Sharp blade interaction with the Viking shield

Disclaimer: Sharp swords are lethal weapons. Like with all weapons, careless use and behaviour can result in fatal injury and death. It is therefor strongly discouraged to imitate any action seen in this video. The performers in this video have decades of martial arts training under their belts, and the recorded actions have a clear focus on historical arms research. This publication is intended for educational purposes only.
At a training event at Trelleborg Museum in Denmark in October 2022, we ran a couple of experiments with sharp weapons. In addition to test cutting, we particularly looked into interactions between sharp weapons and shields. In this video, my fellow swordsman Mikkel Mønsted and myself share some of our insights.
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[@swordandshield]

To receive regular updates on my work, sign up for my weekly newsletter here: exciting-pioneer-6049.ck.page/a8f72e8432 Find hundreds of related posts here: www.patreon.com/Dimicator/posts You are welcome to get in touch via my website: dimicator.com/ Facebook pages: facebook.com/Dimicator-266934476773420/ Disclaimer: Sharp swords are lethal weapons. Like with all weapons, careless use and behaviour can result in fatal injury and death. It is therefor strongly discouraged to imitate any action seen in this video. The performers in this video have decades of martial arts training under their belts, and the recorded actions have a clear focus on historical arms research. This publication is intended for educational purposes only.

[@Thrand11]

Excellent Video shield brother wish i could have been there with you!

[@o.k.2968]

Your practical research into the use of medieval weapons is amazing. Your channel is the first and almost the only one where we can see the smart use of the shield, with tricky rotating, intricate overlaying and variable pushing.

[@samuel.j.barker]

I agree, however, their method of use is only really suited to competitive duels In actual battle they would definitely not have used it like that

[@leonardomarquesbellini]

​@@samuel.j.barkerno weapon is used in duels as in war.

[@samuel.j.barker]

@@leonardomarquesbellini that's a fair point, well made, but I'd like the techniques of warfare to be presented in videos like this. It's obviously a harder thing to understand, because it's much more chaotic, but the vikings were masters of fighting within that chaos. I'd like to know how

[@pehpunkthahpunkt4179]

it's allways a pleasure to watch / listen to someone who knows what he is doing. thats why i love your content for years 🥰

[@markthervguy]

Interesting technique with the boss. Could it be why some bosses had a grove and others a post?

[@kriegschwert]

I wonder if the reason some shield bosses had that more mushroom shape rather than just a dome was to improve your shield hooking technique? Seems like it would make it more likely to get a good purchase on the shield rim.

[@markthervguy]

The Sutton Hu shield boss comes to mind.

[@VTPSTTU]

Thank you for these videos. Your work with these tools is fascinating.

[@defaultytuser]

Always a good day when you upload, Roland. Cheers!

[@BaeBox]

thanks for the video Roland, interesting stuff

[@Davlavi]

Love the lesson.

[@inesharroyuy341]

из собственных наблюдений: выставлять левую ногу вперед при высокоподнятом щите - к сильной боли в левом колене. примета такая.)

[@jeffreypurcell4681]

Hi Roland, do you do any fighting with sword vs axe ?

[@Br1cht]

Very interesting.

[@murphyslaw5150]

I would love to see a movie where the sword and shield combat was more like this.

[@trikk9964]

... awesome!

[@TheSabaton1]

Cool 👍🏼👍🏼

[@kurtschmidt5005]

Good stuff

[@historyismetal2187]

Yess this is just awesome

[@gozer87]

Maybe the reason for the little knob on some shield bosses is to make that manipulation easier?

[@kirkcavenaugh758]

I love it

[@jorgeneldMrEld]

The tactic and the movement is just like wing chun

[@stephenfields6236]

What is the ideal blade length and sword weight? Any production Viking swords that you would recommend?

