"It's a simple hacking sword, a great cleaving sword, there's no finesse involved" Scottish claymore expert, everybody. You just gotta swing it around. No training, no edge alignment, no concern about skill, just swing it around like a baseball bat.
It’s true though I read the writings of some French noble who described his Scottish Allies military genius that training men is a waste of time and you should just find a bigger man or a bigger sword.
Also, the claymore is really just a slashing sword meant to cleave through defenses like targes quite easily. It could be used to great effect in a charge because of its sheer size. In addition, the definition of finesse is "intricate and refined delicacy." Although synonyms of the word include skill, in this context he means that the sword isn't much like a rapier where precision is involved. It is more of strength and intimidating your oponent.
No that's how you break a sword, the Scottish swords differ In quality to English or European swords, Scotland has a high viking bloodline in they're ancestory and viking made the best weapons in the UK
"nO FiNEssE InVolVeD," he said while talking about a group of people who constantly trained and perfected their fighting since before the Dal Raitans and Picts became Scots....
william wollace was a walsh man his sir name was williams and wollace was a title given to him for being a stranger look up what wollace means stranger from the west or wales
Wallace is a Scottish surname derived from the Anglo-Norman French waleis, which is in turn derived from a cognate of the Old English wylisc (pronounced "wullish") meaning "foreigner" or "Welshman"
you can not belive the history told to us in school you have do your own research. the british language is welsh the alphabet is bardic when you put two together then you can read the anicent texts like the black sea scrolls that tell you where the native british are from then you can understand who we are. every raise of humans has its own language and alphabet thats where you start then you look to where the alphabet is found and follow it read it understand it and the truth will set you free
"Before I can learn to fight like a highlander I'm going to have to dress like one" was the first clue this documentary was in trouble. Then they stick a sword in the ground. If you wouldn't do it with a $50 knife, why would you do it with a sword comparatively worth hundreds, even thousands of dollars in today's money? Then they introduced the musket "mostly used by the British army at the time". What time? Not the time the two-hander was being used that's for sure. Muskets only became standard equipment in the army at the beginning of the 18th century in 1722. The two handed claymore was used from the 15th century until the early 17th century and the basket hilted sword only came into use in the late part of that century, so the weapons aren't exactly contemporaneous. Next they claim "There's no finesse involved in fighting with it". I doubt that the European fencing masters who wrote volumes on its technique would agree. Worst of all "highlanders could never be trained as disciplined soldiers" Has this guy ever heard of the Black Watch? The Gordon Highlanders? The Scots Guards? These are some of the most famous and decorated regiments in the British army! Not to mention that the Scots were famous for their organised and disciplined use of pike formations during the Wars of Scottish Independence in the late 13th and early 14th centuries!
***** the claymore and broadsword and lowlander are just about the most beast weapons in the world. they have no grace to them, but thats it, thats what gives them their own special grace, the brute strenght and simpelness of them. simply put: it is just awesome
Marianne Rasmussen Scottish broadswords were used by highland officers using exactly the same manuals, drills and techniques as the infantry sabres of other regiments, so they aren't brutal or simple in use. The two handed claymore belongs in the category of polearms rather than swords, like the zweihander and so isn't really comparable to the ones you mentioned. The Katana is not graceful, it is a fat, tip-heavy bar or metal the length of an arming sword and the weight of a European longsword. The techniques for it are based on striking and displacing because it lacks the quickness, reach and hand protection to parry, bind and wind. The smallsword has more finesse than any of the weapons in this documentary, but if anything it is actually simpler to use because it can only thrust, and suffers in any context outside of the one it's designed for. Scottish claymores and broadswords are versatile, rugged weapons that are suited to a range of applications and techniques, and are certainly no more clumsy than their continental counterparts. Get your hands on some real, historical weapons and join swordforum or myarmoury if you want to educate yourself on the realities of historical combat and equipment.
thank you! i have had trouble finding any real places or forums to go for swords in the 3+ lbs range. ill check it out. about 300 years ago, my family lived in the highlands of scotland and i really want to learn more aout the fighting that people like william wallace used :)
Marianne Rasmussen Look into historical european martial arts, or HEMA for short. There may be a club near you and highland broadsword is quite popular. There are also some great youtube channels that cover the use of western weapons and fighting, the most notable being scholagladiatoria, lindybeige and skallagrim.
. . . . What did you say? It's a GOOD thing their culture was lost!? I may be Irish, you ass, but I don't feel any disconnection from my Scottish cousins, and frankly, I find that comment a wee bit insulting.
Well, you ARE correct about my not liking the Catholic aspect, but I do like the clannish liftstyle they led. And as for caring about my history, I care more about what happened hundreds of years ago than I do about right now. And I don't consider it a problem.
667Gullin your comment tells me that you do not understand what you are writing about about. not to be disrespectful you are in your full right to believe in what you believe in but i do not think you have looked into the matter.
Actually, to be specific, I was referring to the fact that none of these weapons are actually all that heavy to begin with, not just the fact that there was a high level of skill involved. The Dane Axe only weighs about five pounds, give or take, which for an axe that size is surprisingly light and nimble, when it's in your hands. As for the Claymore, it probably weighed, maybe, four pounds, and most of that weight would be back in your hands, so the blade would be pretty fast to wield.
My mother's family was Samurai, and I studied their fighting styles a lot, but my father's family was of Clan McFarland, in the Highlands, and I'm starting to learn of them...and seeing more than a few similarities. One of these days, I might try building a Highland claymore of folding Wootz steel, as the blades of the Samurai were made. That might be worth the project.
