire was destroyed they took all the bri Brains from Greece and built Rome.. The romans are A cheap copy of what the Greeks were.. Rome was the last ancient empire

[@ajshiro3957]

Fun fact, samurai used guns and spears too. No weapon was beneath the samurai. They used jujitsu to pin their opponent and stab them

[@Kaydje]

They were mostly horseback archers for a good long time, too. The sword really only became so associated with the Samurai after Japan had become relatively peaceful

[@benitofranklyn4237]

They mainly used bow and arrow first, they loved guns once they had them and would only get into sword fighting range if necessary. Same as the medieval knights, they would always try to keep you at distance and kill you with their lance first and once guns were introduced everybody used them.

[@mellowdeath666]

Having played around with fencing and other weapons based martial arts, I always got the feel that the tools and skills needed to be good at combat with weapons overlapped pretty well with those used in striking based fighting. That being distance management, cutting angles, tempo/cadence, explosive force generation, parrying/countering, etc. With my background in boxing/kickboxing and other striking martial arts I took very easily to fencing. But judo on the other hand... Therefore these old combat techniques (used by samurai and other professional warfaring cultures) where truly mma as far as combat attributes were concerned. Striking took the form of sword, spear, and halberd, while grappling remained the premier 'in-fighting' tactic. At least, that's my two cents.

[@stephanwatson7902]

This is why I get irritated when people claim, wrestling and jiu-jitsu don't have anything valuable for self defense BECAUSE they're sports...yeah they are now lol, but they come from warriors throughout history

[@HarryTzianakisTheGodOfSpeed]

it all comes from Greece ,,

[@markhatfield5621]

Every culture everywhere has/has had some form of grappling

[@HarryTzianakisTheGodOfSpeed]

@@markhatfield5621yup that the Greeks first showed them.

[@HarryTzianakisTheGodOfSpeed]

@@markhatfield5621 Alexander the Great did not only open schools to teach history they showed the world how to fight. Only a science-based community like the Greeks could evolve in human physical conflict

[@yourmotherisshameful]

@@HarryTzianakisTheGodOfSpeed The Greeks invented Shuai Jiao? I'd love to see any relevant information about that,

[@badtothebone7613]

Great video. I studied Koryu Jujutsu (Japanese jiu jitsu) for 3 years straight and started working Security in Stockholm. I destroyed all my civilian clothes at this time haha. The JJJ I learned saved my life. On the Streets people wear knives and sometimes even know how to fight. JJJ is great for when you dont want to injure anyone. But Koryu jujutsu JJJ has got serious K.O strikes and kicks. (Legitimate atemi waza) I wish I had used one of those when a thief drug addict threatened me with his syringe held in his hand like one of Wolverines Claws.

[@4action416]

Something a lot of people don't know, is that we call jujutsu an "umbrella" of names of different martial art practices, coined with this term in the 17th century, as the name became somewhat of a fashion. The yoroi kumiuchi the way the samurai fought and grappled unarmed or even armed, as it was quite popular the grappling in armor, with small swords, knives even with pole arms such as naginata, with leading example the school of the-Araki Ryu for example - torite-kogusoku,. This style hadn't at the time it was practiced -and used for war, no official Ryu or school, and it was more resembling sumo and folk wrestling styles, taught by veteran samurai, who were teaching empirical and practical ways to survive on the battlefield, connected with all the other weapons. On the other side "Jujutsu" never saw the face of any (major) battlefield and it was a product of the "peace" period of Tokugawa, no armor of course. So for war, we had something with live sparring like modern wrestling and the more stylized jujutsu that came later, after the civil wars. Kano when fighting the other jujutsu styles for the Tokyo metropolitan police competition, crashed every other style because never trained live. Even Kano's one of the main 2 jujutsu parents of judo, Tenjin Shin'yō-ryū had only kata training and only kito had live (for good). There where exceptions, like the master Mataemon Tanabe of Fusen ryu, who had live training and excessive development of ground grappling. I researched in Japan Fusen ryu and I couldn't find any trace of ground grappling like the one of Mataemon, so it was the brilliant teacher who made this exception. I do BJJ (black belt) for 25 years and with this or with judo or wrestling you can get the most out of jujutsu but without live training and a solid of-course base in grappling you can't get far, no for self-defense, no nothing, even if you try to use "deadly" techniques of jujutsu it is not gonna work. This is the paradox that Jigoro Kano realized, who saw that judo without the "dangerous" techniques, was more effective - because of live training, and could do better than the other styles with "dangerous" and "lethal" techniques, but no live training. I studied a few styles of jujutsu in japan and I know for sure. The person makes the difference, with the simple principles of resistance and live training, solid basics etc. So samurai when they fought used wrestling-like practical "methods" and jujutsu is something else, a different, stylized art, of a different period. Thank you for the video.

[@benitofranklyn4237]

So there was a time when there was no randori because they couldn't think of sparring without the "deadly" techniques? Thank god for Kano, without him there would be no BJJ, his student Maeda was the one you brought it to Brazil as well. I always tell people it should be called Brazilian Judo, since all the submission techniques come from the classic Judo and from Maeda who was Kano's student.

[@stephanwatson7902]

4:54 EXACTLY I first heard this quote on an excellent channel, ran by a University Fencing Instructor, HEMA Instructor and Antique Weapons Dealer; called Scholagladiatoria. He knows his sword/knife fighting!

[@paulpolito2001]

Captain Context - Matt Easton. Solid dude, great channel. Gotta keep things in context! Lol

[@OptimalOwl]

It's all about context.

