I dont know why but seeing matt experiment with new stances amd techniques while reading a book feels very reminiscent of someone putting together an Ikea bookshelf.
That's interesting Matt make more videos about Arab or Persian swordsmanship, if possible other cultures swordsmanship as well cause these topics are really interesting.
Interesting, similar moves are used a lot in chinese dao. The idea is to wrap your hand as close as possible to your head and the blade as flat as possible against your back, so the move is the fastest. It is also used in reverse motion. Cheers!
Sadly, only traditional shaolin quan practice. I have seen a few pictures of manuals where the movements are depicted in images, but not entire manuals... and no translations. Most of these are kept kinda secret, not always prohibited but its diffusion out of China certainly not encouraged. I would love to have access to old chinese sword manuals!
I have done exactly the same practicing taiji quan Dao (broadsword) form. We went both directions around the head as well. It was referred to as binding the head. You can also see it in Chinese Wushu broadsword forms.
Anathmatician Same here. It was the very first exercise we did. The only technique I remember it being used for was blocking a cut to your left, grabbing your opponents sword arm and doing the movement to cut at his neck while his weapon is occupied.
ReeNoiP Yep - same for me. Think the application for rotation in the other direction was that the sword blocked a cut from the practioners right and the unarmed left hand checked the attackers sword arm. The practioner then rotates the sword around the back, pulls the unarmed hand back and cuts down from their left across the opponent.
Great video, as a persian I can tell you if you look at the "Zoorkhoneh" videos which essentially are the traditional Persian "warrior" gyms you will see the same movement. You will get a better understanding of the movement that is described. Great video though thank very interesting.
As I was watching this video I picked up an escrima stick and tried the move using my heavy bag as a marker. Very interesting and a pretty good exercise for the wrist, forearm and shoulder
Farraige Well, I'm no expert on the matter, but I do speak Arabic, and my guess would be that Swordsmanship would translate to: Al Mousayafa : المسايفة
As a tennis player, I feel that the author was describing a swing similar as tennis "topspin forehand swing." You said that 1) starts below the head at some point 2) Ends diagonally. You said diagonally using with regards to your spine. I interpreted as diagonally as radially to the spine and diagonally in the down to up of your spine (z axis). And lastly 3) the fact that the swinger revolves his sword around his head means this swing emphasis high acceleration so they can smoothly transition to neutral position or else the finish will be a jerky motion. Power is coming from the hip, torso and arms. This is a classic Rafeal Nadal/ Sharapova tennis forehand although modified to to have the blade higher.
This is good, because knowing that was the 'standard guard' of Arab swordsmen as observed in Constantinople, when I watch the Castlevania Netflix series and in the last fight Alucard fights from something resembling quarte, I can pretend it's actually this and that he learnt it in Turkey; which would check out because Dracula mentions fighting turks in the original novel. Good. Movie swordfight suspension of disbelief achieved. Thanks Matt.
The past year I've been studying Kali and this exercise reminds me a lot of a drill I just recently learned. It's a 6 count drill and it uses this cut in the last slash. It fascinates me how you can find similarities between styles that never came in contact with each other. Great video I really enjoy it.
We also put the non-sword hand behind the sword wrist to give it an extra bit of power in the cut. When the blade goes behind the back, we can also then use our free hand to grab the opponent's arm or weapon (most likely spear). This is either to defend, or to hold them in place while we bring the blade back around for another cut. Preferably you hold them in place by their weapon or weapon arm so they can't hit you.
How to get to the Middle Easton swordsmen. Take the train from London Easton-End over Cullay (assumed pronunciation) to Paris. Once there, get on the Orient Express to Contextinople. You can now talk to Middle Easton swordsmen. Hooray!
Cool video. I practice traditional Chinese Martial Arts, and we too use a similar wrapping mechanic with our saber(dao). One thing of note is when depressing the hand when wrapping around the head, this naturally leads to a parry against a neck cut. Alternately if ahead of the opponents cut and off line, the back of the blade may strike a the back of the opponents blade throwing it off course to slow their recovery time.
@@sdmiii1102 It is part of a larger art called Fushan Kuntao. There are 5 weapons we use. Saber (dao), spear (chiang), and pudao (glaive) are the battlefield weapons of my art.
I think that depends a lot on how they use the buckler - I've been practicing sword and buckler from I.33 for several years now and have no issue with cutting from either side. My suspicion is that the right to left thing is just for this training exercise. Also, the cut is happening so close that I wonder if the implication is that the buckler is already out of the way because it's binding the opponent's weapon or some similar reason.
My dad used to tell stories about Iranian cone excercises. When they introduced sword laws, they had underground workout facilities and one of the main excercises was the club excercises which it indeed very much resembles. Not sure how much truth is in that story though.
I could envision a shield even before you mentioned it. Cool exercise. Swords in grappling range... normally I was just thinking slam the hilt into their head, but this cut looks promising. I'm going to try it.
Any existing kenjutsu and aikijutsu and hapkido school has those techniques in them. We usually grapple using the sword and turn it into a cutting experience, a throwing experience, or a joint locking experience for our opponents. Also, I really like striking with the butt end of the sword if I'm in that close.
I use some of these cuts in my cutting videos, these cuts are taught in Chinese and African sword arts as well. I cut with a sabre using this technique as well.
@ Asmin You should not put a slash between Arab and Persian. It would be like putting a slash between English and French. Arabs and Persian are each other's eternal enemies.
I don't care about ethnic differences, martially the techniques in the region are somewhat shared, with for the most part similar type of blades.and styles of using them. Through the middle east and asia, single handed curved swords focused on cut-centric systems, not thrust orientated. Overhead windmilling motions were used commonly. I know the cultural differences between Pre-Islamic Arabians and Zoroastrian Persians. I can compare styles from England and Poland as well with Sabre use, both liked to slash and cut a lot. Doesn't mean I am conflating Polish with English, I'm just saying they have similar cultural preference to a certain technique or weapon shape.
@@londiniumarmoury7037 Persian swords shares more features with the Turkish ones more than the Arab swords. After all, it was the Seljuk Turks that popularized the Persian "Shamshir" and took the technology to Asia Minor and incorporated it into their newly established empire, namely the Ottoman Empire.
Vert informative video ! Also one of the distinctive features of middle eastern swordsmanship is the use of the shield to parry instead of the sword edge . swords were more designed for offence ! Looking forward to see more videos
I think your interpretation is accurate since that horizontal cut is used a lot by Dr Khorasani. The method of spinning the sword around the head is still common in Indian swordsmanship and Chinese dao. Makes sense for it to be related to Indian clubs since the meel actually originated in the Middle East or North Africa. It's interesting to look at historical sources for Arab sword training since the modern reconstruction taught in PFS is Japanese-based with little relation to the real thing
Hi Matt, great video! I have heard this before and can also confirm the way you did it is looks exactly like the cut that you are first taught when studying the Chinese dao. It seems with broad eastern cutting swords, there is a great focus on whipping the blade around the body with the back of the blade essentially touching at all times when not actively attacking.
