Things We Learned About Knightly Pollaxes

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Some things we have learned about pollaxes in the last couple of months of training with them.
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[@scholagladiatoria]

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[@kelluke.]

no.

[@HnZ88.]

i hope more people become patrons on patreon so you wouldn't have to stick this cringe in the comments and in front of videos

[@larrylewis9861]

Sir, would it be considered in bad tasted to request that you don not stab into the camera?

[@jankarieben1071]

Seeing Matt superimposed over the guy swinging his sword around like a noob larper feels like a cry for help.

[@ReferenceMachinist]

@@HnZ88. I didn't mean anything by it dude. No need to be rude. It's just how I relate man, I was stoked to see him rocking and learning the poleaxe. Damn man.

[@davidvoncarstein2067]

25 min of Matt speaking about managing his pole while holding it. 10/10

[@DjigitDaniel]

And making extensive use of the back end. 👌🏻

[@ao1778]

ha! like dicks! 🤣

[@TheS4ndm4n]

And also don't forget, in situations where you are exposed, it may be a good idea to slide your hand up your pole.

[@belongaskip]

@@Daves_Not_Here_Man_76 That bloody guard stopping him from freely sliding his hands up and down his shaft

[@andybaxter4442]

He didn't let go of his shaft the whole time!

[@JEGranberg]

I like pollaxes as they have a choppy bit, smashy bit, and stabby end

[@dallenhumpherys7911]

Actually, two stabby ends!

[@antoniojoaquin2425]

@@dallenhumpherys7911 depends. Somethimes 3 replasing the smashy bit.

[@shorewall]

The Pollaxe is my favorite medieval weapon. So versatile, yet it also excels.

[@roberttauzer7042]

It's awesome weapon. People are obsessed with swords, OK I like them too but man, give me the poleaxe - not a sidearm, proper weapon. The real deal.

[@voltekthecyborg7898]

Imagine not having good reach This post is made by the Halberdiers

[@admiral_waffles533]

@@voltekthecyborg7898 imagine not having good reach. This post was made by pike gang

[@voltekthecyborg7898]

@@admiral_waffles533 Imagine not chopping and hooking This post was yet again made by the Halberdiers But other than that, well played

[@heavybolter6396]

@@voltekthecyborg7898 imagine being easily killed by arrows- This was made by the spear shield gang.

[@overeasymode]

It's like the Swiss Army Knife of Pole-arms. So many uses.

[@dynamicworlds1]

To the guard: I was once sparring with some padded polearms. My opponent made a strike that was slightly C-shaped, trying to knock my polearm to the side as it curved to come in to hit me, using the resistance of my weapon as it was knocked aside to help redirect the strike towards my head/torso. Unfortunately, as the same moment I shifted my guard very slightly and instead of hitting my weapon and curving into my body and instead, hit my weapon and slid, full-power down the shaft into my hand, the shaft serving as a guide to help it slide right into my thumb. Dispite reasonably good hand protection, my thumb nail partly disconnect from the nail bed. A guard at any point along the length of the shaft his blow slid down would have saved my thumb from the blow. I don't think the guard needs to be right against the hand to be effective for the type of blow it was designed to protect against. It just needs to be _somewhere_ between the impact point where you opponent's weapon would hit and stard sliding down your shaft toward your hand and your hand, and the blows which spend the longest sliding down your weapon will often be the ones which hit with the most force. Moving the guard up would then be a compromise to preserve the protection against that with the ability to move the hands around. It may also be for the power of trying to punch through plate instead of finding the gaps. Likewise, it may also be largely a battlefield option, as there may be less range of motion available and you may want to stop a blow rather than just knock it aside if you have a friend there. Together, these would fit with them existing, but being less used by masters in dueling context where the ability to have unrestricted movement of your hands would be of greater importance.

[@texasbeast239]

Full thumb protection? Check!