Why do they teach people wanting to learn about true history that "There's is no finesse in fighting with this sword"? So I guess people training with the claymore with what good time they had to learn invested little to no effort in the art of two handed sword fighting. Let's teach proper history with facts, please.
History shows often do this with all regions and eras of history. I really don't know why, honestly they probably throw some random dude out there as a "historian" and he notices a weapon looks heavy so it must not take "finesse".
Every weapon ever used, from a big rock to a modern machine gun, requires technique to use effectively. Greatswords are no different. There's actually quite a bit of finesse to using one effectively. Bear in mind, they only weigh about 4-5 Lbs, they're still easily light enough to be nimble if you use them correctly.
I train with firearms frequently since I'm American. It's real easy to pull a trigger. Yet if you don't use proper technique the results speak for themselves. Your groups are much more scattered if you don't breathe properly or make sure your scope is zeroed in. For long rifle using certain positions are also vital. It's not nearly as accurate if you just point it at something and pull the trigger.
enjoyed the part about the plaid. i was in a Scottish living history group for years, and wore a plaid. Versatile garment-everything from a skirt to a sleeping bag. i was told the earliest plaids were just large heavy blankets (which is what the word 'plaid' means ) and may have been 6' x 10' or so. Then looms were sort of standardized at about 28", so the highlanders would sew two pieces of wool together and make a plaid 4.5 to 5' wide and, well, as long as however much fabric you had. Anything over five yards of thick, heavy wool is awkward for the amateur to pleat and wear. But if you lived outside in the rainy, snowy, sleety HIghlands , you might wear ten yards if you had it. contrary to popular belief, there weren't really family or clan tartans until well after Scotland lost her independence. maybe 1790. Scots wore whatever plaid fabric they could get, and loved bright colors. You might for instance acquire the plaid of a deceased enemy after a battle. what identified you as a member of Clan X, Y, or Z was a piece of a specific plant worn as a badge. By the way, claymores were mostly a 15th -16th century thing, were *not* as heavy and clumsy as that monstrosity he showed, and may have been more an anti-horse or anti-knight weapon than an anti-Highlander weapon.
The Scots Highlanders from time immemorial till their last charge across the fields of Culloden in 1746 fought at close quarters with greater finesse & skill than they are usually given credit for, the unmatched fierceness of their primeval motivation & primal disregard for death notwithstanding. For their mix of viscerally inspired viciousness, overall combat prowess & skillful hand to hand dexterity was virtually unequaled all throughout Europe for centuries (late 1200s-mid 1700s). Just amazing! And the famed & feared Highland Charge often struck home with the effect of charging heavy cavalry, breaking up highly disciplined pike formations with swords & axes in the process (the Irish Gallowglass of the era 1350-1600 were also greatly renowned & dreaded for fighting with such a superb admixture of sheer ferocity & a highly trained finesse!). Savage! Yet featuring plenty of astonishing skill & finesse as well!
Further than that even, the majority of the Scottish warrior class were used as mercenaries in Europe, and were coveted for their martial prowess. That lowland two-handed longsword he plunged into the ground is a descendant of the Montante. It's true Gaelic culture honoured man-to-man combat but Scot's were disciplined fighters
Scots didn't have time to train, it was man on man whoever's was the strongest won. The Scots were fighting everybody the English, Roman's and Vikings that left little to no time for proper training. the Scots ferocity and and quick-thinking minds often prevailed with them claiming many victories and even pushing the Roman's out of Scotland at the height of their imperial strength
Bollocks to this video. The claidheamh-mor didn't want for finesse - a nearly 5 foot sword that only weighs four and a half pounds at the worst isn't hard to handle - and shields like the targe have been around since before Brigte's buck teeth killed Sigurd.
flamberges aren't claymores, they were contemporaries of the claymore-16th century. there were giant decorative swords, called bearing swords. that were never used in combat and weighed much more than regular two-handed swords
Truth is, if you tried to catch a sword that large with a shield that small and brittle, even if the shield doesn't shatter to pieces, your arm certainly will. The reason why greatswords are so deadly is not because of the sharpness of their blade, but their weight.
"no wonder most of the enemy just turn and run away"! No shit, every sane man would run away if an army of half naked man screaming on top of their lung charging at them
The idea that a two handed sword is not a finesse weapon is a huge misconception. A big war sword like that is certainly going to be a bit less agile than a smaller longsword, but there is still complex technique involved in using a bigger sword, and often they can be used just as nimbly as a smaller longsword. Also, that is not a claymore, at least by historical standards. Sure, we now use the term to refer to the great sword depicted in the video, but historically the term referred to the Scottish basket-hilt sword, also called a backsword on occasion, a weapon which the man is actually holding in tandem with the targe! For those in the comments trying to argue that the man in the video is correct: video games, cinema, and other pop culture mediums are not a reliable source of information when it comes to historical martial arts. I encourage you to do your own research, as it's quite fun to learn about this stuff! There is a whole community based around Historical European Martial Arts, dedicated to accurately recreating and rediscovering historical techniques and the like, with plenty of videos here on TH-cam.
"right through your colar bone and right through your heart in single draw" holy fuck gotta be a fucking beast then! well if he has the strenght of a hulk why does he need a weapon to begin with??? hahahah....