So much food for thought, great video. On the guards with no precedents, are there any sword dances or other non-martial expressions of swordsmanship that could give an (albeit warped) perspective on what they favoured? Around the 7:20 mark, could he mean using the trapezoid muscle as a fulcrum for the diagonal cut? It's used in chinese dao (among other weapons) quite a bit. I found myself naturally pivoting off points of my body during practice, this being one circumstance, another being pivoting off my opposite arm's humerus after delivering that downward diagonal cut that I could imagine at 7:20
A potential cause of the difference in Arabic and Persian swordsmanship may indeed be the swords he saw used. A Pala / kilij will be used differently to a shamshir.
Ibn Eugene the straight swords and the slightly curved ones have few reproductions in the west you might be able to find some in the middle east though
I think Matt meant the difference between Arab/Persian swordsmanship vs Turkish swordsmanship if I understood it correctly. Pala and Kilic (and Yatagan) are all Turkish swords and it makes sense that they would be used in a different style than Arabic and Persian styles since Turks are neither.
This is great, a wonderful little anecdote (and, interestingly, the three volumes of Captain White's book are available online, so they can be added to be 'to read' pile), and a great exercise for stretching out the wrist. I was wondering if there are any accounts of 19th century British or other Western swordsmen encountering opponents armed with sword-and-shield, like the dhals or sipars you mentioned being used by Asian fighters?
Great video! I have a few observations that might explain the fighting style you describe. One of the first things I thought while listening was that this sounds like a style developed for swordsmanship on horseback. This hunch was especially "confirmed" when you talked of the way in which the person practiced with his knee up. After all what better way to practice not cutting into your own steed than the desire to not cut into your own leg. Or for that matter doing while "within 6 inches of a vertical object". But there were a few other comments that made this a probability in my mind: 1. The statement that the Arab / Persian swordsman rarely raised his hand above the head. If you're fighting on horseback this action would be a mistake as it would leave a huge opening for anyone to sneak a stab or slash through that opening. 2. The swordsman never drew his sword from left to right. Again, this type of slash would be hindered by your own steed's neck/head if you're a horseman. Also (to purely speculate here) I could envision a fighting style from horseback where you primarily attack (in an ideal situation) on your right flank while holding a shield and being defensive on the left. It is also important to recognize that this is a culture where you never use your left hand against someone except to insult them. (You greet people with your right hand and wipe your ass with your left.) Finally, I actually recognized the last technique you demonstrated where you bring the sword hilt around your head. I have seen that exact same technique used in an exercise from my Eskrima class. Which is a fighting style designed for mid to close quarters. So I believe you have some definite merit in the thought that that particular technique would be for close quarters. It could also be a way to return the sword to the ready without cutting one's own steed. All of this speculation raises some other questions that might be worth looking into. Could this swordsman have been able to afford a horse (or maybe even a camel)? What was the average length of the swords being used? Presumably, if you're practicing sword swings without cutting your own perpendicular knee you could do this on horseback as well. Well, I've been a fan for years! I hope this finds you well!
Oooh, VERY good points. I never considered it from the perspective of a cavalry culture. I should have considering these and the Persians are the folks who created polo... Great points made.
What you say about close range utility reminds me of the Lindybeige video in which he talks about the account of a 20th century British soldier deployed to Jerusalem iirc, his squad coming into contact with a few Arab swordsmen who were using their swords incredibly close in very confined space - wrapping it about their bodies almost as if they were half-swording as they were moving their blades. They apparently got the better of the man's unit because they only had rifles and needed to regroup after the very unexpected experience.
This video is fantastic! I'm working on a ottoman turkish set of armor and its great to know atleast one way on how this sword was used. Very impressive. The Video btw is great. I like the work on the details. It's like a pretty awesome history class in school 😂
Get a really good gorget and a really good helmet. Spend major money on the helmet, you only get one skull and brain in life. I use the gorget from Zen Warrior Armory for SCA rapier as well as for Cut and Thrust. I have a much wider and more formed steel gorget for my heavy Arabic kit. I'd also suggest that you use laced lamellar armour, bazubands (mine are steel but cuirboilli leather are even better) for forearms and elbows, and hanging lamellar tassets for hips, backside, and some groin protection. For CnT hands, I use Wisby style finger gauntlets and kendo gloves with overlaid steel (lobster type overlays) for heavy. You cannot overprotect your hands, you need them for school and work. You know, those things which pay for your hobby same as a helmet. If you get good and busted up you cannot pursue your hobby or pay your bills if you cannot work. I know a few folks who lost their education and jobs due to injuries. Along with monstrous hospital bills. Wear A Cup! As a kenjutsu and other martial arts guy, I have trained for years without one. I nearly got hammered in the stones by a SCA heavy stick and now wear a cup religiously. Get a fighting cup. It extends back farther and is better designed for what we do. Check out martial arts supply catalogs like AWMA or whatever exists these days. I'm old... I was in high school in the early 80's so I remember the old places to get gear. Regarding your kit, I wish I could put photos here for you to share mine. Check this out- samuraiswords.store/shamshir/ Remember, if you're SCA or one of those groups, a lot of our armour concepts are cavalry armour and not infantry. Look into infantry armour and archer's armour as you'll, most likely, NOT be fighting on horseback and will need mobility which head to heels plate will not grant by any means. Don't use chainmail, other than for looks, or you get really nice waffle print bruises and a lot of pain. Use really good padding. A lot of places these days sell good gambesons which are period. Talk to Mikhail and the folks at Armstreet.com and dress for your environment. I live in the great southwestern USA desert and I dress for it. Experiencing heat exhaustion and heat stroke gets old after a few times. Have a blast and I hope we meet on the field one day!
Alternative - with _no_ experience - hold the elbow down near waist height; then 'diagonal' could mean angled forward to engage the neck with the hilt still low. Plus it covers the body and neck, whereas the horizontal blade in the video has to come off-horizontal to parry the back on-horizontal to strike. Also can keep that 6-inch separation by reducing the angle, where I think that Matt's blade would have to intersect the post/wall as his hand approaches his left shoulder. Downsides are that the lift over the head to go around is longer and slower, and the blade is at a very strange striking angle.
Addressing this motion as an exercise: it's almost identical to (what I know as) a plate roll. If we ignore the lack of a weight plate and that it's only using one hand, anyway. One of my favorites!
