Were STICKS effective battlefield WEAPONS? Reply to Scholagladiatoria

[@shadiversity]

Just to let everyone know, Matt's made a correction video clearing up the misunderstanding regarding guns and swords, and as I mentioned it was a simple mistake just like the many I have done: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bZjYZXxur72rors

[@erynmcgrath]

A great weapon is the Irish fighting stick the shillelagh

[@AlekSensej]

To be honest you kind of dug your own hole here, no wonder people didn't understand what you said. I though the Napoleonic wars at first, then I remember when I was little and I saw an cavalry sword from WWI. You still had bayonet that were actual thin swords in WWI used for an infantry charge. In this sorts case you could say that your statements were misleading.

[@silverdemon9997]

Hey mad jack churchill brought sword and bow in ww2

[@erynmcgrath]

@@silverdemon9997 don't forget bagpipes

[@silverdemon9997]

@@erynmcgrath that too lol

[@GreasusGoldtooth]

So as it turns out, hitting people about the head with a large heavy object is an effective battlefield tactic.

[@headhunter1945]

Now imagine if you could hit them about the head and also cut them at the same time...... oh wait

[@ActionMan1979]

A smashing discovery!

[@thelivingbog4578]

Always has been.

[@grizzlethebear2680]

@@headhunter1945 but wait, what if, now hear me out, we could do that but from far........ Away

[@SketchAndEtch]

@@grizzlethebear2680 "You're like a brilliant scientist!"

[@LuxisAlukard]

So, to summarize: If you have a long stick - put a pointy piece of metal on it. If you have a short stick - put a bulky piece of metal on it. If you can't afford it, find a stick with natural bulky end.

[@PeppoMusic]

Alternatively: tie a rock to one end of the stick. Also a popular option for a very long time.

[@Gr3nadgr3gory]

The Scottish were not known for being able to afford much.

[@1stCallipostle]

Both short and long sticks also have the option of a chopping end (anything from stone to steel) and boom We in axes baby Sticks are the foundation of weaponry

[@crestfallensunbro6001]

there is actauly an old irish name specifically for a walking stick with a natural bulky end you can wack things with "saill éalaigh" or "shillelagh" (it looks very like the unprocessed stick shad has but would have been made from blackthorn wood) EDIT: mfw shad mentions the exact thing i was talking about imeadaualy after i unpause the vid (-_Q), watch the whole vid before commenting folks!

[@LuxisAlukard]

@@crestfallensunbro6001 Oh, yeah, that thing looks great and nasty at the same time!

[@AsianTrix]

Shad: “Big Stick Energy!” Matt: “It’s not as good ‘real’ battle field weapons.” Shad: “BIG…STICK…ENERGY!”

[@jun-fanlee6918]

Underrated comment 😂

[@caveman5421]

6:08 "ABSOLUTELY STICK!"

[@wilcoxway]

It's not AS good as a battlefield weapon as it is not a battlefield weapon. it's a stick! Few weapons are comparable outside of their functional context. That said, a big stick is still a perfectly functional battlefield weapon.

[@marcus4046]

@@caveman5421 someone needs to make this a meme template.

[@filipsgrand]

@@wilcoxway I am Portuguese. During the Middle Ages there was a martial art whose translation is "Stick game". Almost all men in the north of the country had some knowledge of this martial art as it was common in all kinds of events. This knowledge of a martial art specialized in surviving using only one stick when surrounded by multiple opponents increased the quality of Portuguese soldiers leading to multiple victories against much larger forces. The stick in question is a quarterstaff that reaches at least up to the user's nose.

[@leyspun]

I love the fact that in literally all forms of combat, blunt force trauma remains one of the best ways of making someone see things your way.

[@Just_a_Piano_]

Just like with my wife

[@miserablemosquito462]

​@@Just_a_Piano_ A fantastic comment followed by an even better reply 😂😂😂😂

[@matthewbartley2746]

*walks towards a group with stick* I just want to talk to him.. I just want to talk to him.

[@SchlrFtrRkMystc]

I'm surprised no one ever brings up the idea that "a staff is just 5 minutes of sharpening away from being a real weapon." When strapped for cash one can make comparatively low quality but serviceable spears by just sharpening long wooden poles, ideally hardwood and fire hardened. Speaking of which, I'm also surprised no one ever brought up the issue of cost. Economics are very important when building a fighting force, and sharpened long poles and crude weighted wooden clubs cost near to nothing but still have lethal potential with more versatility than one may assume at the outset, and thus have been used since the stone age to the present.

[@justas423]

Cost is also another reason why Spears are such good weapons and used all the time across multiple different cultures. Stick + Some Metal = Spear. Cheap, easy to make, and effective in a fight.

[@NineBreakerUIXB]

It's also like weapons broke and people got disarmed, people would flee, not all encounters happened in a big battle. If you're out in the middle of nowhere either as recon or just separated from the main force, under any of the previously mentioned conditions ofc you'd pick up a stick to defend yourself.

[@BlackHawkTheSailor]

Cost/production time is the reason why in the opening days of WWII, the home guard was patrolling the fields of England with bayonets welded to steel poles looking for German paratroopers. Another example is that repeating rifle tech existed in the American Civil war, but most soldiers were issued muskets.

[@anna_in_aotearoa3166]

The cost/availability of natural club vs sword is 100% something that sprung to mind when watching this!! I also wondered about the question of weapons control...? In some eras I believe the carrying/owning of weapons by non-nobles was outlawed, and in some polities the wearing of a sword in public spaces was also seriously regulated? However, a natural club like Shad's is easily disguised/multi-purposed as a walking aid, and even if you don't already have one to hand then making a makeshift one is basically only a sturdy tree away!

[@NineBreakerUIXB]

@@anna_in_aotearoa3166 Pretty sure Shad did a vid on debunking the myth of peasants owning swords being regulated. I don't remember exactly but I think it was a case of there only being a few documented accounts of it happening, majority of places/times people were allowed to be armed.

[@4dragons632]

A princess on a horse with a lance charging a man using a club instead of the sword he has on his belt is one of the greatest pieces of medieval art I've ever seen. What a delight that just keeps getting better the longer I look at it. The princess is jumping over a tiny tree, and a confused nun looks on in the background. Why? Why is any of this? I love it.

[@markcobuzzi826]

I don’t know why. But for a moment, that knight also looked like he had Joe Biden’s face photoshopped onto himself (either him or Tim Allen). To me, his face does not exactly look like it is drawn in the same style as the nun’s or princess’.

[@kyltredragmire4939]

@@markcobuzzi826 Oh God he really does look like Biden. But more than that he looks just utterly confused as to why this women on a horse hopping a tiny but full grown tree is trying to lance him.

[@markcobuzzi826]

@@kyltredragmire4939 "C'mon, man! What's this bunch of medieval malarkey?!"

[@ColonelSandersLite]

@7:24 for anyone that wants to see.... you know..... the thing.....

[@gunsgunstiger5238]

look at at the guard of the knights sword, it's bend on the wrong side....

[@crusaderanimation6967]

No mater how old you are, discussions about sticks are always fun.