+Bobany Not unreasonable. We have accounts of similar feats of swordsmanship being performed with broadswords and sabres in the British army, although the wording suggests this was rare.
lancer D I suppose if you do it with full force it would be possible, but to "load" such a blow you'd have to put yourself in a very volnorable position.
lancer D Did my prior comment appear? As I suggested an unarmoured man could be cut from shoulder to hip with a good strike....in 'ideal' (unrealistic circumstances.) The point I was making though is it isn't purely an issue of strength but more so precision and technique. A sword is a tool used to cut and thrust, not to bash.
7dayspking I didn't see any previous comment. Good technique will allow you to make cuts like that, depending on the sword and what the opponent is wearing. It would be pretty unusual to pull it off in an actual fight as opposed to test cutting though. It's amazing how much power you can put into a blow with good technique without putting in massive windups or huge amounts of muscle strength
Haha that teuchter accent. I miss the Highlands, born and raised in Sutherland, it's hard to explain how much the very land of the Highlands stays a part of you in spirit. I couldn't have picked a finer place to spend my youth.
It's heavy because it has a 3mm rebated re-enactment edge, a real one is about 5lbs and reasonably nimble - not that many re-enactors ever handle a real historic sword at any point..
Oso Takano What is your source to back up the statement "The Japanese had better steel?" Everything I have ever read suggests that the Japanese were working with some of the most terrible metals around.
John190assman False on all points. The techniques of the Japanese swordsmiths were not superior, they were used because of the very poor quality of iron ore and steel available in Japan before they began to trade with european nations. Folding and layering was used by the Celts even before the year 0 in Europe and was not state of the art or innovative. The layering was needed as the amount of quality steel was very small, therefore it was concentrated on the blade's edge and softer, poorer steel was used in the majority. This means that relative to a European Longsword, the Katana was much less flexible and prone to bending irreparably. There are numerous videos available online of Katanas being used and being outperformed by European Longswords as the Longswords were much more technologically advanced in the method of manufacture.
Raider Applied Training & Tactics People believe in Katanas as though it were a religion!! The ancient Celts were master metal workers, we even had gods of metalworking. It always makes me laugh when I hear Roman lovers talk about how the Romans came to bring "Civilization"to the Celts?.....All present archaeology shows that this is rubbish, there was over 700 mines 300 proven to be gold mines within the Celtic realms........In other words,with a sparsely populated Europe they were stinking RICH!! The Romans came to bring "Civilization" my Ass!! they came like thieves in the night!! with no honour!! Celts believed in the old ways.....If two clans had a problem both sides would agree to have there best man fight and who ever won would take the field,this way preventing hundreds or thousands of men getting killed,when the Romans came they would get there best Legionnaire to fight the Celt.....of course the Celt would make short work of him!! The Celts would walk away thinking they won.....only later to be killed when they were celebrating or in bed!! This was the "Civilization" Rome bestowed upon the Celts?.......sorry dude! I was originally talking about the "Katana" I just got carried away.......oops!
Spice Marine wow, what a devastating, well thought argument! Seriously, what are you supposed to prove with your comment? You want to disprove my statement? Go ahead and actually argue. You think that what i say is not true? A R G U E. - By the way, do you even know what “weeaboo” means? The word “weeaboo” indicates someone that completely venerates Japanese culture and rejects its own. I am an italo-vietnamese italian nationalist, and i consider the traditional western culture superior to much many others cultures. How the fuck am i supposed to be a “weeaboo”? Just for the nickname and the propic, huh? You are quick to judge.
The claymore has longer reach than the samurai's sword. There is a basic rule to warfare if you can reach your opponent without him reaching you then you have the advantage.
Can you refer a good video please. I like Scottish weaponry and how they used it. It seems like the people still know their martial uses, unlike most European countries.
The sword & shield warriors in all of Europe, the Scots Highlanders were often trained since early childhood to be expert, powerful & fearsome swordsmen. And for centuries that rugged, hardy & warlike breed fought with an admixture of sheer ferocity & skillful swordsmanship that remained largely unmatched all throughout Europe, such was the raw, primal fierceness, pride in their renowned warrior legacy, innate swordfighting prowess & love of warfare that made said Scottish Highland clansmen the spectacular fighting men that they were. Western Europe's premier Samurai culture (of the era 1300-1750)!
Do I just ignore my heritage ? I am an American, but only 4th generation, my Grandmother sang and spoke Gaelic to me until her passing until I was about 6 years old 1960. I can never forget we are Celts, and Americans, why is there not room for us in America? We gave our just due as indentured servants, we survived and thrived. But, we were held to a strict code, and they could legally shoot or hang us if we disobeyed or left the farms North or South. So much of American history is distorted to fit what the left wants, this is very sad, and someday it will all come out in the wash.
The Claymore is not a highland weapon, it was used mostly by armoured Knights who lived south of the Highland line. Most of Scotlands important history took place in the Lowlands and Borders.
THANK YOU! I LOVED Braveheart, sitll do, for the most part. Studied William Wallace as a youngun at 13-18 and really got to know his style and the battles. He was very clever, a "brigand" and could be an early model for men like "Robin Hood" etc. He was also far from the saint that he was depicted as in the movie, but far from the scumbags that he had to fight against. I wish they would have featured the bridge in the first battle, to show his tactical cleverness instead of "Speech=winning!"
as soon as i seen the gun yup after the real clan wars by the times guns were in scotland it was mostly small fighting and most of it was to the English
Old post, I know but, getting shot with a musket was more like getting shot with a shotgun slug, so technically you'd get a big whole in your chest from up close.