Thanks for the video. So I tried it for a few minutes and I like the exercise. The bits that made the least sense in your video make more sense to me after just doing it for a bit, the 'diagonal' and the "depressing the hand" bits seemed to conflict with the description of the horizontal cut. The resolution, for me at least, seems to be that the stroke begins horizontally, but as the hand passes the cheek it actually changes into a downward diagonal, what I think you call cut 1, which results in the hand descending until it reaches the point where the wrist turns to bring the sword back around. It's sort of a 'j' stroke, initially horizontal, a good close range cut to the neck(ish area) but with a diagonal tail that could be turned into more of a chop to an extremity. At least, that's what feels right after a little bit of practice. Maybe with more practice that will change. Cheers!
I think you may be right, about the horizontal from right to left and then bringing around your head to start again. However, I initially thought that it was the right to left cut, and then immediately a quick slash left to right, which would involve getting on the outside of your opponent's range/sword arm. Good video on this by the way. :)
I’d say the only thing I’m noticing with the 6” deal is that you couldn’t whip the tip forward toward the opponent. Maybe add in a torso rotation to try to keep the blade closer to yourself and making the cut more of a draw cut? Though that could be counter intuitive to the “diagonal” instruction? Just some guesses.
Your description reminds me of Tai Chi (in which many moves, I believe, are based on training for sword and shield) If so, the move is initiated by rotating the hips, generating power from not just the back, but also the glutes and legs. The hand would be in a more natural position, and so the rotation would bring the sword slash from a diagonal position. The 'drawing' motion would be generated by the arm and shoulder. If I am correct, a perfect strike would decapitate the opponent as well as take off the arm at the shoulder.
Cool vid! I'd be really interested in more swordmanship drill exercise vids like this one. Maybe it would be a good idea for a 2nd channel (hint, hint). I'm not fortunate enough to live somewhere where historical European sword enthusiasts practice as in your club (probably more ppl doing Star Wars Light Saber Kwon Do, lol). I'd definitely be interested in becoming a long distant student ;)
Right around 2:30 I was afraid you were about to pluck that long sword off the wall, and drop it on your back. Good video. Be safe Matt. Remember the goal of every TH-cam video is to survive the filming.
If you draw from a scabbord into this position you start off with the sword verticle on your left going behind you before coming before you for the cutting position. Just something to think about.
Are there any anecdotes which describes a beard preventing a cut at the throat? Obviously it would still be a metal bar smashing into your in the throat, but maybe it could stop the cut if its a big long one?
While watching this I was reminded of this video of a Kali practitioner showing close-quarters cutting techniques. Note the times he brings his blade over and around his head for horizontal strikes. th-cam.com/video/Q5ltL33ClKk/w-d-xo.html
Slight variations in what I do with Tulwar and Khukuri...but my guard is above the right shoulder, right to left is important when shields are involved, yes? 🙂
I imagine this would make sense as a speed-based technique. If thrown out from the shoulder, the momentum of the body is involved in some kind of dynamic way. The first strike is so fast that a redirect isn't optimal, so continue the movement around to a second fast powerful strike. The first strike may be to shock the opponent's guard, and the second meant to land in more closely, accompanied by footwork of course.
Ok, Matt, so I recently saw some pictures of a beautiful sword and wanted to know more, but there has been extremely spotty information on it at best. I've heard it called a "Revival Sword" it's Persian... I think, some kind of qahar I think, what i do know is it's straight, double edged with a Persian or Indian style-ish gaurd. Do You have any resources on it? Any knowledge?
Remember Lyndy mentioned about Arab use of scimitars being close to the body in one anecdote. And does look like the exercise they use with those clubs
Hey, Matt, have a bit of an "odd" question for you, as a knowledgeable sword dealer/collector: Are there any specific close quarters weapons, especially swords, which may have been used by city guards/law enforcement prior to the modern age?
matt, there are some swordsmanship manual (VOVBW comes into mind) which describer the cutting in terms of enemy's side being cut. for example, in VOVBW, "cut 1, right" is meant to be delivered from our left towards our right, in the manner of roverso tondo in bolognese swordsmanship, or cut six in le marchant, and it is directed towards enemy's right side. mr. reinier van noort i believe can confirm this. moreover, i tried the training descripted in your video against a wall, it made sense if we use cut six instead of cut #5. because my knee is against a wall, if i tried your interpretation, my sabre hit the wall whenever i try to start the cut. but if i cut it with cut #6, i can just stop it before it hit the wall, then volta-ing and pulling my wrist in clockwise direction into bolognese's guardia di intrare WHILE touching my left cheek and start over. cheers from indonesia
The exercise resembles some styles of Chinese Dao. I learnt Yan Qing Dao (Seven Star Praying Mantis version), and there's both left to right and right to left cut and then swing behind the head/back.
I wonder if dussack techniques has anything to do with Ottoman swordsmanship as Joachim Meyer's treatise also has that winding around the head when throwing cuts through their lines.
I tried this with a tulwar and I cannot draw it straight across from my right to left without hitting a wall as far away as my knee, not even close my right arm cannot extend across to my left far enough to clear the point before I have to rotate. Perhaps a shamshir could functionally achieve this, or with a shorter sword. I can however easily do this in the other direction, left to right not at speed mind but just there is enough room to achieve it. Perhaps the author was speaking to his left and right, looking on. Or A shorter sword or one VERY curved I don't know I just know with a tulwar from my finger tips to shoulder I can't. Even if I hold it in a way that lays it flat back against my forearm.
And sorting out the blade alignment at the end of the cut before it heads off back around the dark side of the moon, sorry, head.. yeah. I like that as well.
Interesting, I was watching an Indian swordsman who was very interesting doing a demonstration with a tulwar and a shield. He looked like he was straight off the set of an Indiana Jones movie.
Horizontally and diagonally... I think it means the blade travels almost horizontally, while your arm (upper arm and elbow) moves diagonally. Your performance concurs with this conclusion.
Yeah, that "circular around the head" movement is what (at least in my FMA school) we DON'T do, unless we've got a really heavy weapon. With something heavy and long (such a quarterstaff) you can also use a similar movement to get the staff going fast. The other benefit is that doing it like that keeps you from hitting the ceiling. And as you mention, if you've got something else in the off hand (such as another weapon or a shield) you can cover the giant gap in your defense as the weapon goes around your head. However, if your weapons are reasonably balanced, and small enough that they don't get in each other's way, then there's no reason to take one of them around your head. If they're both long, however - such as dual-wielding katanas(!) then it does actually makes sense to get one out of the way if you're swinging both. However, the most common solutions is to just have one long and one short - which frankly works better for most scenarios. Dual-wielding seems to work best if both weapons are medium-sized or smaller. However, there are some Escrima styles which default to quarterstaff length in one hand, "and something else" in the other. They can make it work, but it requires a distinct take on body mechanics; ie, using the staff as a defensive shield that you may occasionally hit with, while using the weapon in the other hand 'normally' - inasmuch as you can when you''ve got a one-handed staff twirl going on around you.
