The Viking shield as a weapon

[@swordandshield]

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[@emarsk77]

7:34 "Actually, it's good to have a sword". - Roland Warzecha, 2019 Nice video as always. Thanks for sharing.

[@SpecArch96]

I'm so happy that you drew a comparison between the snake motion and Meyer's advice for entering a fight already in motion! Every video of yours I see makes me want to go back and reinterpret everything I knew before. There's a special place in my heart and bookshelf for Meyer, but most interpretations I find seem more focused on mimicking his athletic postures than applying any real martial principles. The excuse used to be (and sadly, for some, still is) that Meyer was a sport-fencer, so hacking and slashing makes sense. Understanding Meyer's cutting patterns as a means for building muscle memory, not just for free cuts, but more importantly for entering into a bind in a less static way is what I would almost call revolutionary. This is something which I haven't seen expressed so clearly by even the biggest Meyer fans I know. Thank you for the excellent videos and ideas!

[@swordandshield]

My pleasure! Thanks for your appreciation.

[@ComesPerpetvs]

Hello dear Roland, I just wanted to express my gratitude. I have recently started reenacting early viking period and i have found your videos most helpfull and refreshing. Thank you and wish you all the best :)

[@swordandshield]

A general note on this comment section: I am grateful for your interest in my videos. They are but one means of sharing the results of my research into historical combat with sword & shield with everybody who sees value in my work. Any video reflects my knowledge at the time of making. Because I am constantly learning, older videos might be out-dated, and I will eventually unlist them. However, you can still find them on my Patreon pages: www.patreon.com/Dimicator/posts On repeated request, I have re-opened comment sections with recent videos. So you are welcome to leave a comment if you feel you have something substantial to contribute on topic. I very much appreciate being pointed to relevant historical sources. I am not interested in hear-say and unreflected opinions. If a relevant question of yours has been left unanswered, then I might have missed it or the subject was already addressed elsewhere. I only check comments occasionally, so have some patience, please. Personally, I feel that constructive discussion on martial arts only exists in the analogue world, in a salle or a dojo. Please consider that your own valuable personal martial or military experience is inevitably reduced to mere assertions in a comment section. That is the nature of online media. There is zero competence control. This why I tend to shy away from such discussion. I find they are prone to misunderstanding, and generally a waste of time. Time that is better spent with actual research, practice and hands-on discussion. I am always open for the latter, and anyone with a serious interest is welcome to get in touch via private channels. Bad manners, boasting and babbling are a pest of the digital age. They have no place here.

[@swordandshield]

It is a bit like a house of cards: As soon as rules come in, such as limited target areas, every martial art becomes a sports and the original system collapses when practitioners start to play the rules. you can see that in any sort of competition, regardless which martial art, be it traditional or HEMA. as for re-enactment fencing, I am the wrong person to ask, I gave it up a long time ago. However, there are a few people who do both, and make an effort to use a more martial approach to their favourite game. Better ask them. Or better still, come to the light side of the force and join me!

[@MaxsimiusGlory]

Hey Roland, Love your Content. I agree with you in tha fact that discussion on martial arts is better face to face. My problem with that is that we are literally 10,000km away from each other, I am from Mexico City. But i really have some doubts that i would love to be able to adress with you. So if there is a chance i could contact you , on any comunication channel you proposse , i would love that beacuse flying to hamburg is really not economical for me at the moment. Any way, keep up the good Job, im always eager to see what you have to show us in the future.

[@theironpill9296]

Excellent post. I love your martial arts videos.

[@chaos_omega]

I think the reason why martial arts like wing chun have similar movements is because they try to translate weapon techniques for use as unarmed techniques. I think this can work reasonably well, but only if your opponent doesn't know how to wrestle!

[@swordandshield]

My take, too.

[@darthhoovy8332]

This is truly a beautiful thing!

[@1337CaptainHadock]

One thing is for certain, i'll become a patreon once my studying days are over!! Wont be more than a year and a half before i'm a fully fledged programmer (according to degrees atleast haha) - then i'll have a lot more financial freedom to first of all get myself a giant feast, but more importantly support you, your work, and a lovely hobby of practicing HEMA! :D

[@swordandshield]

Excellent. Thank you.

[@Davlavi]

Always love your work. Are you still working on your book?

[@swordandshield]

All the time! Take a look: www.patreon.com/Dimicator/posts

[@VTPSTTU]

I wish that I were in a position to train with you. My health has failed, so I couldn't do so even if I were close enough to come to a class. Even so, I find your videos fascinating.

[@chancedahms5198]

Good day , where are you getting the Viking practice swords . Thank you.

[@geekalpha]

I love your videos on the viking shield and sword system you have reconstructed. One thing I haven't seen much of, is how this system counters a heavier strapped shield and sword (like a legionnaire or perhaps later medieval infantryman). Have you filmed or developed any responses to dissimilar fighting styles using this system? What about vs. Viking shield and spear?

[@RKcousins625]

Alan Moe why would he need to cover this? How often do you think these shields came across later shields?

