Renaissance Sideswords, Bucklers & Daggers - Fencing History & Practice

[@45calibermedic]

Hi guys, Cluck Easton here, Scholagladiatoria. I wanted to film myself practicing some pecking techniques from Camillo Eggrippa's renaissance Italian treatise on some grubs and bugs in my garden. Judging by the ringing sounds nearby, I suspect my human, Matt, will have a new sword review up soon. Now, let's get on with today's video!

[@charlesparr1611]

/thread

[@jaytomioka3137]

Cluck Easton is so adorable!!! My own fowl companions approve heartily.

[@EriktheRed2023]

It's a sure sign of Spring when the cutting videos start up again! 😀

[@scholagladiatoria]

It was still freezing today - that's why I put the fencing jacket on!!

[@Claymann71]

Need some hot biscuits with maple syrup & bacon or warm Irish Stew. 🍽 What's your favorite Campfire Meal?

[@albertdittel8898]

Thank you for providing a photograph of Clive Thomas at 0:41!

[@fr3nk-01]

OMG! Achille Marozzo's techniques! It's the first time I see his school in a non-italian YT channel. Thumbs up from Italy 👍🏻👍🏻

[@thenovideoman5886]

ken harding demonstrates his sources, and other italian sources as well. i'm not sure how much, but it's a good resource if you have english speaking friends

[@Hannezia]

You should do yourself a favor and check out Martin at Schildwache Potsdam. They do Marozzo among other Italian sources.

[@ariochiv]

Loved the last combo. (And the chicken cameo.) It's a chilling reminder that in the real world, you don't have to be swinging very hard to do some horrific damage with a sharp sword.

[@MrBatraaf]

Bolognese fencing is very sophisticated and addictive. I never get tired of the subject. The descriptions of the techniques and the science behind them are detailed enough to be executed with resistance and in contact sparring.

[@beachmaster3486]

I don't know how hard it is but it looks impressive cutting the same bottle like that multiple times

[@original0blace]

He is demonstrating obscene good technique. It is not easy to cut a free standing bottle and have it stylus in place once, let alone multiple times. He makes it look easy but it is not. It indicates that his cutting technique and edge alignment are very very good. There is so much more to using a sword than simply “swinging” it like a baseball bat.

[@HappyCupsInc]

It depends how thick the plastic is and how much water it contains. Sturdier bottles with more water are generally easier because they’re heavier and don’t flex as much when hit.

[@joeerickson516]

"Hum, batter, batter, batter!" "Hey, batter, batter, batter!" "Swing, batter, batter, batter!" Averman.

[@DrVictorVasconcelos]

Comparatively, the cutting is easy; it's gluing them back together that's really annoying.

[@benjaminabbott4705]

Some daggers in the later Renaissance & early modern period developed elaborate hand protection to the point of almost becoming bucklers themselves. These could have rather long blades as well. One example of this is the alehouse dagger in England. You also see parrying daggers with partial basket hilts in Italy & Spain in the 17th century. Such daggers were probably rather more effective than simple daggers when companying the sword. Joseph Swetnam's rapier & dagger system uses a 2ft dagger with this sort of protective hilt.

[@adamtennant4936]

"That's not a dagger. THIS is a dagger!"

[@robertillston2350]

I wonder if this development is because the cut-centric "backswords" in common use in England at the time but still the need to defend against the thrust-centric rapiers that were also popular?

[@jean-pascalesparceil9008]

@@Urizen777 I concur, there is a "daga de vela" in the rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, dated between 1600 and 1625, that is probably the earliest dated of this type.

[@stephena1196]

I suspect they were called alehouse daggers, because one wasn't allowed to wear short swords to the pub.

[@dogmaticpyrrhonist543]

Mad respect for 2 things. Matt's sword work on the cutting, and how beastly a cutter that sword is.

[@BCSchmerker]

+scholagladiatoria *Left-hand parrying arms varied throughout continental Europe, the British Isles and Eire.* Double-edged quillon daggers were popular in France, Italy, and the German states; double-edged sail-hilt daggers, in Spain and Portugal. Ballocks and dudgeons held sway in England and Wales, single-edged dirks in Scotland and Eire. A unique-to-Scotland battle shield called the Targe sometimes packed a long spike from the center boss, making said shield suitable for attack in its _own_ left.