It's one of the guys from Taggart doing a documentary! Interesting. Actually I think I remember when this was on the telly, but I only got to watch a small amount of it.
Sometimes, experts don't know what they're talking about. You grab the forte of the blade and half-hand it like a spear thrust. Lots of techniques to wind on the enemy blade.
Old muskets were inaccurate, misfired and took quite a while to load. The effective range was also very small in broad comparison to today's arms. A shield provided ample protection and you could make a large amount of distance while they reloaded following a missed, hit or blocked shot. So yes, indeed smart.
Ok, this is definitely a very interesting video and I hit the like but you NEVER EVER stick your sword in the ground. I don´t know much about Highlanders but nobody else would ever do it unless he was a sheer arse.
*arm literally gets torn off* I'm pretty sure these shields were used to parry bayonets. If they could parry musket shots, there'd be no need to charge towards the enemy as quickly as humanly possible.
I don't know a whole lot about the subject, it just popped up on my recommended list. But I about died laughing when he said, "A screaming half naked highlander charging towards you would have been quite a sight, I think I'll keep my kilt on."
so why is he trying to teach how to fight if hes a story teller? he shouldn't even be in the video unless he is an expert. hes still spreading lies regardless of his occupation
Perhaps...but keep in mind that the Scottish soldiers who fought for the British during the American Revolution were some of the most feared troops around. Many a colonial met a bad end at the end of a Scotsman's claymore.
Well played, Wolverine. Well played. Was making a point about th groups who resynthesize the material. I would rather see someone apply the principles in combat than in fixed drills. Alot of guys def use those manuals that i've met, including Lancelot Chan.
+Gary The Stormtrooper Most of them are better experts than this guy. Ray Owens is a "story teller" he's clearly never kitted up and sparred with steel against someone who knows what they're doing.
@steven macfarlane that's not fair to bring up the Samurai at all. Each peoples invented weapons to counter their respective enemies and I am sure the Scots would not have used the same weapons against samurai had they been the main enemy of their people for as long as the English Crown was. I am sure they would have found other weapons to counter the Samurai even if it meant an unfair fight. Survival is not about being fair, its about surviving and there is no shame in that.
*DON MAH GLASS*
Fjalla brjótur!!
*Offensive stance emotes intensifies*
@Balach an t-Saoghail Ùr Fuck me tho, with the new voices Higlander has become so shitty
That means don't f#$k with me or don't touch the cat with out gloves
Kriyaa hun
"It's a simple hacking sword, a great cleaving sword, there's no finesse involved"
Scottish claymore expert, everybody. You just gotta swing it around. No training, no edge alignment, no concern about skill, just swing it around like a baseball bat.
"Hacking"
It’s true though I read the writings of some French noble who described his Scottish Allies military genius that training men is a waste of time and you should just find a bigger man or a bigger sword.
@@ghoulishgoober3122 Hacking is another word for slashing.
Also, the claymore is really just a slashing sword meant to cleave through defenses like targes quite easily. It could be used to great effect in a charge because of its sheer size. In addition, the definition of finesse is "intricate and refined delicacy." Although synonyms of the word include skill, in this context he means that the sword isn't much like a rapier where precision is involved. It is more of strength and intimidating your oponent.
No that's how you break a sword, the Scottish swords differ In quality to English or European swords, Scotland has a high viking bloodline in they're ancestory and viking made the best weapons in the UK
"nO FiNEssE InVolVeD," he said while talking about a group of people who constantly trained and perfected their fighting since before the Dal Raitans and Picts became Scots....
When you watch braveheart once...
william wollace was a walsh man his sir name was williams and wollace was a title given to him for being a stranger look up what wollace means stranger from the west or wales
Hahahahaha
look up guy called alan wilson the interveiw missing history
Wallace is a Scottish surname derived from the Anglo-Norman French waleis, which is in turn derived from a cognate of the Old English wylisc (pronounced "wullish") meaning "foreigner" or "Welshman"
you can not belive the history told to us in school you have do your own research. the british language is welsh the alphabet is bardic when you put two together then you can read the anicent texts like the black sea scrolls that tell you where the native british are from then you can understand who we are. every raise of humans has its own language and alphabet thats where you start then you look to where the alphabet is found and follow it read it understand it and the truth will set you free
"Before I can learn to fight like a highlander I'm going to have to dress like one" was the first clue this documentary was in trouble. Then they stick a sword in the ground. If you wouldn't do it with a $50 knife, why would you do it with a sword comparatively worth hundreds, even thousands of dollars in today's money? Then they introduced the musket "mostly used by the British army at the time". What time? Not the time the two-hander was being used that's for sure. Muskets only became standard equipment in the army at the beginning of the 18th century in 1722. The two handed claymore was used from the 15th century until the early 17th century and the basket hilted sword only came into use in the late part of that century, so the weapons aren't exactly contemporaneous. Next they claim "There's no finesse involved in fighting with it". I doubt that the European fencing masters who wrote volumes on its technique would agree. Worst of all "highlanders could never be trained as disciplined soldiers" Has this guy ever heard of the Black Watch? The Gordon Highlanders? The Scots Guards? These are some of the most famous and decorated regiments in the British army! Not to mention that the Scots were famous for their organised and disciplined use of pike formations during the Wars of Scottish Independence in the late 13th and early 14th centuries!
