How to Use a Two-Handed Battle Axe
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ก.พ. 2025
- From fantasy dwarves to vikings (historical or not), the two-handed axe is one of the most iconic badass fighter / barbarian weapons. Like other long handled polearms it is not the easiest to wield, so in this video I'm showing some basics, based on historical European martial arts.
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Intro song:
"Illuminate" by Vindsvept
vindsvept.band...
Outro:
"Highland Storm" by The Slanted Room Records
theslantedroom....
Imagine his new neighbors coming to meet him and they see a mad lad on his deck swinging a battle axe talking to himself
Ahh finally an intellectual!!
"Welcome to Vinland, traveller. We have not seen your kind in many centuries."
Neighbor: Huzzah, a man of quality!
"Goddamnit! I moved all the way here from Australia and got another noisy bearded man obsessed with medieval weapons. At least this one doesn't have children."
Nova Scotia*? Neighbors? LOL
How to Use a Two Handed Battle Axe:
Step 1: Acquire large enough property to finally be able to swing it with impunity.
I love it, the man is finally in his element. Now he can go wild
A large porch helps from tripping too
Bob The Combat Dummy: "You wanna know how I got these scars?"
Skall - 'No, but I know how you got these"-
HACK.
I'm da jokah baybee
We live in a society
My fathah was a drunk.....and a fiend...lolz
Red Lantern's Rage WHY SO SERIOUSSS
Is it me or Skall looks happier.
He is really loving the new house.
Who wouldn't look happy with an axe like this?
A number of people have commented on that.
Bankrotas Freedom
I'm so happy for him :)
You forgot to show the historical technique of throwing the axe into your enemy to freeze them, then summoning it back to your hand.
GODSLAYER!!!!!
"...running up and down the shaft. Yeah yeah."
*Stop giggling*
I red that before in a book called "Lusty Argonian Maid"...
You are a raider, legendary !
Also nice coat and cameo of the igorot headhunting axe
Funny enough; from what I've read, the developers never intended for that boss to say the "You are a raider, legendary!" line more than once.
Lol
Yeah, nice coat, I'll have to ask skall where to get one if I decide to turn sexual offender.
X -R1
For honor is trash
I'd love to see a video talking about how a Two-Handed Battle Axe wielder would fight an opponent using a shield. I think it'd be interesting to see how it could actually be done.
Indeed, as axes are excellent against shields
A reenactment group once showed me how to push down a shield with a "Bartaxt" (like he mentioned in the video) I don't know the english term, but I think it's "bearded axe" ore something. Yea, you can grab the shield with youre axe and push it down to strike behind the shield.
I completely agree--definitely want to see this!
@@dalucke8907 exactly, my friend told me that
@@dalucke8907 I belong to such a group and indeed, axes are shield-killers when used properly. "Bearded axe" is the correct English term for the type of axe you descriibe. In Icelandic we call it a "
skeggjaður öxi." A bearded axe is typically one-handed, while the type Skall demonstrates here is generally known as a "Dane axe."
Finally, I had an argument with my friend who said 2 handed axes were useless in a fight. Finally have a great video to show them
In all honesty, in a fight, even a stick is useful. Not being armed at all is worse than having at least something, especially if it has a long reach and can chop.
There is also *scholagladiatoria* video demonstrating exercises with a two-handed dane axe: th-cam.com/video/NbUhtdwQ1wI/w-d-xo.html
Did he have anything to back up his claim lol
"Two handed axes were useless in combat"?
Somebody's never seen the subtracted bodies of old, who never got old.
Maybe hw was referring to woodsman axes?
*"How to Use a Two Handed Battle Axe"*
*Thorkell:* Why use a Battle Axe when you can use a Giant Log
don't worry, he's known for using two dane-axes.
lol
Omg finally some meme about Vinland Saga
i would like to see skall's reaction on vinland saga.
Thorkell is best girl
"Mosquitoes- I hate you."
-Skallagrim, 2019.
it seems rather cold for mosquitoes lol but what do i know
Death of mosquitos is coming!
There is a reason some of us prefer winter. Too cold for mosquitos is a big one.
Look into mosquito repellent if you are going to love in the woods lest they try to carry you of next year.