Its actually amazing i liked your videos also the Persian war tactics were always about suprise and attacking from sides/flanks mainly flanking by cavalary . . And it makes sense when you see the persian swors is curved as its made to attack from side ( flank ) not striaght like the european to attack forward . Also the way you explained the attack is from side to side like right to left unlike the romans who attack up to down amazing video and interesting content greetings from south Persia 👍
Glad I found this channel. You seem to be one of those people with whom I have one interest *and a historical approach towards that area of interest* in common, but everything else, politics, personalities, weltanschauung, etc. would all clash. I absolutely concur that it's necessary to get the perspective of the 'other' when understanding eastern arts, and I don't mean just martial arts but all arts... For example, to understand Hinduism, of course it's necessary to read the massive Vedic Sanskrit tomes on the sacrificial rites, and their cultic supporting commentaries from the classical period. But it's also enlightening to read the accounts of Jesuit missionaries, the Abbe Dubois, etc. who, literally, did things like spy on the private ablutions of brahmins from behind the trees. An unfortunate eastern habit is to form cults around an individual, and to jealously manipulate the truth of any given situation. Taken to extremes, one could be led to believe that the Iranians invented fire, as claimed in their Shahnameh. LOL. But the truth is, cults are deeply antithetical to honest research, and to the quest to understand how Indo-Persian weapons were used. Just as it makes perfect sense to read British and Mughal accounts to understand Indian strategy and tactics and not rely excessively on some bizarre religious cult's assertions, so it's sensible to lend appropriate weight to foreign accounts of Persian battlefield arts and techniques, and not rely excessively on one man's bizarre cult, etc.
You did it correctly because in our ancient wrestling exercise they do this with a wooden heavy object the exact way and our ancient wrestling is what the immortal Persian squad where experts in it's a type of wrestling like judo and and it also has weapon training and hand to hand combat.
Swords I particuly like are from ottoman and Arabian countrys the first sword is the Shamshir,2 Kilij, 3,Talwar and 4th is the Pulwar . My question is are there any more curved swords and when I say more curved I'm talking about the shape ? Secondly how many types of curved swords are there as I'm aware the ones I've mentioned often arevcovered the most in tv and movies . when ever a character comes from Arabia like Morgan Freeman in Robin hood with Costner he had a non European sword.
It is so much more interesting because in antiquity at greece the sword fights and exercises were completely different of cousre with small dual swords or smaller not curved swords actually their guard with right hand was rely on left and opposite side of the edge I mean the handle in every hand was in opposite direction like tennis back hands with right hand and vice versa but in that style you can hide your blade beyond your guard!
I think the British officer was explaining the swinging technique when standing opposite the persian soldier. So the sabre is not drawn from the persian's right but drawn from his left, which would be your right when you are facing him. This would be consistent with how the North Indian/Afghan tulwar techniques were used. Under the Islamic Caliphate, persian, arab, turkish and north Indian military practices merged in areas but not all areas. This is reasonable to think when you consider architectural, cuisine and other cultural influences also spread far and wide across the Islamic world. Arab swords were originally straight but throughout much of history arabs assimilated the curved sabres of their new brothers in faith such as the turkic and persian people. The technique you are showing may also have existed but I dont believe that is what the book is describing. I may be wrong.
in arabia in our sword dances for most of them the neutral "stance" is with the sword in the right hand leaning on the shoulder. so your source might be referring to to that or something similar to that. if you watch arab sword dances you will see what I'm talking about. although each region has its own version of the sword dance.
The sword should be drawn across the target fully without flicking forward. I believe you have related accounts, I think they're included in those books, of swordsmen of that area getting in very close and delivering cuts before soldiers with fixed bayonets could react.
Weird, I'm learning a lot of stuff I didn't know about swords and swordsmanship, etc, watching these videos, but this was a normal practice move when I was a kid.
![แล้วแต่เวรแต่กรรม - ครูศรีหนุ่ม [OFFICIAL MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Xide0fkAS8g/mqdefault.jpg)
You know, typically when there are swords, people say "don't try this at home" not "try it at home" Love it.
Matt knows his viewers are not idiots.
Speak for yourself! I'm pretty sure I'm an idiot. XD
TheFilthyCasual Yeah, speak for yourself!
Don't try this at home, try it outside
I dont know why but seeing matt experiment with new stances amd techniques while reading a book feels very reminiscent of someone putting together an Ikea bookshelf.
Lol !
Nope , not enough CURSING , also known as assembler's blessings .
We need more of this
Frank Deitrich. Book shelf of brutality
Or in the case of when I did it;
"Hmm, this bolt thingy seems broken.. yep, it is!"
Ikea is about 1.5 hours drive single way..
Dammit!!
Coming to a theater near you: The Easton Swordsman
Will he overcome his arch nemesis, the Weaston Swordsman?
in before pommel jokes
will watch
That's interesting Matt make more videos about Arab or Persian swordsmanship, if possible other cultures swordsmanship as well cause these topics are really interesting.
th-cam.com/users/JahaneRazmafzar
@@GonzoTehGreat I've watched it.
@@devinm.6149 Yeah, you recommended his channel. Thanks!
That video seems to be particularly relevant to this video so I linked it.
لا فتا الا علی لا سیف الا ذولفقار
Interesting, similar moves are used a lot in chinese dao. The idea is to wrap your hand as close as possible to your head and the blade as flat as possible against your back, so the move is the fastest. It is also used in reverse motion. Cheers!
Sadly, only traditional shaolin quan practice. I have seen a few pictures of manuals where the movements are depicted in images, but not entire manuals... and no translations. Most of these are kept kinda secret, not always prohibited but its diffusion out of China certainly not encouraged. I would love to have access to old chinese sword manuals!
I have done exactly the same practicing taiji quan Dao (broadsword) form. We went both directions around the head as well. It was referred to as binding the head. You can also see it in Chinese Wushu broadsword forms.
Anathmatician Same here. It was the very first exercise we did. The only technique I remember it being used for was blocking a cut to your left, grabbing your opponents sword arm and doing the movement to cut at his neck while his weapon is occupied.
ReeNoiP Yep - same for me. Think the application for rotation in the other direction was that the sword blocked a cut from the practioners right and the unarmed left hand checked the attackers sword arm. The practioner then rotates the sword around the back, pulls the unarmed hand back and cuts down from their left across the opponent.
Great video, as a persian I can tell you if you look at the "Zoorkhoneh" videos which essentially are the traditional Persian "warrior" gyms you will see the same movement. You will get a better understanding of the movement that is described. Great video though thank very interesting.