[@aucteakwondomaster]

A little simplified but absolutly true. Even with spear, primary weapon on the battle field, you have to know grappling as even with it's reach, at some point you will end up in a grappling situation. I think Fioré covered a lot of that in his treaties.

[@krystofcisar469]

grappling with polearms was for sure essential (well not pike necessarily) bcs otherwise u can quickly lose your reach advantage

[@Kikuchan88]

Hey Ramsey, Thanks for the video, your explanations are good and clear. Just one thing I noticed regarding the technical terms you've been using: you don't need to say "daito katana" as "daito" means "long sword" and the katana is by definition a long sword, so it's a bit redundant. That's why the katana-wakizashi set is usually called "daisho" (daito + shoto (the latter meaning "short sword").

[@tennesseecopperhead7874]

Love your Channel sir. Been studying martial arts over 40 years and I love how you truly break things down. So much disinformation out there and getting the real truth out is something that is sadly needed.

[@anantasheshanaga3666]

The most important Samurai martial skills were archery and use of the spear. The sword was essentially a personal weapon. Going to war, they would have primarily used polearms and bows and arrows.

[@ProtomanButCallMeBlues]

I think people have over simplified what Samurai were, as simply as really good swordsmen. They were a warrior class, different from things like Japanese infantry, bowmen, cavalry etc. They could theoretically and often did use Swords, Bows, Spears, Clubs, Muskets depending on the Samurai. While the bulk of Japanese infantry like the Ashigaru were just common peasants that a Samurai would round up, train them in whatever form of combat the Samurai could afford to arm them with and go off to fight.

[@M3124-t5f]

Indeed, like every ancient warrior ever to exist. I mean, long, heavy thrusting objet that can pierce through armor? Pretty good if I may say so myself

[@hillside21]

@@ProtomanButCallMeBlues What was that line from Kurosawa? "A long life eating gruel is best"?

[@ProtomanButCallMeBlues]

@@hillside21 oh yeah, Japanese cinema was always critical of the social oppression the peasants had faced. Often Kurosawa films the bad guys were war veterans and bandits who moved on to oppressing people. Likewise Zatoichi the blind swordsman is famous because in most films his antagonists were Samurai, and he was the exYakuza swordsman that under Japan's own laws at the time would be sentenced to death for carrying a sword.

[@artten5002]

Loved the mention of Musashi :D Kendo sword should be 'shinai' The wooden sword would be 'bokken'

[@midshipman8654]

doesn’t “shinai” like literally just translate to bamboo sword? and “bokken” literally just mean wooden sword? so shouldn’t the terms be interchangeable?

[@lancehobbs8012]

@@midshipman8654 no shin means real or live a boken is a wooden sword A shuriken is literally a thrown sword Shinken is a real sword with a live blade, and the term has lots of uses as a metaphor as in " lets do this shinken" means basically a live weapon exercise

[@dragonphill]

I'm looking him up after this. A boat oar? Thats pimpin!

[@benitofranklyn4237]

@@midshipman8654 No those are two different "weapons" the shinai is what we call kendo stick and the bokken is a solid wooden sword

[@nickdavis5420]

Binding is a thing at least in my German longsword books but so is wrestling.

[@joeandorian7719]

Iaido was battojutsu, and it arose from the need to transition from spear or naginata to your sword when your opponent got close to you. Iaido was developed later and eventually greatly changed to match the aesthetics of kendo.

[@Tea_And_History]

Hey Ramsey, new to your channel today and love it already. I’m a lifelong student of ju-jitsu and what you’re saying here really resonates with how I learned. Sense I used to make us wear mittens to stop us properly holding each other so that it became more about body dynamics. A point about iaido - yes, today it’s experienced by many of us as a meditative process but in its day it had practical application. If you think of Wild West gunslingers, a perfect aims no good if your opponent can draw faster than you and still aim well enough - the emergence of ‘fast-draw’ schools times of peace worked on this theory. In a duel, if two competent swordsmen not wearing armour square up the first to draw his blade is likely to win!

[@Sevensliders]

Back then the arts employed didn't emphasize inner peace, calm and control which is abundant today. They were all for killing since those times were very turbulent. I myself am happy to be living in this era with an extreme appreciation for today's martial arts.

[@waderutherford9083]

Also some submissions are specific to the way that the armor restricts your mobility and you can use those restrictions for leverage. It is similar to how you can use gi in grappling vs non gi.

[@ElDrHouse2010]

Most of that the Samurai were really known for was for being great Horse Archers really. But many people focus on the swords this days because swords are cool. I get it, I get it. & yes you got the Musashi dueling story somewhat right he didn't crave a sword out of the oar really but rather a long blunt weapon, probably resembled a top heavy bo or a long kanabō (Japanese mace). He fought a duelist that wielded an Odachi (a "horse-slayer" katana thats significantly longer than usual, longer than a Tachi katana even).

[@eagle162]

Not really horse archery was only the main practice for Samurai during two periods but even during those times there were Samurai renowned for swordsmanship. Concerning that famous duel it is arguable if it actually occurred,nodachi/oachi actually has no evidence being you specifically against horses, about Tachi being longer than a katana that's more of a modern classification.

[@teovu5557]

@@eagle162 No one said Samurai cant be great swordsmen. All he said was that the "majority" of Samurai in combat were horse archers which is true. Swords were a secondry arm after being dismounted. Horse archery fell out of use in 1751.

[@eagle162]

@@teovu5557 no again that fell out of favor long before that and swords also were use on horseback.