***** the claymore and broadsword and lowlander are just about the most beast weapons in the world. they have no grace to them, but thats it, thats what gives them their own special grace, the brute strenght and simpelness of them. simply put: it is just awesome
***** there is some, but not like a katana or even small sword
Marianne Rasmussen Scottish broadswords were used by highland officers using exactly the same manuals, drills and techniques as the infantry sabres of other regiments, so they aren't brutal or simple in use.
The two handed claymore belongs in the category of polearms rather than swords, like the zweihander and so isn't really comparable to the ones you mentioned.
The Katana is not graceful, it is a fat, tip-heavy bar or metal the length of an arming sword and the weight of a European longsword. The techniques for it are based on striking and displacing because it lacks the quickness, reach and hand protection to parry, bind and wind.
The smallsword has more finesse than any of the weapons in this documentary, but if anything it is actually simpler to use because it can only thrust, and suffers in any context outside of the one it's designed for.
Scottish claymores and broadswords are versatile, rugged weapons that are suited to a range of applications and techniques, and are certainly no more clumsy than their continental counterparts. Get your hands on some real, historical weapons and join swordforum or myarmoury if you want to educate yourself on the realities of historical combat and equipment.
thank you! i have had trouble finding any real places or forums to go for swords in the 3+ lbs range. ill check it out. about 300 years ago, my family lived in the highlands of scotland and i really want to learn more aout the fighting that people like william wallace used :)
Marianne Rasmussen Look into historical european martial arts, or HEMA for short. There may be a club near you and highland broadsword is quite popular. There are also some great youtube channels that cover the use of western weapons and fighting, the most notable being scholagladiatoria, lindybeige and skallagrim.
"There's no technique involved in the greatsword" ... That is the dumbest thing I've heard all week.
agreed
Ryan Houk your a idiot. Musashi once said the swords will tell what it wants,you just have to listen
The nodachi is my fave, besides 20 ft. Bladed nunchucks.
he said "finesse" which hes correct its a hacking sword you hack
perhaps like mostly european martial art...techniques lost in time
"A great hacking ,cleaving sword, with no finesse involved in fighting with it. . . . " Uhhh . . . . Bullshite.
. . . . What did you say? It's a GOOD thing their culture was lost!? I may be Irish, you ass, but I don't feel any disconnection from my Scottish cousins, and frankly, I find that comment a wee bit insulting.
Well, you ARE correct about my not liking the Catholic aspect, but I do like the clannish liftstyle they led. And as for caring about my history, I care more about what happened hundreds of years ago than I do about right now. And I don't consider it a problem.
+Ciara She-Wolf i agree, the heavier the the weapon the higher your skills needs to be, weapons like the Dane Axe was reserved for the elite fighters.
667Gullin your comment tells me that you do not understand what you are writing about about.
not to be disrespectful you are in your full right to believe in what you believe in but i do not think you have looked into the matter.
Actually, to be specific, I was referring to the fact that none of these weapons are actually all that heavy to begin with, not just the fact that there was a high level of skill involved. The Dane Axe only weighs about five pounds, give or take, which for an axe that size is surprisingly light and nimble, when it's in your hands. As for the Claymore, it probably weighed, maybe, four pounds, and most of that weight would be back in your hands, so the blade would be pretty fast to wield.
The target could absorb the full force of a claymore and then move into an attack? Not so sure.
Depends who's swinging it
It's better than absorbing a strike without a targe.
Depends on your imagination 😁
Yes. Yes it would. It's not like swords are clubs.
"Claymore simply means great, great sword"
"What does katana mean?"
"It means Japanese sword."
He's not wrong. Claymore is from a scottish word meaning "great sword"
My mother's family was Samurai, and I studied their fighting styles a lot, but my father's family was of Clan McFarland, in the Highlands, and I'm starting to learn of them...and seeing more than a few similarities. One of these days, I might try building a Highland claymore of folding Wootz steel, as the blades of the Samurai were made. That might be worth the project.
That would be Sick 👌🔥
He's a swordmaster but he put his sword in the earth? Fail.
+Han Solo He became a swordmaster after watching "Braveheart"...
+Han Solo The "Shield to stop musket fire" was a bigger fail.
its a rusty blunt show-fighting sword. you can stick these into the ground.
man of man you must be under 20. Goodluck in a battle
...Im curious, Is putting a sword on the ground means an insult or something?
D U N M A G L A S S
*Y A H T L I A R B R I O K U R*
Why do they teach people wanting to learn about true history that "There's is no finesse in fighting with this sword"? So I guess people training with the claymore with what good time they had to learn invested little to no effort in the art of two handed sword fighting. Let's teach proper history with facts, please.
History shows often do this with all regions and eras of history. I really don't know why, honestly they probably throw some random dude out there as a "historian" and he notices a weapon looks heavy so it must not take "finesse".
Every weapon ever used, from a big rock to a modern machine gun, requires technique to use effectively. Greatswords are no different. There's actually quite a bit of finesse to using one effectively. Bear in mind, they only weigh about 4-5 Lbs, they're still easily light enough to be nimble if you use them correctly.
I train with firearms frequently since I'm American. It's real easy to pull a trigger. Yet if you don't use proper technique the results speak for themselves. Your groups are much more scattered if you don't breathe properly or make sure your scope is zeroed in. For long rifle using certain positions are also vital. It's not nearly as accurate if you just point it at something and pull the trigger.
