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Christopher B Lellis




Location: Houston, Texas
Joined: 01 Dec 2012

Posts: 268

PostPosted: Fri 29 Nov, 2013 1:46 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

There is an Afghan sword just like that one you have in the San Antonio art museum, it's a very intriguing blade, I'm more inclined to call it a big knife though, it seems to resemble a messer type more than a sword so to speak.

But it caught my attention and I studied it for at least 5 minutes, just standing there looking at all the details on it and of course took a photo.

It's quite a scary looking blade, once when I was in Iraq some Iraqi boys inquired about my M16 while doing some patrol "this was back in 2004", They did not fear our rifles at all, but when I showed them my Kbar, they backed off and had a look of fear on their faces.

It's probably blades from the middle east like that Afghan one you have that put this cultural fear into edged weapons, that an the fact that some elements over there still use them to kill people.
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Jean Thibodeau




Location: Montreal,Quebec,Canada
Joined: 15 Mar 2004
Likes: 50 pages
Reading list: 1 book

Spotlight topics: 5
Posts: 8,310

PostPosted: Wed 11 Mar, 2015 4:11 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Matt reviving this older topic thread as an excuse to mention that I view your site every day and enjoy your videos very much.

Just a suggestion about a topic you could discuss here or on your site about tactics, strategies and the basics of timing, measure and judgement that seem to be forgotten at times when people focus too much on the study of specific techniques.

Specific techniques are important to learn but I have a theory that people tend to forget the core basic principles when they go into a bout or duel, they also charge in not being prudent as they would be if the blades where sharp and they where really trying to kill each other while avoiding getting killed or hurt themselves.

I also think that each specific technique we see in the period fight books may show a specific application of a principle or technique, but these do not cover all the possible variants where bits and pieces of various techniques might be combined in unpredictable ways a bit in the way one can use the alphabet to write an infinity of words and concepts: The techniques we learn and practice are like a selection of useful words showing typical applications of some sort of technique, but not all the ways the technique or parts of it could be used.

I hope that the above makes some sense and could lead to some interesting discussion. Big Grin Cool

You can easily give up your freedom. You have to fight hard to get it back!
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Michael Curl




Location: Northern California, US
Joined: 06 Jan 2008

Posts: 487

PostPosted: Thu 12 Mar, 2015 2:25 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Hey Matt,

I have been pestering your for a while on the youtube comments section, but I forgot that I could pester you here as well. Happy

In short, the question I want answered is "What are some of the advantages of a longsword vs. a sword and buckler" AKA "Why were longswords so popular for the 14th and 15th centuries"

In one of your videos you discuss why one would prefer a true one-handed sword, and in another you talk about the advantages of a sword and buckler over a longsword, but nowhere do you discuss why someone would choose a longsword in the first place.

Anyway, thanks for any reply in advance.

E Pluribus Unum
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Matt Easton




Location: Surrey, UK.
Joined: 30 Jun 2004

Posts: 241

PostPosted: Thu 12 Mar, 2015 4:28 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Jean Thibodeau wrote:
Matt reviving this older topic thread as an excuse to mention that I view your site every day and enjoy your videos very much.


Thanks Jean and thanks to all those who view and support the channel. Your help in supporting this kind of stuff helps get HEMA and interest in Western weapons to a much wider audience - I also refer to this forum and resources like Wiktenauer fairly often, so hopefully it helps to link people up with these valuable resources and get them more hooked on the subject.

Quote:
Specific techniques are important to learn but I have a theory that people tend to forget the core basic principles when they go into a bout or duel, they also charge in not being prudent as they would be if the blades where sharp and they where really trying to kill each other while avoiding getting killed or hurt themselves.


Yes, the issue of fighting for sport vs fighting for real is clear, but difficult to avoid without actually... well fighting for real! Even systems which claim 'full contact' generally have head protection and safe-ish weapons, which just leads to distorting the context in a different direction.

Certainly an error that we see people of all levels (beginner and expert) making is trying to apply the wrong technique at the wrong time - that's often a reason that someone loses a bout. Because they make the wrong decision in a split second. Assuming similar levels of skill etc.