[@Traene67]

Interesting. This has a look of careful fencing and kind of slow, loitering moves. A little like rapier-fencing -- with shields and choppers, but still a similar appeal. But there is an elephant in the room. It doesn't look like hollywood-fighting, of course. But maybe there is more truth in more "spectacular" looking and more powerful movements than a lot of people think. We should assume that a simple medium touch with a swordtip will not be considered a "hit" when it comes to life/death-testosterone and particularly armor, and the toughness of the body beneath. A touch is not a wound. So I say: To wound/kill someone, there has to be i certain minimum of power. Also If I am stronger/heavier, I might try to surprise my enemy with some amount of brute force: Deliberately hacking in the shield to move it away, ramming with my shield and messing up the arms of the enemy, whilst swinging at the opening that move may cause. Again I stress: Many countering "hits" will not always be harmful if they are not strong or deep enough, because of armor and some toughness of skin/muscle itself. So there needs to be some brutish force -- hence, some minimum of hollywood-style. What is your take on this?

[@Kensuke0987]

I think it's slow because they can't go full contact with sharps while not wearing protective gear. I've seen this kind of speed with longswords too. I bet you've seen full contact sparring with practice longswords. It's probably going to look more spectacular, twitchy, or even forceful if they go full speed.

[@faramund9865]

I mean they're putting safety first obviously. But also I think he's in favor of a cautious mindset being more common in a real fight. In the end when you fight you always fight for your health and life. So not wanting to die is pretty common mindset I think, which makes people cautious. I saw a video some time ago which I should never have watched. But it was idiot teenagers swordfighting with sharps and the sword cute through this guys arm like butter and I'll save you the details of what that looked like but he didn't initially notice and the spectators had to stop the fight.

[@sawyere2496]

I think that sparring with sharp swords is a bad idea, even blunt swords with no armor hurt pretty bad

[@Dejawolfs]

in a real swordfight, without armour, you only need to nick a hand, or get a good stab in, while avoiding to get stabbed yourself. e.g imagine cutting over the top of all your fingers with a kitchen knife. but yes, it would be something like this, but faster, and with sudden rapid movements for surprise.

[@Smo1k]

Resulting force is one of the names of the game, and being taller and/or heavier gives you more of that. But it comes with the drawback of worse recovery, and as you can see in the video, the round shield is nothing like - say - a riot shield: Unsupported, it doesn't lock down the opponent, which is what you want in order to apply brute mass x arm. And remember that you can't necessarily see your opponent's weapon behind his shield: Shield bashing an opening may give him a clear stab at your face as you try to follow up with a swing. Overall, I'd say that if you wind up in closed ranks legionnaire style, being big is almost all plus. But flat ground, one-on-one, all the room to maneouvre in the world... Not so much.

[@codiersklave]

Is it accurate that the shields were this thin? I mean, they were not only used with swords, but also with axes. In fact, they might have been used a lot more with axes, if I'm not mistaken. And this shield does not look as if it could survive even a single hit by an axe.

[@catocall7323]

Yeah they were light because you can't effectively handle a heavy shield like this with human stamina. Usually there's a taper where the edges are thinner and strips of wood are layered at perpendicular grain directions. Leather or linene can also reinforce. Of course there's many different ways to build a shield with sturdiness and weight always being tradeoffs. You should look up some videos about it, it's fascinating.

[@mikefule330]

You don't always use a shield as a simple static block to an incoming blow. You use it to close a line of attack, or you use it to deflect an incoming blow. Used this way, a shield needs to be light and manoeuvrable. If it was made strong enough to withstand a direct full power hit from an axe, it would have to be very heavy. Remember, though, that if the shield is not fixed in position, but able to ride the blow, turn, and deflect it, most of the energy of the blow is not directly transferred to the shield.

[@haleth983]

⚔

[@favkisnexerade]

is there any vid of him sparring full speed against someone who doesnt want to go to bind (cause why would they if they have a shield)

[@ubbethorgilsson8792]

Because of the positioning of the shield and the general stance this technique adopts, the opponent is forced into a bind- it is almost impossible to physically get at the body, without going through a bind first or exposing oneself massively as you try to go around. Pushing forcefully does not work either, again due to body position and stance giving sufficient time to react and counter. Unless armed with a spear or a Dane axe, bind is almost impossible to avoid, whether the opponent wants to do it or not.