[@wpjohn91]

Thick, girthy and stiff sticks 🤣

[@noahswordofarms4033]

Man that is so true stick are fun

[@crusaderanimation6967]

@@noahswordofarms4033 One of my favourite child hood toys was stick(actually that was kinda a grass but stiff), cheap common and versatile(could be pistol, rifle or grenade launcher)

[@lyrisio]

@@crusaderanimation6967 I like using sticks like walking sticks as if I'm an old man

[@peter2kx]

@@lyrisio I do that all the time, especially when walking wooded trails where there are roots and bumpy grounds. Keeps you from tripping haha

[@TheDillyum]

"It could whack off HEAPS of people, even if they're using protection!" fucking legendary

[@DailyCorvid]

I'd have said back "Shad everyone knows there is nothing that can protect you from my girthy solid wood! Just ask the mothers of my children." 🤣

[@martinshephard6317]

I dare say there’s a “specialised” website for people who liked this specific form of entertainment 😁

[@blainem2258]

Whacking off heaps of people wearing protection is no small feat.

[@thatoneguy7603]

Innuendo much 😏👌

[@DailyCorvid]

@@blainem2258 I don't think he meant his Crusifix! Lol.

[@smug9471]

Mediveal Knight: With this superb armourment I shall dominate the battlefield Peasant with stick: *BONK

[@thenikko8292]

you'd be suprised how much it happened, knight getting robbed by large group of highwaymens armed with simple weapons.

[@RavenclawFtW3295]

Knight: 'Tis but a scratch.

[@MrRaposaum]

That's a good reason for the knight to stay on his horse. Get his head out of people's club ranges XD

[@Bleepbleepblorbus]

​@@RavenclawFtW3295 "Your arm is cut off" "Tis but a flesh wound"

[@Philtopy]

@@MrRaposaum thats a pity since he cant get his horses head out of peoples club ranges ...

[@georgeb8976]

This man is really good at selling sticks… i feel like i need one now.

[@arsenskavin130]

I feel Shillelagh renessaince in the air...

[@abstractapproach634]

It's not lie they just grow on trees .... oh, wait. Jokes jokes, a good durable stick really makes you look at wood differently, tables and shelves seem dry and fragile like you could just crack them.

[@scholagladiatoria]

Classy response :-) Watching now!

[@robinthrush9672]

I enjoy the camaraderie in this community.

[@johnedgar7956]

I agree! Shad is a class act. :-)

[@George_Bland]

Matt making a whole video about something he mistook...

[@CowCommando]

@@George_Bland It was still probably an accurate video, just on a mistaken topic.

[@scholagladiatoria]

@@George_Bland So, Shad said, "How long did we use swords after guns were invented? Longer than you might think" etc etc. But the operative part of the sentence was the first part (as I heard it), so I thought that would make a good springboard for my video, where (hopefully) I demonstrated that guns and swords were used side by side for around 650 years (!) on the battlefield. My point being, that guns and swords were used for a REALLY long time alongside each other. :-) So that was my initial and main point: Swords and guns were used for 650 years together on the battlefield, so there being some magicians around would not render swords obsolete at all.

[@DS_DoggerX]

Shad: one of the better channels for knowledge on swords and their history Also Shad: increasing devotion to sticks and their role of clubbing people, at an alarming rate. This man is just adapting to the post-apocalyptic early game. A mindset to claim his life back.

[@Soinetwa]

boldof you to assumethere will be ressources to craft "stick" in a post-apocalyptic scenario

[@okierebel3278]

@@Soinetwa What "resources" do you think are needed to "craft" a stick? I can walk out into any grove of trees and literally pick up a suitable "stick" off the ground. I dont need any resources except my two hands.

[@PeppoMusic]

Next up: "Were ROCKS effective battlefield WEAPONS?"

[@gj4312]

@@Soinetwa so long as trees exist, or metal beams or wood from buildings. Anything really, we're good. Some sort of stick is infinitely more likely to survive than any living thing.

[@AegixDrakan]

@@PeppoMusic Were rocks effective, you say? **slaps trebuchet** This baby could *yeet* a stone at couple hundred miles per hour for a couple hundred yards. So what I'm saying is *VERY YES.*

[@craniusdominus8234]

I mean, the reason why two-handed sticks never really became popular is that for the most part, medieval warfare was based on infantry formations, not necessarily the individual prowess of an individiual with a given weapon. I can totally see why quarterstaff formations would be a lot less efficient than pike formations, for example, because everyone would bas their mates over the head by mistake. But a simple, one-handed wooden cudgel would definitly have a place in a shieldwall.

[@craniusdominus8234]

Oh, and I should add that ransom was a thing for pretty much the entire medieval era, and if you got lucky and ransomed the right person, you could drastically improve your lot in life. So, if you were a peasant called to arms, even if you could afford to bring an axe or a spear, you might also want to carry a heavy stick with you. Because you might run into someone important, in fancy armor, and it woudn't to to split his skull with the axe, if there was any chance of a ransom. So, you and a few mates could mob him with clubs until he passed out, instead.

[@LibertyGryphon]

@@craniusdominus8234 good point, but if you can get an axe, you can always hit someone with the back or butt if you want.

[@mrspeigle1]

Quarter staff formations are perfectly effective, however the most effective method for wielding a quarter staff and a tight compacted formation is with thrusting And if you're going to thrust you may as well put something sharp and pointy on the end you're poking with.;)

[@IHateUniqueUsernames]

The (round headed) mace are, arguably, just better balanced, more consistent sticks. I agree with Shad, and thought the same as well, that a hit to the head, even a helmed one, is likely going to at least stagger and render that person much less of a threat, even if the transfer of force doesn't incapacitate him there and then; and that hasn't yet put into discussion the risk to said neck of that head.

[@Bluecho4]

@@IHateUniqueUsernames Absolutely. Even if a heavy stick doesn't crack the skull or cause a concussion, the force of the blow might be enough to snap the neck. Or at least give a nasty case of whiplash.

[@stevewilson6723]

As a former security guard, I carried both a firearm and a straight baton made of cocobolo. The stick never went away it just evolved. The Baltimore police still use a wooden baton known as an espantoon. Most police departments use a metal stick to augment their firearms. Just like the spear did not go away it became the bayonet. Weapons and tactics are always evolving but they are based on previous advances. Greek and Roman shield formations are commonly still used by riot police and prison guards. Full metal plate armor has been replaced by Kevlar and plastic plates.

[@Hathur]

Killing a human with a wooden baseball bat is terrifyingly easy. There's a reason it is one of the most common weapons used in non-firearms based murders (next to bladed weapons). Even a modest strength blow can shatter limbs or crack open an unprotected skull. The humble stick / club is still a bloody effective and lethal weapon. I would rather have a wooden club / bat than a large sharp knife if I were in a fight and had to defend myself.

[@voltekthecyborg7898]

Fair

[@justinallen2408]

Definitely better range and blunt damage Irl is supposed to hurt more than sharp blades.

[@kennandunn7533]

There's also the plausible deniability in case you get caught with a baseball bat in your car.