As I was watching this video I picked up an escrima stick and tried the move using my heavy bag as a marker. Very interesting and a pretty good exercise for the wrist, forearm and shoulder
I study Arab Swordsmanship.
Your Videos are awesome. Keep up the great Work.
Roman Parisian what sources do you use?
And does it have a name
Commenting to follow
Farraige Well, I'm no expert on the matter, but I do speak Arabic, and my guess would be that Swordsmanship would translate to: Al Mousayafa : المسايفة
Intrested..... Sources?
Yes, it is an exact move found in Indian club drills, which were of course off-season training for Persian warriors.
As a tennis player, I feel that the author was describing a swing similar as tennis "topspin forehand swing." You said that 1) starts below the head at some point 2) Ends diagonally. You said diagonally using with regards to your spine. I interpreted as diagonally as radially to the spine and diagonally in the down to up of your spine (z axis). And lastly 3) the fact that the swinger revolves his sword around his head means this swing emphasis high acceleration so they can smoothly transition to neutral position or else the finish will be a jerky motion. Power is coming from the hip, torso and arms. This is a classic Rafeal Nadal/ Sharapova tennis forehand although modified to to have the blade higher.
I agree as a tennis player as well
when you said rafael nadal everything made sense
This is good, because knowing that was the 'standard guard' of Arab swordsmen as observed in Constantinople, when I watch the Castlevania Netflix series and in the last fight Alucard fights from something resembling quarte, I can pretend it's actually this and that he learnt it in Turkey; which would check out because Dracula mentions fighting turks in the original novel.
Good. Movie swordfight suspension of disbelief achieved. Thanks Matt.
Dracula? Do you mean glad the impaler?
The past year I've been studying Kali and this exercise reminds me a lot of a drill I just recently learned. It's a 6 count drill and it uses this cut in the last slash. It fascinates me how you can find similarities between styles that never came in contact with each other. Great video I really enjoy it.
We also put the non-sword hand behind the sword wrist to give it an extra bit of power in the cut. When the blade goes behind the back, we can also then use our free hand to grab the opponent's arm or weapon (most likely spear). This is either to defend, or to hold them in place while we bring the blade back around for another cut. Preferably you hold them in place by their weapon or weapon arm so they can't hit you.
How to get to the Middle Easton swordsmen. Take the train from London Easton-End over Cullay (assumed pronunciation) to Paris. Once there, get on the Orient Express to Contextinople. You can now talk to Middle Easton swordsmen. Hooray!
It is an interesting anecdote and it does make sense. They are focusing on using the blade to slice , not just chop. Seems pretty efficient
Cool video. I practice traditional Chinese Martial Arts, and we too use a similar wrapping mechanic with our saber(dao). One thing of note is when depressing the hand when wrapping around the head, this naturally leads to a parry against a neck cut. Alternately if ahead of the opponents cut and off line, the back of the blade may strike a the back of the opponents blade throwing it off course to slow their recovery time.
Bernard Weaver does your sword style have a name of its own or is it part of a bigger main martial art?
@@sdmiii1102 It is part of a larger art called Fushan Kuntao. There are 5 weapons we use. Saber (dao), spear (chiang), and pudao (glaive) are the battlefield weapons of my art.
I tried it out, and it definitely feels like an exercise in blade control and suppleness.
I would love to learn more about Arab sword fighting. There might still be many untranslated (into English) sources
There is I can send you links
@@tareksaleh7016 ترسلها عبر الايميل ؟
@@tareksaleh7016 can you also send me links to the furusiyya sources
@@tareksaleh7016 Interested in that, think you can cite and source them in the comments?
Wow. I don't know really anything about sabre fencing but it is fascinating how your thoughts came about seeing you and all your knowledge.
Middle Easton sword fighting.
you win
I AM THE GREATEST!
Nice.
Society of American Military Swordsmanship It's you!
Name checks out. Jk of course
I think right to left makes more sense if used with a buckler like they often used. For left to right it is harder to defend your hand
I think that depends a lot on how they use the buckler - I've been practicing sword and buckler from I.33 for several years now and have no issue with cutting from either side. My suspicion is that the right to left thing is just for this training exercise. Also, the cut is happening so close that I wonder if the implication is that the buckler is already out of the way because it's binding the opponent's weapon or some similar reason.
Left to right back handed is easier I feel with my sword
th-cam.com/video/dmjI_jY6GFU/w-d-xo.html
My dad used to tell stories about Iranian cone excercises. When they introduced sword laws, they had underground workout facilities and one of the main excercises was the club excercises which it indeed very much resembles. Not sure how much truth is in that story though.
I could envision a shield even before you mentioned it. Cool exercise. Swords in grappling range... normally I was just thinking slam the hilt into their head, but this cut looks promising. I'm going to try it.
Any existing kenjutsu and aikijutsu and hapkido school has those techniques in them. We usually grapple using the sword and turn it into a cutting experience, a throwing experience, or a joint locking experience for our opponents. Also, I really like striking with the butt end of the sword if I'm in that close.
On an unrelated note I absolutely love that hanger
Interesting video, thanks a lot!
Thanks for this! it reminds me of some of the drills we do in Arnis.
Incidentally it would be nice if you can do a cutting test using Arab / Persian technique.
Asmin Siza he nearly did. On his left ear.
I use some of these cuts in my cutting videos, these cuts are taught in Chinese and African sword arts as well. I cut with a sabre using this technique as well.
@ Asmin You should not put a slash between Arab and Persian. It would be like putting a slash between English and French. Arabs and Persian are each other's eternal enemies.
I don't care about ethnic differences, martially the techniques in the region are somewhat shared, with for the most part similar type of blades.and styles of using them. Through the middle east and asia, single handed curved swords focused on cut-centric systems, not thrust orientated. Overhead windmilling motions were used commonly. I know the cultural differences between Pre-Islamic Arabians and Zoroastrian Persians. I can compare styles from England and Poland as well with Sabre use, both liked to slash and cut a lot. Doesn't mean I am conflating Polish with English, I'm just saying they have similar cultural preference to a certain technique or weapon shape.
@@londiniumarmoury7037 Persian swords shares more features with the Turkish ones more than the Arab swords. After all, it was the Seljuk Turks that popularized the Persian "Shamshir" and took the technology to Asia Minor and incorporated it into their newly established empire, namely the Ottoman Empire.
Seems right to me, makes sense as a sword and shield style used in formation or indoors.
I'm pretty sure you are doing it the right way round as well.
Stop thrust!! Interesting flow and mechanics!
We practiced a similar drills with the Chinese willow leaf broadsword. When done properly, you can do a series of elaborate cuts in a narrow hallway.