[@joranfokker7477]

Pfffffffff

[@carebear8762]

Well thought out. I was thinking even a smaller disk, or even rounded triangular in profile, guard would allow for protection of the unarmored parts of a closed gauntlet with the ability to "skip" over it when slipping the hand up and down. Just need deflection, not a right-angle stop.

[@bishopwulf]

This makes all kinds of sense to me. Especially since we know that the sources we have are focused on dueling. An added point: In a battlefield situation, weapon retention becomes more important. The chaos of battle makes it far more likely to lose control of your weapon. So the added point of contact could be added value in indexing your hand position on the shaft as well as strengthening the grip on the weapon in an armored gauntlet. Similar to the large disk pommel and guard on a rondel dagger.

[@jpoeng]

Brilliant observation, love it!

[@tedhodge4830]

Simply the finest medieval knightly combat weapon.

[@TheZinmo]

I love Matts special enthusiam. He has a new favorite toy and it shows.

[@youtubevoice1050]

That rondel seems to be quite useful for delivering powerful thrusts with either end by stopping the hand from slipping (depending on where you put your hand relative to the rondel).

[@daveh7720]

I was going to ask if that might be a reason for having it, to facilitate thrusting. It seems like when stabbing someone in armor, you're going to want all the advantage you can get.

[@Suillibhain]

I was thinking the very same thing.

[@gunfighterzero]

@@daveh7720 same here

[@Robert399]

Only with the top end surely?

[@daveh7720]

@@Robert399 Moving the hand above the rondel would give one an advantage when thrusting with the tail spike.

[@zacharybennett3249]

I really appreciate that this video is filmed almost entirely as a single shot! Very captivating style of presentation, and great subject matter!

[@andyfarrow7337]

Your enthusiasm for the topic is very evident. I feel it's one of your most original, insightful videos. The hard work you have put into preparation and training has clearly paid dividends.

[@andrewz5981]

Would you be interested in doing a little bit of research on the Chinese dagger-axe (Ge) and/or Chinese Halberd (Ji). I suspect they're both closer to a western Halberd than a poleaxe in terms of length, but I'm curious to see if there are any lessons/techniques you might be able to transfer by comparing them.

[@johnchao2422]

Yes please

[@ycplum7062]

Not a HEMA participant, but from a physics/ergonomics perspective, can the hand guard be used to generate more force in the thrust, with either end? I can see it helpful against an armored opponent.

[@neruneri]

It is very unlikely to make a massive difference. The places where you're going to realistically penetrate to begin with, aren't typically strong enough that you need that difference. The types of places the spiky bits go into are places where a dagger thrust is enough, let alone a polearm wielded in two hands with a giant weight on the end of it. Ultimately, the mass of the head is going to be much more of the deciding factor in that hypothetical. The weakspots are weak enough that you don't need to worry about power, and the strong spots are so strong that power can never become (reliably) enough anyway. If you're using your point, it's because you have a gap to aim at. If you can't access that gap, you should be trying to smack them with the hammer bit instead.

[@gerryjamesedwards1227]

The English nobility have always made extensive use of 'the back end'.

[@TryChillBalloo]

is there a chance you record the pollaxe event and upload it? would be great to see pollaxe technices.

[@brutusblackbane2821]

I’d imagine if a fight devolved into wrestling, a knight could drop their pole axe and draw their rondel dagger. Something tells me if they’re that well equipped, they’d have a sidearm.

[@digitaljanus]

I swear there's an earlier video where Matt describes fully-armoured fighting as "wrestling with large knives". Maybe it was the fight analysis of the Arthur vs. Lancelot fight from EXCALIBUR?

[@buttered__toast_2899]

Primary, sword on left hip, dagger on right. Standard knight weapon load.

[@arc0006]

Wow I was surprised to find out they break a lot. As for the skirt protecting from grappling that makes sense. It would be hard to do a double leg if the skirt was long and hard enough...uh...ah...you know what I mean. The disc hand shield made me think of another weapon. The awl pike. I would love to see a video on that. :) Anyways great video Matt. :)

[@penitentialarts]

Thank you for doing these videos on polearms. They are my favorite weapons, but you don't see nearly as many videos done on them as you do with swords and axes.