[@devvv4616]

as we can see in modern mma, it's hard asf for a pure striker to handle a grappler as grapplers will almost always control where the fight is gonna be

[@breeban3388]

Because of the difference in our timezones, your videos often end up being a great way to end the day

[@BWater-yq3jx]

I was thinking about the art of drawing the sword when I was running through some sword forms just a few hours ago, lol. I can see the value of it in terms of efficient self-defence, maybe even moreso these days, because getting your weapon to hand is pretty important. Even if you're not super-proficient at wielding it, once it's out... chances are you now have a sword, and they don't! 😄

[@haw-chaw-chawcalypse]

An Informative and highly competent telling of an oft misrepresented topic…and might I add, your speaking voice is super smooth and soothing.

[@bennagel2180]

I enjoy your martial arts history videos. Great background for the video btw.

[@metalngames509]

I always liked to think of Judo as the "greatest hits" of Japanese jujutsu. Back when it was still called Kano-Ryu Jujutsu, named after it's founder Jigoro Kano, it was an amalgamation of different styles that Kano practiced and perfected. When it became more sport oriented the "jutsu" was removed from the name to remove any association with criminal behavior and warfare and was replaced with "do" meaning "the way" which was often given to more modern interpretations of old school martial arts. I.e. kendo vs kenjutsu, iaido vs iaijutsu etc.

[@danielkeizer4174]

That's partly correct. The main goal of judo though was sport and sportsmanship behavior. As Japanese liked to put emphasis on honor. They took out every lethal technique. So no trying to kill your opponent. And more of a point based system. It's mainly that wich separates do from jitsu. Where jitsu has very little sportsmanship behavior. Quite the opposite. The goal was to fight dirty and finish fights in a brutal matter. Maiming and killing were the main goals. The use of these tactics by the criminal underworld of Japan almost destroyed it's legacy. So kano tried to purify it and made it into two separate disciplines that still brought honor to it's history on the battlefields. Jujitsu wich was more about control techniques and movement and judo wich was sport oriented and competitive.

[@davida.rosales6025]

People forget Kano's aim went much much further than that. Judo was conceived as a PHYSICAL EDUCATION system and a CHARACTER BUILDING system for modern civilized man. This is why Judo has such a strong all around value, while BJJ people usually behave like dope bros or like outright gangsters.

[@dustencross357]

I love your movies Billy Zane! I have been wondering were you went

[@RamseyDewey]

Hahahahaha! Tell me you loved The Phantom?

[@dustencross357]

@@RamseyDewey one of my favorites

[@anonsaccount1562]

I think wooden kendo sticks are called shinai in Japanese my uncles did the sport. I fought with European broad swords and grabbling was a important part but when swords met we were taught not to keep pushing unless you see an opening to grab the guys arm but to move the sword back and make another attack and with the swords although size mattered it was far more forgiving with size differences if you were lighter/smaller than say Judo or wrestling if you were fast and hit very hard and fast and used the lever affect well.

[@Troupe_Master]

No they are called Bokken, the bamboo ones are for kendo and Bokken are for Kenjutsu

[@HarryTzianakisTheGodOfSpeed]

All weapons are Greek. Relax you didn't invent shit

[@DanGoodman-n4b]

Great analysis. I was fortunate enough as a young martial artist focusing on aikido as a framework. I was able to attend a few weeks of an isido seminar under Mitsuzika-sensei, the retired head sword instructor for the Tokyo PD. I can assure you that it is pronounced eee-EYE-do and not eee-AHH- do. But your overwiew & analysis is quite solid. Flawless in every respect , except for the pronunciation thing. Truly much respect.

[@martinlara5743]

Great reflection Ramsey, I have been practicing kendo for five years now and learned a lot of its history. Kendo as we know it today its actually quite modern, it took its final form on the mid 1950s, when it became a martial art for self development. The ultimate goal is to create better human beings through the teachings of the sword. The word Jutsu (as in Kenjutsu) means Method or Art, The word Do (as in Kendo) on the other hand means Way. This emphasizes the Way kendoka live by the modern sword teachings instead of the old traditional way of using the sword as a war weapon.

[@kencaton6377]

ole Ramsey should be narrating documentaries . got the perfect voice and demeanor for it

[@johnacker4959]

I love this realization brought to light. Im a huge fan of martial arts and all the content you’ve been making for years now. I was just thinking to myself as i listened to this video. I thought “Man, wouldn’t it be cool if some of our favorite rpg and/or action and adventure games put more emphasis on the close relationship between armed and unarmed combat? My first thought was Fromsofts Sekiro, or Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima- both games encapsulate the mythical feeling of samurai persona. But how cool would it be if we (in game) performed a judo throw, or a wrist lock, before ultimately performing a critical or fatal blow? As always, I your content.

[@thejodyjourney219]

Good confirmation about grappling. I think it's the awesome sauce every martial artist needs to improve whatever else they do!

[@Wagyu_Jubei]

Guns. Samurai also really liked guns. The ones who won anyway.

[@timwitherspoon1378]

Great vid!!! I really love the historic perspective of the arts! I would love to see a very serious competitive weapons fighters like HEMA give their take on weapons injuries found in mass graves. Like the battle of Towton. I think we are just so ignorant on how these battles were fought. The movies always make it seem like one blow one death. I think it was way more brutal, gruesome and complex

[@nojlexa]

Side note about George Silver: Someone who knows more can correct me on this, but as far as I know, George Silver absolutely hated the rapier, so I'm not sure I would take his words about rapier fencing too seriously.