[@bergonius]

Stopping power is king. Not many weapons have more stopping power than a hefty stick. Meanwhile, knifes have no stopping power at all.

[@ianswinford5570]

Yeah. Clubs and bats don’t get damaged as easily as blades. Little to no maintenance, too.

[@evilwelshman]

I just want to say how much I appreciate how much Shad makes a point to be able to recall - and even cite - his past statements; not just from his most recent videos but even from ones made years ago, allowing him to show and track his consistency and/or evolution on a particular stance or subject. I feel this shows a strong respect to one's own content, a commitment to good production quality, and is an attribute about a show/creator that is more valuable than any fancy equipment or post-production editing. Keep up the good work!

[@shadiversity]

Thanks so much! I certainly try my best, and it's very gratifying that you've noticed, but I still miss a few things here and there.

[@captiouscritic]

@@shadiversity Is there a date set on your movie?

[@douglascolquhoun8502]

@@shadiversity That's what interns are for. Go Oz!

[@Great_Olaf5]

Agreed. A lot of youtubers seem (or are) embarrassed of their older videos, and are liable to ignoring them when they can, but Shad, if he is embarrassed by them at all, so uses them, up show growth and change, because no matter the production quality they're still valid, or to be able to effectively respond to criticism. For someone who regularly admits to being an enthusiast, that is extremely professional behavior, and it's part of why (despite my strong disagreements with him on... Pretty much all things Star Wars) I keep coming back consistently.

[@forsaken22]

@@shadiversity shad if you want something interesting to talk about you should talk about airships in fantasy and their implications in the world building.

[@drageben145]

"I believe that my stick is large and girthy and stiff enough" Shadiversity 2021

[@NaoyaYami]

But is Shad's stick better than bacon?!

[@galadballcrusher8182]

@@NaoyaYami it isnt a matter of it being better than bacon ... it is what it does to bacon ... if u catch my drift (specialy if one doesnt use gravy)

[@texasbeast239]

You didn't type out his complete sentence. Context! "...that it could whack off heaps of people even if they're using protection." 😎

[@DiscardedEmber]

He also said he could " Wack off plenty of people" ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[@leedogg6120]

Thats what she said

[@lockwoan01]

One good reason to use a stick as a weapon, at least in Fantasy stories, is if there's Skeletons in the setting. It's a well known fact that the boney boys be vulnerable to bludgeoning damage.

[@zacklapaglia7644]

Now I want a fantasy setting in, which the characters toss bricks and use slings to defeat ancient skelton warriors.

[@lockwoan01]

@@zacklapaglia7644 Then look at the Castle Assault scene in Army of Darkness, where the defenders toss large rocks on top of the attacking skeletons.

[@hannobaali_makendali]

LARGE ANIMAL BONES WERE USED AS WEAPONS also !!! Watch the opening scenes of 2001: A Space Odyssey !!!

[@lockwoan01]

@@hannobaali_makendali Large tree branches too.

[@future4078]

Battle brothers

[@beowulfshaeffer8444]

Don't worry, Shad. No matter how good guns get, clubs and daggers will never go out of style.

[@hannobaali_makendali]

NEVER EVER !!!

[@FirstDagger]

Most modern militaries: Yeah no. IND and CHN: Hell yeah.

[@Chris-ok4zo]

"Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far." -Theodore Roosevelt, 1900 Literally first thing that came to mind.

[@josephtiseo3303]

And mine was "Don't the call The nuclear carrier named after Roosevelt 'The Big Stick'" One nuclear powered stick ready to order.

[@DrBochen]

Charlemagne actually hat to forbid his Troops to use Clubs. Again his obsession with Rome and the depiction of an Roman Soldier clad in Iron. He basically wanted to be an Emperor and not some petty King that rules over brigands with sticks. But the fact that he forbade his troops to use them tells us How popular they were in the Early Medieval period.

[@Stop_Gooning]

He who has the cheapest arms can arm the most peasants.

[@craniusdominus8234]

@@Stop_Gooning Stones. Stones are clearly the lowest bidder

[@Gr3nadgr3gory]

@@craniusdominus8234 stones killed Goliath.

[@alexanderwolf1984]

Add a bit of cloth to hurl the rock you now have a devistating weapon of war, put a bit larger rocks on a catapult or batista you can now tear down walls or inflict major damage of infrastructure inside the walls. Now coat those same rocks in fat or other burnable material, set it on fire and fire it over the wall you now have a weapon if not more lethal more psychological in impact.

[@MonkeyJedi99]

@@alexanderwolf1984 Most of warfare is the deliberate application of kinetic energy to the bodies and structures of your enemy. Stick, stone, blade, bullet (sling OR gun)...

[@noytelinu]

"When I joined the Corps, we didn't have any fancy-schmanzy tanks. We had sticks! Two sticks, and a rock for the whole platoon-and we had to share the rock! Buck up, boy, you are one very lucky marine!" --Sergeant Avery Junior Johnson

[@saadvideoguru]

Johnson knows the importance of the Stick. He and Shad would be friends

[@marcus4046]

@@saadvideoguru follow the master clubman he'll know what to do.

[@screamingfang]

That would be Sergeant Major Johnson to you. Now ready up ladies

[@EcchiRevenge]

Oh he knows what the ladies like.

[@_gold_eye_2656]

This is like one of the most notable youtube community where people are mature enough to admit they're wrong.

[@michaelramon2411]

Whenever I am watching a Star Wars movie/show/whatever and someone pulls out a stick to fight with, I instinctively imagine them loudly declaring "I HAVE A STICK!" and everyone else freaking out. ...It happens a surprisingly number of times, given that it's a franchise where guns and laser swords are widely available.

[@MisterGames]

Ewoks love sticks.

[@AliceLucindaBronte]

You don't have to kill all the enemies in a battle neither. Knocking them out, disarming them, injuring them and encouraging them to run away... these work too.

[@michaelswagson4457]

It was actually better to capture and ransom a knight instead of killing them

[@joshwist556]

@@michaelswagson4457 Money and Workers!

[@gaming1zanagi-1999]

Yep. Even staggering the opponent is good enough since if you staggered them and/or knocking them back you can still outrun them since they got weighted down by their armour.

[@flamestoyershadowkill]

@@michaelswagson4457 and interegate

[@darkfishthedestroyer139]

this is what i think war hammers, maces and other blunt weapons were more likely used for, yeah you could knock someone out with one swing to the head and break bones especially in the arms even if they are wearing armor, could be possible that you would just keep on hitting and hitting them until they were so disoriented to the point where they either collapse entirely or you are able to get in there and either kill him with a dagger through the eye slit or armpit or carry him off for ransom (not during a battle though probably, maybe after when there are tin cans with half-conscious humans in them lying around the battlefield, thats when you carry em' off for ransom)

[@marrobles2726]

Knight: Trains in the way of the sword all his childhood,wears a handmade set of armor made for him costing what several peasants combined will make in their whole life. Peasant: HA HA HA STICK GO BOOM BOOM

[@danuttall]

Fore! Ring his helmet like a bell.

