วีดีโอ

You're making some good points. When I was younger I used to think very poorly of combat sports like boxing, wrestling or muay thai because my idea of how 'skillful fighting' should look like was very strongly linked to acrobatic martial arts demos and highly choreographed fight sequences in kung fu movies. It took me years to understand that contact-based combat sports don't look they way they look because of some inherent lack of 'artfulness' but simply because real unchoreographed fighting ALWAYS looks messier and more chaotic than choreographies regardless of what fighting style you're using. Ironically, today when I look at a skilled boxer or grappler I'm able to appreciate a beauty and technical sophistication in their game that I hardly ever see during those rare instances where traditional martial arts practitioners actually decide to go at it with full-body commitment.

I love Craig and I think he really shatters a lot of self-defense notions honestly. We saw Natan hold back when he struck that guy with the pole, and I think they both demonstrate that there is either a cap or diminishing returns to training in a sparring/sporting environment if the goal is self-defense as you can develop sparring-specific habits. When I was a kid I watched someone square up in his Thai stance, throwing jabs and a teep just to get double-legged by some goon who was more willing to engage in violence than he was. I think Craig has demonstrated having a looser base can be its own advantage.

Keep in mind Ireland was filled with gold, weapons and jewelry made by highly skilled artisans prior to the Vikings. The Romans hired the Vikings to do the heavy fighting to subdue Errin and steal Christianity to combine with government to control the masses.

In Ireland you always need a reason to have a 'weapon' on you, and if you have a tool intended for self defence which you use in a self defence scenario the court will throw the book at you. Ergo, for many reasons you should a good walking stick when in a public area where you must have your wits about you. Side note: It's better them on the ground than you.

Cool pikes

Great post! Nothing to add. Keep it up mo chara!

As a senior who uses a cane for balance, I've enjoyed practicing with a local Doyle Irish Stick chapter. For practical defense, your advice about conflict avoidance and situational awareness is spot on, which I've stressed at balance and fall-prevention workshops for fellow seniors. In future, will urge them to add how to take falls safely, but need to find fully-matted practice spaces; perhaps partnering with dojos? Go raibh maith agat.

Spot on about breakfalling. They should teach that in school PE classes. It needs to be a life skill for everyone, not just martial artists. So many elderly people have died from falling and breaking a hip. It might not stop it from happening completely but falling is the leading cause of injury-related death for people over 65 years of age.

Great video again Nathan, you are on a roll here man, one excellent video after another. One thing that is probably not realised by enough people, its very hard to turn on aggression. It took me a few years of training and hanging out with some tough lads (watching what they did) before I had the confidence that I could actually take care of myself in a scrap / self defense situation. I don't think most people can, so I would put more emphasis on situational awareness, de-escalation, and then how to protect yourself... as you said being fit and knowing how to fall.... I knew all that judo would pay off eventually, I still occasionally practice my rolls and falls, but now its just because I am getting older and its a great way to maintain mobility.

Hi yes the podcast would be great

Please look at the example of a pleated kilt in Derricke's Image of Ireland: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Image_of_Irelande,_with_a_Discoverie_of_Woodkarne -- Unquestionably, the Irish leine of the 17t century was pleated and almost identical in construction to the Greek Fustanella : en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fustanella -- could you guys please pleat those things?

So I have seen many versions of the Leine online, and I used a number of source materials for my dissertation years ago which mention the garment. I am convinced that everyone on the internet in getting the construction depressingly wrong. Both the garment and the waistcoat should be pleated all round -- exactly like a greek Fustanella -- please historical costumers look this up and see how it corresponds almost exactly to what we see in (especially) 17th century illustrations. The Lenie reconstructions that look like a sleeping gown are ridiculous.

Great video. Also watched the bar self defense video a few days ago, Craig is such a legend

I agree 100% with all points. You must practice a skill in such a way that you can use it when you need it. So many people learn on an intellectual level but when the adrenaline hits they go blank.

