SWORDBREAKER - IN ACTION
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- Опубліковано 9 гру 2021
- In the spirit of "weird weapons", In the first of two films, I decided to surprise Matt Easton with a 'sword breaker'. They were rare and we don't know much about them - but most importantly how were they used and what were they for?
In this episode we look at two rapier fighters, one armed with the sword breaker and discover a bit more about them.........and get more confused.
Part 1 of 'Weird Medieval Weapons - Sword Breaker" can be found here • SWORD BREAKER
I have looked at this before (without Matt but with Hobb), and my first video can be found here • Sword "Breaker" or Swo...
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I REALLY enjoyed seeing this one tested, and honestly, I would absolutely want one of these if I was kicking around in the 16th century. Perhaps the only change I would make is to add hooked quillons and have those teeth a little wider spaced.
next video testing it against side swords?
What if the teeth were made to be longer? Would longer teeth throw off the balance?
I think the name sword breaker doesn't necessarily mean that it snaps the blades in half. I think it's old fashioned and it's being used the way you would "break" a horse. It's synonymous with taming. It allows you to tame and control the blade the way you would a horse, therefore you've "broken" the enemy's blade.
Honestly, having a sword breaker is such a powerful move.
@@Assdafflabaff I don't think the name 'sword breaker' was used in period, it's just a modern invention. As far as I know, we have no period accounts talking about these specific daggers, so we don't know what they called them.
I would love to see a follow-up with sidesword/backsword vs. the sword-breaker just to test the hypothesis about more cut-centric styles.
I'm wondering if you use it like a normal perry dagger vs rapiers, but locking for the sideswords.
I think we will come back for that - it is a great idea
@@tods_workshop Another thing to look at, given the possibility of teeth breaking off that you mentioned in an earlier video, might be to remove a few (perhaps every other tooth to make the testing easier) and see how it functions that way.
There's also the possibility to design two different tooth spacings and test them both against both kinds of blade dimensions at the same time.
I think the name sword breaker doesn't necessarily mean that it snaps the blades in half. I think it's old fashioned and it's being used the way you would "break" a horse. It's synonymous with taming. It allows you to tame and control the blade the way you would a horse, therefore you've "broken" the enemy's blade.
Yeah, that seems a good nod
Or breaking in shoes
Sword breaker is a modern name, it's just not historical.
Of all the explanations offered I think this feels the most likely
@@tods_workshop But it's not named as such in older sources, is it? If the name appears around the nineteenth century or something - and that's my suspicion - then trying to find explanations for its ancient meaning is just dumb, for there is none. We're discussing about a most likely random made up english name, I don't get it.
Tod, I'm loving this series with Matt. You guys are both a wealth of knowledge and seeing real implementation is fascinating.
Seconded
same here absolutly love their colaboration
Totally agree.
Thanks Collin and we enjoy it
I love how Matt beams around his students. It's lovely to see a teacher so personally invested in their student's success!
It should really be the default for teachers. I had a few such teachers. By far the best classes.
We live in a wonderful time, where such an experiment, demanding knowledge, expert weapon creation, weapon use and on-the-spot discussion, is possible. Formal historians should notice, here is history brought to life.
Thanks, that is very generous of you
Fun to see actual HEMA pros play with an unfamiliar blade type. They seemed to adapt to its flaws and strengths quite quickly. Fascinating to watch!
I think that the sword breaker needs a bit of its own series, akin to the lockdown longbow,, where it's design is tweaked to be a more practice oriented blade and tested against a few different types of blade as mentioned in other comments
We could always come back
@@tods_workshop That would be very cool! :)
Perfect. This sort of experimental archaeology/re-enactment is worth ten books of theory and for teaching us about how the objects are properly used is the best tool we have.
Thank you
My gut says you could get a writeup of this published in a scholarly journal. Really great stuff Tod, thanks for educating all of us.
This is great practical history research.
Thank you an dI personally just find it really interesting and I know Matt does too
The only thing more fun that watching an expert share his knowledge is watching an expert discover and explore.
And we do
It works better than I thought
I kinda want Tod to make one for one of Matts pupils who will use it for a month or 2 so we can see someone who actually has experience using it. Just from looking at it, i believe you need quite a lot of experience with a weapon like that to actually become effective with it.
That is a nice idea, but would require some dedication from the student
@@tods_workshop I mean you could ask matt to give the offer to his students, maybe one will bite.
One of the things I am really enjoying, in this series, is not just the video but the wealth of informed discussion in the comments it generates
So much. Not just this video, but for some reason the comments section on my vids is mainly free of abuse and is just crammed with fabulous information
@@tods_workshop The content, presentation, and community involvement of a channel tends to attract and promote certain kinds of audiences. Your material is largely educational on a niche topic, presented in a professional manner, and you openly invite (and respond to, thus, in some regard, 'reward') debate, additions, and other such comments.
I love these joint things and the facts that you guys seem to acknowledge the caveats in your knowledge. I get the impression that Matt is no expert in Rapiers so he gets two experts to test the weapon. This is good science.