[@danarief]

Excelent breakdown, there is a video depicting how they fought in old days. Once their spears clashed, they went for a takedown.

[@TheCreep69]

Well, I just learned something today! Never thought of that. Thank you!

[@EzeHSK]

There's a great book by Ellis Amdur called Old School, about classical Japanese martial arts. Mostly weapon styles, some included grappling with weapons.

[@scottmarlow6018]

An interesting tidbit I learned is that samurai grappling in armor (yoroi kumiuchi) also included techniques with the Yoroi-doshi, which was a type of dagger than could pierce armor. Samurai would duel each and the winner would collect the other person's head as tribute to their Daimyo.

[@v.d.2738]

I heard many of those photos are commoners posing in armor, not actual samurai, for souvenir photos for foreigners. But the ones in kimono like 0:13 and 0:45 are probably actual samurais. I love those ukiyoe arts btw. Tsukioka Yoshitoshi is one of the best.

[@kanucks9]

GEORGE SILVER! And here Ramsey is trying to say he isn't that kind of nerd haha. Edit: Man George Silver really hated the rapier. I can confirm though, that grappling is effective in rapier combat.

[@Cyph3rHaxPalm]

Lol, Ramsey isn't that kind of nerd :), that's a cool line!

[@penttikoivuniemi2146]

George Silver really hated the Italians lol. His book has so much trash-talk aimed at them it's crazy, you'd think it's a KZbin comment section.

[@sukotsutoCSSR]

Rapier with a sidearm or buckler is fine, but mostly in a civilian context and George Silver doesn't like that. But single rapier? That got Silver fuming, since it fundamentally ignores defense in favor of playing tag with the blade. Rapier fights can have both duelists end up looking like swiss cheese and still move, then they die later of internal injuries anyway - so nobody wins. As a military man, George Silver wants a clear win, and nothing is as clear as cleaving someone's hand off.

[@TheNimbus12]

Those old photos and woodblock prints are incredible to look at, ever since i was a young child they have resonated with my spirit. Thanks for including them & doing so in a designerly way. It's nice to see them placed with equal negative space between them

[@v.d.2738]

I heard many of those photos are commoners posing in armor, not actual samurai, for souvenir photos for foreigners. But the ones in kimono like 0:12 and 0:45 are probably actual samurais.

[@TheNimbus12]

@@v.d.2738 Yes, very cool. That does make sense with photography being a new technology and japan slowly opening its borders more

[@Zwerchhau]

Good commentary, i’ll also add that unarmed strikes don’t work too good through armor but throws and joint locks still do, that and ground and stabbing your opponent

[@mylesfranco3545]

I love all the art and pictures in the background. Very Nice!

[@schizoidboy]

If I had to think about it when you use a sword you're essentially closing the distance between you and your opponent. No fighter is going to let the other guy stab him so they're going to end up clinching like they do in boxing when they get too close. Keep in mind if the fighters are wearing armor they can't just smash through it with a punch. I remember hearing somewhere that ninjustu expert Stephen K Hayes remarked that the ninja didn't have or bother with such kicks like the round-house kick because their opponents were likely to be wearing armor. In this sense grappling is the only option especially if you're reaching for a dagger which both the samurai and European knights carried with them to finish off and opponent. Likewise the European knights also had wrestling techniques for fighting as well.

[@peterlee9691]

My school teacher was a Vietnam veteran, had his gun with him in a dug-out trench at night and had to grapple hand to hand combat. He said in modern warfare you'll almost never see the enemy up close.

[@munkyzzb7504]

Wow that was real interesting. It shows imo why striking advancement is new cause every culture forever has been fighting with weapons. I never thought about how important grappling would be in that b4.

[@tonyslaughter8954]

I’m taking my brown belt test tonight! I’m somewhat nervous about it any ropes for remembering the knowledge?

[@dukedumby]

More like thinking outside the boat, Coach! Love the channel!!!

[@rhysnichols8608]

Some of the most efficient sword techniques involve grabbing your opponents hands to immobilise/control their blade while you use your other hand to deliver a lethal blow. A lot of kenjutsu techniques I learned involve grappling and wrist control, and if your opponent is good enough to stop your killing blow you suddenly both find yourself in a grappling match, then it’s usually the first to take the other down and draw their dagger who wins

[@jouagu2019]

People in the comments are generally right about shinai, the practice sword--typically constructed from bamboo slats in a way that adds more flexibility to the practice weapon, and thus less damage upon striking--and the bokken, the Western term for the practice sword typically of one piece. Shinai (竹刀) is, indeed, bamboo sword. Bokken (木剣) is wooden sword. Now, the second kanji, is commonly used, but not always, on a double-edged sword. It's the more commonly used word in the West, as when the word came from Japan, that's what was used at the time. That said, bokutou (木刀) is the Japanese pronunciation of wooden sword. The kanji, when put together, gives a different reading. You may see bokutou alternatively written as bokuto, though it's a long o in Japanese, so bokutō is also a fair transliteration. I mention this because it's the more common usage nowadays for the same object. When I mentioned that ken (剣) can be used for a double-edged sword, it's really applicable to various sword types. So essentially, wooden wasters could be considered bokken if someone were to speak Japanese. Finally (for the purposes of a random youtube comment), there's kidachi (木太刀). The "ki" is the same kanji for wood, as you can see with bokken and bokutou, but the "dachi" part, when not connected, is "tachi", a more specific type of katana. In more modern contexts, tachi is used not unlike how the West uses "katana", in that we'll apply it to Japanese swords in general. So going from tachi to kidachi, we also have "wooden sword". You won't necessarily see this word as much, but it's a possible variant. tl;dr--So, pretty much in the West, you'll hear shinai and bokken for the two types of wooden swords. in Japan, you'll hear shinai and bokutou for the same two types of wooden swords. There's another term, but is most likely less common in both speaking circles.