I would add a step before even avoiding or de-escalating a conflict: societal change. Most violence has some tie to the politics or economics of the area.

like diss video

The old saying is that "The perfect is the worst enemy of the good." I think that saying applies to self defense. Experts can imagine a perfect curriculum for training for self-defense. Most people who are experts can talk to other experts and find ways to work with other experts to improve their skills. The average person who wants to learn a little bit is less likely to be accepted into that kind of program. That situation makes these ideal curriculums impossible for the average person. In some ways, I understand how that happens. Someone who has dedicated years to earning a black belt in a striking art will be seen by the instructor of a grappling art school as a more serious student and as someone who knows how to control his or her body and mind. The instructor of the grappling art school will be willing to accept that person into some kind of accelerated curriculum that will give this person grappling skills that will put the person in a much better position to deal with situation where a fight turns into grappling. The problem is that most people haven't spent years in martial arts. In some cases, they didn't have classes available. In some cases, they grew up in homes where their parents didn't believe in learning martial arts or self-defense. In some cases, they were too busy helping their families earn a living to dedicate themselves to martial arts or self-defense. In some cases, they just never realized how horrible our modern world would become. For these people, learning bits and pieces of necessary skills in a short period of time just isn't an option. Advising them that they need to do these things is as useless as advising them to escape a situation by flapping their arms really hard and flying away. As adults who don't have that background try to find some kind of instruction, they are limited by what instruction might be available to them. Maybe they live in an area where only a few instructors are available. Maybe they have jobs that don't allow them time to join certain classes. As a practical matter, they simply cannot receive the full range of training that would be ideal for someone who wanted to become truly proficient in self-defense. Because sparring will be seen as increasing the likelihood of injury, many instructors are not going to include sparring as part of the curriculum. That creates another challenge for someone who is trying to find the most effective self-defense training. Whenever an expert goes onto one of these rants about the ideal background for self-defense, there's a danger of discouraging people from doing what is feasible for them to do within the limitations of where they are in life. That's a mistake. A self-defense class that teaches only striking and doesn't include sparring might only be enough to help its students survive twenty out of a hundred encounters where they couldn't have avoided the encounter any other practical way. Someone on the outside can always say that a person shouldn't have gone to the grocery store at a particular time, but sometimes life doesn't give us the luxury of shopping at an ideal time. Ideally, we can see a problem coming and just avoid the location where the problem is going to happen, but what is ideal rarely happens. A class that includes sparring might prepare students for fifty of those one hundred situations. Obviously, being prepared for fifty of those situations is better than being prepared for only twenty of those situations. However, the person who has prepared for twenty of those situations is more likely to survive than the person who is prepared for zero of those situations. Just because a self-defense class that doesn't include sparring isn't as good as one that does include sparring does not mean that this class is useless. As I've looked at the issue of self-defense and heard many people discussing the issue, I've come to realize that vigorous and resolute action that isn't perfect will often be better than action that might be better but is done hesitantly. If a self-defense class just teaches someone a move that he or she will do without hesitation, the class could put that person in a much better position than the person who has no training. I think many of you experts have forgotten the feeling of having no idea what to do. Obviously, sparring will lead to one knowing how to do things more effectively and to deal with how the situation will unfold. Obviously, knowing how to grapple will lead to knowing how to grapple more effectively to get out of a situation. Those truths don't change the fact that doing anything without hesitation is better than standing there with no idea what to do. Some places have taken the attitude that self-defense is wrong. They arrest people for carrying anything that might aid in self-defense. They would prosecute people for defending themselves in any way. These government officials just want people to stand there and be victims. These governments are evil. When we think of the most evil governments that have existed in human history, these governments should be among them. History should condemn these governments and the people who support them. Those who implement these policies should be on trial for crimes against humanity. They should be punished accordingly.

Very informative. Thank you. Interested in siege of Drogheda also.