Vert informative video ! Also one of the distinctive features of middle eastern swordsmanship is the use of the shield to parry instead of the sword edge . swords were more designed for offence ! Looking forward to see more videos
I think your interpretation is accurate since that horizontal cut is used a lot by Dr Khorasani. The method of spinning the sword around the head is still common in Indian swordsmanship and Chinese dao. Makes sense for it to be related to Indian clubs since the meel actually originated in the Middle East or North Africa. It's interesting to look at historical sources for Arab sword training since the modern reconstruction taught in PFS is Japanese-based with little relation to the real thing
I think this would make a great backyard demo video!
Also very similar to a technique used in certain styles of Chinese sabre (dao). Worth looking at for comparison.
Hi Matt, great video! I have heard this before and can also confirm the way you did it is looks exactly like the cut that you are first taught when studying the Chinese dao. It seems with broad eastern cutting swords, there is a great focus on whipping the blade around the body with the back of the blade essentially touching at all times when not actively attacking.
m.th-cam.com/video/2YhCnusqiFc/w-d-xo.html
This video is the best I could find that demonstrates this in Chinese martial arts
So much food for thought, great video. On the guards with no precedents, are there any sword dances or other non-martial expressions of swordsmanship that could give an (albeit warped) perspective on what they favoured? Around the 7:20 mark, could he mean using the trapezoid muscle as a fulcrum for the diagonal cut? It's used in chinese dao (among other weapons) quite a bit. I found myself naturally pivoting off points of my body during practice, this being one circumstance, another being pivoting off my opposite arm's humerus after delivering that downward diagonal cut that I could imagine at 7:20
I was taught that exercise back in '84. We called it "caping", because the capes in old days were put on the same way.....I was told.
A potential cause of the difference in Arabic and Persian swordsmanship may indeed be the swords he saw used. A Pala / kilij will be used differently to a shamshir.
IPostSwords also the arabs preferred straighter sabers then the persians
Kilij might be a turkish sword also, considering the word has the same prononcuation as the word kılıç which means sword in Turkish.
Ibn Eugene the straight swords and the slightly curved ones have few reproductions in the west you might be able to find some in the middle east though
I think Matt meant the difference between Arab/Persian swordsmanship vs Turkish swordsmanship if I understood it correctly. Pala and Kilic (and Yatagan) are all Turkish swords and it makes sense that they would be used in a different style than Arabic and Persian styles since Turks are neither.
Saladin was a kurd from modern day Iraq, not a Turk. But your point still stands, his main influence was in Egypt.
This is great, a wonderful little anecdote (and, interestingly, the three volumes of Captain White's book are available online, so they can be added to be 'to read' pile), and a great exercise for stretching out the wrist.
I was wondering if there are any accounts of 19th century British or other Western swordsmen encountering opponents armed with sword-and-shield, like the dhals or sipars you mentioned being used by Asian fighters?
Great video! I have a few observations that might explain the fighting style you describe. One of the first things I thought while listening was that this sounds like a style developed for swordsmanship on horseback. This hunch was especially "confirmed" when you talked of the way in which the person practiced with his knee up. After all what better way to practice not cutting into your own steed than the desire to not cut into your own leg. Or for that matter doing while "within 6 inches of a vertical object".
But there were a few other comments that made this a probability in my mind:
1. The statement that the Arab / Persian swordsman rarely raised his hand above the head. If you're fighting on horseback this action would be a mistake as it would leave a huge opening for anyone to sneak a stab or slash through that opening.
2. The swordsman never drew his sword from left to right. Again, this type of slash would be hindered by your own steed's neck/head if you're a horseman. Also (to purely speculate here) I could envision a fighting style from horseback where you primarily attack (in an ideal situation) on your right flank while holding a shield and being defensive on the left. It is also important to recognize that this is a culture where you never use your left hand against someone except to insult them. (You greet people with your right hand and wipe your ass with your left.)
Finally, I actually recognized the last technique you demonstrated where you bring the sword hilt around your head. I have seen that exact same technique used in an exercise from my Eskrima class. Which is a fighting style designed for mid to close quarters. So I believe you have some definite merit in the thought that that particular technique would be for close quarters. It could also be a way to return the sword to the ready without cutting one's own steed.
All of this speculation raises some other questions that might be worth looking into. Could this swordsman have been able to afford a horse (or maybe even a camel)? What was the average length of the swords being used? Presumably, if you're practicing sword swings without cutting your own perpendicular knee you could do this on horseback as well.
Well, I've been a fan for years! I hope this finds you well!
Oooh, VERY good points. I never considered it from the perspective of a cavalry culture. I should have considering these and the Persians are the folks who created polo... Great points made.
What you say about close range utility reminds me of the Lindybeige video in which he talks about the account of a 20th century British soldier deployed to Jerusalem iirc, his squad coming into contact with a few Arab swordsmen who were using their swords incredibly close in very confined space - wrapping it about their bodies almost as if they were half-swording as they were moving their blades. They apparently got the better of the man's unit because they only had rifles and needed to regroup after the very unexpected experience.
Interesting example of interpreting movement and practise from a written description.
This video is fantastic! I'm working on a ottoman turkish set of armor and its great to know atleast one way on how this sword was used. Very impressive.
The Video btw is great. I like the work on the details. It's like a pretty awesome history class in school 😂
Get a really good gorget and a really good helmet. Spend major money on the helmet, you only get one skull and brain in life. I use the gorget from Zen Warrior Armory for SCA rapier as well as for Cut and Thrust. I have a much wider and more formed steel gorget for my heavy Arabic kit. I'd also suggest that you use laced lamellar armour, bazubands (mine are steel but cuirboilli leather are even better) for forearms and elbows, and hanging lamellar tassets for hips, backside, and some groin protection. For CnT hands, I use Wisby style finger gauntlets and kendo gloves with overlaid steel (lobster type overlays) for heavy. You cannot overprotect your hands, you need them for school and work. You know, those things which pay for your hobby same as a helmet. If you get good and busted up you cannot pursue your hobby or pay your bills if you cannot work. I know a few folks who lost their education and jobs due to injuries. Along with monstrous hospital bills. Wear A Cup! As a kenjutsu and other martial arts guy, I have trained for years without one. I nearly got hammered in the stones by a SCA heavy stick and now wear a cup religiously. Get a fighting cup. It extends back farther and is better designed for what we do. Check out martial arts supply catalogs like AWMA or whatever exists these days. I'm old... I was in high school in the early 80's so I remember the old places to get gear. Regarding your kit, I wish I could put photos here for you to share mine. Check this out- samuraiswords.store/shamshir/ Remember, if you're SCA or one of those groups, a lot of our armour concepts are cavalry armour and not infantry. Look into infantry armour and archer's armour as you'll, most likely, NOT be fighting on horseback and will need mobility which head to heels plate will not grant by any means. Don't use chainmail, other than for looks, or you get really nice waffle print bruises and a lot of pain. Use really good padding. A lot of places these days sell good gambesons which are period. Talk to Mikhail and the folks at Armstreet.com and dress for your environment. I live in the great southwestern USA desert and I dress for it. Experiencing heat exhaustion and heat stroke gets old after a few times. Have a blast and I hope we meet on the field one day!