[@Bluecho4]

Big Stick is praxis.

[@TOAD7464]

Peasant: Trains in the way of the stick

[@ShiningDarknes]

@@danuttall Sounds like a Goreksson quote

[@steakslapn9724]

"Absolute stick" is now the term for a bad ass or particularly useful hand held weapon.

[@thomasborders6882]

MTG players have been using the terms "stick" "girthy stick" and "absolute stick" for for years, referring to particularly large creatures or "beat sticks"...

[@steakslapn9724]

@@thomasborders6882 MTG?

[@astro6009]

@@steakslapn9724 Magic: The Gathering. Fantasy card deck-building game. Carries some concepts from Dungeons & Dragons.

[@mayalackman7581]

I love how Shad has morphed from the sword guy to the stick guy.

[@matheuswohl]

It's only the natural evolution

[@Other_Kev]

In my mind, he's really the gambeson guy

[@Yokai-Samurai]

Not just in Europe but in Japan as well, firearms were used alongside swords for a period of time, they used what was called Tanegashima or Hinawajū, which was a type of matchlock-configured arquebus firearm.

[@mongooseunleashed]

He looks so happy swinging his stick. Totally relatable.

[@charlessapp1835]

At the Battle of Agincourt, many of the English archers used wooden mallets instead of swords or axes to fight the knights and men-at-arms wallowing in the mud. So even if a wooden mallet is technically not a Stick!, it is still the same Stick! principle.

[@SH4D0W0733]

If anything a mallet is a thick short stick penetrated by a long thinner stick. Double stick power.

[@rogerwood5228]

It's harder to ransom a knight if you've impaled them through. Better to bludgeon them into submission and take prisoner.

[@jmoneyjoshkinion4576]

Stick: staff Sharp stick: spear Curved stick and feathered twig: BOW and ARROWS Rock on stick: bludgeon Sharp rock on stick: AXE Metal stick: bar/pipe Sharp metal stick: SWORD! Hollow metal sticks: guns Conclusion: sticks are AWESOME. End of discussion.

[@AJBernard]

Shad and Matt Easton are both fantastic KZbinrs. I don't know why any of their viewers would want to take sides as if this were a competition... it's not. Both are brilliant, and we can learn from both. Celebrate them, don't look for reasons to tear them down. Tearing someone down doesn't make you a better person, it makes you a worse person. Building others up earns honor and esteem.

[@sechran]

Sadly, not every fan can be as civil as the subject of their fandom. Unfortunately, any kind of weapons enthusiast angle is going to attract a certain number of aggro-meatheads who always default to hostility.

[@Devin_Stromgren]

I think it's mostly people framing it as a competition as a joke.

[@An.Unsought.Thought]

I just don't see how you can take "sides" as if this were a subjective debate. You are right, this is not a competition. Shad is objectively right because Matt took a single part of an overall statement Shad made, and then built up a straw-man of Shad as if Shad had said "The invention of guns made swords immediately irrelevant". Which is not what he said or even implied in the least. Either Matt was so focused on doing a reply video that he wasn't paying attention to Shad's overall statements closely enough.... or he maliciously took Shad out of context. I'm going to assume its the former because he doesn't seem like a bad guy. But there really isn't any defense for his response video against Shad. Even his subscribers called out his error.

[@petermuller3995]

@@An.Unsought.Thought "or he maliciously took Shad out of context" There would be many better opertunities considering how many shit posts shad makes.

[@LetholdusKaspyr]

It's almost like civilized disagreement and discussion is how proper scholarship is done.

[@xLoLRaven]

Great intro Shad... And remember everyone, "Walk softly and carry a big stick!"

[@SawedOffLaser]

This video mainly proves the point that hitting someone really hard with a heavy thing is a good way to kill them, regardless of how fancy said heavy thing is.

[@nPcDrone]

Sticks and stones may break your bones but the right type of stick can really hurt you.

[@antonius.martinus]

Sticks and stones may break your bones, but a right type of stick can break your skull. I know the skull is bone, but I wanted it to ryme

[@petersmythe6462]

There's also a niche for smaller sticks, and that is as daggers. Turns out that even though precolumbian South America had many examples of Flint, Copper, Bronze, Arsenical Bronze, Brass, and other denser items, hard woods like peach-palm wood were used to make daggers in some areas. These daggers were quite long and had sharpened edges and a distal taper. They probably weren't great at cutting (certainly not cutting bone), but they could definitely pierce flesh and were not as bulky or expensive as flint daggers, and may have been significantly lighter and more maneuverable than copper or even bronze ones.

[@ShiningDarknes]

"What if he comes at me with a pointed stick?"

[@manfredconnor3194]

Cool. That is pretty interesting. When did they use these? How is it that they didn't rot?

[@manfredconnor3194]

@@ShiningDarknes haha! Nice one! Or a banana! Those bananas are brutal!

[@jooot_6850]

@@ShiningDarknes VERY pointed stick.

[@aka-47k]

hey the most used wapon in prison to kill pple is pencils (wooden one so sticks) as they stick it into throat or eye youre a goner, prisoners know the power of the short stick.

[@Serenity2Witchs]

When social-bait youtubers have response videos: "OMG what a insel-cow" When Medieval youtubers have response videos: *Engages in ideas physics & combat with historical references, injecting some humor every so often, and ending basically in a handshake*

[@EshockerD]

I never heard of the term "social-bait" before, could you elaborate?

[@carlsjolund2379]

Well of course, smaller communities like medieval youtubers have to Stick together

[@churchboy4609]

@@carlsjolund2379 XD, that gave me a giggle

[@carlsjolund2379]

@@churchboy4609 Thank you, it was a cheap joke tho. I’m trying to grow my humor and Branch out my pun-catalog :)

[@kyleguajardo]

Leave it to people who study medieval war to be more civilized.

[@old_arsed_eldergoth2800]

As soon as I saw Matt's video, my first thought was, "Shad is definitely going to have something to say about this one!" and of course, you didn't disappoint! 😂

[@chonconnor6144]

Keep in mind also most war clubs would have been made of very hard woods like Oak that were then hardened in fire and lacquered to add strength and durability. These were not mere 'sticks' being brought to the battlefields.

[@OzymandiasRex]

Makes sense that some people might loose their sword and would then have to fall back onto the cheapest and most readily available alternative. It's not like you can just say you're not taking part in tomorrows battle just cause your sword broke or got lost. It may also be for religious reasons or as a form of penance. Finally, that guy fighting the duel against the woman on horseback is clearly using it as a handicap to protect his honor.

[@lunkystraydog6572]

yeah he was standing backwards to her, also , they probably where having fun.

[@4Curses]

It may also just be the cheaper option when you just spend all your savings on a sword and armor. You don't really want to damage your expensive status weapon by hitting it on armor when a big stick can to the job just as good. And why get a mace when big stick energy is just as good?

