Spadroons - Actually The Best Sword? Context

Spadroons - Actually The Best Sword? In Context.
www.antique-swords.co.uk

[@ARR0WMANC3R]

This Matt has been replaced by a clone who loves spadroons. You can tell because he isn't wearing Superdry.

[@meltedplasticarmyguy]

Your comment about officers not wanting to learn I find hilarious. In my time in the service I have met so many lieutenants that were so arrogant it was a genuine pleasure that I as junior enlisted would "take them to school" (cadets were much worse). I had my commanding officer and first sergeant rolling a few times when I got paired with some "butter bar" for combatives training or marksmanship. Usually the worst offenders were the academy brats ("ring bangers" we called them). Now the officers that went through OCS were usually prior enlisted and still carried that mentality. Of course this was before the massive attitude change of the military. If I were to do this to some fresh LT. now I would most likely receive a letter of reprimand or maybe a loss of rank and pay all because feelings were hurt.

[@randalglyph4967]

Don't want the officer's feelings hurt as training for real combat, they might learn how to prepare for real eventualities to make themselves competent enough to keep themselves and their troops alive on the battlefield.

[@ClubDJSeattle]

I am curious as to what "the massive attitude change" is.

[@knutdergroe9757]

When, I as Marine Corporal (now 25 + years ago). Would educate a jr. lieutenant, and would be ask why. My answer, Humility is how you learn, arrogance is how you die. Better to learn now, and live. Then to die later, from idiocracy. If, I still got the look. The explanation, was he/she wants to be a MARINE, I don't like burying Marines. I was never asked twice.....

[@scholagladiatoria]

In case you were wondering, I've had to move this video to unlisted, because as soon as I published it the stupid f**king KZbin bot demonetised it, so it's sitting in review stage. I'll republish when the muppets have done their jobs.

[@therealkillerb7643]

Thank you! I always loved Sharpe's character in the books who sneered at the traditional slim officer's sword and instead, used a Calvary officer's straight sword - because he didn't know how to fence!

[@TheSteelEcho666]

I think, while it was owned by an officer, it was a troopers pattern sword.

[@calamusgladiofortior2814]

As a rifle officer, his regulation sword would be an officer’s version of the 1796 Light Cavalry Sabre. But Sharpe preferred the straight heavy cavalry sword. I think Cornwall explains why Sharpe doesn’t like the curved sword in one of the books set in India. But I could be mistaken. Honestly I think it was just part of setting Sharpe aside from the other, gentlemanly officers of his time.

[@therealkillerb7643]

In the very first Sharpe novel (the one first published, where he is already an officer) he got his sword from the previous commander who was dying. It was given to show the rest of the men that he had confidence in Sharpe, who at that time was simply a supply officer. I think it was in "Sharpe's Sword" that he breaks that original weapon, and his sergeant basically "builds" him another one, by doing a bit of grinding and shaping. The rationale was that Sharpe did not know how to fence (that is mentioned several times) but the sheer bulk of the weapon, as well as his own strength and brutal fighting style, let him beat aside enemy bayonets and slimmer swords. Anyway, thanks for the historical clarification.

[@calamusgladiofortior2814]

The Real Killer B Oh, right. It’s been a few years since I read the series. I do think there is a scene in one of the India books were Sharpe has to use the regulation sword and doesn’t like it. But, of course, those were prequels written after the original books came out. Good books. Too bad his Civil War series wasn’t as good.

[@matth1589]

He uses curved blade defending Wellington at Assaye (where he wins his commission) but struggles with it because he is never sure where the point is going when he thrusts. At the seige of Gawilghur he picks up a basket hilted claymore and finds it a much easier weapon to use. But essentially the Indian back stories were written long after the first book. Sharpe was always portrayed as big, strong brawler who was brought up on bar fights and back street muggings. Then was given bayonet drills by the army and uses his sword in much the same way, to stab and club people down.

[@slenpaiwashere3599]

I saw Matt Easton Context Spadroons and best sword in one sentence so I knew I just had to come quickly

[@rodrigodepierola]

You're now a paid shill for Big Spadroon, accept it Matt.

[@Olson323]

Wasnt that simply big pharma joke? :D

[@MFinGonzo]

Halberdier its a joke...

[@HandleMyBallsYouTube]

Halberdier WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH

[@JPGotrokkits]

The spadroon-industrial complex.