[@iapetusmccool]

5:30: anonymous Bolognese sauce. For people with a hunger for combat.

[@DangeRoss_]

Must be used with a colander helm

[@majinkakashi20]

That is such a beautiful weapon. Love the cross in the axe face too

[@TimParker-Chambers]

This was a fascinating presentation, Matt, thankyou for taking the time 👍👍👍

[@dominikdalek]

I'm supper happy to finally get some quality videos on pole weapons. Kudos!

[@BKay121]

Hi Matt! Long time subscriber here. would I be able to request a video? I know you have talked before about musketeers how they fought and what weapons they used but would you be able to compile all of that into a video explaining musketeers a little more in depth please? I would like to know their motivations weapons sidearms and their overall adeptness in combat. I would appreciate it. thank you

[@reaperwithnoname]

I'm always happy to hear more about the poleaxe.

[@eldorados_lost_searcher]

9:28 Matt's particularly excited about his pole penetrating something soft, squishy, and inside the other person. Captain Innuendo strikes again!

[@bassemb]

My favourite medieval weapon. Can't get enough of these poleaxe videos. (and halbers, and polearms in general).

[@Cyrathil]

I've recently started getting into the idea of poleweapons after my indoctrination through popular fantasy has become broken. You mentioned you are using wooden poleaxes, where are you getting them from or what should you look out for when getting them?

[@WhammeWhamme]

Fastest comment I've ever prepared to write: loved that opening. Literally laughing. Good work Matt. Normally come here for the serious discussion, so humour really caught me off-guard. :)

[@dominicnzl]

5:29 the Bolognese sauce is my favourite

[@bartmilcarz]

Brilliant video. Very interesting!

[@j.f.fisher5318]

Great video. Thanks!

[@jm9371]

REALLY enjoyed that. The poleaxe was more of a technical super weapon than I originally thought. A lot of this is by definition as noobies like me think that a poleaxe, Glaive, Bill, Halberd are the same thing. You covered a lot of this in a previous video. I especially enjoyed this one as you are actively training with it.

[@WinnipegKnightlyArts]

Keep in mind that the top and bottom of the axe are also good at penetrating between gaps in armor, especially the bottom part of the axe when doing techniques like the knieryssen (knee ripping) or the Halryssen, as the tip of the axe will stab into any gaps in the back of the knee armor in particular, but also in the back of the torso/neck area. I'd say that is probably the most beneficial part of the axe design vs an armored opponent.

[@buckybarnes5241]

Perfect analysis.

[@belongaskip]

Thanks. Really interesting video. Poleaxe is my favorite weapon.

[@chubbymoth5810]

Thanks Matt,.. this was super interesting.

[@WalkaCrookedLine]

Excellent video, covers a lot of points in an organized fashion with little repetition. And those freaking gauntlets look awesome, wearing them instead of doing the video barehanded was a good choice.

[@matthewvelo]

This might be an odd comment to make, but I reckon your sponsors must be quite pleased with the enthusiasm you present their products with. I hope that they keep sponsoring your channel. Oh, the poleaxe content was good too!

[@WhatIfBrigade]

Bon courage for your event!

[@sarchlalaith8836]

So glad to see this worthy weapon

[@FiltyIncognito]

An overlooked point about the hand guard around @22:20 : If you're doing some 1-handed wrestling, that guard is going to be a crippling obstacle in getting your grip where you want it. Fantastic video! Very entertaining. Love watching you talk about your passion.

[@lofidrone6374]

I also make extensive use of the back-end…

[@mrmu7ammed1]

Great one 👌

[@forkingdom-side3049]

I am well pleased with your channel.

[@-RONNIE]

thanks for the video 👍🏻

[@paavohirn3728]

Very cool video! It's a super interesting weapon and has that certain martial beauty.

