This is also a good opportunity to remind you not to be stubborn but to listen to your body... I already had a case of elbow tendonitis (sword elbow, I guess), but I thought "screw it, those swords won't test themselves". And this made it a lot worse... I can only hope it's going to be a matter of weeks rather than months to recover from it. Either way that was reckless. Stay safe, folks.
Have the same (golfer's elbow was called by my doctor), and the pain caused doing small common things can be very limiting. And I never played golf in my life! After a lot of therapy, I mostly recovered, but still must be careful it doesn't come back, since it became chronic. Got a cynch for the elbow that helps whenever I must do something more intense than push-ups, but from time to time, I must endure it, and get another round of phisio and ibuprofen.
Completely true and important to learn as young as possible. I'm still struggling with wrist tendinitis from a lot of poorly warmed up sessions on heavy bags. Sometimes active rest is the hardest part of growth.
It was really interesting to see Xian's form, where he was extremely precise and controlled in his cuts. I think that's good instructor habits but it's also much better for actual combat; you want your cuts to require as little movement from you as possible to achieve the effect, so a habit that includes even a little extra windup to cut through a tatami could end up reinforcing into a bad habit where that extra windup you're used to is now a gap for an armed tatami mat to exploit.
i'm a kenjutsu student, and what you said abou tameshigiri is indeed correct, most people thinks tatami cutting=know how to properly handle a sword (uchigatana in my case) in a fight when it's really not and is actually a thing that preety much worsen your kenjutsu technic, tatami cutting actually makes you swing the blade in a completly different way with larger movements when you go from tatami to free sparring thats where you see how badly a tatami seasion can be to the actual martial art, and is kinda sad to know that many schools through the world charges a lot saying is factual and when you gonna look all they do is tameshigiri
seki sensei made a vid about that where he didnt cut the whole way thru but said it's enough to end a fight, and has his sword pointed at the opponent incase he still wants to fight.
@@itskarl7575 in fact many ''kenjutsu school'' on japan and other places claims to be a legit school with real training and they only teach tameshigiri, when i lived on nakano i went on a training sesion where the sensei was teaaching and talking as tameshigiri was the ''way that samurai trained their body'', they rarely had free sparring and even kata , and that was even worse on brasil (my current home) and EUA where many samaruai wannabe charges a lot to teach only tameshigiri and say its ''kenjutsu''.
But what if you made armor out of cheap, low-quality tatami mats? You'd be nearly invincible! Also, Xian's swing at around 8:28 is impressive. Yeah, he didn't cut through the crappy mats, but he clearly generated so much power with so little movement.
@@Umbra_NocturnusWell that is the whole point of a sword, it's a force multiplier. A small twist of a wrist imparts a lot of potential kinetic energy at the tip of a blade the longer the blade.
opinels are my mother's favourite knives. and pattada knives (sardinian resolza knives, Pattada is the most famous town for knife makers) easy to sharpen, cut like crazy, utilitarian, and she's scared of big chef knives for some reason so, there we go. I think I'm going to buy her a huge one just for the lols🤣
5:20 there's a man who wants to get every cut possible out of that mat 😂 cutting two inches at a time is impressive to watch though, very nice work guy~!
Every clean cut you do the sword doesn't have any noticeable wobble following through. Looks like when you are striking from Right to Left you tend to cut cleaner than from Left to Right as well. There is a lot more wobble when going that direction from the video.
Howdy, long time fan. Just as a saber practitioner who actually reads the manuals, I can tell you that you need to lunge when cutting with those sabers. Also, use a hammer or handshake grip while lunging, its what the manuals recomend for those heavier sabers.
If it's the original edge on the LK Chen swords, it feels sharp, it shaves, but it is very toothy. It's apexed well but left at a pretty low grit and polished a bit, if you sharpen and polish the teeth away it's much, much better.
I know now why it feels so weird, the edge is sharpened in direction of the blade not towards the edge, gives a good apex but weird texture and not extremely sharp (also according to some a weaker edge since the parallel scratches can be stress risers).
From that first cut....you can tell there's almost no resistance. The slo mo usually highlights the change in blade velocity on striking the tatami. There was none.