[@midshipman8654]

Jp Gotrokkits The war economy.... supplied on the back of Spadroons. War... war has had changed {cue mgs 5 theme}.

[@calamusgladiofortior2814]

There is a few folks commenting that Napoleonic officers were weenies, dandies, etc. and asking "why didn't they just learn to use their swords?" The thing to remember is that an officer's primary "weapon" is his (or her, but his in the context) soldiers. How often would being a good fencer matter for a line infantry officer on the Napoleonic battlefield? Not that often. But an officer's ability to command soldiers, execute orders effectively and just generally be a leader could change the course of a battle or war. Perhaps they were just more focused on what mattered to them as officers.

[@EvoraGT430]

Correct, Arthur.

[@joschafinger126]

Correct. I read somewhere that there was a regular question in military academy final exams that read, "You need a trench dug. How do you go about it?" Correct answer, "I say, 'Sergeant, I need a trench dug over there. We've got three hours.'" Mind over matter.

[@MisdirectedSasha]

Have been on exercises with modern officers who didn't bother loading their rifles. It's not what you're there for. You should probably load it in an actual fight though.

[@aurourus6894]

But don't forget that you can also help dig the trench, so unless you have more important things to do you should help, it raises morale in most situations.

[@MisdirectedSasha]

I won't claim to have a lot of experience there. I do think it's good for officers to make a show of sharing the work occasionally. But I also think that an officer with nothing better to do than help his troops dig a trench has probably forgotten something important.

[@connerkubitz7208]

Your headstone is going to read "context"

[@EvoraGT430]

Bring back foil-fencing lessons at school! :-)

[@V2011F]

I would have loved that in highschool

[@Evirthewarrior]

No, teach a useful martial art like a grappling art. But if you must use a weapon Single Stick is far better and more practical.

[@pooly5280]

Evirthewarrior but a foil's not a weapon, nor is it used for martial arts...

[@Evirthewarrior]

Legendary Wave Pool it simulates a weapon, how much of an ass are you? Also, fencing is a martial art, as watered down as it is now, it was to prepare you for small sword dueling.

[@jkoeberlein1]

RS2Russ Naw, bring back Saber fencing!

[@eroktartonga4032]

This is a very nice video about functionality of a Spadroon. Thank you very much for uploading.

[@clutchingdaggerz359]

You've finally found your magic Spadroon eh Matt ? Mission accomplished my dear Sir.

[@GuntherRommel]

Great video, Matt. I don't know what you're doing different with your presentation, but I love it. It's like I'm in the room with you, having a conversation- your narrative flow moves to answer almost every question I have just as it comes to mind.

[@rayjohnson9742]

He held out saying context till 11:50. So proud of you lol

[@normtrooper4392]

This is truly a sign of the end times. But for real, I've come to appreciate the spadroon and not merely just the most frequently thought of version of it, which I think most people will agree was rubbish. On another note, what's that T-shirt that you're wearing?

[@mizutoryu242]

the t-shirt theme is probably evolution of weapons, arrows on bow or dart launcher were the first manufactured weapon of humankind, then melee weapons, firearms and finally the lego brick, that hurts as hell when someone steps on it. And uses human children to spread on floors.

[@joeampolo42]

Excellent vid. Possibly off topic comment: When I was studying Ancient Greek I discovered that British texts presumed one had studied Latin first. American texts not so much, and one Australian text went out of its way to take the British to task for the presumption. Clearly, the same sorts who regulated the swords wrote the text books.

[@IPostSwords]

I still feel like "preval blades" - the really wide hollow ground triangular blades sometimes seen on french swords - are simply better than almost all spadroon blades in every way. Sure, they have limited cutting capacity, but so does a normal spadroon. (like the blade in your "cuirassier vs estoc" video.)

[@northumbriabushcraft1208]

Spadroons and Kyo-Guntos are my favorite swords, practical but elegant.

[@nathanbeverley247]

I feel like history tried to fix the spadroon in the 18th-19th century with the development of the naval cutlass. Similar amount of steel (minus the very large cutlass guard) but shorter, broader, stiffer blade. In fact, a cutlass with a smaller guard would essentially be a cut and thrust spadroon. But obviously it would be shorter, which some may not like.