[@Heegaherger]

A discussion on poleaxes? You have my attention. This will go onto my reference playlist.

[@Feldscher1039]

I just love these depictions of Saint George slaying the dragon. -”Behold, for I have slain the mighty dragon terrorising the land far and near!!” -” That's all nice and well, but has anyone seen my mutt? His names Steve, he's a bit ugly but luv him to bits I do.”

[@carlosdiaz2688]

Thanks for knowledge and common sense

[@MarieCrossbow]

Poleaxes are so beautiful, lovely weapon.

[@caelanfox3448]

@scholagladiatoria In the event that the shaft breaks, do you think the hand guard could serve more as a handstop if what is left of the poleaxe is wielded more like a warhammer? Not sure if any sources depict such a technique.

[@itsapittie]

That's an interesting question. If that were part of the thinking, wouldn't there be descriptions or artwork of it? I'm not saying you're wrong, just thinking aloud. Is it more likely that the fighter would resort to a sword if the pollaxe broke? Of course it could be done but maybe there were other, better options.

[@MercenaryJames]

Says a lot regarding the Lawbringer's moveset in For Honor, being exactly how Matt describes the uses of the poleaxe. Ad mortem.

[@GoldenChild27]

I love all things poleaxe, Tips for it regarding training is excellent, I would love more videos on in action training

[@stuband4159]

Poll not pole

[@Book-bz8ns]

A point on swinging: It's not just reach you get from slipping the hand. You get power. To understand this, get an axe and chop some wood. You'll see pretty soon. The left hand guides, the right hand drives then slides to the left hand. Of course theres more to it with a weapon, but you'll get a good idea of what's happening chopping wood.

[@MALICEM12]

It's interesting how the rondel is very useful for aiding the push

[@Odin029]

The innuendo was strong with this one

[@GoldenChild27]

Also love tips for purchasing poleaxe

[@frin4053]

I made a halberd last winter and when I went to test it, it shattered near the head. Thanks for confirming that they need heavy reinforcement and that they break often :P

[@carlosdiaz2688]

Has become the Logical answer to Weapons especially the short version That is a Ultimate weapon .. Really the one I would pick For a battlefield..

[@ericmyers5940]

Thx for a vid about the best weapon in med history!

[@racspartan1]

👍. Love to see some videos/techniques on the English Bill Hook

[@V-a-s-h]

Polaxes and halberds are great, more of them pls

[@arthursimsa9005]

Sounds like you’re saying « le jus de la hache » (« axe s juice »), which cracks me up every time

[@Compcube]

About the disc hand guard, I think it'll make a huge difference if one wants to press and pierce the plate part of armor like the picture at 15:14 , especially when the shaft is soiled with slippery substances like mud and blood.

[@benjaminstevens4468]

I think the axe blade would be great for hooking or pushing into the gap between any overlapping plates, particularly when it expands to allow for a movement, when it’s hooked and set you are pushing or pulling to take the opponents balance, you can twist as the force is forcing th widening blade further between the two plates, to further expand that gap, if you bring them down while keeping that blade wedged in, it gives you a great chance to drop upon them while unsheathing your dagger, while they are out of control and with clear path home for your dagger, or at least a path with less obstacle, I think that’s why the blade tends towards the shape on you’re example, or a quite shallow curve. The broadly curving shape of most fighting axes, are far more optimized towards slicing into and through fleshy, or textile targets, greatly increasing the distance and depth of the resulting injury. A flat faced axe with a shallow blade gives away (or at least minimizes) much of the benefits to using an axe against the lightly armored. I can’t imagine why that flat or nearly flat shape would be (almost) ubiquitous, on axe bladed pole axes, unless it was optimized for other than “normal,” unarmored axe combat.