[@BobMcBobJr]

@@4Curses Starting as a naked peasant, I'd rather a shield, a helmet, and/or some metal greaves/shinguards over upgrading big stick to mace. So, agreed. Though, I wonder what the comparative survival difference is between upgrading from big stick to spear is (the spear being a naturally defensive weapon) and upgrading from no greaves to greaves is? Shield is first, helmet is second. I wonder what the next step along the "I don't want to die" track is? I make a big deal about greaves because I recently learned firsthand that go-for-the-legs is very effective.

[@jooot_6850]

@@BobMcBobJr yeah, i'd say spear takes the cake since you can keep people away. Plus you can put the stick on your belt!

[@thestupidfuncrisallstodios470]

someone: * says sticks are bad * shad: how dare you

[@ModernKnight]

fun to listen to, if you want to see a medieval gonne used against a medieval basic breastplate, we show it here. It's the armour Shad showed in his video! kzbin.info/www/bejne/oXazeGxuqbl8orc

[@George_Bland]

I'm going to start calling them "gonnes".

[@ModernKnight]

@@EpsilonNought yes it was, generally, spelled gonnes in manuscripts I've seen. sometimes they were called hackbusses (acquebus?) hackbuts etc. too.

[@PeppoMusic]

@@ModernKnight Hackbus/arquebusse/haakbus/hackbuts is a more modern term ascribed to the literal definition of a 'hook gun' (from Dutch: "hook tube"), that had a hook-like attachment at the bottom for stabilizing the gun. Which is a more modern variation of firearm than the original 'gonne/gunne'. Which apparently also ascribed to be used to describe a particularily strong crossbow (as "Lady Gunilda", from old Norse "gunnr, hildr" "strife, battle"). So the name might have had an origin as a reference to crossbows, then the name split off and diversified, language is messy...

[@ModernKnight]

@@PeppoMusic Gonne and hackbus are used inerchangeabley in documents I've read from circa 1400 or so. The English grab words from other languages, beat them up and turn them into slightly different words lol.

[@Side85Winder]

Gnomes in gonnes!!! To battle!!!!!!

[@spinelessmoderate8715]

"Grab it by the shaft" - Scholagladiatoria "When you grab a big girthy stick" - Shad These two videos have great soundbites, hahaha

[@TheBubbleob]

Have to say Shad, really appreciate that you take the time to highlight in so many of these conversations how much impact context has on the discussion. Clear example here: You highlight the point that in the context of Matt's discussion about "Stick vs 'Better' Weapon" when you consider things like 'Stick vs Armor' or 'Stick vs Swords' the context of assumptions in play is really important. Great work mate, another good discussion.

[@shadfacts6465]

Shad Fact: Shad's has visited over 2000 realms in his travels, but ours was the only one he wanted to raise a family in. Shad Fact Fact: with a heavy heart we must announce this account is retiring. It's been a blast but due to budget cuts and staffing issues we here and Shad Facts will no longer be able to provide Shad Facts as they deserve to be presented. Thank you all for your comments and support.

[@shadiversity]

It has been a true pleasure, Shad Facts, you will be remembered for the rest of my life, and the facts you shared have enlightened us all.

[@akaviral5476]

I'm going to miss these:( Thank you for everything

[@i_ziellos_i8884]

Shad Facts, gone but not forgotten...

[@Vesohag]

See You, Medieval Knight.

[@gunslinger626]

This makes me terribly Shad...

[@fnglert]

Re: Sticks vs helmets: A weapon does not need to penetrate or damage the armor to do bad things to the squishy bits underneath. A solid enough blow will shatter bones or break necks. The padding helps, but isn't a miracle anti-stick layer of protection. Inertia is a hell of a thing. Even if you don't shatter a skull or break a neck, you're going to ring his bell and disorient him, with a good hit to the helmet.

[@user-bm7bj6kq9e]

In terms of a quarterstaff. Yes you might stun him and disorient him, but you wont do any real damage beside a bruise even on a full swing. Too little mass. Clubs on the other hand - they would do damage against a padded plate helmet. I know it's not full swings but look at Metatrons video on blunt impact and armor. Medium swings with wooden swords are not even felt.

[@blairbuskirk5460]

And it's very loud inside said helmet when struck, disorientingly so.

[@leoncaruthers]

I toppled over once on my motorcycle at very low speed and bounced my (helmeted) head off the pavement. Neck was sore for days, and I saw stars at the time. Lethal? No, but if it'd been a club hit to the noggin I wasn't in a state to fight back after that for at least a minute or two.

[@1stCallipostle]

@@leoncaruthers an addendum to that last bit Is people forget how precious seconds are in battle I mean look at a modern flash bang You only fully disable the opponent for a matter of seconds But chances are You don't need much more than that

[@1stCallipostle]

@@abdielgrande9529 You'll be disoriented for like 8 minutes Have ringing ears and blind spots for like a day But I've heard accounts saying that people will start blindly reacting after about 8 seconds In a modern context That's some guy wildly spraying an AK at something he can't see Something I think one would like to take those seconds to avoid

[@wolfancap6897]

Saying a club is not a stick because its much thicker and more powerful is the same thing as saying a Zweihander isn't a sword because its much longer and thinner. STICK is a family of weapons that are defined by their simplicity and woodiness.

[@shinobi-no-bueno]

No...not even close to a proper analogy. Is a tree a stick? Is a bench a stick? Things are what they are made to be, maiming a manufactured club is not a stick although a branch like the one shad shows COULD be used as an IMPROVED club. Do you see the difference?

[@wolfancap6897]

@@shinobi-no-bueno Why so serious?

[@elperronimo]

@@wolfancap6897 big stick energy

[@slashroar]

@@wolfancap6897 Because you were serious too

[@foxyfoxington2651]

Hot Take: A Zweihander is a metal stick.

[@TheMightyKite]

Omg thank you so much!, we just found this video and my buddy and I finally have an answer to our debate on Clubs being effective against blades!.

[@thelightningrod]

13:05 when you can tell Shad is having so much fun just swinging a big stick around. Absolutely relatable

[@DaShikuXI]

One thing i feel often gets overlooked when it comes to staff type weapons is jabs/thrusts. A quick jab to the face, or a jab to the chest to push someone away, can be very impactful.

[@mekhane.broken9678]

Especially if that stick has a metal ferul. Spelling bad brain no work.

[@MidwestArtMan]

Another interesting point is their ability to ruin knees, which aren’t as armored. You don’t need to kill your opponent if they can’t continue to fight.

[@o0alessandro0o]

And we all know that the Bible is a mite fuzzy on the subject of kneecaps, which makes them excellent weapons for your fighting monks :p

[@headhunter1945]

Incredibly, inertia doesn't do less damage just because it hits you with a sharp edge, by the way. In fact, this will do more damage.

[@ugabuga2586]

shields.

[@Irishfrasa]

You go ahead for the knees while he goes for center mass. If you're packing a stick you're probably wearing a burlap sack for armor too

[@acethemain7776]

skyrim all over again

[@jogomax5361]

Not long after his original stick video about nunchucks I went to home depot and found a nice oak stick. I wanted to turn it into a cane and as a blacksmith I forged a hammer/cane/ head. The cane turned out wonderfully and looks better than many store-bought canes I have seen. Of course my cane is also a hammer and hits like a truck (I've tested it)

[@spritemon98]

I'm surprised it's not a hidden blade as well 🤣

[@Sigilstone17]

.....HOW did you "test" this implement?