Looks great!
Thank you for being clear there is a different between Arab, Persian etc. Most act like they are one and the same.
Alternative - with _no_ experience - hold the elbow down near waist height; then 'diagonal' could mean angled forward to engage the neck with the hilt still low. Plus it covers the body and neck, whereas the horizontal blade in the video has to come off-horizontal to parry the back on-horizontal to strike. Also can keep that 6-inch separation by reducing the angle, where I think that Matt's blade would have to intersect the post/wall as his hand approaches his left shoulder. Downsides are that the lift over the head to go around is longer and slower, and the blade is at a very strange striking angle.
Addressing this motion as an exercise: it's almost identical to (what I know as) a plate roll. If we ignore the lack of a weight plate and that it's only using one hand, anyway. One of my favorites!
Thanks for the video. So I tried it for a few minutes and I like the exercise. The bits that made the least sense in your video make more sense to me after just doing it for a bit, the 'diagonal' and the "depressing the hand" bits seemed to conflict with the description of the horizontal cut. The resolution, for me at least, seems to be that the stroke begins horizontally, but as the hand passes the cheek it actually changes into a downward diagonal, what I think you call cut 1, which results in the hand descending until it reaches the point where the wrist turns to bring the sword back around. It's sort of a 'j' stroke, initially horizontal, a good close range cut to the neck(ish area) but with a diagonal tail that could be turned into more of a chop to an extremity.
At least, that's what feels right after a little bit of practice. Maybe with more practice that will change. Cheers!
I think you may be right, about the horizontal from right to left and then bringing around your head to start again. However, I initially thought that it was the right to left cut, and then immediately a quick slash left to right, which would involve getting on the outside of your opponent's range/sword arm.
Good video on this by the way. :)
I’d say the only thing I’m noticing with the 6” deal is that you couldn’t whip the tip forward toward the opponent. Maybe add in a torso rotation to try to keep the blade closer to yourself and making the cut more of a draw cut? Though that could be counter intuitive to the “diagonal” instruction? Just some guesses.
Your description reminds me of Tai Chi (in which many moves, I believe, are based on training for sword and shield) If so, the move is initiated by rotating the hips, generating power from not just the back, but also the glutes and legs. The hand would be in a more natural position, and so the rotation would bring the sword slash from a diagonal position. The 'drawing' motion would be generated by the arm and shoulder. If I am correct, a perfect strike would decapitate the opponent as well as take off the arm at the shoulder.
You see this kind of movement a lot in Chinese sabre fencing. This cut is partially used after a tip down parry.
Cool vid! I'd be really interested in more swordmanship drill exercise vids like this one. Maybe it would be a good idea for a 2nd channel (hint, hint). I'm not fortunate enough to live somewhere where historical European sword enthusiasts practice as in your club (probably more ppl doing Star Wars Light Saber Kwon Do, lol). I'd definitely be interested in becoming a long distant student ;)
Right around 2:30 I was afraid you were about to pluck that long sword off the wall, and drop it on your back.
Good video. Be safe Matt. Remember the goal of every TH-cam video is to survive the filming.
If you draw from a scabbord into this position you start off with the sword verticle on your left going behind you before coming before you for the cutting position. Just something to think about.
Are there any anecdotes which describes a beard preventing a cut at the throat? Obviously it would still be a metal bar smashing into your in the throat, but maybe it could stop the cut if its a big long one?
Reminds me a lot of things I encountered in SCA style combat
Thabks for the video , very interesting
I like how he always has a random weapon in his right hand at any time and place
Thx interesting video.
If you do an attack like that what is the first way you think of when blocking and repost.
If that is the right way to say it.
While watching this I was reminded of this video of a Kali practitioner showing close-quarters cutting techniques. Note the times he brings his blade over and around his head for horizontal strikes.
th-cam.com/video/Q5ltL33ClKk/w-d-xo.html
Reminds me of Montante exercises
This reminds me of an old video that Loyd has up discussing an account of 20th century middle eastern sword use
Slight variations in what I do with Tulwar and Khukuri...but my guard is above the right shoulder, right to left is important when shields are involved, yes? 🙂
I imagine this would make sense as a speed-based technique. If thrown out from the shoulder, the momentum of the body is involved in some kind of dynamic way. The first strike is so fast that a redirect isn't optimal, so continue the movement around to a second fast powerful strike. The first strike may be to shock the opponent's guard, and the second meant to land in more closely, accompanied by footwork of course.
Ok, Matt, so I recently saw some pictures of a beautiful sword and wanted to know more, but there has been extremely spotty information on it at best. I've heard it called a "Revival Sword" it's Persian... I think, some kind of qahar I think, what i do know is it's straight, double edged with a Persian or Indian style-ish gaurd. Do You have any resources on it? Any knowledge?
Remember Lyndy mentioned about Arab use of scimitars being close to the body in one anecdote. And does look like the exercise they use with those clubs
Hey, Matt, have a bit of an "odd" question for you, as a knowledgeable sword dealer/collector: Are there any specific close quarters weapons, especially swords, which may have been used by city guards/law enforcement prior to the modern age?
matt, there are some swordsmanship manual (VOVBW comes into mind) which describer the cutting in terms of enemy's side being cut. for example, in VOVBW, "cut 1, right" is meant to be delivered from our left towards our right, in the manner of roverso tondo in bolognese swordsmanship, or cut six in le marchant, and it is directed towards enemy's right side. mr. reinier van noort i believe can confirm this.
moreover, i tried the training descripted in your video against a wall, it made sense if we use cut six instead of cut #5. because my knee is against a wall, if i tried your interpretation, my sabre hit the wall whenever i try to start the cut. but if i cut it with cut #6, i can just stop it before it hit the wall, then volta-ing and pulling my wrist in clockwise direction into bolognese's guardia di intrare WHILE touching my left cheek and start over. cheers from indonesia
and even without lifting my hand overhead at all!
The exercise resembles some styles of Chinese Dao. I learnt Yan Qing Dao (Seven Star Praying Mantis version), and there's both left to right and right to left cut and then swing behind the head/back.
I wonder if dussack techniques has anything to do with Ottoman swordsmanship as Joachim Meyer's treatise also has that winding around the head when throwing cuts through their lines.