[@favkisnexerade]

@@ubbethorgilsson8792 yea but is there video proofs to that? all the times I fought in hema classes, binds are extremely rare unless it's rapiers

[@peterspatling3151]

@@favkisnexerade just go to one of his courses and you 'll see for yourself. I was suspicious at first too, but after discussing at length with Dirk Hagedorn I did change my mind. Also many modern HEMA practitioners do some very weird stuff. Might be because they use protective equipment, which you shouldn't when doing Bloßfechten. If you don't end up in a bind on a somewhat regular basis when fencing, than something is going very wrong. It doesn't have to be as long as the ones you see here, but overall, unless your opponents just let 's you hit him, you should bind quite often.

[@schm00b0]

@@peterspatling3151 Sorry to just drop in. I was wondering is there anyone with a YT channel working on the practical combat with a shield but for 12-13th century at the same level of expertise and seriousness as Roland? There is quite a difference between a round shield and variations of kite shields in later periods.

[@peterspatling3151]

@@schm00b0 not that I am aware of. The buckler techniques Roland practices which are based on the Tower fencing manual are basically designed for fighting with contemporary shields. The 15th century buckler techniques do differ quite a bit, which is why I believe that Roland is on a pretty good road. The only thing he might need to do at some point is to pick up riding to get even closer to the "truth" :D

[@trikepilot101]

I am sure there is much to be learned from fighting with sharp weapons. I like your historical costumes but fencing masks and other protection might reduce the worry of injuring your opponent/partner and let you execute the techniques with a little more commitment.

[@lostmarimo]

one thing i have found is the more silly you look the more real the martial art actually is.

[@Kensuke0987]

It might not look silly when they go full speed and full strength (with protective gear of course)

[@lostmarimo]

@@Kensuke0987 maybe. the stance is pretty silly looking though :P

[@QueenTheCossackTongued]

​@@lostmarimoi also think they arent standing in proper range of eachother. They couldnt really cut and stab one another ar some of these ranges

[@joswandethejangler7016]

Ool

[@alessandromariani3015]

Isn't this quite dangerous? The wrong move and one could get deadly injured.

[@catocall7323]

Really experienced people you really trust only 😅

[@alessandromariani3015]

@@catocall7323 accidents can happen

[@ickster23]

I'm sure they've assessed the risks and determined they are willing to accept them.

[@andrewsock1608]

I thought Vikings were allowed 3 shields as they get destroyed in the fight. The fight would be stoped if the fighter wanted and a new shield would be brought by his shield maiden. This was allowed 3 times. So Roland I ask you how your shield has lasted 5 years if you are doing it right ?

[@ubbethorgilsson8792]

Are you referring to Holmgang judicial duels? 3 shields rule was mainly used in Iceland- this type of fighting was specifically designed to avoid loss of life as far as possible. Roland here focuses on potential techniques in combat to the death, not so much in a strictly regulated judicial duel.

[@andrewsock1608]

@@ubbethorgilsson8792 judicial duels were to the death or first blood drawn, apology or yeald. In war they would be in shield walls. Do any of these skills apply to shield walls ?

[@ubbethorgilsson8792]

@@andrewsock1608 yes, they would, but in different situations. Spear would be the weapon of choice in a shieldwall, which changes how the whole fight goes- not to mention the need to keep a shield straight on and stay in formation... Principles remain, for example how shield can be manipulated with a spearpoint or a stuck weapon can be manipulated with a shield... The importance of head strikes goes up massively, which is where the "sturzhau" strike with inverted blade to the head becomes so important. Topic is too long to debate in comments lol- but the principles would still apply in a shieldwall, while using the equipment differently and using different strikes, techniques etc. Shieldwall combat is super under researched in my opinion!