But yes context is everything and I get lambasted on my channel for saying the word "context" too much, but it is everything. If someone pushes you do one thing, if they pull you do another, if they bend the elbow you do one type of arm lock, if they straighten the arm then you do another technique - yes it's all to do with being adaptable and immediately changing your technique to best suit the moment. I'll try to talk more about this in future videos.

Cheers.

Schola Gladiatoria - www.swordfightinglondon.com
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/scholagladiatoria
Antique Swords: www.antique-swords.co.uk/
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Matt Easton




Location: Surrey, UK.
Joined: 30 Jun 2004

Posts: 241

PostPosted: Thu 12 Mar, 2015 4:54 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Michael Curl wrote:

In short, the question I want answered is "What are some of the advantages of a longsword vs. a sword and buckler" AKA "Why were longswords so popular for the 14th and 15th centuries"


Hi Michael - actually this question is so good that I added it to my 'videos to make' list Big Grin
There isn't one simple answer, but a range of factors (plus I don't have all the possible answers of course!). Hopefully I'll film it soon.

Schola Gladiatoria - www.swordfightinglondon.com
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/scholagladiatoria
Antique Swords: www.antique-swords.co.uk/
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Pieter B.





Joined: 16 Feb 2014
Reading list: 10 books

Posts: 645

PostPosted: Thu 12 Mar, 2015 5:37 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Hey Matt do you have any future plans for widening the scope of your video's to include more on general warfare that correspond to the periods you study in HEMA.

I am sure you came across beautiful illustration of tactics when reading Swordsmen of the British empire and i'd like to learn a bit more about it.

I don't want to sound offensive to anyone taking the time to make youtube video's and trying to educate people but a few of Lloyd's (lindybeige) video's on warfare and tactics strike me as plain wrong. Most notable regarding Hoplite (overarm) warfare, pike formations never attacking one another and horses not charging at people.
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Jean Thibodeau




Location: Montreal,Quebec,Canada
Joined: 15 Mar 2004
Likes: 50 pages
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Spotlight topics: 5
Posts: 8,310

PostPosted: Thu 12 Mar, 2015 6:13 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Matt Easton wrote:


Yes, the issue of fighting for sport vs fighting for real is clear, but difficult to avoid without actually... well fighting for real! Even systems which claim 'full contact' generally have head protection and safe-ish weapons, which just leads to distorting the context in a different direction.



Yes it's completely true that there are always compromises with gruesome realities of a real fight when one is bouting or training, and the " Sports Model Mind Set " of deciding who won the fight makes " gaming the rules " almost irresistible.

But between training drills with a structured exchange where one is playing the patient role and the other doing the agent role with no thought of it being a competition and very competitive bouting where one is trying to win one could try to focus on an educational bout where the point is learning something more than winning.

The mindset is for both to agree and respect the special rules of trying to make believe that the fight is real in the degree of risk versus taking advantage of a perceived opportunity to attack. This kind of bouting should also be in testing actual techniques and try to make them work even if one loses the engagement.

To me it's very much a " mindset " thing as both participant try to only do what they would do if the stakes where actually life and death ..... a bout might actually look very boring with a lot of slow sizing up the opponent and there might be a lot of very long circling each other waiting for an opening or trying to create one with a feint .... lots of psychology and strategy involved.

This would be useless for any competitions but very useful in trying to recreate the feel of a real fight !?

My instructor/sword master wanted us to prioritize trying to actualize the period techniques even if it meant we would lose many many times before it became second nature to use the period techniques versus winning by " improvising " something random that might actually win the fight or bout.

Now this is also a " training mentality " versus a real competitive bout where one would uses all of one's tools including improvisation " IN CONTEXT " ..... Wink Razz Big Grin Cool

P.S. if this is sort of rambling or repetitive is that it's difficult to explain this type of training that is somewhere between drill and bouting with the sport/winning aspects very very ratcheted down in priority.

You can easily give up your freedom. You have to fight hard to get it back!
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Michael Curl




Location: Northern California, US
Joined: 06 Jan 2008

Posts: 487

PostPosted: Thu 12 Mar, 2015 9:34 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Personally, I think the narrow focus is what makes his channel so good. Armor and other personal items are fine, but I think (for myself) that too much war stuff would dilute the content down. Also Matt's expertise as a fencer is where he really shines, not a lot of people on youtube have that, and it's not something that can be learned from a book, battle tactics are.
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