[@shankarsatheesan6846]

Hey Coach Ramsey, can you do a a session on which martial arts would be ideal for the military? Specifically the army and special forces. I'm aware that there isn't a huge requirement due to the usage of guns as well as the limited time frame of the training period (6-9 months for EM and 1-4 years for Officers, depending on the type of entry). However I'm interested in knowing your views about the matter since you're an experienced mixed martial artist as well as an instructor.

[@wokekoala3888]

I'm not speaking from military experience, but Jocko Willink who is a combat veteran from the War on Terror claims that Jiu-Jitsu is best because you're correct in stating that you won't need to strike often. BJJ helps because those abilities are more for comfort controlling unarmed people and innocent people, of various levels of resistance. Hope it helps bro!

[@shankarsatheesan6846]

@@darkness1293 thanks!

[@MynameisBrianZX]

Bear in mind that he practices a regulated unarmed sport, not in a military context. I've seen a couple documentaries on MMA training in the military, but obviously the important part is weapons training (guns, bayonet, knife). Even if you go back in history, it's hard to find a resemblance to modern MMA because people never tried to fight unarmed and often fought in formation, a very different context from one-on-one duels. Alternatively he could talk about historical (melee) duels, which could be more similar to MMA, though people still wouldn't be unarmed. But there would be wrestling and swordplay would replace standup kickboxing.

[@shankarsatheesan6846]

@@MynameisBrianZX How about trench warfare during WW1? Often times the enemy was so deeply embedded that it meant charging through no man's land to attack them. After reaching the enemy trench using guns was difficult considering the length of the gun and the small size of the trench. Often times I believe they had to use various improvised weapons to get the job done.

[@MynameisBrianZX]

​@@shankarsatheesan6846 from the little I've read and seen about it, it's invariably armed, so again this would probably be more relevant to a military history channel. No doubt people were punching and wrestling in the trenches at some point or another, but the use of trench shotguns, knives, clubs, and knuckle dusters in a cramped trench is a very different context than the Octagon.

[@Gyrodyssey]

Hi Ramsey Dewey! Awesome Video! I believe the Kendo Sword is called a Shinai and I hear some people who train in kendo use Bokuto for solo practice.

[@DaitoryuBlog]

If you are looking for a "single" source for all Japanese jujutsu, legend says it is found in the art of tegoi - the predecessor to Sumo. Chances are there were Chinese influences though. As for the relationship between jujutsu and sword fighting, many traditions were not limited to a single practice, reused core principles when switching training weapon, and/or worked on transition between armed and unarmed, and vice-versa. On particular field of interest here would be kogusoku, or small/secondary weapons tactics.

[@eagle162]

Problem with that is "Sumo" did not have a single form and was pretty difference, what people recognize as Sumo today takes its roots from standardization during edo period, unlikely having Chinese influence except for maybe one version that died out during the heian period. Also that Jujutsu doesn't come from One Source,which mostly takes roots from torite-jutsu,Kogusoku,kumiuchi and koshi no mawari. There was buke zumo( Warrior/samurai sumo), use as strength training but extinct now. As for tegoi as far as I'm aware that's mainly concerning Daito-Ryu Origins but not really supported as the school doesn't have evidences going back any further than the 19th century.

[@DaitoryuBlog]

​@@eagle162 The names you've listed were brought under the Jujutsu name by the Butokukai in the 20th century, and can be seen as interchangeable to some degree. Many traditions would blur the lines anyway. Takenouchi ryu's tradition full name is Takenouchi ryu torite koshi-no-mawari kogusoku. Tennen rishin ryu still includes a kogusoku curriculum I believe. And so on. ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%9F%94%E8%A1%93 explicitly states that kumiuchi and sumo were distant ancestors to jujutsu. To my knowledge, this is a relatively broadly held view amongst researchers. The link to tegoi is said to come from the Kojiki... as I said, legends. Chinese influences have been suggested by some researchers, although I'm less familiar with that subject. And yes, Daito-ryu's know history is pretty recent. I wouldn't be willing to say there's a straight lineage to sumo (again, legends). But I speculate there must have been some other jujutsu influences in its formation, just like sumo likely had an influence on the early development of jujutsu/torite/kenpo/hade/etc.

[@eagle162]

@@DaitoryuBlog I would say the lines are not that blurred such as the words being older, Takenouchi-ryu uses the term, a little differently, I believe, as it refers, for them, both to techniques and the dagger they use. Generically, however, kogusoku means "light armor," and refers to close combat/grappling with a blade.torite-jutsu listed as its own thing alongside jujutsu and being considered the root of the later Taiho-jutsu,ect. Just to bring up it also lists Kogusoku, torite-jutsu and hojojutsu as the origins for jujutsu. That and Jujutsu going under many different names(yawara being the most common), until the name jujutsu became dominant. As for tegoi as far as I'm aware the name is not referenced in the kojiki. I definitely don't recall the name ever being mention whenever I try to research Sumo and early reference to the name sumo. Wrestling Culture between China and Japan were pretty difference during the Time. the kojiki was written down and develop differently after words. Hence doubts. Just so there is not any confusion we talkin about wrestling culture here or the things concerning the like Chin and the 3 Ronins.