[@nooneshome8746]

Dude, that is not a cane, that is a warhammer.

[@IRMentat]

@@Sigilstone17 presumably, carefully.

[@shinobi-no-bueno]

They sell sticks at home Depot?

[@filiuscanis2413]

To put this video into context: -swords are ineffective against full plate armor UNLESS you hit the vital spots with a stabby motion which can be hard to pull of in the heat of battle -plate armor makes you slower and clumsier and helmets limit your vision -a good swing aimed at the head can knockout someone. easier to land a hit against heavily armored opponents. -clubs allow you to use a big shield -clubs aren't hard to use especially when compared to swords -clubs are inexpensive (duh) -serve as a side arm (important for sieges where you want to preserve your main weapon)

[@KieraQ0323]

plate armor doesn't make a super big difference in your agility

[@mcspiffington]

@@KieraQ0323 still a difference though

[@moonflowerviewing91]

Also knights didn't just wear plate alone it was a layer of gambson,chainmail, then plate . Futher, one could argue that gambson ( a thick cloth armor) was also used to soften blows from blunt weapons.

[@napalmmachete]

NRA: "we have the right to defend ourselves!" Shad: "check out my big stick"

[@calumdeighton]

"Were sticks battlefields weapons"? Off the bat, yes, for Hobbits.

[@benderrodriguez5425]

I see what you did there. Have my like!

[@shadowdragonx07]

hobbits......ohhhh chu mean modern day migits 😄 LOLZ

[@kei_xvideos]

Hobbits = Japanese kzbin.info/www/bejne/h6uYZJljepuorLc

[@tjbr50]

And Gandalf

[@tjbr50]

Phased out completely? Tell that to the Gurkhas! 😂

[@the_mushroom_lad4643]

Skallagrim: Let’s have a good conversation about if this movie battle scene is accurate. Shad: Ay this man is disrespecting the sticc

[@TheChzoronzon]

the sticc is thicc

[@braydoxastora5584]

When I joined the Knights Chapter, we didn't have any fancy-schmancy Swords. We had sticks! Two sticks, and a rock for the whole chapter-and we had to share the rock!

[@CowCommando]

This is my favorite crossover to date.

[@mrschizo2837]

But what about that dragon? "We've all heard the stories, they're tough, but they ain't invincible. Stay with the Maester Fief, he'll know what to do."

[@shieldwallofdragons]

I really enjoyed this video and the discussion about sticks...12:30 the technical term for that blow is a wallop.

[@henrygabriel2527]

Hey shad just finished reading shadow of the conqueror great work bro, had me hooked the entire time

[@AEsir_Goji]

Shad and Matt replying to each other for different subjects and I am here for it!

[@jlan7844]

Your ideas about carrying a walking stick/cane as a self defense tool has actually inspired me for my D&D 3.5 setting I've been toying around with in my spare time. I'm going to have it so that in some kingdoms it is considered high fashion among the nobility, especially warriors, to carry a weapon made to be a dress cane as well. And there are actually more than clubs that could work like that. Some of the smaller mace heads in real life actually could pass for the hand grip of a cane very easily, opening up light maces as an option for a "battle cane". You also have the style of cane that has longer handle perpendicular to the shaft, usually made to look like some kind of animal in real life. This could just as easily be a disguised warhammer or warpick. Or even a tomahawk style axe.

[@aka-47k]

or make a rapier hidden inside a round sheath masked as a walking stick XD

[@jlan7844]

@@aka-47k Can't tell if you're serious or joking so I'll say this anyway, sword canes are a HORRIBLE weapon. The handle would have to be round and not have a crossguard to be able to be concealed; which means your hands will spend as much time sliding down the blade as it does on the handle. And sheathing the thing is impossible. Either the sheathe is attached too securely to draw quickly, or its so loose that it keeps falling out. And finally the blades are awful on those things. They're usually too thin and weak to be useful, and they're always too short to be much better than a dagger.

[@justinlast2lastharder749]

@@jlan7844 Tell that to G.D. Gibbs, who was killed by a Cane Sword in a fight over a dog. Tell that to Tyler Chism's family, who was killed by a Sword Cane wielding 59 year old in Portland just a couple years ago....I could go on with the list, but suffice it to say that Reality debunks your argument.

[@wilcoxway]

@@jlan7844 Easy ways to mend your issues. First, change the rapier blade to an estoc blade. Second, change the pommel/handle to an ovular shape and make the cross-guard rounded, that way it can resemble more of a walking stick/cane with an alternative grip method, which is suitable since it's now a longer blade. Third, make the sheath round and add a twisting lock, that way when sheathed, the blade locks in place so it doesn't fall out and yet can still easily be drawn in a pinch. And since the cane sword has an estoc blade, it lacks an edge anyways as it is now a thrusting sword. Edge alignment is a non-issue and the blade itself can be focused into making it more durable. P.S: On a normal cane sword, a well made one, said issue of the scabbard either falling off or being too tight to pull the blade quickly is simply a nonexistent issue. Just as well, the blade is hardly awful, you can cut a pig carcass in half with a rapier. Also, 2 feet is hardly a dagger, that's longer than the average short sword.

[@jlan7844]

@@justinlast2lastharder749 In both of those cases I'd be willing to bet that the people killed were unarmed, and the guy with the sword already had it drawn. that second point is important because many models use slow ways to draw them (threaded handles being the most common). In a case of weapon versus unarmed it doesn't really matter what the weapon is. An inmate in prison can commit murder with a couple of plastic knives melted together if the other guy doesn't have a shiv of his own. So yeah, just because someone CAN be killed with something doesn't make it a good weapon. Heck, I know it was just a movie, but the Joker killed a guy with a pencil. And that was one of the least far fetched kills he got, since it has happened in real life as well.

[@andrewthegeek6522]

the reply chain in the youtuber history enthusiast almost always starts with that is a good video and respect

[@kronoscamron7412]

" stick with a very big knob in the end" "Could wack off heaps of people wearing protection" we are still talking about weapons ,right?

[@Waterenjoyer1308]

“I believe that my stick is large and girthy enough and stiff enough to wack off heaps of people even if they’re using protection.” 0:06 Hold up

[@kennandunn7533]

The "Big Stick Energy" saga continues!

[@bobbiesterling574]

i think one of the huge advantages of the stick as a weapon is the fact that, well, its a stick. a stick is free. a stick requires no maintenence. if your stick breaks, just find another one (not always feasible in the moment, but the point still stands).

[@jonasrausch9146]

Also, a Stick requires little to no training. Just wack someone, the most basic human instinct.

[@Xplora213]

Free is an incredible advantage.

[@b.h.abbott-motley2427]

This really depends on where you are. In most of Europe & other wooded areas, sure, you can make a club, if you have a hatchet or similar. You might be able to even find an ok club without needing a tool, though that's tricky because rotting sticks make poor clubs. Finding or making a proper staff of 7-9ft is more tricky. & certain parts of the world don't have readily available sticks suitable for either clubs or staves, like in a desert or other arid environment.