Damn sindri! (probably spelt wrong) Hey skall tell him "at a boi" for me next time you see him. Great video as always! I do so love a good cutting session episode! 🤘💀
@@LancelotChan Wasn’t nearly as much the long time user as yourself! It definitely was one of the best places online for the sword community in those days. It was a fine mix of technical information and banter amongst like minded people
@@LancelotChanI remember when your account was getting harassed because they thought Lance wasn't your real name. I'm sure we chatted back then but it has been a long time.
I try to avoid long sweeping cuts by using the handle length to snap the blade like Skall did near the end. I find there's a sweet spot between sweeping and snapping that utilize the strength of both without the tip going too far from the target leaving you open. This sweet spot fluctuates between sweep and snap depending of course on sword type, target, and environment. Thanks Skall for giving me a place to nerdsplain my personal views with the best sword community.
Hey Skall, any chance you'll check out Half-Sword again? They just released a big update, and added a tournament-like mode for it. Could be worth your time
"what's a news paper?" lol I feel like, I was there when printed news died. I was hired at a large news paper media company in June, and that same year by Dec everyone was laid off and the doors closed. I'd known people who had worked there prior for 30 years.
The Lancelot "Supreme-Cutter™ Compact Edition" is essentially like a Kaninholmsabeln. What is a Kaninholmsabeln? Well it's a rare Germanic sword of the mid to late 1500s that isn't well documented. Look up the various paintings titled The Egg Dance by Dutch artist Pieter Aertsen (c.1552) and you'll see the sword in question. I made a video about the sword type (and why I'm calling it a Kaninholmsabeln) a few years ago I'll post a link in a reply to this or you can look here on TH-cam for Asa-Punk Kaninholmsabeln! A what?!? Its part 1 with the background info & a bit of my making a not great replica out of a katana
If you wish to get some cheap tatami replacement you may try one of those agrotextiles. For example white, thick ones are good targets for cutting, because they are fairly tough and stiff, and they require good sharpness and skill to cut through.
I have always had a thing for big swords with backwards-curved blades with forward-curved handles. For some reason, the most iconic historical swords seem to not have that very much.
While I understand the sword appeal (and am very fan of it), I would also like to see some cutting practice with other cutting weapons: axes, polearms (glaives, ploaxes,...)!
Oh also on your crappy mats give them a good wetting before you roll them roll as tight as you can while slightly wetted bind them tightly then soak it might give you a little better results with them. Basically pour hot tap water on them while laid flat role tight bind them tight and soak. I suppose you might already do so but meh just incase see if that helps at all
In the slow motion some of the swords flexes in the cut that’s why the tatami mats have a scoop I have made my own katana sword and my ex Irish army friend cut a milk bottle with one swing and it was a clean cut
I know Skall said he wasn't a fan at the start, but I love the curve of those Lancelot blades -- one of my favorites in my collection is a "reverse blade" katana, which essentially has that same S curve instead of the traditional smooth C curve. It has a great feel to it, fantastic balance and weight, and it moves very easily -- I see a LOT of similarities with those Lancelot blades, so I imagine I'd like them as well haha! ^_^
This is also a good opportunity to remind you not to be stubborn but to listen to your body... I already had a case of elbow tendonitis (sword elbow, I guess), but I thought "screw it, those swords won't test themselves". And this made it a lot worse... I can only hope it's going to be a matter of weeks rather than months to recover from it. Either way that was reckless. Stay safe, folks.
Stay healthy skall. Please don't ruin your body for our entertainment
Uuuuh sorry to hear that. Usually tendons take some time to be on shape again, depends how bad you hurted it. Just try not to force yourself too much.
Oh no…I hope you recover in due time.
Have the same (golfer's elbow was called by my doctor), and the pain caused doing small common things can be very limiting. And I never played golf in my life!
After a lot of therapy, I mostly recovered, but still must be careful it doesn't come back, since it became chronic.
Got a cynch for the elbow that helps whenever I must do something more intense than push-ups, but from time to time, I must endure it, and get another round of phisio and ibuprofen.
Completely true and important to learn as young as possible. I'm still struggling with wrist tendinitis from a lot of poorly warmed up sessions on heavy bags. Sometimes active rest is the hardest part of growth.
Those previous tatami mats weren't cutting it, eh?
Get out.
These are a cut above.
Tatami cutting is just another slice of life thing for him.
Heh, indeed. Although apparently poor tatami quality matters less when the blade is edgy enough.