[@stephanwatson7902]

Miyamoto Musashi talked about practicing many styles and abilities and not just learning the sword; from reading his writings, I believe he was very much a mixed martial artist and Samurai

[@benragnarsson7228]

musashi fought in different battles as well as dueling...japanese dueling is very different from european dueling mainly due to the armor and quality of the steel...in battles samurai were using pike formations, the sword clashing was very rare

[@krystofcisar469]

tbh they were all mixed martial artists probably :D bcs medieval ´´wrestling´´ schools which were documented quite well usually incroporated variety of punches/kicks/knees/elbows and even work with small blades.

[@stephanwatson7902]

@@krystofcisar469 yes historical sword fighting involved striking and grappling; people now might refer to it as a mixed martial art, but back then it was just fighting. Ancient jiu-jitsu itself had strikes along with the grappling, so some might call that a mixed art also. And ancient pankration was striking and grappling, and I believe, could have contained techniques from the people neighboring the Greeks; so that could also be considered a mixed style. However not all the Samurai would be what we call mixed martial artists, because even Musashi said there were Samurai who ONLY learned to use the sword and didn't train the other aspects of martial arts. Someone being able to punch and kick, while swinging around a sword, doesn't mean they're a mixed martial artist

[@MrShadeofMyself]

I would love if people would get rid of the idea that professional warriors always fight with swords. Especially fully armoured people will not fight with a sword, because it is not a good weapon against armour, thats what polearms, archery and blunt weapons are for. The sword is a backup weapon, like the pistol is today.

[@OptimalOwl]

I was thinking this as well. The sword is perhaps the most culturally notable - but in terms of winning battles and sieges and wars, the spear and bow and gun were more significant. I think the only case I know of where swords were used widely and successfully used as a primary battlefield weapon was ancient Rome.

[@SwordTune]

In European fighting books, I love seeing moments when fencing masters will remind the reader not to learn from less-experienced teachers, who flail and swing around in fancy flourishes to look impressive. After hundreds of years our martial arts trash talk has not evolved.

[@cahallo5964]

Samurai arts have a bunch of really COOL and obscure weapons, there is this one style that has rope grappling, it looks really cool. (I can't remember the name but it's literally just rope grappling, not kusari-gama or anything like that just the rope). This comment is only slightly related to the video but I felt an urge to share my liking of obscure martial arts

[@catherineannemccloskey-ros9500]

A great breakdown.

[@benitofranklyn4237]

You can see this in all those medieval reenactment fight tournaments they have now, they guy who stops trying to sword fight and gets side mount first, usually wins.

[@VTdarkangel]

I have toyed with bokken as just a bit of fun with some friends and I realized the very same things in relation with grappling. Understanding leverage and position when tied up was huge advantage. I realized that sitting there trading strikes was a good way to lose. I started approaching the duels with the idea that I had to "kill" my opponent as quickly and efficiently as I could and that losing was death. I saw that I ended up in a lot of binds and being able to redirect my opponent usually lead to winning. It wasn't anything like the movies portrayed (I know, a shocking revelation).

[@DaGrowed]

"He fought way differently than his opponents, which is why he killed them." Is one of the best quotes I've ever heard. I'm actually laughing out loud xD

[@peterveckmen9314]

Ramsey "greetings nerds and virgins" Dewey

[@spinningtop2415]

the unarmed part of samurai training was called kogusoku and yoroi kumiuchi

[@jasonjitsu86]

This was a primary use of the short tanto blade many samurai carried. Judo is considered to be a consolidation of a vast number of regional/family Jiu Jitsu styles. The throws in Judo are meant to be performed against an armored opponent (which, by the way, would stun an armored opponent with that kind of force). The submissions in the ground work and ground positions are meant to hold your opponent in place. Then the Tanto comes out and can be forced into an opening in the armor.

[@cringeyidiotterry]

2:43 I'm not a mega Kendo nerd, and hell: I haven't even taken any Kendo classes (yet), but the bamboo training/sparring sword used by Kendokas is called a "Shinai," whereas the wooden training/sparring sword (also used by Kendokas) is called a "bokken." Although a bamboo shinai or wooden bokken would be able to injure or kill an unarmored opponent (someone not wearing armor) if used with excessive force: higher-level Kendokas eventually get to start training with actual Katanas (that can easily main or kill), but that only seems to be a Japanese thing.

[@egorvdovin9330]

It doesn't work like this. In Japan you practice 3 disciplines jo-do, ken-do, iai-do in the All Japan Kendo Federation (AJKF), you train them simultaneously. Beside that, there are a lot of different schools where you can practice koryu styles of iai-do and jo-do.

[@manolisrhodokanakis9619]

First comment on your channel, yay!! Not wanting to downplay wrestling's importance in swordfighting (almost all historical fencing manuals I know have dedicated wrestling sections), but Silver seems to have meant what you mentioned as a problem specific to the rapier. George Silver was an Englishman who wrote his "Paradoxes..." in order to defend the traditional English broadsword against the oh-so-fashionable in his time Italian rapier, which he deemed too dangerous. His whole book contains huge sections of essentially rapier bashing. The meaning of his quote seems to be along the lines of "Rapier is such a faulty weapon that no skill belongs to it, therefore when two men fence with it, the best wrestler and not the best fencer prevails". Again this isn't meant to say that wrestling is not important to fencing, just to provide some context.