My mom sweetie that used dryer sheets rubbed over the skin would repel them. Unfortunately I was always too tasty too mosquitos for that to work and found repellants, well, repellant 😕
LOL As I just read this he said that xD xD xD
*scared mosquito noises*
Thank you all for the upvotes.
Hopefully Skalla-senpai will notice me, lol
"Let's talk about AXE baby
Let's talk about weaponry
Let's talk about all the right ways and the wrong ways to chop thee"
That....
Is amazing
Lets talk about ending them rightly
"historical sources are not terribly comprehensive"
They're essentially non existent. Which is a shame, I'd love to read some accounts of how these were used
The hero Raider from the game For Honor (while not dressed correctly) uses the axe fairly well in my opinion. If just want a Visual.
@@WarM3chGaming I wonder how much of it was taken from European manuals and how much it was created for the game.
@@matiasaguayo3175 For Honor strived for authenticity, so probably quite a bit.
@@SymmetricalDocking I'm pretty sure they did, but as Skall pointed out. We know nothing on how Vikings used the axe.
@@SymmetricalDocking For Honor did not strive for authenticity whatsoever
I'm currently working on a fantasy axe design, and this was SUPER helpful, especially because I was trying to determine the real function of a double-bit battle axe. Now it makes much more sense; thanks!
‘You need to run up and down the shaft’ Skall-2019
"your hand" ... you forgot the important part .-P
with this setup I am now 90% sure skal lives in skyrim
0:36 _. . . and from the Vikings we have nothing. We don't know how they fought, because they didn't leave behind detailed accounts_
Yeah! They only left behind death, blood, bodies, burning houses, and missing gold. /Amon Amarth plays
Not to mention a bunch of butthurt monks :D
Lindisfarn was an inside job! Longboat's hull can't break stone beams!
@@drunkenthoughts6072 you're a fucking idiot.
Don't forget... Farms. Shit loads of poetry. Intercontinental trade and exploration. Also a little signature on a very significant religious building in turkey. Really, the blood and ashes were a small part of their legacy. It was mostly the poetry. Seriously. And it's very good aswell. Much higher in both quantity and quality than any other culture except maybe the Greeks, as far as I'm concerned.
@@brodieknight772 Everyone knows that the only thing more scary than a poet is a warrior-poet, because he will immortalize your defeat in song. Sometimes that concept was turned up to eleven, so the montenegrin vladika Peter I, was known as a warrior-prince-bishop-poet.
Skall you really seem so much happier, it's so lovely to see and very well deserved! Long may it continue!
I’d LOVE more tactical videos like that! They are very enlightening and entertaining as well.
You are a new person on this house, Skall. It’s really your HOME, one can see. I’m VERY happy to see it and I’m lucky/honored to have been able to accompany you long enough to witness this change.
1. Identify the sharp edge of the axe.
2. Swing the sharp edge towards enemy.
Step 3: Identify the sharp metal bit of the axe as the pommel.
Step 4: Refer Step 2
Skall looks so happy in his videos since he moved it's making me happy too
Not Me!! He left us here in Victoria! I feel betrayed and wish I had my own country property and not an apartment dweller in this city, just like he was..
Great to see the axe getting some love :D One thing I have wondered about is how axes were used in battles. I would imagine that while in formation they would be very impractical, as swinging it around would undoubtedly be in the way of those around you. Yet there are plenty of sources showing that they were at least present during battles. One solution I could think of is that they would be reserved for the later parts of a battle when formations and frontlines become a bit more chaotic. But even then we would rarely see the moshpit of Hollywood battles, so I'm unsure as to how effective they would be.
Valid tactic would be to send heavily armored troops wearing battleaxes as a sort of vanguards (just my opinion)
NeoNep With training, soldiers could swing in unison. A bit like a pike squad. Alternatively, the axe wielding special forces/officers can be spread along the line with other soldiers forming shield walls between them. Or the attack could use a more spread formation, covering any gaps with the awesome reach of the axes, similar to how modern soldiers with firearms patrol in open fields.
@@immortalsnail-xd7zv
>wearing battleaxes
All I can think about now is a dude covered in axe heads tackling his enemies.