[@jkoeberlein1]

Whew! I was thinking you were about to convince me that the spud was a great sword. Your logic about the use of the spud makes perfect sense. Fairly recently in become aware of single stick. Wow, I am intrigued. Seems like the perfect self defence weapon? With the stigma against knifes now days, a stick is a perfect compromise. When I walk my dogs at night nobody even looks at it while we chat.

[@onlyashadow1121]

and i love these kinds of videos, talking about the time period's reasoning for this or that

[@thecomfyknight5594]

“A scaled up smallsword” so it’s a “bigsword”?

[@joannakleinheksel-horn3494]

Very informative, fascinating video 😊

[@steevemartial4084]

I see you fully embraced the memes. More seriously it's a really interesting video. It's good to have an explanation for why this sword was used so widely and for so long, considering its weaknesses.

[@thomasrobinson8789]

I’ve actually seen 1812 battlefield engravings that I think depict using the spadroon to cut the jugular. It never appeared to me a very solid cut, but it was a cut nonetheless. Edit: for further detail, it appeared to have cut from the left veins up to and possible halfway into the windpipe.

[@krystofdayne]

Saying it once more, would love a video from you on Germsn student fencing. I'm a member of a German fraternity myself (as evidenced by my photo) but it's a non-fencing catholic one. While I do know some things on the non-technical perspective of this kind of fencing, I would love your personal, technical insight.

[@daltoncook209]

I’d always assumed singlestick was training for broadsword

[@MarchalisVan]

One wonders just how common duels where at times.

[@99IronDuke]

Excellent video.

[@artykeithpierre09]

Horses for courses, as you say " context". Each type of weapon has it's own style of use and some utility in other areas. Swords have a narrow area of speciality but a wide and robust range of disciplines and fighting styles. The spadroon, a term I have only recently been exposed to, is in context a gap filler and I dare say would have a range of weight and flexibility to better deal with facing heavier battlefield weapons. Only to be overtaken by a preference for various types of sabres. E.g. the Artillery Officers sword with a slight curve to mid Victorian sabres for Infantry Officers. Thank you Matt for the explanation. Not an ideal weapon but at least something.

[@adampoll4977]

In a sense, the spadroon is equivalent to the modern sporting "sabre". Currently training in this, and it's bloody good fun!

[@dylanwight5764]

In a sentence: Spadroons are lightweight, general purpose swords suitable for combatants requiring a compact sidearm.

[@slamblamboozled1245]

Can you do a video about policing before the police actually existed? I always wonder about riot situations, did they just massacre everyone or swap their swords for sticks?

[@edi9892]

AFAIK, sticks were often the only weapon officially carried by law-enforcement before the formation of modern police. Even then many had a batton and a more lethal option. In the middle ages, they might also have worn a spear. With a spear you could also use the blunt end, if you choose a less lethal approach....

[@SuperFunkmachine]

Going back law was often fines for the a hundreds, in the old Anglo-Saxon law you'd be in a hundred with your tithing being one tenth of a hundred or ten hides which are meant to be two fully equipped warriors. So your paying 1/5 of a soldiers wage, or doing garrison duty your self, yes its a 1 in 5 do there duty on campaign. Only that's 2 fully equipped 7th century warriors so by the 10th century your just paying a cash liability. These things keep going long after there just vague measure of land and hopefull counts of numbers, things that make sense in 7th century are carried on in to the 12th, it's not until 1193 after King Richard's ransom that the old hides Anglo-Saxon stop being used. On crimes often the entire hundred had to pay the fine, so you'd soon be keeping a close eye on your neighbors.

[@neutronalchemist3241]

Civil guards in medieval-early modern age often were armed with polearms. They could use them sideways and push, if the situation was not so critical, or point the sharp end and advance if it was.

[@TheCsel]

Due to the fact you talk about spadroons way more than the average person does, I would think you loved them. (ignore the fact that the majority of people probably dont know what a spadroon is) :)

[@fdsdh1]

I'd like to hear Mett Euston's opinion on this, come think of it I haven't seen him for a while

[@daanwilmer]

He's sold two kidneys to afford the blue and gilt spodroon.

[@ronytheronin7439]

Meth Easton lives in America.

[@VanDiemenStageGladiators]

I feel when MacBane mentioned "Sheering sword", due to his experience in the Netherlands he probably meant something more like the walloon (with a thumb ring).

[@Eidenhoek]

I would have loved this to be a one-second video, where Matt just says, "No."