Hollywoodized use of the Claymore. it was an elegant weapon use with great skill against all manner of arms.
I,m here because of for honor
DUNMAHGLAS
that old nerd is full of bullshit tho
And iam here because of TF2
Outlander and Highlander
And them damn Scots are still as tough as nails.....without their big swords.
Appreciation from Canada.
DON MA GLAUS
BAVE IN GLASS WITH MINOUR XDDD
enjoyed the part about the plaid. i was in a Scottish living history group for years, and wore a plaid. Versatile garment-everything from a skirt to a sleeping bag. i was told the earliest plaids were just large heavy blankets (which is what the word 'plaid' means ) and may have been 6' x 10' or so. Then looms were sort of standardized at about 28", so the highlanders would sew two pieces of wool together and make a plaid 4.5 to 5' wide and, well, as long as however much fabric you had. Anything over five yards of thick, heavy wool is awkward for the amateur to pleat and wear. But if you lived outside in the rainy, snowy, sleety HIghlands , you might wear ten yards if you had it. contrary to popular belief, there weren't really family or clan tartans until well after Scotland lost her independence. maybe 1790. Scots wore whatever plaid fabric they could get, and loved bright colors. You might for instance acquire the plaid of a deceased enemy after a battle. what identified you as a member of Clan X, Y, or Z was a piece of a specific plant worn as a badge.
By the way, claymores were mostly a 15th -16th century thing, were *not* as heavy and clumsy as that monstrosity he showed, and may have been more an anti-horse or anti-knight weapon than an anti-Highlander weapon.
The Scots Highlanders from time immemorial till their last charge across the fields of Culloden in 1746 fought at close quarters with greater finesse & skill than they are usually given credit for, the unmatched fierceness of their primeval motivation & primal disregard for death notwithstanding. For their mix of viscerally inspired viciousness, overall combat prowess & skillful hand to hand dexterity was virtually unequaled all throughout Europe for centuries (late 1200s-mid 1700s). Just amazing! And the famed & feared Highland Charge often struck home with the effect of charging heavy cavalry, breaking up highly disciplined pike formations with swords & axes in the process (the Irish Gallowglass of the era 1350-1600 were also greatly renowned & dreaded for fighting with such a superb admixture of sheer ferocity & a highly trained finesse!). Savage! Yet featuring plenty of astonishing skill & finesse as well!
Further than that even, the majority of the Scottish warrior class were used as mercenaries in Europe, and were coveted for their martial prowess. That lowland two-handed longsword he plunged into the ground is a descendant of the Montante. It's true Gaelic culture honoured man-to-man combat but Scot's were disciplined fighters
The subtitle had it right: "Story-teller."
The highland charge was ALL finesse. Timing was everything, that takes TRAINING.
Scots didn't have time to train, it was man on man whoever's was the strongest won. The Scots were fighting everybody the English, Roman's and Vikings that left little to no time for proper training. the Scots ferocity and and quick-thinking minds often prevailed with them claiming many victories and even pushing the Roman's out of Scotland at the height of their imperial strength
Bollocks to this video. The claidheamh-mor didn't want for finesse - a nearly 5 foot sword that only weighs four and a half pounds at the worst isn't hard to handle - and shields like the targe have been around since before Brigte's buck teeth killed Sigurd.
idk how many times I said bullshit during this video, but it was a lot
is this cos you cant see how strong the Scott's were in the day to hold aloft the great sward.fight of an enemy .
What was bullshit about it?
William Gray it weighs max 6lbs
***** The heaviest Claymore was the Flamberge. The heaviest one found dates back to the 11th century and weighed between 18/22 pounds.
flamberges aren't claymores, they were contemporaries of the claymore-16th century. there were giant decorative swords, called bearing swords. that were never used in combat and weighed much more than regular two-handed swords
Truth is, if you tried to catch a sword that large with a shield that small and brittle, even if the shield doesn't shatter to pieces, your arm certainly will. The reason why greatswords are so deadly is not because of the sharpness of their blade, but their weight.
"no wonder most of the enemy just turn and run away"! No shit, every sane man would run away if an army of half naked man screaming on top of their lung charging at them
DUNMAGLASS!
Imagine Highlander coming at you with a sword AND a shield throws out an unblockable attack spins around and slaps you with a shield in the face
Glads zone attack
"There can be only one." What? Someone had to say it!
"cutting right through your collar bone and down to your heart in one single blow"
Gotta be mighty strong to pull that off mate...
+Quikie93 He witnessed that from great swordsman Liam Neeson in a documentary called Rob Roy, based 100% on true events.
The idea that a two handed sword is not a finesse weapon is a huge misconception. A big war sword like that is certainly going to be a bit less agile than a smaller longsword, but there is still complex technique involved in using a bigger sword, and often they can be used just as nimbly as a smaller longsword.
Also, that is not a claymore, at least by historical standards. Sure, we now use the term to refer to the great sword depicted in the video, but historically the term referred to the Scottish basket-hilt sword, also called a backsword on occasion, a weapon which the man is actually holding in tandem with the targe!
For those in the comments trying to argue that the man in the video is correct: video games, cinema, and other pop culture mediums are not a reliable source of information when it comes to historical martial arts.
I encourage you to do your own research, as it's quite fun to learn about this stuff! There is a whole community based around Historical European Martial Arts, dedicated to accurately recreating and rediscovering historical techniques and the like, with plenty of videos here on TH-cam.