[@frenchgalloglass]

Small mistake, there is no buckler in Dall'Aggochie ;) Only sword alone, sword and dagger and sword and cape. But you are correct that for Marozzo and Manciolino, the sword and buckler section is by far the largest (and the first) of both their treatises :)

[@scholagladiatoria]

Oh! My mistake then. I wonder what later Italian/Bolognese sword and buckler source I am thinking of.

[@frenchgalloglass]

@@scholagladiatoria Giacomo di Grassi has some, I think it's from the same era (1570s) and he might be one of the last ones to teach this combination

[@beepboop204]

do you happen to know how bucklers were carried? same sort of manner as a dagger? or would you have them over your shoulder on display?

[@frenchgalloglass]

​@@beepboop204 they were usually carried at the belt, on the sword side, maybe sometimes even sitting kn the sword hilt, as far as I'm aware

[@CtrlAltRetreat]

@@frenchgalloglass Makes sense, the same side draw with the left hand and cross draw with right. only problem would be how lopsided the weight distribution on your waist would be. I know from tool and work belts that balancing your belt vastly reduces the strain on your back. Did they have some sort of counter weight to address this?

[@jankarieben1071]

Also; look at Matt’s style! The moves aren’t even at full speed and he cut it like butter! Awesome!

[@Joe___R]

Matt, I would really like to see you get together with a farmer and test out different styles of swords against fresh whole hogs. As long as you put a clean tarp and immediately butcher and clean the animal, there wouldn't be any wasted meat. The farmer may not be allowed to legally sell the meat afterward, depending on your laws over there. But it would be fine for them to use as well as give away to friends and family or donate it to charity. I have done a bit of test cutting on some wild hogs I've hunted. Every test cutting video I have seen using an animal it has already been bled and gutted. At the time of my testing, I didn't have access to any historically accurate clothing or armor to dress it with to test how that would affect the cuts.

[@cs4870]

That final cutting sequence got me so freaking excited it’s unreasonable. I NEED to start cutting practice!

[@zamoutague199]

The first time I bought a sharp sword, I dropped it off at home and went to a nearby coffee shop and raided their recycling bin for empty milk jugs and had an exceptionally happy afternoon rinsing them, filling them, and then turning my back yard into a swamp when cutting them. I was a giggling idiot the whole time; I can't recommend it enough.

[@JanetStarChild]

Fantastic demonstrations! Such poise and finesse. The final thrust at the end was the cherry on the cake. *chef's kiss*

[@WM-gr4qi]

Love the look of calm concentration during practice.

[@andreweden9405]

Matt, thank you for featuring my comment, and for addressing it with a video!😁 This was definitely a transitional time in swordsmanship, which is part of what makes it so interesting! I also loved the sword & buckler cutting! Sword & buckler is my very favorite genre of fencing, so this was a great treat!

[@cadenceclearwater4340]

I love the way the slow-motion showed your head/shield positioning during combat.

[@George_M_]

It was rather striking in your readings of primary sources how the guys with the sword and buckler tended to win IRL fights against sword and dagger people.

[@daemonharper3928]

Great stuff as usual! Very impressed with the final flourish! I did wonder why later bucklers had more furniture - it didn't occur to me that it wasn't just fashion. Keep up the good work.

[@adamtennant4936]

That last combo was fancy! Making edge alignment look easy.

[@jessecunningham9924]

I really enjoyed this video, especially the demonstrations of the two styles. Could you make a longer, dedicated video showing the differences between sword & buckler, and sword/rapier & Maine gauche? Or perhaps a video in which you show how the systems evolve throughout the medieval period and into the renaissance?