@@Alex_Fahey You're welcome!
Got a layman's gut feeling dane axes were basically early middle ages greatswords. For the elite warrior madmen that didn't care about shields and bodyguards to nobles.
I always remember the doc on Deadliest warrior, saying 'these are the sorts of injuries you expect to see when someone's been hit by a train.' when talking about the two handed viking axe.
I have to say, the difference in your attitude from these past few months and now is infectious. I can really see how happy moving has made you and I can feel that you have new energy about you. It's really infectious, and I can't help but feel happy for you Skall.
STEP 1: Look like a freakin Viking
STEP 2: Be a freakin Viking
STEP 3: Raid your nearest supermarket
YeAh BeCaUsE vIkiNgS cAnT uSe AnY oThEr WeApOnS
STEP 5: Get swatted by law enforcement
@@dennissala9173 STEP 5: Sail across the Atlantic with the supermarket cart and discover America before Columbus
I am a Viking HEMA fighter, and I find your videos very helpful and kinda fill in the blanks of our lags leader
Dane axe? More like Job Done axe.
A majestic weapon, and one of my favourites. Thanks for the video, Skallywag.
🤩
It´s refreshing to see different backgrounds, seeing the property, nature, etc. i'm Definitely excited to see more of "Skalls world".
Thanks a lot Skal! I do HEMA and the primary weapon i want to learn is the two handed axe, thanks for helping me get a idea of how to wield this awesome weapon!
Wow that forest in the background instantly just improved the video 100% I’m listening to you talk about axes and now I just want to go fell trees haha
I'd love for you to show some halberd techniques. Polearms need more love
3:23 can we just appreciate Skall's precision.
*GO FOR THE EYES*
I'd like this axe to be used on one of those zombie heads
I think it was actually!
Try searching Zombie Head Axe on Skall's channel.
He definitely has considering the amount of videos he's done with the zombie heads. If you can't find it by searching the channel, here's the same axe he used on a gel torso: th-cam.com/video/IK5Elo-KZKc/w-d-xo.html
Pedro.Those zombie head aren't cheap.
Here you go:
th-cam.com/video/a_WwHFzJi70/w-d-xo.html
(Not sure if it's the exact same axe, but close enough)
I'm loving these videos at the new place. It was always weird imagining Skall in a cramped apartment in a city. This place suits him much more.
Anyone remember the berserker at Stamford Bridge? Probably the best or most well known story with a Dane axe. Thanks for this Skallagrim, the Dane axe was always my favorite ancestral weapon.
0:01 If you activate the TH-cam subtitles:
Skallagrim: "Stop! Tax time!".
US during the 1770’s, getting the muskets out:”say that again?”
Canadian Government when you're finally, after 12 years of waiting, allowed to purchase your set of blunted, child safe, padded, kitchen spoons.
“You wanna move your hands up and down the shaft” oh myyyy
I love how you use your deck to frame the video. This new place makes the videos better and you seem able to be more yourself. make sure you keep connected with the people around you tho. rural life can be difficult.
This is awesome. I would love to see this type of video on quarterstaffs,
Stepping my chivalry game up
It just clicked with me that the sick jacket you’re wearing that I always admire is literally a CAF DEU jacket and I have one in my closet from my initial kitting..... I could be skall-cool so easily
Superior camera work? Superior sound quality? Superior background (not that we didn't like the rugs and green screens)? Super Skal smiles? Psycho Mantis?
Awesome video!
Seems like a spike on the other end would open up a lot of options
This was the first skallagrim video i ever whatched, glad i found this channel!
loving the Darth Vader gloves lmao
this man has saved my writing so many times absolute king
"Axe me no questions, I'll tell you no lies." (Sorry, had to get that one in.)
Good video. I have been fascinated by axe techniques since 'Vikings' first came on TV and brought the axe as a weapon to my attention in a slightly more realistic portrayal. All weapons of war are deadly, but I think the battle axe is particularly horrendous, psychologically; perhaps because it is often portrayed in the hands of a 'berserker,' a force of up-close-and-personal rage, combined with the weapon's perceived mass and physical power.
A devastating weapon indeed, never went quite out of fashion until the gunpowder era.