[@ercan6419]

All i did was to click once. Now my recommended videos are only about spadroons. Lol

[@phillipsmith2903]

Matt did you see the 3 part mini-series Gunpowder? All the the rapiers they showed had really beefy cut and thrust blades which I found very interesting. I would love to get your opinion on this in terms of historical accuracy.

[@benjaminodonnell258]

That spadroon just looks so flimsy...

[@tlsgrz6194]

When you say that the Spadroon is worse at thrusting than a Smallsword, how much of an impact does that deficiency have? I assume the spadroon is still able to pierce through a uniform and kill or incapacitate someone, so why would I need more thrusting ability? Same thing goes for more cut-centric swords: How much cutting-ability does a sword need? Do swords really need to be able to chop limbs of? A cut to the weapon hand or the neck, even with a Spadroon, should be enough to end a fight. I would really appreciate it if you could put those thrusting and cutting abilities into perspective.

[@breaden4381]

I think there are accounts of spadroons failing to cut and thrust through winter uniforms. So they were pretty eh.

[@InSanic13]

The accounts of them failing to get through winter uniforms are for a specific spadroon pattern, though. ThegnThrand has a video where he tests a Civil War spadroon.

[@breaden4381]

That spadroon is over a kilogram (Medieval Shoppe tends to make all of their swords a bit heavy). Also Thrand only ever tests and makes it through cloth with horizontal cuts using the tip.

[@jordanwilliams6972]

Source? Because I've heard that in regards to the Crimean war but at that point the sword for infantry officers was the P1845 sabre.

[@fabiovarra3698]

a cut to the weapon hand or the neck are not quite easy to deliver in a fight, and if you can only do supercial cut to the arms, legs or the torso you will not incapacitate the enemy (for example a downward cut to the shoulder must get pass the collar bone to deliver any real damage) and if you think of all the layer of cloting that a Napeonic era soldier would have, even more in winter, i don't think is so easy to cut him effectively with something light and narrow like a spadroon blade

[@Trav_Can]

Well said. Very interesting topic.

[@simonferrer]

Did anyone else expect Matt to shout "Lindybeige!" at the end of this video?

[@Sophocles13]

If I cut someone with that, I'd get ready for a very annoyed adversary.

[@nate_thealbatross]

Especially in a military context where officers can generally get their own sword design if they are very unhappy with the official version, it is very practical to pick a design that they are all already trained in. Even if we think that design isn't very good, teaching every single officer a new sword style costs a LOT of money. If every future officer learns Karate, making all of the military officers learn Brazilian Jujitsu is a waste of money even if we know one works better. Generally speaking, officers fighting skills aren't their primary job. If you are going to spend money on teaching fighting skills and buying high quality weapons it should be for the enlisted men.

[@jacobrigby3172]

i always got spontoons and spadroons mixed up when talking weapons

[@OptimalOwl]

It's probably a really good idea from an organizational view to regulate that duels be fought with weapons that deal relatively superficial injuries. Then the duellists can do their thing, shake hands and get back to whatever they were doing, rather than having to spend time in a hospital. Not disrespecting the spadroon as a weapon, mind. I still wouldn't want to get hit with one, and I very much doubt that it would've become common if skilled officers couldn't kill with it. But, it does seem to me that a duel with smallswords is more likely to end up with someone's arteries or organs being punctured.

[@michelenicolarizzo2304]

Looking at the flex of the spadroon, I don't think it would pierce a surcoat

[@thomasmiller8277]

So in a nutshell: Spadroons are used to spadruple the splashing power of a thrusting sword.

[@garynaccarto8636]

I think that the main thing that spadroons have going for them is speed especially against a back sword or saber.

[@Mr-Tibbster]

I love spadroons personally. I like the balance of function. Stabs, cuts, is light and easy to carry around. Some complain it's neither good at cutting or stabbing being so spread, but as long as it still is sharp enough to do it's "job", doesnt have to be insanely specialised, if it can stab and cut to the point of inflicting injury to the opponent and isn't a butter knife, that's all that matters to me personally. I feel that if one of these swords failed to pierce or cut the enemy, it's the fault of the ones who forge the weapon so poorly, as opposed to it's actual concept or design of the spadroon. Bad manufacturing. Just look at cheap swords on the market right now vs more expensive ones. You can buy two types of the same blade, but one can be awful and the other brilliant.

[@WeissM89]

Come on. There's no excuse to that floppy blade.