[@joeerickson516]

"Would the 16th century renaissance Spanish,🇪🇸 Toledo steel or Northern Italian,🇮🇹 Damascus steel rapier, buckler shield, 🛡 and Maine gauche dagger, 🗡 go up 👆 against the primitive stone 🪨 age obsidian rock 🪨 bladed 🔪 wooden sword ⚔ club ♧ and wooden feathery shield, 🛡 of the primitive stone 🪨 age Aztecs, Mayans, Toltecs, Mixtecs, Olmecs, and Zapotecs, of Mexico 🇲🇽 called the Macuahuitl and Chimali?" "In the year of fifteen hundred twenty-one during the exploration, conquest, christianization, 💒 and colonization of Mexico." 🇲🇽

[@joeerickson516]

"Would the early 16th century renaissance Spanish,🇪🇸 Toledo steel or Northern Italian,🇮🇹 Damascus steel rapier, buckler shield,🛡 and Maine gauche dagger, 🗡 go up 👆 against the Muslim, 🕌 Ottoman ☪ Turkish, 🇹🇷 scimitar ⚔ called a Kilij, and round damascus steel shield?" 🛡 "in the year of fifteen hundred seventy-one during the battle 💥 of Lepanto."

[@harrykouwen1426]

Really enjoyed your techniques, that answered lots of questions. You mentioned the off-grinding from the cut grind to the ricasso, on the original that is not square cut but in an angle and rounded, just aside notice on the blade that would make it an even more beautifull sword.

[@thomasboully6545]

Beautiful sword and buckler control Matt.

[@jm9371]

I learned a lot of cool stuff from this video. Thank you, Arnold Swordanddagger.

[@johnnyjet3.1412]

Movie - 'House II the second story' a spoof on haunted house movies - the electrician uses Cutlass and Claw Hammer - his business card is 'Electrician & Adventurer'

[@mallardtheduck406]

Bill. aka John Ratzenberger...Great Actor and a Great Movie!!!

[@kaoskronostyche9939]

Thank you for another look at that excellent sword in action.

[@Joe___R]

In my experience, left-handed daggers are more suited to fight against rapiers and small swords. Arming swords and others not designed primarily for the thrust much more easily overpower the dagger. Bucklers can defend anything that a left-handed dagger can and more while being easier to use. The only advantage daggers have is that they are generally a better offensive weapon than the buckler.

[@AngryArchaeologist]

You could also posit that the development of more complex hilts for better hand protection resulted in a decreased need for bucklers to do that same job. This freed up the offhand for a more flexible alternative, such as the dagger (some of which developed considerable hand protection of their own). Daggers are also more convenient (lighter and less bulky) to carry around than bucklers. Loved that last cutting combo, by the way.

[@ivanharlokin]

Yup. Bucklers also acquired a bad social reputation, implying that the person carrying one was seeking trouble. Daggers, on the other hand were ubiquitous, and didn't draw undue attention.

[@allanburt5250]

Brilliant Matt thank you history and practical examples illustrated... fantastic

[@batteredwarrior]

That last series of cuts, followed by the thrust... Now you are showing off! 🤣😎🔥

[@DrVictorVasconcelos]

By the way, Matt, maybe it's just me, but I really enjoyed that video where you made a point about the expected quality of arrows that were delivered across Britain (at least the ones for war). It would be interesting to find about standards of other arms and armour. Not sure if people agree.

[@terrorcop101]

4:16 When you went over the gaps in hand defense, it made me think that it's no wonder basket-hilts became a thing during (?) this era.

[@jankarieben1071]

I love my buckler! My friends and I don’t have a very large pool of weapon options, so we’re usually sparring with miss matched gear, I use buckler and backsword or saber, and that little buckler makes me more than capable of taking on a staff or longsword!

[@catocall7323]

Yeah, bucklers are way more capable than one would assume from just looking at them.

[@alphanumeric1529]

Was watching this video and was certain that our chickens were going ham. Lol, I had to stop and rewind repeatedly to see if they were our chickens. The exact same plaintive cry. Your video had me. First time you put the chicken up I had a moment of cognitive dissonance, I thought the image was relative to something you said, which I'd just lost track of because I was listening to the chickens, and I was staggered by the incredibly long chance that you put up a chicken just as my chicken cried out. I disbelieved reality for a moment. I rewound the video because I couldn't believe it, and learned that I'm a fool, and the chicken audio was in the video, and you put up the pick when YOUR chickens cried out! Sorry, bad week and this has been the most interesting/fun thing to happen. God bless.

