Jasonwclark
August 7th, 2008, 04:38 PM
I see mistakes in paintings almost as frequently as I seem them in film, so I thought it might be helpful for others if we briefly discussed sword fighting the way it really goes down. Here’s a cool video by Modern Marvels for those who haven’t seen it yet. I hate videos that aren't youtube, but its the best 4 minute breakdown I've found.
Swords, Knives and Axes
http://www.history.com/media.do?action=clip&id=mm_ask_sword_combat_broadband
The Arts of Mars
(web video series with many excellent paintings and woodcuts)
http://www.thearma.org/Videos/RMAWD.htm
Check out how these crazy bastards get the job done.
RJT1_1C231k&feature=related
Some more articles from ARMA
http://www.thearma.org/essays.htm
I especially like this one
http://www.thearma.org/essays/longsword-and-katana.html
The important thing to recall is that weapons and armor are related in important ways. A katana for example, or a Mameluke saber/rapier like the one the Marines sport, is designed to function primarily as a slashing weapon. They usually have a single edge and a curved blade, for use against opponents with little or no armor (like say normal clothing, or a leather cuirass.) They can usually pierce as well (the Katana especially), but are used principally as slashing or cutting weapons. Here's a dope video for those interested in Japanese swords.
hmLTr9zFegQ
Medieval Western swords, like Excalibur or the claymore in Braveheart, are for the most part piercing weapons. The tip of the blade is the killing point, and most were designed to puncture heavy armor. In a 14th or 15th century pitched fight, for example, the edge of the blade might not matter all that much, since basically what you were trying to do was penetrate the armor by using the sword more like a spear, or else bashing and denting it like you would with a hammer. As armor became less relevant, after the invention of firearms, longswords are used more for quick thrusting attacks like you might see in modern fencing. These are of course generalizations, but for our purposes, its helpful to bare in mind the differences between thrusting/piercing attacks and slicing/cutting attacks; and to recall that the design of the weapon influences the way its used in combat. For more on thrusting vs. cutting check out: http://www.thearma.org/essays/thrusting_vs_cutting.html
The Roman gladius can be a slashing sword as well as a piercing one, but where most people get it wrong is with the overhead swing. The natural tendency of most people (ancient barbarians included) is to handle their weapons overhead, like you would a club or axe, by raising it first and then swinging it down onto the opponent with gravity to assist. The Romans didn’t fight this way though, and actually trained to take advantage the natural tendencies of their opponents. Instead what they would do is to receive the overhead blow with their left shield arm (sinister), and then respond to it by cutting/stabbing upward with their gladius from below. The idea is to immobilize the enemy by wounding the legs and lower torso, or (in a best case scenario) to sever the femoral artery at the groin, which will then drain body of all its blood in about 3 minutes. Deadly
The sword that conquered Europe
http://www.romans-in-britain.org.uk/mil_roman_soldier_sword.htm
431689
I suppose I'll put this thread in the ref section, so we could use it for pictures and links pertaining to swords and other pre-industrial weapons.
Swords, Knives and Axes
http://www.history.com/media.do?action=clip&id=mm_ask_sword_combat_broadband
The Arts of Mars
(web video series with many excellent paintings and woodcuts)
http://www.thearma.org/Videos/RMAWD.htm
Check out how these crazy bastards get the job done.
RJT1_1C231k&feature=related
Some more articles from ARMA
http://www.thearma.org/essays.htm
I especially like this one
http://www.thearma.org/essays/longsword-and-katana.html
The important thing to recall is that weapons and armor are related in important ways. A katana for example, or a Mameluke saber/rapier like the one the Marines sport, is designed to function primarily as a slashing weapon. They usually have a single edge and a curved blade, for use against opponents with little or no armor (like say normal clothing, or a leather cuirass.) They can usually pierce as well (the Katana especially), but are used principally as slashing or cutting weapons. Here's a dope video for those interested in Japanese swords.
hmLTr9zFegQ
Medieval Western swords, like Excalibur or the claymore in Braveheart, are for the most part piercing weapons. The tip of the blade is the killing point, and most were designed to puncture heavy armor. In a 14th or 15th century pitched fight, for example, the edge of the blade might not matter all that much, since basically what you were trying to do was penetrate the armor by using the sword more like a spear, or else bashing and denting it like you would with a hammer. As armor became less relevant, after the invention of firearms, longswords are used more for quick thrusting attacks like you might see in modern fencing. These are of course generalizations, but for our purposes, its helpful to bare in mind the differences between thrusting/piercing attacks and slicing/cutting attacks; and to recall that the design of the weapon influences the way its used in combat. For more on thrusting vs. cutting check out: http://www.thearma.org/essays/thrusting_vs_cutting.html
The Roman gladius can be a slashing sword as well as a piercing one, but where most people get it wrong is with the overhead swing. The natural tendency of most people (ancient barbarians included) is to handle their weapons overhead, like you would a club or axe, by raising it first and then swinging it down onto the opponent with gravity to assist. The Romans didn’t fight this way though, and actually trained to take advantage the natural tendencies of their opponents. Instead what they would do is to receive the overhead blow with their left shield arm (sinister), and then respond to it by cutting/stabbing upward with their gladius from below. The idea is to immobilize the enemy by wounding the legs and lower torso, or (in a best case scenario) to sever the femoral artery at the groin, which will then drain body of all its blood in about 3 minutes. Deadly
The sword that conquered Europe
http://www.romans-in-britain.org.uk/mil_roman_soldier_sword.htm
431689
I suppose I'll put this thread in the ref section, so we could use it for pictures and links pertaining to swords and other pre-industrial weapons.