Also, I'm with the cutting logic. When somebody is dedicated to a cut, it would be hard for them to retract before you bind the blade.
This tool seems like it would require more practice time to really pay off. It seems to require a change in angling of the blade to increase contact and percussion to "break" an opponent's attacks and flow rather than deflect them.
I imagine holding it ninety degrees to the arm and making a sweeping motion would be effective, and would make some sense with the side ring, but I am no fencer.
Fascinating videos.
I absolutely love this series! I feel like I'm gaining so much insight into some classic medieval (or thereabout) era weapons that have long been almost entirely theoretical in application. The sword breaker has been so widely debated, it's wonderful to see you two stepping up to test the theories and take on the experimentation. Couldn't have picked a better combination of experts either.
Thank you , Tod .
Thanks Matt and guys .
Great that you two are discovering new stuff during the tests. Love it!
I had a book as a young child with a huge picture of a very nice swordbreaker. One of my early favourites.
As always, fascinating to watch y’all work these thing out 👍👍
Just as I'm thinking "I can't understand this guy, I wish there were subtitles" the SUBTITLES AVAILABLE sign appeared on the screen. So I rewound a few seconds, turned on English subtitles and picked right back up. Brilliant. Thank you for the extra time care and attention to make that happen.
Very cool series!!! Good work by all!! Merry Christmas!!!
Awesome workshop!
Awesome to see one actually in use
Thank you! I have read and seen much on these but never seen one in action. Awesome job gents.
The bind at 5:31 was soooo satisfying to watch! Good point about being (possibly) better against cutting blades - it makes complete sense - if you cut it's much easier to match the angle, and despite that I also never thought about it.
This channel’s awesome. I’m always looking for informational content, and I really needed something to help me focus on drawing.
This is the best thing you guys have done so far.
So cool seeing your tools in action
These series are so cool, Amazing to FINALLY see people putting these weapons to the test
You should definitely test it with some side swords, I think that's a really interesting idea!
Great experimental research guys! This type of work and video is definitely more than the mere addition of you two, and the best of your videos. Long life to your enlightened collaboration. (and thank for the subtitles, that definitely help non native speaking like me ;D)
Good stuff as always!
It's interesting how nuanced and intricate each of these weird weapons are. It feels like you could write a full dissertation on each one of them, especially when you start considering the different time periods and locations they could have been used.
Thanks for the video.
that was soo fantastic to watch
That blade catching is really satisfying to watch.
Need to investigate this one more fellas. Great video.
Loving this kind of experimental archeology ❤️ The joy of not knowing stuff and allowing the research to come forward .... brilliant.
Thanks and it is a mine of information for us too
Amazing vid once again boys!
Really enjoying the series, please do the lantern shield.
Thanks for sharing 👍
Real martial fighting is so amazing to see on this channel!
That was significantly more useful than I was expecting it to be
These videos are frankly amazing.
Its always great to see a demonstration of how something is used. Keep it up! New subscriber here!
Great feedback and insight from Matt Easton on this one!
Really enjoying this series, and I hope you investigate the sidesword/wider teeth paths.
I know others have said exactly this but this deserves the extra engagement from the algorithm.
This is one of those oddball weapons that I've always been really curious about. If a newer version comes along incorporating the lessons discussed in the video, it'll be a hard thing to resist. Hats off to the maker and the fencers for going the extra mile! :-)
Always interesting!
This is brilliant
Absolutely fantastic! Just having the teeth slows down the blade enough to get an advantage, who would have thought? I would love to see the side sword theory tested (and other types of sword as well) or even just a sword breaker with wider gaps between the teeth.
Lantern Shields? Oh, you tease!
That surprised me too
Nice work
Fantastic content.
Matt, "That's my rapier..." [Matt's rapier bends alarmingly in the Swordbreaker] 😱
This is a great series of videos.
Thanks - appreciated
Very cool!
Pretty cool, thanks
Great video! I sense a visit to Jason Kingsley in the near future.
I'm impressed. Now to try with wider spaces and vs broadswords!
This is so cool. I would love to try a blunt "swordbreaker" with a rolled tip for sparring. (I think it wouldn't be safe enough though with the built in weak spots that can turn sharp for general sparring.)
Looking forward to more if possible!
Love your collaboration 👍
Thanks and we enjoy it too
Enjoyed your video and I gave it a Thumbs Up
Yes! I would love to see more about lantern shields! (and sword gauntlets and spiked pavises)
Con: video has someone speaking in a mask that is hard to hear
Pro: video lets viewers know that subtitles are available
Con: subtitles for the sentence in question is about 2 frames long
On the "breaker" being a misnomer, I would suspect the name to be metaphorical for a modern perspective but literal for contemporaries. In german treatises breaking something is used synonymous with defeating or countering something for example several iterations of "widerpruch" (the break towards) from Andre Lignitzer or "Bruch auff den Bogen" (the break for the guard position "Bogen") or simply "Bruch." indicating the start of a paragraph concerning a way to defeat something in Joachim Meyer.
Loved the video, great content as always.