[@loweffortamv8407]

Brilliant cuts there, especially loved the finale

[@jakubvlasak2146]

Beautiful movement on last cutting Matt 👌 Bravo 👏

[@Kamamura2]

One important combination was completely neglected in this video - the famous "sword and butler", favored mostly on the British isles. If you are wealthy enough, you don't have to bother yourself with training the art of fencing - it's sufficient if the butler trains often enough. When walking around the city, the butler carries the sword. Upon conflict (someone forgets to bow before you, for example), the butler raises his eyebrow, and asks: "Shall I, milord?", you just nod, and the butler draws the sword and runs the brutalizes the offender. If you are unlucky and there are witnesses, you deny all responsibility and the butler is sentenced for murder instead of you, while you look for a substitute butler. Clean, gentlemanly, and effortless approach!

[@CDKohmy]

Can you cover more on small shields in the migration era? Particularly, were they carried outside of war contexts like bucklers? I've seen that the Franks, like Romans (with parmas) appear to have worn shields like later bucklers.

[@FoardenotFord]

Awesome - I love sword and buckler and hope to learn I.33 some day. Can’t wait for the cut test video of the new 1796 LC saber.

I really like when people on internet are moving gracefully with swords while smiling calmly and showing how fun it is, without an ounce of agressivity. It shows the worlds HEMA aren't a "violent murderer's sport" like a lot of people try to present it.

[@jean-pascalesparceil9008]

By the way, there is going to be a dedicated "sword cutting" workshop in HEMAC Dijon this May with a well-known instructor.

[@shaunybonny688]

The cuts at the end were great, you make it look very dangerous. Cheers

[@kaizen5023]

Legit cutting at the end there Matt, nice.

[@minasegazi4000]

The gap on the finger guard looks more like so the scabbard covers the entire blade. A cost design if you will, instead of having a scabbard that's got a notch for the ring, you can just use any leather scabbard that fits the blade, and the ring will sit outside when stowed. I could be wrong, I'm used to single edged swords that only fit one way, but I'd imagine the option of putting the sword either way in the scabbard is a nice option to have.

[@frobro7]

I liked the background music at the end

[@LeeMorgan07]

One of the benefits of not connecting the ring to the side of the blade, is that you could possibly stretch it out slightly for bigger fingers or gloved hands

[@BeholdABlackWolf]

YES! more field videos, thanks Mr. Eastern 👊🏽

[@Blues_Light]

Loved the guest appearance by the chickens.

[@kevincorrigan7893]

This explains in Shakespeare's Henry IV pt 1 why Hotspur refers to Hal as that "sword and buckler Prince of Wales" and it's meant as an insult. Sword and buckler were the weapons of pikemen, archers, etc and not of the nobility. Always wondered about this... thanks!

[@wylde_hunter]

I would love you to do a post on the targe, or claymore and targe.

[@filmfan4]

Love the ending... effortlessly cuts and stabs like a boss, "That'll do."

[@hatuletoh]

"More thrusty versions." You can always count on a SG video for at least one suggestive term or double entendre to amusing one's inner adolescent.

[@astahfirula]

Hope to get a copy in a few months. Beautiful sword.

[@jessecunningham9924]

Matt, first of all I like your choice of music. You could easily do a whole video course demonstrating a sword fighting system in that style. Maybe see if Wondrium/Great Courses might be interested in a course on fencing? 😅

[@andrewkenner4472]

I have seen both in pictures and in a museum in Italy a very unusual Buckler. I haven't been able to track down further information. The body of the buckler is essentially conical with a very long "spike" which continues the cone to a point. I am trying to imagine how and when it was used and if it has a unique name that would make it possible to track down more details.

[@wompa70]

Awesome vid, Matt. LK sure does sharp swords well. Great buckler knowledge nuggets, too.

[@CitizenSmith50]

Matt; could you do a video on some of the more obscure shapes of Buckler, and how they might be used ? I've seen things in sword fighting treatises that have corrugations or channels, ones that are covered in spikes, ones that have swept-forward edges (Talhoffer Ms.), ones that incorporate dagger-like blades, etc, etc. It strikes me that the ordinary shield-boss type may not be the most practical - if anybody knows about weird alternatives it would probably be you ! Thanks !