The instructor's life flashed before his eyes at 3:22
3:22 highlander got shook
2 hundred half naked heelly Highlanders screaming at the top of their lungs running at u...sounds mighty scary😂😂😂
Impressive how he got literally everything wrong
DONMEHGLASS
"right through your colar bone and right through your heart in single draw" holy fuck gotta be a fucking beast then! well if he has the strenght of a hulk why does he need a weapon to begin with??? hahahah....
+Bobany Not unreasonable. We have accounts of similar feats of swordsmanship being performed with broadswords and sabres in the British army, although the wording suggests this was rare.
lancer D I suppose if you do it with full force it would be possible, but to "load" such a blow you'd have to put yourself in a very volnorable position.
lancer D Did my prior comment appear? As I suggested an unarmoured man could be cut from shoulder to hip with a good strike....in 'ideal' (unrealistic circumstances.)
The point I was making though is it isn't purely an issue of strength but more so precision and technique. A sword is a tool used to cut and thrust, not to bash.
7dayspking I didn't see any previous comment. Good technique will allow you to make cuts like that, depending on the sword and what the opponent is wearing. It would be pretty unusual to pull it off in an actual fight as opposed to test cutting though. It's amazing how much power you can put into a blow with good technique without putting in massive windups or huge amounts of muscle strength
How to fight like a highlander. Lol you mean take our clothes off and charge em with our claymores
Haha that teuchter accent. I miss the Highlands, born and raised in Sutherland, it's hard to explain how much the very land of the Highlands stays a part of you in spirit. I couldn't have picked a finer place to spend my youth.
After battle: "Where is my kilt, I must left it somewhere there!".
"Throw down and you'll be spared. All but one. There's a price to being a leader of men."
If a great sword requires no finesse, I guess I've been taking the wrong lessons... damn.
Today, we have Snuggies
It's heavy because it has a 3mm rebated re-enactment edge, a real one is about 5lbs and reasonably nimble - not that many re-enactors ever handle a real historic sword at any point..
2000 half-naked men with a heart on, comming at ya.
I can tell that’s a historian, not an edged weapons expert.
*_DUNNMAGLAS!_*
Not legit. Didn’t hear dun ma glass
Done me glass!
Oso Takano
What is your source to back up the statement "The Japanese had better steel?" Everything I have ever read suggests that the Japanese were working with some of the most terrible metals around.
Im not a katana elitist, but it is simply proven and accepted that the japanese had better steel and forging techniques.
Al Ahli true
John190assman
False on all points. The techniques of the Japanese swordsmiths were not superior, they were used because of the very poor quality of iron ore and steel available in Japan before they began to trade with european nations. Folding and layering was used by the Celts even before the year 0 in Europe and was not state of the art or innovative. The layering was needed as the amount of quality steel was very small, therefore it was concentrated on the blade's edge and softer, poorer steel was used in the majority. This means that relative to a European Longsword, the Katana was much less flexible and prone to bending irreparably. There are numerous videos available online of Katanas being used and being outperformed by European Longswords as the Longswords were much more technologically advanced in the method of manufacture.
Raider Applied Training & Tactics
People believe in Katanas as though it were a religion!! The ancient Celts were master metal workers, we even had gods of metalworking. It always makes me laugh when I hear Roman lovers talk about how the Romans came to bring "Civilization"to the Celts?.....All present archaeology shows that this is rubbish, there was over 700 mines 300 proven to be gold mines within the Celtic realms........In other words,with a sparsely populated Europe they were stinking RICH!! The Romans came to bring "Civilization" my Ass!! they came like thieves in the night!! with no honour!! Celts believed in the old ways.....If two clans had a problem both sides would agree to have there best man fight and who ever won would take the field,this way preventing hundreds or thousands of men getting killed,when the Romans came they would get there best Legionnaire to fight the Celt.....of course the Celt would make short work of him!! The Celts would walk away thinking they won.....only later to be killed when they were celebrating or in bed!! This was the "Civilization" Rome bestowed upon the Celts?.......sorry dude! I was originally talking about the "Katana" I just got carried away.......oops!
Spice Marine wow, what a devastating, well thought argument!
Seriously, what are you supposed to prove with your comment? You want to disprove my statement?
Go ahead and actually argue. You think that what i say is not true? A R G U E.
-
By the way, do you even know what “weeaboo” means?
The word “weeaboo” indicates someone that completely venerates Japanese culture and rejects its own. I am an italo-vietnamese italian nationalist, and i consider the traditional western culture superior to much many others cultures. How the fuck am i supposed to be a “weeaboo”? Just for the nickname and the propic, huh? You are quick to judge.
Where my HIGHLANDER mains????!
Duh Sushi
Yo
The claymore has longer reach than the samurai's sword. There is a basic rule to warfare if you can reach your opponent without him reaching you then you have the advantage.
Very nice video, finally something about Western Martial Arts without armor and for the common man.
+mrnaagyman77 Complete rubbish that video. Search elsewhere for something decent.
Can you refer a good video please. I like Scottish weaponry and how they used it. It seems like the people still know their martial uses, unlike most European countries.
i got here from a for honor shugoki video, how.