[@Gr3nadgr3gory]

@@b.h.abbott-motley2427 correct me if I'm wrong but don't the African tribes use wooden blunt force weapons all the time? It's a far more valuable resource but it's still there.

[@An.Unsought.Thought]

@@b.h.abbott-motley2427 If you have a hatchet you could make a reasonably good staff or club and then with a campfire you can heat-treat it so that its much more durable and protected against rotting. It may take work, but surely something even a commoner could do a thousand years ago. (though who knows if the knowledge of heat-treating was widespread enough back then). Either way.. you could probably fit a few clubs like that in a backpack of sorts.

[@JonathanMandrake]

I think what should also be mentioned is that even peasants can get a club, it just is cut from a tree. That makes it quite cheap, especially compared to a good sword or something like that.

[@topogigio7031]

Here's the kicker, this is a repeat video. Shad has been getting super, super lazy

[@someotherworldlybeing3167]

@@topogigio7031 this is his second response to the same KZbinr about the same topic?

[@KartarNighthawk]

Especially if you still have to buy armour

[@saidviveros5212]

Sasaki Kojiro: I have a nodachi, one of the greatest swords of japan, and I am legendary for using it with great power Miyamoto musashi: BONK

[@GladstnJones]

10/10 for that intro, very good big stick energy, earns a subscribe... Oh wait... I'm already subscribed. 😎

[@Rav0000000]

Not to mention, swinging with a thin quarterstaff, the flexbility of the quarterstaff acts as a shock absorber, reducing the effective inertia into the target. Clubs are generally thicker and less flexible.

[@KairuHakubi]

yeah to me a quarterstaff seems like more of a manipulation weapon than an impact-based one. you trip, knock down, and disarm people with a staff. then maybe stab 'em with something else.

[@DavidRichardson153]

Here's a simple fact to why the stick is arguably the deadliest weapon of all: you can still take one with you on a plane (and with that, I am now permanently on the TSA's watchlist).

[@conorhopper]

Silly you... You thought you weren't already.

[@1stCallipostle]

With a stick like the one in the video, they actually would probably stop you for a "club like object" and ask you to either leave it behind or put it in a checked bag (at which point you can transport swords, guns, ammo, etc anyways)

[@crazyjoeshorts5256]

Point of fact, those metal canes they have today make amazing weapons. I use one from time to time due to my mobility issues.

[@Random_Guy_20xx]

"You wouldn't part an old man from his walking stick?"- Gandalf

[@doktordanomite9105]

Best thing about some sticks is that they are not generally threatening like a sword is. A good weapon for one not looking for trouble but ready for it.

[@josephtiseo3303]

Im not sure about that... If I saw a man walking down the street with a large stick over his shoulder... I would think something was about to go down. A man with a sword... Id likely be wondering where the renfair was. :). Wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of either.

[@doktordanomite9105]

@@josephtiseo3303 okay but consider in the time period and on the road

[@dimanarinull9122]

the latest installment in the "sticks are awesome" series. and I love it.

[@shokeya]

In the battle of Saule, pagans lured overconfident Livonian knights to a swamp. This type of battleground was a huge disadvantage for heavily armored cavalry. Lightly armored footed pagans knocked them down from horses mostly using sticks and won the battle.

[@TheNotoriousCheeto]

First 20 seconds: "I believe that my stick is large and girthy enough, and stiff enough, that it could wack off heaps of people even if they're using protection." Oh, so it's going to be THAT kind of video.

[@MonkeyJedi99]

In the previous video in this cross-channel discussion, Matt Easton did make several references to "grabbing the shaft."

[@MircoBeier]

I am the only one, thinking: Shad has WAY TO MUCH fun hitting the dummy with the club xD

[@frankroos1167]

Now this is the video I was waiting for since the infamous nunchaku video. Good show. Good information. Good entertainment. Good good.

[@XStormieX]

Great video, that intro was absolutely awesomely hilarious lmfao 🤣

[@daniel-zh9nj6yn6y]

''Shad shows Matt how powerful his big stick is''. George Takei: Oh my !

[@bort6459]

But what if I split my stick in two, attached them with a chain and turned them into something that could hit me as easily as my opponent? Surely that would be the most viable weapon of war.

[@shadiversity]

YOU HAD STICK, STICK VERY GOOD!!!

[@reallachendo7492]

@@shadiversity I guess you could say, you should stick with what works, love the vid btw

[@shawnm1902]

But what about rock? Is rock good? What if you attached rock to a chain and a stick?

[@josephtiseo3303]

But we have to share the rock.

[@erikvale3194]

"Let's talk about sticks. And by sticks I only mean quaterstaves." "So, you mean let's talk about quaterstaves?" "No, I mean sticks." -.-

[@shinobi-no-bueno]

Don't forget branches 🤦

[@chadgrimwell8380]

Lol 😆👍

[@taqresu5865]

I think it's also worth pointing out that a solid club is easier to find and access than most other weapons. It's a great emergency use weapon.

[@KingDanyo]

That was the cleanest intro I've ever seen.

[@diamantemine5493]

The Portuguese used sticks a lot in medieval times! It was mostly herding sticks, and they're credited for winning many battles such as aljubarrota. The jogo do pau (game of the stick) is a martial art that uses sticks for combat, and it had a pretty long story in (the more rural parts of) northern Portugal!

[@Gr3nadgr3gory]

I love that as a name of a martial art, game of the stick! Does the form deal with animals as much as people given that it comes from a herding stick?

[@brittakriep2938]

I am german. A man in his early 70s told me, his father and other farmers formerly had to cross a chain of hills with a ( for my region) large Forrest to reach a cattle market. The men allways marched in groups of three or more men, everybody had a cane or a ,Stecken' ( a cutaway not to thick straight branch). But here was no martial Art.

[@diamantemine5493]

@@Gr3nadgr3gory Imagine swordfighting but with more wacking, that's almost it. And no afaik animals aren't involved in the sport. It was just a way peasants and herders fought not only for sport but for other reasons like disagreements and etc..

[@IIIAnchani]

I enjoyed that earrape battlefield theme. The meme was well placed, masterfully executed and overall brilliant. My ears bleed, but my heart commanded me to like instantly at that point.