[@ElDrHouse2010]

I find the parrying dagger better but I'm a rapierist lol. It's because sometimes the opportunity to stab with the dagger presents itself, its rare but it happens, it has more versatility.

[@murgel2006]

Excellent video. Very informative.

[@johntripp2398]

I love sideswords. This is awesome!

[@stampsu]

About bucklers and thrust defense: a guy in my hema club has a buckler that has a kind of a reinforced bar around it (sorry for this unclear description but I don't know how to say it in english). His buckler is very effective in catching thrusts and if I remember correctly actually broke an opponent's blade once during a thrust. That said of course bucklers are generally better for defence against cuts

[@leonpeters-malone3054]

Longer video on the subject of the rise of sword and dagger fencing? Yes please. More sources too?

[@lhupog1]

More anonimo bolognese videos please. Would also be great to have a follow up cuts video with ribaldo and rotella together.

[@emarsk77]

Just a small correction: Dall'Agocchie didn't write about sword and buckler, at all. His treatise is about sword alone, sword and dagger, sword and cape (and jousting, and battlefield formations).

[@shaunnotten6334]

Beautiful sword

[@richard6133]

I really like these videos about transitional weapons, and these videos with demonstrations. This one has both; too bad I can't give it double thumbs up on KZbin.

[@woltews]

fun fact "The term, Genuine Leather, is simply defined as some real leather being present in a product." frequently this means leather dust can be mixed with vinyl and formed into sheets with may or may not have a textile reinforcement to limit cracking as the plasticizer is lost over time .

[@othannen.]

One of your better videos, thanks!

[@Raao1]

One of the best duels in the Highlander Tv series is with a rapier and a side dagger. The antagonist is a Spaniard and old fencing teacher of the protagonist. The teacher uses exactly a technique of dagger taking over the rapier to land a stab. I know the series had very bad duels but this one is proper, for my humble opinion.

[@DropB]

Very nice technique there.

[@UH1Phil]

Would be great to have your input on the pointy "Talhoffer buckler" sometime too. Great video as always!

[@Lacteagalaxia]

Toledo swords in Spain are famous for their quality for centuries their fame has reached today even abroad for exemple the swords that the Marines wear in their uniform are made there

[@FortuneFavoursTheBold]

Awesome follow-up video! I start to like your chicken even though I haven't met them. Those are some clean back-edge cuts and combos around the buckler. Leaving a bottle on the stand with a rising back-edge cut is always challenging! I always find myself opening up too much while cutting around a buckler, as I smashed my fingers into the rim of a buckler before during cutting and it was unpleasant to say the least, so subconsciously I always keep my sword hand away from the buckler and that's not a good habit in fencing.

[@Raao1]

I recently discovered the channel, and I'm binge watching it. I want to suggest a topic if others are interested - what do you consider most practical blade bigger than knife, to be used by civilians in a SHTF situation (fall of civilization type)? I was thinking maybe Gladius, Sabre or Falx.

[@christostefan]

A bowie and buckler league would be fun :)

[@olegg2774]

George Silver's Paradoxes of Defense Although I have often heard the opinion that the sword and dagger have an advantage over the sword and buckler in close combat, due to the length and point of the dagger, and at a medium distance * they can see how to defend themselves better than with a buckler. But I have never met anyone who has the upper hand in close combat with a dagger over a sword and buckler, but have repeatedly observed the opposite. Due to the broken distance, the correct assessment becomes impossible, there is no time for assessment, the rapid movement of the brush deceives the eye. Due to the lack of proper space for the hand with a dagger (which cannot be otherwise, since one cannot immediately defend against blows and thrusts), it is impossible (due to the lack of the correct distance at the moment when the opponent has already taken up the correct position) to take defense on one a prick or a blow from a hundred. And most likely, any entry into close combat with a sword and dagger against a sword and buckler is fraught with deadly

[@lunacorvus3585]

From what I read, sword and dagger could deliberate choose to close the distance ONLY when the opponent doesn’t have a dagger because the fear of dagger fight (which is very likely to end up in double kill).