[@tzaeru]

How do you feel about cross training in boxing, muay thai, nogi BJJ, etc for MMA? Is it actually useful for the athlete's improvement nowadays, or it is something that is more done just for fun and variety?

[@sonnygallo5662]

As you know I tried sooo very hard not to like you. I've failed again. KUDOS dude. You da man. Your features are enlightening right and CORRECT. Please feature the Ainu samurai of Japan and Korean Kempo aka Kwon bop. Osu and respect sir. 🙏🏼🐉🐅

[@chopstick1671]

That’s an interesting notice on the rapier fighting; while I practice HEMA, I’m not a very experienced rapier fighter, but I always saw Silver’s reasoning in another way (I have not studied Silver, but I have heard that quote ablut wrestling in rapier a lot before haha). I always assumed it was because if you land a hit with a rapier, you effectively disarm yourself for a short while, as your blade is stuck in your opponent. If you cannot immediately recover it, you are now unarmed (in the case of single rapier), and unless the hits is immediately fatal (it rarely is like that), you’re now close together, unarmed (assuming you seized control of the bind and/or opponents weapon, entering safely)… and thus the wrestling begins. Either wrestling to a point of submission/killing the opponent directly, or trying to get out of grappling range to recover with your sword. Any rapierists feel free to correct me if I’m just being dumb haha

[@sukotsutoCSSR]

That's the main criticism against the Italian school of fencing at the time - their emphasize on the lunge, and how there's no proper military application for these maneuvers. They can cover a lot of ground from a straight line and are probably the best at the lunge, but the tail end of the lunge, you're vulnerable. The training doesn't necessarily account for the rapier getting stuck or if the thrust didn't disable the opponent, allowing the opponent to counterattack: essentially putting both duelists in a position where nobody actually wins the encounter. Silver, with his limited experience with the Spanish school, doesn't seem to put much criticism against the Spanish swordfighting given that it isn't as balls out as the Italian school - the Spanish school actually has attack and defense from all angles.

[@chopstick1671]

@@sukotsutoCSSR La verdadera destreza is very cool from what I’ve seen of it; when I get into rapier I wanna try out the Dutch (my country) styles though, they’re supposedly very similar to spanish styles, with some italian and german influences, which seems very interesting to me.

[@dr.stevehendersonknowsstuf2358]

With Respect. Japanese Martial arts grew from Tegoi which later became Sumo. Ways of rationalizing how to interrupt power and locomotion defined the name of the developed art. if you focused on the X pattern of the body and restricting the opponents ability to use their bladed weapon it was Jujitsu i.e. (crossing interference method), if you focused on buckling the body with painful pressure and utilizing the moro and withdrawl reflex it was Koshijutsu i.e. (knocking down with fingers method), if you focused on knocking the opponent off his center with a full body interruption of his locomotion is was Dakentaijutsu i.e. (hitting with body method), if you focused on the interlinking of joints to create a series of internal leverage to buckle or lift the opponent off center it was Koppojutsu i.e. (bone laws "core being" method), if you focused on releasing the balance point between fighters by yielding your art was called Yawara and when Yawara is used as a sub-character it pronounced jiu to form jiu-jitsu (yielding method). generalized blended fighting methods were called Kenpo (fighting laws), Taijutsu (body method), Tejutsu (hand/ unarmed fighting method), Goshinjutsu (five attitudes method) or Heiho (laws of war). Japanese Sword fighting changed over time but settled around locomotive standards of power and weakness relative to hand position on the sword handle and deception methods which were applied to empty hand techniques called Muto Dori that was a subset of many other arts. Battojutsu and Iaijutsu were different as they were not about direct fighting but more about self defense. Most close range unarmed fighting was build around the assumption the opponent would be holding or drawing a short blade during the fight which is why using the opponents own body as a shield against their weapon was the focus. There is a great distinction in Japanese martial arts related to whether the art was a battlefield art, a dueling art, an arresting art, or a self protection art. There was no one art, but rather multiple theories on how to control an opponent with in a defined way of looking at the relationship of the combatants. Distinction in the arts were built around the models of thinking and explanation. I hope this helps whom ever asked the question.

[@Finny1996]

Not really. The terminology used by the 'X-Kan' arts was not in any way common or used as some sort of universal descriptor.

[@stevebrindle1724]

As usual Ramsey is interesting and informative

[@Stevie_tha_tooth]

Love the content Ram!

[@TheDeTocquville]

A question for the coach. What happened with the infamous "phantom punch" in Ali v Liston? There are so many theories based on the reputation of each fighter and the historical background but I have been trying to find any mechanical breakdown of what actually happened and can't. I would love to hear what you have to say about the footage and what really happened. Thanks

[@MrGeyt2006]

Coach will have better opinions obviously but my two cents as someone who's been knocked out too many times: rotational force! it wasn't a heavy hit but Liston was leaned forward, Ali's cross came over and down, that angle of attack quickly rotated Liston's head, and that quick spinning of the brain does far more damage to your faculties than a heavy straight punch, hurts less for sure, but even if the lights stay on that kinda hit will make you forget where you are for a few milliseconds every time.

[@mrglasses8953]

The sword was a tertiary sidearm for samurai (same with medieval knights) and a status weapon of limited use on the battlefeild. Short swords/wakisashi, and daggers/knives/tanto being the 'lowest' weapons in the hierarchy. Leaving aside canons, trebuchets etc, bows/crossbows were the primary weapons, spears/polearms/axes/maces/clubs were secondary weapons. Jujutsu/wrestling was used almost always in combination with daggers/knives. Classical jujutsu, like medieval wrestling, focused primarily on how to disarm your opponent, get in close and stab them through the gaps in the armour. The same principle applies to modern warfare, rifle first, pistol second, bayonet, knife and wrestling last.