[@b.h.abbott-motley2427]

For an unarmored duel in the open, Joseph Swetnam in the early 17th century considered a "staff with a pike" superior to any staff weapon with a heavier head, assuming equal length, because the weight of the head makes the weapon less nimble. The pike-staff was essentially a spear, albeit one with a minimal head, & was a common civilian weapon in England from the 14th century to the 17th century, if not longer. George Silver likewise recommend the "short staff," which the art shows had a spike on each end, for unarmored combat in the open. George Silver was clear staff blows to the head from his 8-9ft short staff were powerful in the context for unarmored fighting, expecting them to have a good chance of killing or seriously injuring even against improperly held ward with a short weapon like a sword or even sword & shield. When Richard Peeke supposedly used the quarterstaff to defeat three Spaniards armed with rapier & dagger, he employed a halberd haft with the head removed that had an iron spike on the butt. He used this spike to make his only kill in the fight, though it's not clear whether it was a thrust or blow. How much does the quarterstaff used in this video weigh? How much does the club? According to the Great Ming Military blog, the Ming military used quarterstaves as battlefield weapons, & one manuals gives weight & length: 4.55lbs at 7.35ft. Apparently they were used without a sharp point, but sometimes or often they did have a short point/blade added. Based on 14th/15th-century English homicide records analyzed by Barbara A. Hanawalt, staves accounted for approximately a quarter of all killings, while knives/daggers accounted for around half. Some of the weapons labeled as staves in these accounts had sharp metal bits, but many didn't & many of the detailed descriptions have a single blow to the head from a staff delivering a fatal & quickly incapacitating injury.

[@BelegaerTheGreat]

"I bought this plate armor for 4 villages, you..." **BONK**

[@Arviragus13]

I imagine one of the main issues with using such a stick in a battlefield environment would be maneuverability. That being said, with friends, a shield, and the stick just being heavy enough, that might not matter too much. Blocking with just the stick could be problematic (but that's what shields and formations are for), since it looks slow (at least that beast in the video does), but trying to block it could suck even more

[@Mepper.]

Isn't cost also a significant factor? I could outfit a mob of 100 men with stick-clubs for less than the cost of getting a sword for 1. If I loose 5 men while attacking the sword-wielder, I still have 95 men and I now also have the sword. In a "fair" fight 1 club vs 1 sword probably wouldn't fare well, but I think part of ensuring winning is to make the fight as un-fair as possible.

[@bofflethewaffle]

Skill is also a think that shouldn't be disregard, imo. Training people to use a sword effectively, aligning the edge, etc takes a lot more time than just giving them a big ol' club and telling them to aim for the head. When you need a large force equipped with lethal weapons for cheap money and want them to be effective without lengthy training? Clubs will definitely do the job.

[@pupax2000]

These are the videos, that I didn't even know that I needed. Binging hours of katana, stick and sword videos

[@douglasphillips5870]

As was pointed out, sticks and clubs can be found readily in wooded landscapes, so it stands to reason that they would be common improvised weapons. People in the middle ages were pretty good at improvising based on how many weapons were repurposed farm equipment.

[@justinlast2lastharder749]

The thing is, a lot of Farm Equipment was also repurposed battle gear. A real "Chicken vs Egg" scenario. We were Hunters before we were Farmers.

[@jaesaces]

I remember The Modern Rogue did a video on the quarterstaff a couple years ago, and I think it was the first weapon they tried that they were genuinely worried about using.

[@nukenvy2]

10:30 have you thought about boat oars of various types? that falls into the long club category...

[@Orrenn]

Stick: Classic Stick Quarterstaff: Long Stick Club: Weighted Stick Spear: Pointy Stick Axe: Sharp Weighted Stick Sword: Sharp Metal Stick Lance: Long Pointy Stick Halberd: Long Weighted Metal Pointy Sharp Stick Bec-de-corbin: Long Weighted Metal Pointy Pointy Stick ... Musket: Gun, but also Stick ...The history of war is truly the history of stick supremacy.

[@vgrunner5759]

bayonet equiped rifle: short metal (and wood) stick with perks

[@wileymcgraw5511]

Musket with bayonet Gun but also stick with short sharp metal stick

[@grsshppr7659]

Blades get stuck in shields. Clubs don't. If you're trying to smash through a shield wall, a club is arguably superior to even an axe since you're free to bash and bash away without your weapon getting stripped off you.

[@mike7652]

I'm not an expert, but seems like bashing through a wooden shield with a wooden stick/club would take a bit if time and a lot of exertion. Could probably be done, but maybe not the best approach.

[@Elkator955]

Shields are very good at shock resistance, because they usually move, distributing the energy, so a blunt weapon isn't exactly the best choice, unless you hit them so hard, you break the shield wielder's hand.

[@shinobi-no-bueno]

Hammer > Club

[@grsshppr7659]

@@Elkator955 Shields move, eh? Kinda makes them useless as shields then if the idea is to get at the soft bits behind them. Anyhow, it's not just shields that blades get stuck in; they also get stuck in armor and bodies. If you're in a line battle and you kill the guy in front of you... GREAT. If your blade gets stuck for as long as two seconds in his ribcage... well, his buddies are gonna stick you back whilst you desperately try and free your weapon. Just my two cents; I never fought a line battle from the front. But I've stuck a blade in quite a few shields and that same give and shock resistance tends to grip onto the metal that sticks through them quite a bit. A big meaty club tho... one or two good swings and either the arm holding the shield is numbed or broken, the shield is knocked out of line, or it's beginning to become splinters. But who really knows why people used clubs; maybe it's just as simple as not everyone forced to fight in a battle had access to metal enhancements for their sticks.

[@Elkator955]

@@grsshppr7659 Not move as in get out of the way, move as in shock absorption. As soon as you stop applying force it springs back to its position. Plus soldiers would wear thick layers of clothing giving them additional shock adsorption so it would be harder to break their arm with a strap shield. You could make them maybe drop it, but shields were designed so you can hold it even if someone is hitting it constantly. It is always better to try and go around the shield rather than through it even with a big blunt stick. Sure you could tire the enemy out the fastest with a stick or rather a mace; but it's better to make them make a mistake so you can stick them dead with the king of formation weapons, the spear.

[@caseydubois3645]

I have heard a story about a Scottish clan who were involved in a battle on the Isle of Skye, and had to run into the woods armed only with their dirks. They managed to find a defensible position at a riverbank, and had a couple minutes to make clubs out of the nearby trees. So when their enemies showed up with their basket-hilted broadswords, they flew to the attack, and (this bit is probably apocryphal) they wiped out the enemy without a single casualty on their side.

[@kennandunn7533]

Interesting, you've just added a new word to my smartass lexicon.

[@caseydubois3645]

@@kennandunn7533 Which one? "Apocryphal"?

[@CowCommando]

Probably apocryphal, but the surprise of someone charging you with a club who you thought was mostly defenseless could be enough to cause a route.

[@kennandunn7533]

@@caseydubois3645 That's the one!

[@wickedwilfre8348]

I actually have a bunch of sticks harvested from my yard as well as choice cuts from recently felled trees in my community's trail. Some of them are just menacing and have some good maneuverability as well, could definitely do some real damage.

[@scottbraun2457]

That intro, is so definitely going to get ..so many juvenile results. It's impossible not to. I'm already saving this.

[@dagdamor1]

“We need common sense stick control.” -Durin’s Bane, Balrog of Morgoth

[@couldawa7114]

“Especially sticks taped to helmets those are really dangerous.” -Gothmog, general of Morgoth’s armies.

[@gavinsmith9871]

Well of course he would say that. He burns every stick he comes in contact with. He'd be out of a job.

[@OurHereafter]

"You know, it's harder to use an assault stick to hit something than it is a nunchuku, OK." -Mouth of Sauron, Barad Dur Spokesperson