[@olegg2774]

16th century book by George Silver "Paradoxes of Defense" excerpt. .- So those who believe in their style of fighting, excellent eyes, great skill, perfect defenses with a dagger, that a dagger is better than a buckler, will be deceived. And when they are wounded, they will say that the enemy was a little bit faster than them. Sometimes they say they hold their dagger a little too low. Sometimes, when they are stabbed under a dagger, they say that they held it a little higher than they should. Sometimes, when they got a wonderful response to their injection, they say that they were a little slower. And when they are greeted with a successful injection, they think that they were a little hasty. Those who practice or think they will master dagger defense will spend their lives learning and never learn. (18)

[@MrBottlecapBill]

I honestly think the ring is NOT for protecting the finger intentionally, but just to enforce the extra control with the finger in that position. Locking it in a little better so to speak. Any protection gained from the ring is secondary. This being quite a long choppy kind of blade, being adapted for more complex styles, it makes sense to want that extra control in my mind.

[@ffe4953]

I'd be curious to see if that finger ring saved peoples thumbs since you won't have to put your thumb up the back of the blade to get a better spin on those reversos/false edge cuts. also 100% agree, that ring is for better leverage. the buckler is for hand protection.

[@_tonypacheco]

Your finger shouldn't be touching the ring while your fencing though. And speaking from experience, it sucks when it does, it'll rub your skin raw 😅 tends to happen accidentally if you over-rotate your wrist

[@ffe4953]

@@_tonypacheco are you speaking for all finger rings for side swords or just this particular LK Chen Ribaldo model?

[@_tonypacheco]

@@ffe4953 side rings in general

[@ffe4953]

I don't think that finger ring is for protection, but more for leverage/control. The buckler is for hand protection. I'd be curious to see how the LK Chen's Ribaldo works with 1.33.

[@ucfj]

If you could also explain _why_ exactly did fencing become more thrust-oriented as opposed to slash

[@Dimythios]

IMHO as well I was taught A REASON was also society changes. A Dagger is utility tool. It is used for eating. You can also hide a small dagger and use it for defense. It was also the time that daggers become and more more popular in the upper crust of society. Fashionable in that time as we were getting into the middle of the Renaissance Period. A buckler is strictly a defensive, military item with 3 basic sizes 9",12" and 15". 18" was considered a small shield. I had Sword and Board Training and I specialized in Sword, Sabre, Cutlass + all 3 sizes of Bucklers. Don't let the small size of the buckler fool you. It can be a very good offensive weapon as well.

[@dubuyajay9964]

Thanks for this vid. I want a sword and dagger combo as backup weapons if I ever roll a wood elf archer in an rpg.

[@patrickselden5747]

Fascinating, Matt - thanks... ☝️😎

[@DaDudeb]

Holy cow! That is one sharp sword.

[@arc0006]

I like side swords. More on them please. Especially with regards to the evolution of the hand protection on them. 😀

[@aaroncls727]

amazing channel! Instantly subscribed.

[@danielkeding3071]

Thanks for another informative video. I have a question. Musashi developed a style in Japan that used a katana and a wakesashi (long and short sword). Is there any evidence that Europeans used a long sword and short sword in dueling?

[@philodeinos7536]

Matt, I have two questions regarding the use of daggers in the offhand in the time period before they were specialized for that job, so earlier daggers like bollock, rondel, basilard... (although quillon daggers without rings seem to be even older than those three types, and would arguably be more useful than those in the off-hand, though I don't think I've ever seen that in period art...). Anyway, the question is, given how common daggers were, including during the period of popularity of sword and buckler, do you think that people often resorted to using for example their bollock dagger in their offhand when they happened to not be carrying a buckler with them ? And if so, with point down or point up ? I think there is at least one manuscript showing messers used with rondel daggers point down in the offhand ; do you know of any sources of interest regarding this topic ? Also, what would you do if you had to spar or duel and you only had an arming sword and a "stabby" medieval dagger ? Would you rather use the sword alone, or do you think that even a non-specialized dagger in the off-hand would give you an advantage ? Intuitively I would think that a weapon in the offhand is always a plus, even if it is held withdrawn and used rather as a backup for if the fight gets up close more than to assist in parrying and binding. What do you think ?

