We need to talk about Jester of Blades.

[@jesterofblades9964]

Pleasure talking to you Dave! To your audience: I will check back here regularly for the first couple of days this video is online so ask me anything :)

[@valvexe1238]

Really liked the video lad! Maybe if time allowes you could talk with other hema- coaches, fencers or equipment producers and upload the chat on your channel.

[@SuperOtter13]

Thank you gentlemen for sharing this conversation with us. Fascinating products and perspectives. Pertaining to the pikes. Have you considered possibly offering the connector pieces and people could assemble with locally sourced wood? Thank you again for sharing. Cheers

[@jesterofblades9964]

Hey there 😊 Happy to hear you liked our conversation! Concerning the Pikes/long Lances: I have considered offering the conector pieces. But to do that, user friendliness will have to be adressed. At the moment it requires very high crafting skills special tools (I had to develop and make myself on the CNC) a lot of care and it still goes wrong from time to time. So I definitely need to make that a lot easier - for me to succeed more often, and for others to not just yell at me and send them straight back 😅 One thing to also consider: 3 m and above is where having distal taper on your polearm is pretty much mandatory for it beeing actually usable. I had to approach a lot of people until I found one able to manufacture tapering Poles. Not sure about the situation at your place 🤷‍♂️

[@j.enzinas]

I have one of the dusacks that I have yet to be able to use because we've been in lockdown since it arrived. I'm really looking forward to it. It feels so nice in the hand.

[@jesterofblades9964]

Happy to hear you're happy 🤗 may I ask - the wooden ones or aluminium-leather?

[@j.enzinas]

@@jesterofblades9964 I have an aluminum/leather one.

[@jesterofblades9964]

@@j.enzinas I hope that one wasn't from the first batch we made since that would mean you're in Lockdown for about a year continuously 🙈

[@j.enzinas]

@@jesterofblades9964 Fortunately yes. I ordered through Christian in February. DHL lost it for a but but it eventually arrived.

[@jesterofblades9964]

@@j.enzinas Jesus that C thing is hopefully coming to an end soon...

[@mattfick5502]

Thank you both for this, it was entertaining and highly informative. I like the approach Jester of Blades takes with his products, one of these days I'll own one. I'd also be really interested in more interviews like this. Dave has some interesting experience and perspectives, so I think it will be quite cool.

[@jesterofblades9964]

Happy to hear you liked our conversation :) And hearing that you like the approach I'm taking boosts my confidence to continue doing what I'm doing (y) If you are German (that's what your name suggests to me) you might be interested in visiting Chemnitz for a Seminar on 18.09.21

[@mattfick5502]

@@jesterofblades9964 Thanks for replying, and for picking up on my name. That's a first! Unfortunately I live in South Africa, my family really got around a few hundred years ago. Thanks for the invitation though

[@jesterofblades9964]

@@mattfick5502 Okay that's a bit far for a seminar - but you're still welcome :)

[@Longsword.G]

Could you tell me the name you mention on 26:22 ? I am very interested in this way of fencing and rarely see people who employ it

[@Kerrigan66]

Who is the person Dave is talking about at 26:20 ?

[@henninghesse9910]

What a great video. Please, do some more collaborations. Did either one of you thought about recreating the long dussacks shown in Meyers 1561 edition? And also, will there be a video on the pikes on Björns channel?

[@jesterofblades9964]

Hey Henning, I am not sure about the longer Dussacks in the 1561 Edition - could you post me a link to a folio on wiktenauer maybe? Björn is apparently planning to do a video on the pikes yes (y)

[@henninghesse9910]

@@jesterofblades9964 bop.unibe.ch/apd/article/view/7728 you can find the pdf of the article and pics from the manuscript. Looking forward for those videos. Love your approach on the quality of the products your putting out!!

[@jesterofblades9964]

@@henninghesse9910 I got until here: wiktenauer.com/wiki/Joachim_Meyers_F%C3%A4ktbok_(MS_A.4%C2%BA.2) but I am afraid I fail to find the longer Dussacks...

[@henninghesse9910]

@@jesterofblades9964 Sorry, I only found a few copies on Paul Beckers FB Page:facebook.com/groups/920341917976531/user/100002766010242

[@jesterofblades9964]

@@henninghesse9910 that page seems to be inaccessible for me 🧐

[@JCOwens-zq6fd]

Really cool video. Oh & I have started using a fine sandpaper stripping stuck on the edge to simulate sharp edges in binds etc. I'm curious if anyone else has tried this & if our community may could come up w/ a better material maybe or other ideas entirely even.

[@kodain]

That halberd/pollaxe is looking quite nice, even though the price makes me wince a bit. It's so damn hard to find makers of them altogether, both trainer and metal. Would they stand up to sparring in contact with metal weapons, I wonder?