I tried this with a tulwar and I cannot draw it straight across from my right to left without hitting a wall as far away as my knee, not even close my right arm cannot extend across to my left far enough to clear the point before I have to rotate. Perhaps a shamshir could functionally achieve this, or with a shorter sword. I can however easily do this in the other direction, left to right not at speed mind but just there is enough room to achieve it. Perhaps the author was speaking to his left and right, looking on. Or A shorter sword or one VERY curved I don't know I just know with a tulwar from my finger tips to shoulder I can't. Even if I hold it in a way that lays it flat back against my forearm.
What's that Scholagladiatoria logo on the sabre in the background? An SG eyepatch?
The cut may feel cak-handed but the motion over the head is very good.
Sir, what is the name of defence technique used by game charactersl prince of persia??
And sorting out the blade alignment at the end of the cut before it heads off back around the dark side of the moon, sorry, head.. yeah. I like that as well.
Oh, that movement works very well for me.
Interesting, I was watching an Indian swordsman who was very interesting doing a demonstration with a tulwar and a shield. He looked like he was straight off the set of an Indiana Jones movie.
Horizontally and diagonally... I think it means the blade travels almost horizontally, while your arm (upper arm and elbow) moves diagonally. Your performance concurs with this conclusion.
are there any other english sources for Scimitar/arabic style swordsmanship?
Cheers alot? Thanking you plenty.
Yeah, that "circular around the head" movement is what (at least in my FMA school) we DON'T do, unless we've got a really heavy weapon. With something heavy and long (such a quarterstaff) you can also use a similar movement to get the staff going fast. The other benefit is that doing it like that keeps you from hitting the ceiling.
And as you mention, if you've got something else in the off hand (such as another weapon or a shield) you can cover the giant gap in your defense as the weapon goes around your head. However, if your weapons are reasonably balanced, and small enough that they don't get in each other's way, then there's no reason to take one of them around your head. If they're both long, however - such as dual-wielding katanas(!) then it does actually makes sense to get one out of the way if you're swinging both.
However, the most common solutions is to just have one long and one short - which frankly works better for most scenarios. Dual-wielding seems to work best if both weapons are medium-sized or smaller.
However, there are some Escrima styles which default to quarterstaff length in one hand, "and something else" in the other. They can make it work, but it requires a distinct take on body mechanics; ie, using the staff as a defensive shield that you may occasionally hit with, while using the weapon in the other hand 'normally' - inasmuch as you can when you''ve got a one-handed staff twirl going on around you.
Its actually amazing i liked your videos also the Persian war tactics were always about suprise and attacking from sides/flanks mainly flanking by cavalary
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And it makes sense when you see the persian swors is curved as its made to attack from side ( flank ) not striaght like the european to attack forward
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Also the way you explained the attack is from side to side like right to left unlike the romans who attack up to down amazing video and interesting content greetings from south Persia 👍
The original Arab Persian swords are not curved
Glad I found this channel. You seem to be one of those people with whom I have one interest *and a historical approach towards that area of interest* in common, but everything else, politics, personalities, weltanschauung, etc. would all clash. I absolutely concur that it's necessary to get the perspective of the 'other' when understanding eastern arts, and I don't mean just martial arts but all arts... For example, to understand Hinduism, of course it's necessary to read the massive Vedic Sanskrit tomes on the sacrificial rites, and their cultic supporting commentaries from the classical period. But it's also enlightening to read the accounts of Jesuit missionaries, the Abbe Dubois, etc. who, literally, did things like spy on the private ablutions of brahmins from behind the trees. An unfortunate eastern habit is to form cults around an individual, and to jealously manipulate the truth of any given situation. Taken to extremes, one could be led to believe that the Iranians invented fire, as claimed in their Shahnameh. LOL. But the truth is, cults are deeply antithetical to honest research, and to the quest to understand how Indo-Persian weapons were used. Just as it makes perfect sense to read British and Mughal accounts to understand Indian strategy and tactics and not rely excessively on some bizarre religious cult's assertions, so it's sensible to lend appropriate weight to foreign accounts of Persian battlefield arts and techniques, and not rely excessively on one man's bizarre cult, etc.
You did it correctly because in our ancient wrestling exercise they do this with a wooden heavy object the exact way and our ancient wrestling is what the immortal Persian squad where experts in it's a type of wrestling like judo and and it also has weapon training and hand to hand combat.
Swords I particuly like are from ottoman and Arabian countrys the first sword is the Shamshir,2 Kilij, 3,Talwar and 4th is the Pulwar . My question is are there any more curved swords and when I say more curved I'm talking about the shape ? Secondly how many types of curved swords are there as I'm aware the ones I've mentioned often arevcovered the most in tv and movies . when ever a character comes from Arabia like Morgan Freeman in Robin hood with Costner he had a non European sword.
It is so much more interesting because in antiquity at greece the sword fights and exercises were completely different of cousre with small dual swords or smaller not curved swords actually their guard with right hand was rely on left and opposite side of the edge I mean the handle in every hand was in opposite direction like tennis back hands with right hand and vice versa but in that style you can hide your blade beyond your guard!
I think the British officer was explaining the swinging technique when standing opposite the persian soldier. So the sabre is not drawn from the persian's right but drawn from his left, which would be your right when you are facing him. This would be consistent with how the North Indian/Afghan tulwar techniques were used.
Under the Islamic Caliphate, persian, arab, turkish and north Indian military practices merged in areas but not all areas. This is reasonable to think when you consider architectural, cuisine and other cultural influences also spread far and wide across the Islamic world. Arab swords were originally straight but throughout much of history arabs assimilated the curved sabres of their new brothers in faith such as the turkic and persian people.
The technique you are showing may also have existed but I dont believe that is what the book is describing. I may be wrong.
I think they are saying it uses a slicing draw cut where the point follows instead of a chopping motion
It helps to turn over the blade after the cut has been blown.
cool technique!
when are we going to see all the bloopers of you knocking stuff off the wall and breaking lamps....?
Good stuff!
That club exercise is still done today with varying weights to train arm muscles in Indian wrestling.
in arabia in our sword dances for most of them the neutral "stance" is with the sword in the right hand leaning on the shoulder. so your source might be referring to to that or something similar to that. if you watch arab sword dances you will see what I'm talking about. although each region has its own version of the sword dance.
Persian swords, sounds Farsi-cal
The sword should be drawn across the target fully without flicking forward.
I believe you have related accounts, I think they're included in those books, of swordsmen of that area getting in very close and delivering cuts before soldiers with fixed bayonets could react.
Weird, I'm learning a lot of stuff I didn't know about swords and swordsmanship, etc, watching these videos, but this was a normal practice move when I was a kid.
Where can I buy shamshir sword in the uk?
I see parallels with Chinese dao methods I practice. Very cool!