The Icelandic horse is basically what all horses in North / Western Europe looked like a thousand years ago. But this breed became extinct in the rest of Europe after the importation of foreign breeds. Irish archeologists have measured the skeleton remains of horses from Viking Dublin and rural Ireland, here is the measurements, quote from "the horse in early Ireland by Finbar McCormick - "The average horse shoulder height in Viking Dublin is 129.6 cm compared with 130.7 cm in rural Ireland." This was the average height of a horse in Western and Northern Europe a thousand years ago. The original purpose of this horse was transport. They had to be hardy, surefooted, brave, intelligent and travel long distances over rough ground. A practical little trail horse that was very comfortable to ride. As you know, the topography in much of Ireland at that time was very wild. These horses were the all terrain vehicle of that time. And they are still used for this purpose in Iceland. This is the only breed in the world with five gaits. They are probably the oldest breed in the world because the Icelanders banned the importation of other horses about one thousand years ago. This horse breed is like a genetic time capsule.

Great explanation!

Thanks I really enjoyed the video and your explaination. It makes sense that Ireland would have some martial art as they have a reputation worldwide for fighting 😄

I am also of Irish decent Dublin I live in the USA I found it interesting thanks for opening up to the concept

is fior an rud seo

Iontach mo chara! This is how we spar in my faction. Rattan batai with foam balls wrapped in stick tape. Really need to get with the DBs.

Excellent again Nathan thanks. I agree --I don't think there is no such thing as a stick fight any more where individuals appear with sticks to fight as in faction fights. The reality is you are going to have a blade of some description or if a stick itll be a cudgel type weapon--something you can hide because you want the element of surprise. Therefore to experience a stick fight it has to be legal and rule based becuase I don't think there is an alternative. So the question then becomes what set of rules are you willing to fight under and purely for liability / insurance issues its not going to be a back yard brawl because if you are training to fight with a stick you do not want to get inured and miss 6 months of training or lose an eye or whatever and you defo don't want someone suing you. Sure there will always be someone who says they will fight with out gloves or a face mask but I am fairly certain they dont train at stick fighting, they just want to fight.

Good video Natan. Noel.

typo in the title

Dead nuts.

I gotta get out to the homeland and link up with yas for some Kern and Gallowglass sh-t mo dheartháir

Go raibh maith agat, a chara

Really good video. Any more little known Irish victories from Norman era onwards? You mostly hear of the glorious defeats but I know there were quite a few In The earlier period.

Tod's workshop is fantastic, diddnt know he did Irish recreations

A brigand

The seam between the body and the sleeves is far too high. It would not have sat on the shoulders but about halfway down the upper arm.

Excellent stuff, I never understood whay knife experts are consandly moving their hands, I literally thought it was just for show--silly me 🤣😂🤣

the Gallowglass seem to have had nordic heritage, that may explain how i looks sort of like a pointed seax mixed with a slimmed down dirk.

Haha, I am disabled and although i do like to watch these video's though to be honest although i once worked in the North sea for 10 years i would struggle to knock sweets out of a pinyata { wrong spelling } but i think you get the picture. Haha... Enjoy these vids though.

It's all in the feet

🤯 So annoying if people don't stay in one pose so that you can easily hit them, but I somehow never made the connection that I am supposed not to stay in those stances in order to be harder to hit! Thanks!

LONG STICK FOR LONG MAN

Thank you! I try to explain this to my friends. Even an expert swordsman isn't going to float like a butterfly in a life or death fight.

What are some good sources for equipment and fight manuals for getting into this? Ive been interested for a while now but theres not really any near where I live. Im interested in different styles as well. By equipment I mean the sticks mostly. Already own hand protection and masks

Would love to get involved

I like the spear

Great training congratulations

Looks like ye all had a lot of fun.😂

So the blackthorn is not the indestructible stick I was led to believe.?? Brilliant channel, honest, easy to learn the techniques, and battle tested for the brilliant blackthorn.. I'm néw to the channel, buying the walking stick next week, and I hope to learn a lot more and subbed. Well done, sir 👏 👍 respect 🙏