Aight dad, that’s enough internet for today
It was really interesting to see Xian's form, where he was extremely precise and controlled in his cuts. I think that's good instructor habits but it's also much better for actual combat; you want your cuts to require as little movement from you as possible to achieve the effect, so a habit that includes even a little extra windup to cut through a tatami could end up reinforcing into a bad habit where that extra windup you're used to is now a gap for an armed tatami mat to exploit.
True. It looked almost effortless
One fluid movement from hands to feet like you're writing cursive or Kanji with your body.
I want to see more of him. He made it look so damned easy every single time.
A couple of friends having fun with swords on a beautiful day. I love it!
i'm a kenjutsu student, and what you said abou tameshigiri is indeed correct, most people thinks tatami cutting=know how to properly handle a sword (uchigatana in my case) in a fight when it's really not and is actually a thing that preety much worsen your kenjutsu technic, tatami cutting actually makes you swing the blade in a completly different way with larger movements when you go from tatami to free sparring thats where you see how badly a tatami seasion can be to the actual martial art, and is kinda sad to know that many schools through the world charges a lot saying is factual and when you gonna look all they do is tameshigiri
seki sensei made a vid about that where he didnt cut the whole way thru but said it's enough to end a fight, and has his sword pointed at the opponent incase he still wants to fight.
correct
I don't think anyone is under the impression that tameshigiri will somehow teach you how to handle a sword in a _fight._
@@itskarl7575 in fact many ''kenjutsu school'' on japan and other places claims to be a legit school with real training and they only teach tameshigiri, when i lived on nakano i went on a training sesion where the sensei was teaaching and talking as tameshigiri was the ''way that samurai trained their body'', they rarely had free sparring and even kata , and that was even worse on brasil (my current home) and EUA where many samaruai wannabe charges a lot to teach only tameshigiri and say its ''kenjutsu''.
The tatami roll represents the human body.
Cutting tatami roll means what you can cut human arm
But what if you made armor out of cheap, low-quality tatami mats? You'd be nearly invincible!
Also, Xian's swing at around 8:28 is impressive. Yeah, he didn't cut through the crappy mats, but he clearly generated so much power with so little movement.
Love that cut, looks unreal how far the mat goes flying from that little love tap.
@@Umbra_NocturnusWell that is the whole point of a sword, it's a force multiplier. A small twist of a wrist imparts a lot of potential kinetic energy at the tip of a blade the longer the blade.
@@SilvaDreams You're right! I just think it looks particularly funny from that angle, because he's making it look so easy :)
Was not expecting the re-introduction of the comically large Opinel
opinels are my mother's favourite knives. and pattada knives (sardinian resolza knives, Pattada is the most famous town for knife makers) easy to sharpen, cut like crazy, utilitarian, and she's scared of big chef knives for some reason so, there we go.
I think I'm going to buy her a huge one just for the lols🤣
The Red Baron is one mighty beast holy crap
Take care Skal
I love your videos. Thank you for using my music and setting credits
Thanks for making such great music and making it available for free!
5:20 there's a man who wants to get every cut possible out of that mat 😂 cutting two inches at a time is impressive to watch though, very nice work guy~!
Hope you recover quickly. Take care of yourself 😊
I love cutting tests, gosh what a treat this video was.
The Red Barron is insanely good at cutting. And now I want one.
This was a really fun episode. Loved the addition of Xian
I love the look of the blade. Nice also to see different people cutting with it, and sharing their own opinions
I love the design on that first sword. A circular guard is very unconventional on a single edged sword, but it looks sick and unique as hell
Just Skall having fun in his backyard with couple of friends :)
Not my backyard, but yes.
2:40 Sweet slice. Great edge alignment.
For a big guy like myself, these swords are a dream come true
Every clean cut you do the sword doesn't have any noticeable wobble following through. Looks like when you are striking from Right to Left you tend to cut cleaner than from Left to Right as well. There is a lot more wobble when going that direction from the video.
That's his weak side less power and less accuracy but it can be unexpected
@@borttorbbq2556 Yep.
Red Baron tatami cuts never disappoint. Superfun video Skal!
Something about that Red Baron just speaks to me... Would love to see more videos featuring that sword.
there are more on my site.
I love that this video starts with Skal ranting about Tatami mat quality. ;)
Love the conversation on cutting tips and tricks during the video. Very entertaining Skall!!