Awesome video. I'm with Mr. Easton on this one, it'd definitely work on chops instead of thrusts, so, yes arming swords/broadswords... that'd be the next thing to try. Thanks again, cheers!
One thing that came to mind while you two were speaking - maybe it is really less about catching, and more about controlling. More specifically - directing the trajectory of the blade in a different way than jus a deflection from a flat surface.
Possibly, but the serrations on the opponents dagger do that; this is more than that
I remember back in my navy days, an officer that taught me about fencing, starting with a foil, leading up to epee, and then to rapier. Rapier turned into my favourite, simply because it sharpened my reflexes so much. Never came across anyone that used a blade breaker.
Probably against the rules of formal fencing, you'd only see it in a casual or open setting?
Good job on the dagger Tod. Very well done sir 👏
Thanks 👍
Very cool.
That was a fantastic example of a cross disciplinary case study. Well done everyone involved.
Fantastic
Swordbreakers are great weaopns, nice to see them in action :D
Thank you so much for the subtitles for the masked fighters!
Kudos to those fighters, by the way. Such an interesting demonstration.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Beautiful video. When the world devolves into chaos and guns are useless we need more people like you 🧡, keep up the amazing videography, and swordsmanship.
Yes please do lantern shields!
Honestly, I think that the sword breaker is almost an aggressive defense weapon, where you're almost trying to actively catch the opponent's weapon before either of you start to commit to an attack. If that's the case, having it designed to optimize catching nearer the tip of the blade makes sense to me. But that's just what my absolutely in experienced impression is, after watching just a bit of their use.
"Like the Japanese 🗾 🇯🇵 🏯 ⛩ Katana sword?" ⚔ "Or the Indian 🇮🇳 whip sword ⚔ called 🤙 the Urumi?"
THAT'S SO COOOOOOLLL
I'd like to see more sword breaker content and investigations.
I was just thinking about the sword breaker the other day and here we are.
Nice Analysis on the Matter. I really want to See the Handling of the sword breaker against broadswords or sideswords as the Matter.
I think matt is right there that the teeth of the Blade actually are meant to Catch a Cut rather than a thrust.
It was funny to See how the Fencers learned in the Go. At First there wasn't really Binding at all but after time there came a Lot of halfly binds die to the friction and the adjusted angel of the breaker.
Love the series with both of you analysing medival "wierdos" such as the breaker or the flail.
I would love to see an analysis of spiked shields
Awesome
These two 🙌🙌♥️♥️♥️♥️
The best stuff.
Towards the end of the video Matt mentions using the catchy bit on the inside. That got me thinking: perhaps the catchy bit is for when the sword is inside your guard. You can always use the outside edge to block blows, whereas if the blade gets inside, the comb will help you catch it.
Could their rarity and our lack of knowledge about them mean they were something tried and tested and abandoned rather soon?
That's definitely possible, but there are lots of reasons why something could have been abandoned. Off the top of my head, they could have been rare because of the cost of manufacture, difficulty of making strong enough steel in period, the specific style of duel going out of favor, difficulty to learn, or poor aesthetics.
Someone might have more information than I do, but if the reason they're rare isn't known I'd think it is worthwhile to test them out and try to figure out a reason in practice.
Also cultural issues, these could have been considered unsportsmanlike and therefore rarely used.
@@holyknightthatpwns also they were likely fairly ineffective on there own when the range was two short to properly apply the rapier a more conventional dagger is much better in a tavern brawl
idea for another weapon test: the shield! specifically the 1100-1300 European shield, with a strap on the far corner and a sling to brace it with your shoulder.
from my understanding it’s pretty cool, and will shed more light on the eternal boss vs. strap debate! 😜
That's really interesting, I'd like love to see if a flameberge blade had a similar increase in binding as the serrations.
I always thought this knife catcher.. would be amazing in a fight
Hey it works! I wonder if it would work better with teeth on both sides
It was interesting to watch how each fighter adapted to a new technology. I think with some practise to put into muscle memory the "catch and pull" technique, this weapon would demonstrate some of its full potential. Also, Matt's suggestion of the type of opponent sword might be important.
Training to use it less like a more conventional duelling dagger would definitely show its usefulness. An inexperienced swordsman might be better placed to exploit it from a naive position. Perhaps giving it to inexperienced fighters would be more useful, than to experts in a particular style?
Would be interesting to see the control from using a ice pick position
This is some good stuff unavailable elsewhere.
I like these colabs especially when it's UA-camrs I'm already subscribed to, gives me a good feeling of I've clearly been watching the right people on this subject.
It's hard to read the subtitles at 4:14 because the first sentence only appears for a second. Should be easy to fix the timings. Great video as always.
Right at the end Tod says 'Lantern Shield'. Which means hopefully he's working on one.
not yet......
Hello Tod and Matt based on your analysis I would agree this would be best for cutting swords. My guess would be this would be used against a better cutting sword to help trap it due to its superior stopping power compared to a rapier for example even if run through an opponent still may be alive to deliver a cut that cleaves parts the body off this might be to help in case a mortally wounded opponent further runs themselves through to try to take their opponent out with them and keep the rapier trapped inside unable to cause any more further stopping force.