[@edi9892]

The chinese sword. I got one and it would cut very well and moves faster than I can see it. Of course it wouldn't do well against heavy clothing (which wouldn't be an issue in tropical regions) and would be bad at parrying...

[@gregerious6549]

edi I think you are referring to the training dow used in wushu. It is supposed to be flexible and very light wieght for the purpose of speed and flow during competitions and demonstrations. This type isn't supposed to be used for fighting or cutting. The real Chinese dow is actually quite weighty with a rigid blade and can weigh over 2 pounds. Mat Easton has some of these himself

[@edi9892]

I got some reproduction at home. It tapers from 4mm to 1.5ish. It would definitely cut very well. I can't say how it would have been used historically.

[@gregerious6549]

edi is your blade a long thin type or a broad blade with a clipped point?

[@edi9892]

It's a flat diamond crosssection, double edged with straight edges (no profile taper, but significant distal taper) and a rounded tip (similar to a gothic arch). It's neither particularly narrow nor wide. The odd thing about it is, that the grip is long enough to be a longsword although the weapon weights not much more than a dagger.

[@Tomartyr]

I wonder if part of the reason was that the light weight of the spadroon made it harder for an inexperienced swordsman to accidentally hurt someone in close formation. "I guess we have to give them something, at least they won't hurt anyone unless they really mean it" - Some high ranking ex-cavalry officer.

[@bobbertbobby3975]

I would LOVE to learn the smallsword. I love the way that style of weapon relies on thrusts..not just cause it looks xool and fun..but also cause as far as quick and extremely deadly combat when your life depends on it...damn a thrust is VERY deadly. when making a cut or slice if someone wants to they could sacrifice and arm or hand and mitigate the first attack and survive if then they can end the attack quickly. But if the first quick attack is a thrust of a smallsword thru the lung or liver or diaphram or even the heart...its over. if if they do get away or even kill you..they are prolly dead soon after you.

[@mikolajwitkowski8093]

Actually this was a huge problem historically, many western countries trying to fight with the duelling culture, whereas here in Poland where 90% of people used sabres since the 16th century, duelling was not such a big problem, as it is easier to wound but not fatally with a sabre than with a small sword (I am not saying the sabre is not deadly, just that if you do not want to kill, and in most duels of the time that was the case, it is easier to do so). Also, in a battle context, a sabre is more reliable, a thrust may kill or do nothing to stop the other person depending where the point goes, how lucky the are, a heavy cut is really hard to ignore.

[@leviathanssteak]

How's this for a video idea: what are some of your favourite techniques for different weapons? What are some of your preferred strategies for different kinds of opponents? E.g. the counter striking guy.. the crazy bull.. the guy who avoids you etc

[@guilemaigre14]

British officer being famous for not knowing how to use their weapons... That's a whole new level of condescendence.

[@koticneutralftw7016]

Were there any examples of military small swords like there were military rapiers? I'm sure this has come up on this channel before, but there are so many videos It's hard to know for sure.

[@Meshric]

Backsword is by far the best kind of sword any man could need.

[@RonOhio]

As a Horatio Hornblower fan I have always wondered what kind of sword the "Sword of a hundred Guineas value" the Patriotic Fund would have presented to a naval officer. Have you ever had one of these pass thru your hands, or are they all in museums and family collections? I think that would be a great topic for a video; I have seen images of sabres and spadroons that look like they had a hundred Guineas melted down and hammered onto the blade, scabbard and hilt.

[@L4nd0C4lr1s14n]

Hey Matt I was wondering, what’s your thoughts on Navaja, or the folding knife used in Spain during the 18 and 1900’s? I feel like you’re among the best to ask since you always seem to give an honest opinion from the your experiences and practise, and also from your research of actual historical materials. Would love to hear your thoughts on the Navaja!

[@oisnowy5368]

My mom lied when she taught me the magic word was please. In fsct, the magic word is context.

[@kg4wwn]

Depends, if you are trying to understand the relative merits of two different things, the magic word is context, if you are trying to get your mother to let you have an extra cookie, the magic word is please. So the magic word being context actually depends on ... context.

[@Quicksilver_Cookie]

It always bothered me why they didn't make point slightly thinner. At least then it would be good for thrusting and pretty poor for cutting. As opposed to being poor at cutting AND thrusting. This thing is still a mystery to me to be honest. They do look quite elegant though.