Howdy, long time fan. Just as a saber practitioner who actually reads the manuals, I can tell you that you need to lunge when cutting with those sabers. Also, use a hammer or handshake grip while lunging, its what the manuals recomend for those heavier sabers.
Ok.. this is the best kind of vids... These are definitely my absolute fav kind of videos.
It was nice and long this time as well... Awesome job Skal
Very nice a cutting video. These are somehow relaxing to me when you do it. Glad its 20min to. Thx my dude.
Reject tatami. Embrace pool noodle.
If it's the original edge on the LK Chen swords, it feels sharp, it shaves, but it is very toothy. It's apexed well but left at a pretty low grit and polished a bit, if you sharpen and polish the teeth away it's much, much better.
I know now why it feels so weird, the edge is sharpened in direction of the blade not towards the edge, gives a good apex but weird texture and not extremely sharp (also according to some a weaker edge since the parallel scratches can be stress risers).
From that first cut....you can tell there's almost no resistance. The slo mo usually highlights the change in blade velocity on striking the tatami. There was none.
Damn sindri! (probably spelt wrong)
Hey skall tell him "at a boi" for me next time you see him.
Great video as always! I do so love a good cutting session episode! 🤘💀
Appreciate the honesty in your videos, it's rare these days
This was an incredibly relaxing video to watch.
That sword reminds me of Witcher's sword from original 2001 Polish TV series. It also had that "tactical katana" vibe
I wasn't expecting the random kendo cuts. It's very nice to see someone demonstrate them properly instead of just dunking on them for once!
Xian's cuts are so smooth!
It's like the mats are hardly there, no effort, just *fwoosh* through on skill alone.
This video was so much more enjoyable than I expected it to be.
I remember the maker of these from Sword Forum International back in 2004-ish. There were many quality makers and practitioners on that forum.
Long timer huh? :) I was on there since 1998 for a long time.
@@LancelotChan Wasn’t nearly as much the long time user as yourself! It definitely was one of the best places online for the sword community in those days. It was a fine mix of technical information and banter amongst like minded people
@@rymic72 I left all sword groups and forum now, except SBG forum where I still post something.
@@LancelotChanI remember when your account was getting harassed because they thought Lance wasn't your real name. I'm sure we chatted back then but it has been a long time.
@@TheGrebnaws Wow, you remember even that! Yes we must have chatted.
beautiful, and thank you for sharing. I love how happy and joyful you look here.
I try to avoid long sweeping cuts by using the handle length to snap the blade like Skall did near the end. I find there's a sweet spot between sweeping and snapping that utilize the strength of both without the tip going too far from the target leaving you open. This sweet spot fluctuates between sweep and snap depending of course on sword type, target, and environment. Thanks Skall for giving me a place to nerdsplain my personal views with the best sword community.
Great to see Xian after all this time, he's a damn fine swordsman
Tatami fund!
Thanks, I appreciate it!
I'm glad you found your people in NS, Skal. Moving in your 30's and 40's is hard.
Hah. Wait till you hit the triple twenty mark.
By the Gods! Who else could make a sword that slices through solid core Tatami mats, without leaving the slightest blemish on the blade!
Cool looking blades, I dig the curve in the handle
Iconic Skallagrim Goblin Sighting at 4:34
thx Skall for this nice video for my evening. this is great to have on other monitor when clicking in game on main. so enjoyable to watch
Hey Skall, any chance you'll check out Half-Sword again? They just released a big update, and added a tournament-like mode for it. Could be worth your time
I was shocked the Knecht wasn't cutting it but then you mentioned having to resharpen it
That red baron always impresses. Nice blade man.
"what's a news paper?" lol
I feel like, I was there when printed news died. I was hired at a large news paper media company in June, and that same year by Dec everyone was laid off and the doors closed. I'd known people who had worked there prior for 30 years.
When was that? I mean which year?
@@TimmyTurner421 Oh jeeze, pulling up my resume to be sure. It was about 2010-2011
"And then she tried baby bear's bed, and it was just right."
Always seek the middle way.
Great video Skall!
This is a great way to spend an afternoon!!