Using you as a reference for my game animations! Amazing Video!
It would be really interesting to see the dane axe used against other weapons in practice!
This has got to be the best "how to" video out there, there's no way to top this (or if there is, I have no idea what it'd be)
How to use pommel?
I think the wilderness is tapping his inner Viking lol
Considering Viking once inhabited that area, Nova Scotia (Vinland) its extra true... Missing him and feel betrayed he left us here in Victoria..
I've always been interested in how Poleaxes and halberds work... seem like such an underused type of weapon in fantasy/historical fiction. Thanks for the vid!
You can tell he moved away from Erik, because the axe survived the video.
Even now a crack is forming along the handle as Erik concentrates his will...
This multiple angles you can show now are awesome. The move to the new home is great for you of course, but it is terrific for the videos👌🏽👌🏽
"MOSQUITOES!! I hate you!" 08:03
Here I thought Canada was mosquitoe free :(
@@D4rkTooga Nope. We have blackflies and no-see-ums too. On the up side, Skall can practice his sword form with one of those electric fly rackets.
@@schonnj heh Oh well, poutine must be worth the fight with the mosquitoes.
I just want to compliment how beautiful your back yard is. I'd kill to have woods that beautiful in Texas!
The reverse cut is precisely why I'd prefer a glaive when it comes to polearms..
Really nobody on about this man's fantastic outro, I loved that!
Great vid too
I have gotten an interest in billhooks lately, and can't find many videos on it, so I would like a video about billhooks.
@Jim Nickles What I have been able to find suggest they were pretty effective.
@@TheHornedKing Shadiversity just made one
@@konstellashon1364 I have seen it. It was great.
I use a lot of your videos for reference in choreographing fight scenes all the time. Good stuff as usual.
thorkell: *WANT TO KNOW HOW TO DUAL WIELD 2 HANDED AXE?*
You seem much happier in your new home, glad you've moved out of that cramped apartment it was clearly a hiderance to your videos, congrats you've earned it!
You are a raider, legendary!
Really glad you have all this new room for activities after the move!
I guess one thing that would be interesting to see would be just how effective an axe is against shields compared to swords.
A few video games(Mount & Blade in particular) tend to showcase axes as being the perfect counter to shields. But just how well would the axe be able to render a shield useless?
Axes won’t really chop a shield apart like in games. It is, however, a very hard hitter. Deflecting an axe blow will take a lot more energy, and in particular, be quite painful. So someone won’t be able to withstand repeated axe blows for long even with a heavy shield.
That forest is so colourful and vibrant. You look so much happier in the new house and the videos are full of so much more energy as a consequence :-)
"up and down the shaft" hehe
Gabriel Garcia Found a Matt Easton fan.
@@Tzarkaan Who is Matt Easton?
Gabriel Garcia Look up shcholagladiatoria. Matt is a Hema instructor and has been doing videos for a few years. It's a great channel.
@@Y3ll0wJack3t the uncrowned prince of sexual innuendos (or how the heck it's spelled!)
@@Y3ll0wJack3t He grips the butt for better penetration.
This is exactly what I was looking for as I was researching proper axe technique for my fantasy novel :D
How is your novel coming along?
I've been thinking about this more, and I have another analogy. This axe obviously has more offensive potential than a sword and shield or spear and shield or many other weapons combinations. It's optimized for putting the hurt on folks, not defense of self etc. It's like a machine-gun, a better force multiplier. But it requires a squad of riflemen around it to work best, because it's heavy and cumbersome and not very pointable and so is vulnerable to being overwhelmed close up and in. The way riflemen maneuver and keep the enemy at bay, is what sheildmen do. While the guy with this clobbers people safely, the same way machine-gunners do far more than their fair share of DPS. The same way most units are all of shieldmen with swords or spears, and rarely are units all with greatswords or 2 handed axes, most military units are rifle ones, machine gun units are less common. Another way would be to think of Core and Heavy or elite choices in Warhammer, how the badasses don't work well without the regular guys setting everything up. Just a hypothesis, if even that.
Absolutely best video I have seen so far on axe combat... I know you are geared to the more medieval weaponry but would you please do a video incorporating modern size 31/32 inch axes... I would absolutely love that and find it super informative.