[@GrandDawggy]

It was common in highland backsword to have a targe (shield) and dirk (dagger) in the off hand with the point downward for stabbing in a clash. The left hand was generally held high to protect the head and the sword held low in a hanging guard so it can look a bit unusual but in my opinion to put it bluntly really dam cool

[@GrandDawggy]

I should add that an offhand dagger is generally held point up and as far as I know was also generally used when swords interact while the enemy was busy with that and was also used to protect the head and face held high. If you're interested there are lots of tretus and writing about Highland or English backsword using an offhand weapon.

[@comicmoniker]

When you say the buckler is hung "off the sword", how is it affixed? Handle over the quillon?

[@reaperwithnoname]

In the last video, I kept wondering why one would think to put a ring on one side but not the other, but it suddenly occurs to me that if a person wanted to wear this sword in civilian and military life, having the ring on only one side allows you to put your finger over the guard in gauntlets and without simply by turning the sword around.

[@dakotalange2858]

Hey Scholagladiatoria I have a couple of questions and idk if you did a video over them or not but How would you use a sword and spear combo was wonder because I would like to write about a hero who has that style of fighting if you have any advice I’d be grateful! Also why did armies not use spear (in front) and pike (behind), the spear men would have close quarter weapons and be able to protect and be protected by the pikes behind them. like in Greek phalanx or medevil armies there’s no mixing or anything as far as I know of

[@superrobotmonkeyhyperteamf3194]

Hi , have a question regarding finger rings on swords. I stumbled upon a scan of a blackwhite photo from iirc the bavarian national museum which showed a one handed sword with a finger ring which was dated to 1350-1400 is this possible? It looked like it had an unusual wide and thin blade, almost similar to the 18c type in the alexandria arsenals. The description just say Knightly sword in german sadly. Small anecdote i remember: Several fencing masters later returned to rapier and buckler because many places in italy actually forbade the dagger which caused the buckler to surge in popularity again.

[@billysmith3841]

If I was going to put together a Flodden era English archers kit would a lang messer be suitable for a northern English archer? And would bucklers have been used?

[@billysmith3841]

You answered my question in the video. Thank you

[@scholagladiatoria]

A Wakefield type hanger or an arming sword would be most typical. German style langes messer did exist in England, but they were not common - related English styles were much more common.

[@joeerickson516]

"Like Robin Hood, little John, blink in, Achoo, and will scarlet O'Hara, and the merry men?" 🚹 🏹

[@hectorvh2550]

The gap in the finger ring allows the scabbard to pass through so it meets the cross

[@scholagladiatoria]

Yes, though there are some swords where there is a slot in the scabbard for the guard, so it doesn't HAVE to be that way around.

[@scottbedard5095]

the "up and down with the traverse" part, particularly with the music brought a fitness video to mind... maybe new genre to branch into? (;

[@lunacorvus3585]

I wonder when does the popularity sword and dagger combo fall. I know that some small sword system (e.g., Angelo) still has sword and dagger, but such combo doesn’t seem to be particularly popular by that time. And shame that I haven’t found any system that teaches saber and dagger (something I absolutely would like to learn).

[@stevepapp2453]

I'm pretty sure you did a test cutting on the chickens as well after you recorded the video.

[@bajasmancer]

Very interesting point from the hen, could you expound on that? :)

[@Kindrin]

Matt, in relation to the cutting/slow motion at the end of the video, could you comment on the body mechanics you are using to make your cuts? It looks like you are using mostly arm/shoulder motion to make your cuts versus full body/hip motion to generate power. I guess that is either because the sword doesn't need the extra power, the buckler positioning prevents it, you are focusing on proper stances for the video, or it is there and I missed it. I ask in the context that I practice with Okinawan (mostly blunt) weapons where there is focus on generating power with body/hip movement (I have no HEMA experience).

[@catocall7323]

He does use a bit of hip in one of the cuts but the beauty of a sword is that the blade is perfectly capable of lethal damage without having to add full body power.

[@dreembarge]

Always thoroughly enjoy your vids. Here's a question unrelated to this segment: have you see the (very brief) sword duel in the Paramount+ series 1923? Just wondered what you thought of it, if you have seen it.

[@scholagladiatoria]

I haven't seen it, sorry!