[@witeshade]

I wonder, how often did British officers end up getting slaughtered because they were stuck "fighting like a gentleman" versus an enemy who was more willing to fight for effect? It seems like that'd be an enormous vulnerability for them, that could be manipulated by any opponent who had some awareness of their enemy.

[@alfatazer_8991]

11:49 Captain Context strikes again!

[@VelikiHejter]

Why not give them bigger, heavier triangular stabbing blade? Literally a scaled up small sword, cutting capacity be damned. That would also give them better parrying blade against those heavy strikes since such blade would be stiffer in the bind.

[@RiasGremoryIsLife]

I think that 'Context' would serve better as a title

[@erobwen]

I have a question. Consider the following context: What weapon set would you prefer in a one on one duel, assuming that the combatants have the best possible medieval armor. Something like late medieval full plate "white" armor out of hardened steel. Perhaps maximillian style. What would have the advantage? Mace and shield? Flail and shield? Poleax? Halberd? A great sword? Something else? What would you pick?

[@jdhrdmn0153]

Scholagladitoria would you do a comparison of British sabers to American sabers?

[@davidpowell5437]

So during the Napoleonic wars care was taken to ensure officers had the equipment best suited to the abilities they brought with them. This all seems remarkably reasonable. What went wrong? Seriously, I think you make a good case here. I would add that apart from the skill question, a light sword for slashing and jabbing seems to be a good choice for someone who has not and probably will not spend time developing the muscles to wield a heavier blade.

[@TheVulgarSkill]

This is a question I've only just had since I've delved into broadsword sources: What about in sources such as McBane, Page, et al where we get the Spadroon and shearing sword really talked up as the best sword ever ("the master of all weapons")? Are they just talking about a more robust sword with a more robust blade?

[@hillkiran]

This is what the little plastic cocktail swords are modeled after huh?

[@clasdauskas]

So, to paraphrase: "We'll give the smarter officers who are capable of learning things (engineers, artillery, Navy) good swords; officers on the flank and in Rifles are probably a bit more capable of independent thought, so they can have decent swords too, don't worry about the sort of officer who starts irregular forces (Hodson, Jacob) - they'll pick what they think best anyway. That leaves the society thickies, hmm, they're likely to cut themselves with anything with a decent edge - spadroons for them!"

[@Cysubtor_8vb]

How would a spadroon compare to a typical sidesword? Guess the spadroon would be lighter & more nimble at the tip, but the sidesword would penetrate better when it does hit and cut better, right?

[@zelinskas13]

So the moral of the story is. . . don't let your officers decide whether or not they want to bother learning how to use their own weapons?

[@londiniumarmoury7037]

The Spadroon: A sword that can even make somebody the size of Napoleon feel like a big man.

[@neutronalchemist3241]

Actually Napoleon being short is a mith. At the death he was 1.69-1.70m, an average, or slightly above the average, height for the time. IE Nelson was shorter. He being short was part of British derisive propaganda, probably fuelled by the fact tht he was often seen with his Imperial Guard, whose members were well above the average height.

[@MrFloatPilot]

That answered many of my questions regarding the Spadroon. Did any Spadroons have more extensive hand protection or would that have restricted the manner in which they are employed??

[@albertdittel8898]

Can you please make a video about the Palash? Was quite a big thing in eastern europe. And is it the same as a backsword or something different?

[@namewastaken360]

I can see why a sabre is better in certain contexts than a rapier, but what makes small swords and spadroons better than a rapier? Are they just more convenient and probably not used in anger very often, especially when swords were less and less important than guns?

[@mrmoth26]

The katana may cut through a tank, but a spadroon can cut through a castle, a katana can NOT cut through a Nokia3310, but a spadroon can cut through a katana. ~~Me

[@NoahWeisbrod]

It still doesn't excuse making a narrow blade also that thin and fullered. Why didn't more spadroons have diamond cross sections???

[@Zuccus]

Noah Weisbrod i would assune because that would increase the weight and change the balance. If they were trying to keep it like an up-scaled small sword, it wouldn't handle similarly enough.

[@stettan1]

Demanding less expertise from the smith maybe?

[@ryanhouk3560]

You said that small sword would have been the dueling sword. I thought that when challenged to a duel, the one being challenged chose a weapon, and their options (realistically) was marching pistols or basically any sword?

[@neo_cavalier]

Why not just go back to rapiers or side swords? Spadroons just seem like an inferior version of what came before.