Never mess with Huge Axeman he's jacked!
You seem definitely happier with the new place. And damn is that scenery beautiful. So happy for you brother. I hope nothing but great success
Can you do a fighting tutorial about one handed axes?
Thegn Thrand has an awesome series about it. There's a lot of stuff you can do with it, paired with a shield, that you cannot do with any other weapon.
thank u,u the best. not like others who ramble just to extend video to 10 mins
I'd love to know how tridents were used.
The pointy tips go inside your enemies.
Blaze M.D. to catch fish. Other than that? To poke,because tridents probably weren’t really used outside of the arena
@@bosknight7837 They were also used as hunting weapons in China; the tines prevent predatory tigers or wild boars from lunging at you up the shaft.
I love how this man is just having fun and being finally happy
That´s Axectly how you use it
I don't even remember when it has hurt more to give a thumbs up to a comment.
Exaxectly what I was thinking
So low effort i had to like it
not funny, didnt laugh
I'm gonna have to axe you to stop
He looks so content with the new place and all.. Nice Skall! All the best!
Dwarf OR Viking!?
Such a lack of imagination, DWARF VIKINGS~!~!
Well that really isn't anything new though... Most dwarves in fantasy fiction are just that anyway. They are pretty much the fictional depictions of vikings except their height what with the horned helms and a tendency to swing axes and hammers and all. Aside from the Tolkien dwarves which are a bit more unique when it comes to their names the way they behave and their weapons and armor.
@@Inaluogh Aren't dwarves usually more so artisans and miners? There are some viking references in the cultural and military side but seafaring raiders? That bit seems to be... missing...
@@000Dragon50000 So you mean the Norse Dwarfs of Kraka Drak?
also: searfaring Dwarf Raiders? Meet Long Drong and his Pirate Slayers! :P
www.axesofaix.de/Bilder/LongDrong2.jpg
Illusionist Kyouko
Vikings, or to go Viking was a raiding process. I think Roaming Dwarvish raiders is a pretty unused concept. Though Tolkien-inspired dwarves definitely are Norse-based, I wouldn’t say they were víkingrs.
@@TooMuchThought Exactly, exactly. They're more norse-inspired artisans and miners in most executions of them, not so much vikings.
Thanks for the demonstration and teaching with the two handed Long Axe how to use it
I got flashbacks of getting bopped by raider at the end
*RRAAAAAAAIIIDDEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRR*
@Red of the Man wouldve been cooler too if Raider parries attacks the way Skall briefly showed
I used to think axes are only for striking and grabbing shields , i never thought they could be this versatile , thanks for the informative video .
Next video: how to use a two handed battle axe as a throwing axe.
Glad you seem to be loving the new place!
The mostquitoes obviously drew first blood in that duel.
Great video! The new place has really upped the productionquality!
Everyone knows how easy that weapon is
just look down and scroll your mouse down
8:04 Killed +100
This is pretty helpful for me. I’m trying to become a writer and i have a character who often uses axes. Was trying to get a feel for how he’d actually fight
You should react to thorkell scene in vinland saga anime
Really helped with my war story! it's set in Viking time so there are lots of swords and axes! Definitely will be on your page more often :]
I'm here to learn how to soft feint spam like -q- raider in real life
your content is getting better with every video great work :)
Major problem with two handed battle axes is that there’s no pommel with which to end them rightly.
What if the axe head was the pommel all along?
It's so nice to see skall being free!
Waiting for hammer time
cant touch this
I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS FOR SO LONG
Oh hi
Imma just sit and be first view
I SHALL DRINK FROM YOUR SKULL
yeet
dats a noice head youve got on your sholdurs
Its almost harvesting season!
Give us yer money or yer life
AWAY WITH YOU VILE BEGGAR
Watching your videos has really made me love the axe.
Everyone knows that the historically way to use a two handed battle axe is with one in each hand and wearing nothing.
Danskur öxi!
This is the Danish War Axe from Arms & Armor, which I can highly recommend. It is extremely well-crafted, light and agile, yet sturdy. I've owned mine for about a year now, and I've been training and demonstrating with it quite enjoyably in that time.