[@geekalpha]

@@RKcousins625 That is a good question. I think at the beginning of the migration era it was probably very common between romans and germans, and there was definitely a transition point at the end of the center-grip shield era where one common manual of arms out-competed the other. As for spear and shield vs. sword and shield, I would expect that pairing to be ubiquitous on a battlefield of the viking age; spear dane vs. sword dane. Roland's early video, prior to the Dimicator channel was excellent at explaining how the viking round shield could be used and sound reasons for its dimensions. I also understand that training to explore and understand a cool weapon set and a couple of period fighting methods (including spear, glima, etc) would be plenty for one club to master. I do think that there is additional historical value in exploring how a fighting system could outcompete another and explore reasons it might have developed and fallen away.

[@geekalpha]

His comment does indirectly answer my question, though.

[@luizuhtred3116]

It would be so cool and good with you could come to Brazil. Would be a pleasure to meet you

[@swordandshield]

You are welcome to get in touch if you wish to organise a class. Would be a pleasure.

[@luizuhtred3116]

Oh, thats cool. I will talk to some friends of mine about it.

[@kahwigulum]

3:09 yea but your weapons have his shield between him and them while his sword is obscured from your vision for him to lunge forward into your chest. you're also over-extending your weight forward while he's compact in a safe crouch. he has the potential for explosive power while you are at least going to fall over if his blow somehow misses such a prime and open target. 8:31 - 9:00 maybe but your opponent is not holding his shield up. you seem to assume that your opponent is just going to let you win. 16:12 or he'll just push you off your axis since you're standing off balance with a ridiculously large shield and low field of vision 17:31 coming soon, fighting a properly kitted and experience highlander. (hint: the highlander will win)

[@swordandshield]

Anybody with according practical expertise and skill at arms is welcome to sign up for the Berlin Buckler Bouts where I am available for hands-on discussion and sparring every six months.

[@danadowning6950]

Video on Slavic saber!!!!! Pleaseeeeee

[@Duzzies-101]

Hey Roland is there a way I can support your work besides Patreon?

[@Ocker3]

He sells some stuff here www.dimicator.com/publications/

[@swordandshield]

Thank you for your appreciation. You are welcome to sign up for any of my classes. this way you would support me AND get something back: www.patreon.com/posts/15930836

[@dimitrizaitsew1988]

Nice video. Sadly your price range is probably out of my range.

[@richardtaztaylor8706]

Fantastic content

[@Schooltimez]

I never stopped to take Medieval manuscripts at face value. I always considered the depictions of tall men with serpentine upward sword and shield positions to be the sole product of formal aesthetic considerations (kinda like crunching more people into the selfie with everyone showing their drinks). Certainly aesthetics and pictorial compression plays a role in the presentation. But I am bowled over by the fact that they are simple instruction manuals as much as they are artistic creation. To great effect, you simply fight like those silly people look. How simple! Your application of this, to me, is nothing short of brilliant. Kudos!

[@swordandshield]

Thank you very much for your kind words and appreciation.

[@NorthworthySagasStories]

This is a very cool and informative video on using a shield as a weapon. Will have to try this in a video.

[@treevetales170]

I would watch that video Northworthy Sagas. Nice to see you guys here.

[@Treeboy85]

What is that leather strap on your shield for?

[@potatokilr7789]

Some shields throughout history had a longer leather sling-like strap used to hang the shield when not in use. Its hard to tell what the strap on the shield in the video is, though.

[@I33Craft]

I really appreciate your work and investigation about viking age, but I don't agree with the style of fighting you have developed. A combat without an opportunity of touching the contrary is not realistic as you don't have any chance of applying the same force and speed that would have a real situation. In this way, all the bouts are merely simulations at low speed of what should be a fast and stressful combat. The thing that swords are sharpened only adds inneccessary risks to the fighters, specially if they don't wear any protection in the face, arms or legs! I have practice HEMA during many years and after starting with medieval combat (HMB, IMCF) I have realize that it is completely unrealistic. Most of the time, the cuts are thrown to the leg, it is the weakest point with a shield. Any action that includes pushing the contrary's shield should be made with a lot of force, because normally he/she retreats. You can see in the following video two of the best fighters fighting with longsword, sword and buckler and sword and shield, I think it is quite different and more realistic. kzbin.info/www/bejne/pmSsq3iui7SUr5Y

[@swordandshield]

Hi Christian, my experience in martial arts, research into contemporary sources and my examination of historical arms has yielded quite the opposite evaluation. I find the HMB sparring completely unrealistic: A lot of effort with minimum result and completely inappropriate to historical weapons. The only convincing HMB fight I ever saw was when one combatant thrusted the point of his pole axe through the visor of his adversary and severely injured him. Now, I was told that, due to safety precautions, this is actually illegal according to the rule set. Way too dangerous. And it is, because this what you would actually do if you wanted to incapacitate an opponent.

[@Fechten1220]

Great Video, which perfectly demonstrates the universality of the prinicipals of the 'hende drücken', as first expressed in the MS 3227a: "Das ist von hende drücken / etc etc Deyn sneide wende / czum flechen drücke dy hende / Eyn anders / ist wenden • eyns winden / das dritten hengen / Wiltu mache~ vordrossen / dy vechter / zo drucke mit stössen / Ober dy hende / " Thank you, Roland!

[@swordandshield]

You are welcome, Christian. Thanks for the quotes.

[@whynottalklikeapirat]

As opposed, of course, to "The viking shield as a pizza tray"

[@zrgbrg]

The guy talking in the background is really distracting

[@RedHandedGod]

I think the guy talking in the background is translating for the people in the room, as Roland is kindly speaking in English for we video watchers.

[@swordandshield]

There was another class in progress simultaneously.