[@peterdunkel8646]

Martial arts nerd here with 17 years experience in Japanese martial arts (both old and modern) and 3 years in BJJ. Good video but actually the main training the samurai did during the sengoku jidai (period of samurai vs samurai warfare) was Sumo wrestling. There are a few sword schools from the sengoku jidai (such as muso jikiden eishin ryu) but most of the sword martial arts and jujutsu really originate during the peaceful Tokugawa dictatorship where no battles were being fought and street self defense vs people armed with swords became the norm.

[@v.d.2738]

3 biggest source of the many sword schools were from the Warring period or before it tho. Nen-ryu, Kage-ryu and Shinto-ryu.

[@jaeyoungkang5951]

Just as an additional note: even in martial arts cultures with sword-fighting but little body armor, grappling still evolved. The best example: Dumog in Filipino Martial Arts.

[@FulguroGeek]

Always great instructive video. I just found out some strange martial art online and i think it could make a good break down video on this weird style. I dont even know if its legit but you should chek it out lol. its called Okichitaw martial art and its seems to be a martial art including some native american war technique or its what they claim.

[@Cyph3rHaxPalm]

it could be something someone put together and made it unique, like the Hawaiian Martial art, i forget its name, which is a mix of several martial art styles in one!

[@rubensoto5217]

Where can I get some of those pictures? Great explanation….

[@edwardanderson1053]

Excellent episode, 100 percent true about sword duels.

[@thegamephilosopher2214]

Funfact about HEMA- Ringen Am Schwert means struggle at the sword or wrestling at the sword(looser translation) Erasmus, in his book on warrior ethics, the Enchiridion , describes vividly a very German way of thinking about fencing while trying to teach people how to fight their vices. Basically, he decribes how much great a victory it is to disarm a guy and then kill him with his ow n weapon. This is reflected in almost every European martial arts tradition from his time and before that I can think of . its very much used a lot that people grapple at weapons, not just with knives. The reason its not done in olympic fencing is because its banned for for "gentlemanly reasons," but if it works ,do it. And on the samurai, you do see Ko Ryu guys often discuss Jujutsu in Japan assuming armored combat or weapons combat too. You also see throws and disarms demontrated too of bokken(wooden katana) vs bokken from the kenjutsu schools in Japan You also see in manuscripts as well as sparrings in HEMA times when you sometimes go to the ground with weapons. This is fun, its much dfferent from BJJ and thats for sure. In manuscript, if you see this , its usually a knight trying to hold some guy down to get the coup de grace with a knife because of armor. But in my memory of my many sparrings, I remember a specific sparring I had with a guy who was new to a friend of mine's gym. I was there visiting and he had me spar his students. Now ,this guy was much stronger than I was at the time and stronger than I am now. He also did not know techniques very well. In sparring, he tried to bind with me and kept trying to head but me. I put him in a head lock and threw him with a hip throw, dropping my sword,etc. We both went to the ground. I had him in a scissor lock as I grabbed his sword( I should mention we were both using long swords) and I poked him a few times. Having done this, we "reset," I took off my mask and found I was bleeding because of the head buts, and I took out my camera and looked in a selfie cam to find that my forehead was imprinted with the outlines of the mask's cage. In short, know that hand to hand combat , "doing something," knocking some mofo on the ground, and controlling the weapon is most important.

[@tormohafighter3957]

Europe had their own variants of Jujutsu, most notably Ringen in the Holy Roman Empire and surrounding area. It was based around armor fighting, and may have even been the origin of the pin in wrestling. The goal of Ringen was to get your opponent on their back so you could shove a dagger (rondel) into the slits of the helmet. There were quite a few styles in England, Lancanshire Wrestling morphed into Catch-As-Catch-Can. Glima was practiced in the Scandinavian world, and looks very very similar to Judo. In Russia there was a style of grappling called Tormoha which was a form of ritualistic wrestling that involved gripping the collar, and only the collar.

[@johnf7332]

I love videos like these. I find military/martial history to be fascinating (with some interesting parallels to how we fight today). Do you know of any good books or resources where I could learn more about historic fighting styles?

[@mat34105]

i have some books you could read about it, mostly practical manuals: For old european styles there are the manuals of Fior de Libelli about sword fight, besides other manuals of italian spanish and german styles exist of course most are sword fighting styles with a bit of grappling. Japanese arts are tricky a lot of people went to practice those but besides the bujinkan ninjutsu and the hagakure scrolls is hard to find a proper manual of old styles. The real kicker tough is wwI and WwII military combatives styles like canadian defendu, british gutter fighting.

[@Cyph3rHaxPalm]

Where do you live John?

[@jeppe921]

hey coach what do you think of one punch man/ Saitama training, 100 sit ups, 100 push ups, 100 squats and 10 km run every day

[@ghostwarrior1776]

This is a solid video on Samurai martial arts nice

[@slanigrad]

Ramsey brother. If u have space to make distance from green screen at least 1 meter. Ideal would be to have one light just to light green screen(to avoid any shadows on green sc.).no need for fancy light.just decent power led will do. It will make keeying so much eaiser and it will looks really crisp. Peace bro and for any help in video u can contact me. Am not some pro but i learned a lot through years.

[@nicsweet4176]

We used the boat oar bokken for resistance training when I did kendo. Only for 6 months.