[@andrewsock1608]

@@ubbethorgilsson8792 but in war they wear helmets so a light backhanded yap to the head does nothing. Thrusting from under the shield to the stomach is probably the main finisher like the romans also do.

[@ubbethorgilsson8792]

@@andrewsock1608 skull trauma evidence from confirmed warrior burials begs to differ- abundant evidence exists of bits of skulls neatly sliced off in a manner that was conclusively demonstrated to have only been possible with a "Sturzhau". Written and pictorial evidence of swords going through helmets abound, and this strike is not a weak one. When done correctly, it transfers a tremendous amount of force without much effort. Also face trauma is abundant. Wounds to the gut were the least frequent, as shield gets in the way and stops blows very effectively. I must agree though, nothing kills quite as efficiently as a stab. Instead of under the shield however, these seem to have happened to the face or lower legs, where one could reach with a spear without getting too close and personal or moving one's own shield out of the way- again this is confirmed by trauma analysis from burials and pictorial evidence. Mind you, only bone trauma can be analysed, so any gut shots that missed the ribs, hips or the spine will not register. Last but not least, helmets were not uniformly worn in the Dark Ages and for many societies seemed rather rare- many warriors went to battle with just hats and caps. The era of mass-production in the Roman Iron age was long gone and similar scale of manufacturing capacity would not return until 11th century in some places.

[@theoriginalmakaaka101]

This is really fascinating. I believe during the next decade there will be lots of real encounters like this due to famine and sabotage of infrastructure. And so for me to see this, it feels very real. I never liked the word clairvoyant as I didn't understand what it was but I find that I am sensitive to energy and I see the future when I see or hear something, and so perhaps I qualify as Clairvoyant. But yes, people will make shields out of plastic bins and such, I see it.

[@Rodsupremos]

I hate this stuff. One good push coupled with a swing capable of cleaving a muscle in half is how u'd make a mockery out of anybody who walks up to you like this. Hema is infected with people who don't know the energy involved in any form of actual fight. The threat of taking a cleave in exchange for a cut is far too high. You must always unbalance & overwhelm your opponent. It's very difficult to know this when your opponent is always a frail or stiff non-athlete. This is gross. I hate this stuff. It's a mockery. I hate nerds. So ugly.

[@ickster23]

Hate leads to the dark side..

[@Hades-im1ml]

You seem feel with anger toward Roland researches. Fighting isn't about brute force and rage cleaves...

[@pawekowalski4697]

what nonsense I would like to see how he fights like this in the group real in battle total nonsense and painting the shield despair bullshitdo

[@carlborg8023]

He wouldn't fight like this in "the group real in battle" Imbecile, this is for dueling.

[@Hades-im1ml]

Roland researches are about dueling, not groupe fighting. Remember that the geography and mindset in Scandinavia tend to make a lot of military encounter ambushes and traping your enemy. Plus the round shield is not suited for group fighting. Im not saying norse never get engaged in pitched battle, just there way of war wasn't this.

[@fettmaneiii4439]

the guy that pretends to not be a slang term for a cat by using sharp swords to train with, but locks comments down on his theories because his ideas cannot withstand criticism.

[@TheSabaton1]

How did you comment this if the comments are locked, I don't remember comments being locked on Roland's videos

[@ttaibe]

@@TheSabaton1 They were for quite some time.

[@TheSabaton1]

@@ttaibe this channel barely uploads but maybe I missed it somehow, I remember o commented various videos

[@Br1cht]

Why not make your own videos/paper then? You are not forced to argue in the comments, do something constructive if you are so sure about your point. Or are you "a slang term for a cat"(female cat)?

[@ubbethorgilsson8792]

As he has said multiple times, anyone is welcome to spar against him in any of the events or classes he runs. With whatever technique or equipment. See if you can as much as touch him with a blade. He does sword and buckler as well, in full combat protective gear, so anyone can try and have a go at full-speed, full-strenght sparring and see how many times they get to land a blow.