[@allanburt5250]

What a fantastic weapon

[@robertoflores4546]

In the Marines our bayonet training (early 1990’s) was basically pole weapons training I guess. I held the rifle with the blade to the left side of my head/body because the butt of the rifle goes seated in your right shoulder when firing (usually). With almost every video now I keep wondering if there’s going to be another channel that will counter these great points so strongly. Lol

[@Suillibhain]

I am of the opinion the "guard" was less of a guard, and more a force multiplier for the thrust, much like the rondels on a dagger. I have no proof, but it makes little sense to me otherwise.

[@winsunwong5648]

thats actually pretty interesting. Yea, if youre thrusting with a weapon like that, the guard would prevent your hand sliding on the weapon and reducing the force behind a strike

[@1IGG]

Thought exactly the same thing. You can put all the pressure without having to worry about slippery gauntlets.

[@AlecFlackie]

Fascinating and insightful talk on a subject that it never occurred to me I would be interested in. Do you have a video introducing the basic terms of positions and techniques? What is this called but this is actually practical archaeology. More than moderately interesting what a wonderful interest, hobby, job!

[@airnt]

there is A LOT of wrestling in the pollaxe treatises. Inparticular if you include wristhooks, neck hooks and leghoists as wrestling or a lead up to wrestling, but also just dropping the axe and throwing them full body is all over the treatises, quite a bit in various talhoffers... also anecdotal sources show a fair bit of wrestling, like Jaques de lalangs fights.

[@brassbandmission1643]

I wish we could post photos here, as the pollax always reminds me of those old fashioned can openers with two blades on one end.

[@10THPROPHET]

Beautiful mitten gauntlets.

[@sarchlalaith8836]

Anonymous bolognaise sauce is a great name for a pasta dish

[@zimmike92]

Awesome, now I know exactly how to handle my shaft.

[@WinnipegKnightlyArts]

Also, if you make a strike with the croix (heavy end) and you slide your forward hand upwards towards the head you can quickly regain control of the momentum and then feint to a thrust or displacement. As for wrestling, there is a lot of it with pollaxe from my experience, it's just mostly done with the weapon. Look at the Halrysen/Knierysen and the backlever throw, even the hand rippings are a form of grappling... when you combine that with the stuff in the plays of the demihache in general the wrestling becomes very physically intensive. It's just that as soon as someone is pushed off balance back wards, or on the ground in front of you, you can complete your motion with either a schlag with the axe, a thrust with the dague, or otherwise finish them with the pollaxe without needing to go into grappling on the ground (where you would be better off pulling out your dagger honestly). And yeah, that rondel guard is a huge pain, it limits a lot of the better actions for really insubstantial protection.

[@barkerm9]

Our local museum has an exhibit of medieval arms and armor right now. The exhibit included a selection of pole arms including a pole axe. The single most intimidating thing in the whole exhibit was an English Billhook.

[@gerryjamesedwards1227]

That intro was like Mormons With Attitude.

[@nlaborde3256]

A little oil helps when you’re sliding your hands up and down the pole, especially over the knobbly bit near the head. Don’t use so much force that you break your shaft. Happy training.

[@eldorados_lost_searcher]

"More on that later." Matt's been hanging out with Lloyd, I think.

[@whyjay9959]

I'm not sure straight spikes are best for striking- When you swing something it generally moves in an arc, so a curved spike can present a more straight point to the target depending on angles.

[@timlewis5527]

I imagine that in combat a weapon not glancing is often times more important than the weapon doing as much damage as possible. A straight spike might be less efficient but is it less likely to skip off armour? Maybe

[@pp-wo1sd]

I'd imagine a curved spike is a lot harder to stab with effectively , maybe a tradeoff of power/versatility ? Would explain why weapons like crow's beak have a straight spike (stabbing) and a curved one (striking)

[@edstringer1138]

@@pp-wo1sd a curved spike would limit those angles of use for sure

[@studleymanhorse3042]

@@edstringer1138 Sure if it's very curved but I think a slight curve would still penetrate in a straight attack but since a full swing with the beak wouldn't be dead straight anyway as the trajectory of swinging anything arcs naturally around your centre. it's rarer that you'd attacy with a trajectory dead perpendicular to the haft (unless you pushing with a high grip) as most attacks curve with the body's natural angular momentum.