[@jesterofblades9964]

Hey there 🙋‍♂️It very much depends on the kind of metal we are talking. But I guess you are referring to Steel aren't you? If you want to maximize the value you are getting from a single trainer, be it my Halberds, a sword or any other training tool, the best way to do that, is to spread the wear evenly. E.g. pairing training equipment with similar hardness, so steel on steel, alu on alu, wood on wood, synthetic on synthetic. If using dissimilar materials with each other, the harder material will always "eat up" the softer one. So will they hold up to sparring with a steel Halberd? Yes, but almost all the wear will be spread to the aluminium/leather Halberd. Same goes for using mine with rubber headed ones - the rubber will break prematurely compared to using it with another rubber headed trainer. To maximize your value I'd always recommend using pairs of training equipment. What I can recommend though is using my Halberds in armoured fighting. They will keep your 10-30k/50k Harness in much better condition compared to steel ones.

[@kodain]

@@jesterofblades9964 Thanks for the reply. I meant steel, indeed. I should've been more specific. The harder vs. softer does make sense. I only own steel weapons so wanted to ask, just in case. As I mentioned above it's so damn hard to find someone that makes polearms, and they're my favourite weapons :( I'll have to ponder some more on this one. Noch einmal schön dank für die Antwort :)

[@jesterofblades9964]

@@kodain You're welcome :) - Bitte gern geschehen (y)

[@Sceadusawol]

When you talk about Rory Miller, are you on about Rory Miller of Chiron Training. If so, his work is excellent, and I have yet to read a book by him that is not worth reading more than once!

[@jesterofblades9964]

Hey there 🙋‍♂️I am talking about the Rory Miller from Chirontraining yes👍🏻 he is probably known the best for "Meditations on Violence"

[@Sceadusawol]

​@@jesterofblades9964 It's a must read book! I have six of his books, and would recommend all of them.

[@jesterofblades9964]

@@Sceadusawol so would I 👍🏻

[@Kevin80237]

The dude looks like Mark zucc if he was human

[@andrewsock6203]

Is it waister sword or is it waster sword ? I thought the term came from wearing a wooden sword on a belt at the waist. It was a privilege granted to some people who could not carry swords or weapons by law. They were not made for sacrificing during practice they were made to actually beat people in self defence during daily activities. But maybe I am wrong ? Let’s ask Matt Easton 👍👍. Wood practice sword is different than a wasister. Waster carried by privileged lower class for protection and distinction , wile the practice sword is used by soldiers in training. ??? Let’s find out ? These realities were first then the language adapted to sport fencing and private clubs when it became a mainstream activity for the upper class citizens so I suspect the meaning was lost or changed at that point.

[@jesterofblades9964]

I'd be keen to find out 👍🏻 never heard of the wooden self-protection swords you're talking about. Do you have more detail on that?

[@andrewsock6203]

@@jesterofblades9964 I’m not sure it was for protection as much as symbolic, but it was often used as self protection. If the privilege was granted and you are allowed to carry a waister you may still be charged for using it for violence, unlike a soldier or guard. It’s symbolic recognition of combat training that allows a waister to be carried but not the right to use it like a cop or guard or knight would be allowed. Only a few get the privilege so nobody else has a waster and you can’t get charged for carrying it like other citizens. You had the luxury of having it at hand should you illegaly choose to use it. There were laws all over Europe even into japan about civilians allowed by law to have canes and staffs to walk with but if you put it on your belt / waist at any time it meant you did not need it and thus it was a weapon or raised suspicions from guards. Off the top of my head I can lead you to Roman accounts of the emperor presenting successful gladiators a waister when they were freed/released into civilization. It was not for protection but was close enough at hand to be used as protection. It symbolizes training or great accomplishment. So the idea was floating all around the world back then and it is still noticeably present today if you attempt to take a cane to jail or on a plane, if your walking with it in your hand for help it won’t be noticed but if you walk fine and have a cane on your belt, security or police or guards will ruffle your feathers and maybe confiscate your cane assuming it is a weapon. It really boils down to guard training, they allways do it, but the law comes and goes back and forth. So Accomplished Roman Gladiators is where you can look to start, with fast results. The gladiators who won the privilege to carry a waister and released into society were often the target of unwanted challenges to fight by fame seekers and this was recognized by the emperor so the waister was seen as needed as a not so lethal self protection from these type of attacks on those who are trained to kill but not licensed to kill. Tuff spot to be in under civilian law. So the wooden practice sword known as a waister and the symbolic wooden sword also known as a waister are the same thing with different purposes. I believe any stick like thing in the belt / waist or waisted was legally considered a waister weapon for any civilian at market or in a walled city or such without special privileges granted.

[@andrewsock6203]

And surly the word waister and waster would get confused in translations over time. Even I don’t know which is witch 😉

[@andrewsock6203]

In modern terms we hear the descriptive fight phrases such as pummeled or pommeled as in “ he pummeled him to the ground “ which may have come from the beating with the handle of a sword. We also hear the descriptive word waisted used in fight terminology, as in “ he waisted him “ could refer to a gladiator or privileged “waisting” someone who attacks with a real steel sword against a civilian privileged to carry a wooden waister. It would be embarrassing to loose against a wood sword so being referred to as waisted would be quite an insult that would survive to this day in its shrouded clouded form .

[@jesterofblades9964]

@@andrewsock6203 Thanks a lot for your explanations - I am really reading of this for the first time ever :)