[@incandifferent]

Interesting.

[@Bonzulac]

I would love to know what that t-shirt graphic means to him.

[@calamusgladiofortior2814]

Who are you and where is the real Matt Easton? ;) But good video, and I think your rationale makes a lot of sense. Hmmmm... I did foil fencing back when I was in school, but haven't done any fencing since. Perhaps a spadroon is the sword I should get. Nah.

[@sststr]

Oi mate, ya got a license fer that t-shirt?

[@franticpony1376]

Hmm now I've seen this in the background on multiple videos but can anyone tell me what the Key-like Logo is for on that big Flag thing on the left? (his right)

[@DGFTardin]

3:17 Actually, in purely physical terms, you really can't say how hard/easy it is to rotate an object based only on it's mass and the distance between the point of rotation (in this case your hand) and point of balance. But you CAN say how easy it is if you add the physical property of moment of inertia. This represent in mathematical terms how far on avarege the object's mass is from it's point of balance. Todd talks about moment of inertia in his videos, so I am pretty sure (good) sword makers know about it. Two sword with the same mass, point of balance AND moment of inertia would indeed be the same on the hand, unless other factors like air resistance start to become relevant.

[@pentheus_1644]

But why a spadroon and not a colichemarde, then? I mean, it's used in the same way, slightly heavier ( but not that much), stronger on the strong of the blade to pary. It seams, to me, to be a good "martialiest" alternative to the smallsword, but i could be wrong.

[@ghostlygardener5644]

Soooo. It's a bad attempt at remaking the rapier xD

[@edi9892]

I wonder why they didn't give them a simplified and scaled down rapier or backsword...

[@enginnonidentifie]

That has always confused me as well. There still more robust swords being made for use on foot including hangers, backswords and even types of sabre and clearly at least some folks know how to use them. They could’ve just put more effort into the development and promotion of fencing with those types of swords among officers (though I admit that is easier said than done)

[@puffinus_puffinus5685]

Would it be more difficult using a rapier against bayonets? Bit too flexible & light?

[@ghostlygardener5644]

MBrunyee I don't think so. Pretty sure rapiers existed together with bayonets and are usually stiffer than the spadroon

[@therealshrimpojones]

MBrunyee Rapiers aren’t particularly light swords

[@lakewooded4929]

Nimble in the tip . .

[@bolieve603]

Does a sword with a larger cross section have greater stopping power in the thrust? It seems to me that using a spadroon might be similar to using a carbine that fires a .223 or 5.56 cartridge. While it is much easier to use unpracticed than a .32 or .30 it has more power and reliability than .22.

[@scholagladiatoria]

Yes, kind of. Though at the risk of not penetrating (through clothes/uniform) at all.

[@christopherblaziek8303]

What is the diffrence between a spadroon and a small sword?

[@TheCsel]

Are there any damascus steel spadroons from the 1700s?

[@keithmeech9510]

Which sword would you use in a close order infantry formation?

[@RULERofSTARS]

What's the best sword, Matt? Matt, what's the best sword? Matt? what's the best sword? What's the best sword, Matt? Matt, what's the best sword?

[@rogerlacaille3148]

Having the same problem as Skallagrim and Katanas 😉

[@marksteven6116]

matt why did they not get a basket hilt backsword protection for hand and can cut and thrust through clothes and they can be light , about 2 pounds

[@exploatores]

It´s kind of a long way form a smalsword.

[@blakebailey22]

Why not give someone who trained in the smallsword a rapier instead of a spadroon?

[@Stroggoii]

I often wonder how well the empire would have fared if their infamously puny military middle management didn't have men of outmost military excellence such as Churchil and Wellesley on one end and the tirelessly brave and equally dispossable scottish and indian rank and file on the other.

[@scholagladiatoria]

Churchill was partly responsible for Gallipoli.. Just saying :-)

[@Stroggoii]

I meant John Churchill, maybe I went too far back in time.

[@scholagladiatoria]

Aha :-)

[@chanceblevins6682]

So Im looking to get a sword. Im debating a cutlass but I dont like the extreme curve. I get cutting/chopping ability. I feel a thrusting sword would be better for self defense. But a small sword often doesn't have a cutting edge. I feel a broad sword is too heavy and unwieldy. Thoughts?

[@Thunderclone]

Have you ever considered spadroons? Given context, they are pretty alright.