[@CoffeePotato]

Sharp stick go bonk, understood.

[@MH-yp6wg]

These gauntlets look phantastic! Can you say something about using them offensively, for hitting? Have you tested that, does that work well in case you lost your weapon?

[@chrisball3778]

The guard would probably be more useful on a battlefield than in a duel, due to the limited physical space, both for the wielder and the opponents. You'd potentially be facing a lot of stabbing attacks, mostly from the front, and the more constrained environment would limit the types of attacks the user would be doing anyway.

[@terrenusvitae]

Ah yes, the anonymous Bolognese sauce...now I'm hungry.

[@SirDamned]

"Bollognaise source".."A lot of back end use".."The tail is used a lot"..We're spoilt for choice in this video today really

[@karlpoppins]

It took me a solid 10s to understand that he was saying "source".

[@b.h.abbott-motley2427]

Curiously, Pietro Monte favored a rather long pollaxe, with total length beyond what a person can reach above their head. & certain late-16th-century English halberds, intended for fighting in armor in formation, could be quite short: 5-6ft according to Sir John Smythe & George Silver.

[@lucasky1394]

Ordered a polaxe Still being made Needs to come soon

[@ycplum7062]

I can see a slightly shorter version for the impending Zombie Apocalypse. 😉 Short front spike and a hammer and axe that can be used to break through a door or wall if the need arises. Axe head can also be used to help in climbing over a walk or reach a fire escape in urban areas.

[@dallasadams7039]

Working the pole is important for any long and pointy bit.

[@crisis53142]

i am only starting to get into armored combat. my teacher from high school is an long time armored fighter on the other hand, and he focuses on long sword and great sword fighting. we had a first practice last September and we ended up sparring with a halberd i had built, and a zweihander a couple of rounds. what we found is that both were equally matched in a long range scenario. however grappling the halberd is very hard to work with, while the zweihander is very effective. would love to see u guys some sparring in full plate and some odd weapon pairing

[@fantikawerner8029]

What is a professor doing at a high school? You know that is an academic title?

[@crisis53142]

@@fantikawerner8029 yea i messed up he was a high school teacher, then became a professor at ASU

[@fantikawerner8029]

@@crisis53142 oh then its fine. I cant stand the people at college calling everybody who teaches a professor. Its a life time of work to become one, at least in real science.

[@Specter_1125]

I’ve seen demonstrations where the pollaxe is used as a lever to throw the opponent to the ground.

[@IndraKatiK]

If sword is like the handgun sidearm of medieval era then poleaxe is like the assault rifles

[@Csarci]

Yep and spears were the lee-enfield/bolt actions.

[@andywilson8698]

Don't say shit like that ,they will start banning poleaxes!!!

[@KlausBeckEwerhardy]

Okay, when the storm stops I take my pole-axe and go into the garden.

[@badlandskid]

I wish he would’ve clarified if the pollax was meant to use when armored or unarmored.

[@johnnyboyswag6910]

Today matt gave us a look on the first known ancestor of the canus openus, also known as the common canopener

[@Shorjok]

I love your poleaxe here specifically, where did you get it from, or who made it?

[@franksutton2264]

I wonder if the “guard” was primarily added to assist in pushing with the cross in addition to the obvious protection.

[@rippertrain]

Almost 50 years old and my wooden shaft hasn't broke yet!

[@LarryGarfieldCrell]

"So to speak..." --Matt Easton, 2022

[@hellequingentlemanbastard9497]

My Pollaxe has a short spike coming out of the Hammer. Several years back I found out that the Pollaxe is also quite handy in a confined space against Home-invaders armed with pangas.

[@Likexner]

You were actually attacked by home invaders with pangas?

[@hellequingentlemanbastard9497]

@@Likexner - I live in South Africa