You ain’t cutting thru the collarbone to the heart lol
The sword & shield warriors in all of Europe, the Scots Highlanders were often trained since early childhood to be expert, powerful & fearsome swordsmen. And for centuries that rugged, hardy & warlike breed fought with an admixture of sheer ferocity & skillful swordsmanship that remained largely unmatched all throughout Europe, such was the raw, primal fierceness, pride in their renowned warrior legacy, innate swordfighting prowess & love of warfare that made said Scottish Highland clansmen the spectacular fighting men that they were. Western Europe's premier Samurai culture (of the era 1300-1750)!
Do I just ignore my heritage ? I am an American, but only 4th generation, my Grandmother sang and spoke Gaelic to me until her passing until I was about 6 years old 1960. I can never forget we are Celts, and Americans, why is there not room for us in America? We gave our just due as indentured servants, we survived and thrived. But, we were held to a strict code, and they could legally shoot or hang us if we disobeyed or left the farms North or South. So much of American history is distorted to fit what the left wants, this is very sad, and someday it will all come out in the wash.
The Claymore is not a highland weapon, it was used mostly by armoured Knights who lived south of the Highland line. Most of Scotlands important history took place in the Lowlands and Borders.
This seems to be a simple three step process: Scream, Run, and Strike.
THANK YOU!
I LOVED Braveheart, sitll do, for the most part. Studied William Wallace as a youngun at 13-18 and really got to know his style and the battles. He was very clever, a "brigand" and could be an early model for men like "Robin Hood" etc.
He was also far from the saint that he was depicted as in the movie, but far from the scumbags that he had to fight against. I wish they would have featured the bridge in the first battle, to show his tactical cleverness instead of "Speech=winning!"
Nah..once you get pissed off 😂
Very engaging, thanks.
Beautiful weapons
Who else thought this was gonna be a video about For Honor?
as soon as i seen the gun yup after the real clan wars by the times guns were in scotland it was mostly small fighting and most of it was to the English
SHIELDS AGAINST MUSKETS? WHAT?
Old post, I know but, getting shot with a musket was more like getting shot with a shotgun slug, so technically you'd get a big whole in your chest from up close.
It's one of the guys from Taggart doing a documentary! Interesting. Actually I think I remember when this was on the telly, but I only got to watch a small amount of it.
He should use both targe and broad sword to block that long heavy sword
You want to stop the power of a Greatsword blade with that tiny toothpick? Good Luck with that..
Sometimes, experts don't know what they're talking about. You grab the forte of the blade and half-hand it like a spear thrust. Lots of techniques to wind on the enemy blade.
50% of comments saying the funny for honor phrase
"Demoman liked that"
Old muskets were inaccurate, misfired and took quite a while to load. The effective range was also very small in broad comparison to today's arms. A shield provided ample protection and you could make a large amount of distance while they reloaded following a missed, hit or blocked shot.
So yes, indeed smart.
THAT IS NOT A CLAIMORE...THAT IS A GREAT SWORD.
this is so badass
Sooo charge at them screaming mad and swinging wildly
DON MAH GLASS every day!
Jerry Wayne McGuire Gordon
Ok, this is definitely a very interesting video and I hit the like but you NEVER EVER stick your sword in the ground. I don´t know much about Highlanders but nobody else would ever do it unless he was a sheer arse.
Shields to protect against musket shots 😂
*arm literally gets torn off*
I'm pretty sure these shields were used to parry bayonets. If they could parry musket shots, there'd be no need to charge towards the enemy as quickly as humanly possible.
That accent goes right fucking through me
I don't know a whole lot about the subject, it just popped up on my recommended list. But I about died laughing when he said, "A screaming half naked highlander charging towards you would have been quite a sight, I think I'll keep my kilt on."
If I saw one hilander charging at me I would turn away and run thinking ow shit ow shitow shit
I just tried to imagine myself running into battle half nude, I'm pretty sure the sight would have blinded my enemies
It seems that most people don't understand what his actual title was. I didn't hear him called an expert but a story-teller
so why is he trying to teach how to fight if hes a story teller? he shouldn't even be in the video unless he is an expert. hes still spreading lies regardless of his occupation
Soo cool i know whos gonna be my main in for honor
In the modern world you win a street fight by removing your pants.
Highlander mains I swear
Perhaps...but keep in mind that the Scottish soldiers who fought for the British during the American Revolution were some of the most feared troops around. Many a colonial met a bad end at the end of a Scotsman's claymore.
Scots are cool, they live in a cool surrounding wearing cool clothing and wielding cool weapons.
Well played, Wolverine. Well played. Was making a point about th groups who resynthesize the material. I would rather see someone apply the principles in combat than in fixed drills. Alot of guys def use those manuals that i've met, including Lancelot Chan.
what's the name of the TV show this clip's been taken from?
My highlander skill will now be better
holy ssmg the sword is almost the size of the man.
They gonna pull out a sticky grenade launcher next
I want a claymore, I have a lot of Scottish in my blood
I love all these youtube experts..
+Gary The Stormtrooper Most of them are better experts than this guy. Ray Owens is a "story teller" he's clearly never kitted up and sparred with steel against someone who knows what they're doing.
Jim Giant Njuh huh :p
@steven macfarlane that's not fair to bring up the Samurai at all. Each peoples invented weapons to counter their respective enemies and I am sure the Scots would not have used the same weapons against samurai had they been the main enemy of their people for as long as the English Crown was. I am sure they would have found other weapons to counter the Samurai even if it meant an unfair fight. Survival is not about being fair, its about surviving and there is no shame in that.
Lord Frieza wow for a universal tyrant you really know a lot about swordsman ship
My body is almost ready my baby