The Lancelot "Supreme-Cutter™ Compact Edition" is essentially like a Kaninholmsabeln. What is a Kaninholmsabeln? Well it's a rare Germanic sword of the mid to late 1500s that isn't well documented. Look up the various paintings titled The Egg Dance by Dutch artist Pieter Aertsen (c.1552) and you'll see the sword in question.
I made a video about the sword type (and why I'm calling it a Kaninholmsabeln) a few years ago I'll post a link in a reply to this or you can look here on TH-cam for Asa-Punk Kaninholmsabeln! A what?!?
Its part 1 with the background info & a bit of my making a not great replica out of a katana
If you wish to get some cheap tatami replacement you may try one of those agrotextiles. For example white, thick ones are good targets for cutting, because they are fairly tough and stiff, and they require good sharpness and skill to cut through.
The joy expressed in this video is sorely needed. Many thanks to Skall and featured sword nerds
Thanks for doing this. Lancelot is a friend of mine and glad his swords are out.
I love your vids man. Theres something nostalgic about the music you use too.
Those step-forward cuts from Skallagrim are phenomenal, and they look so professional.
Yo burgundy shirt bro is killing it
This was really fun to watch, I hope you recover quickly
Stay safe, Skall.
17:04 didn't know Nikado Avocado showed up to test the swords too
I wonder if it wouldn't be cheaper and more "renewable" to prep some ground and grow your own little bamboo poles for cutting tests
Bamboo only grows well in one province, and he doesn’t live there anymore
Also, gotta be careful with bamboo. It is VERY tenacious and can be considered invasive in some places.
Now THESE are some Heron-Mark Blades!
That EXCELLENT pronounciation on the "Landsknecht"
Just
👌👌👌
That was a lot of fun to watch!
Take care. You make good content.
I have always had a thing for big swords with backwards-curved blades with forward-curved handles. For some reason, the most iconic historical swords seem to not have that very much.
Can always count on you for accuracy and impartial tests and reports
dang, nice sword. nice cutting technique too
glad to see more appreciation of chinese sword designs
That's a neat sword.
I love how casually you all are cutting those things..."hey,look...your head went over there!"
Some of those cuts were beautifully clean.
I'm loving the Skall chills with cool sword nerds content IDK how the algorithm likes it but I love it
Great video.
those lancelot cutters look incredible
thank you very much.
I luv how the blades look in slow motion. You guys should always make videos together as a team if your not a team already
0:07 wtf You have a katana light saber O_o
not katana
Very cool review
Nice bladework and blade control dude
While I understand the sword appeal (and am very fan of it), I would also like to see some cutting practice with other cutting weapons: axes, polearms (glaives, ploaxes,...)!
Oh also on your crappy mats give them a good wetting before you roll them roll as tight as you can while slightly wetted bind them tightly then soak it might give you a little better results with them.
Basically pour hot tap water on them while laid flat role tight bind them tight and soak. I suppose you might already do so but meh just incase see if that helps at all
Yes I found this entertaining and watched till the end
Ooo liking the look of the Red Baron sword, yoinking that as a reference for a future TTRPG character.
In the slow motion some of the swords flexes in the cut that’s why the tatami mats have a scoop I have made my own katana sword and my ex Irish army friend cut a milk bottle with one swing and it was a clean cut
The supreme cutters look very similar to the sword that I gave a character of mine. It’s cool to see that it works this well!
The black guy has some serious moves & fantastic posture, very impressive! 🤘
I'm an uncultured swine so i can't really appreciate these to their proper value, but that supreme cutter looks insanely nice !
WHERE IS MY MONEY?
"cuts into the poor wood like if it is the one that will give him money"
REALLY NICE BRO
That was too close to the steel stand , i was anxiously grinding my teeth watching that , well done for not damaging anything . ☺
same here!
I have a 1796 light cavalry saber by LK Chen and it's an amazing cutter right out of the box!
I know Skall said he wasn't a fan at the start, but I love the curve of those Lancelot blades -- one of my favorites in my collection is a "reverse blade" katana, which essentially has that same S curve instead of the traditional smooth C curve. It has a great feel to it, fantastic balance and weight, and it moves very easily -- I see a LOT of similarities with those Lancelot blades, so I imagine I'd like them as well haha! ^_^
it handles pretty far from a katana does.
Damn, that's the edgiest sword i've ever seen!
It's genuinely incredible to watch his blade alignment skills. Those very tiny adjustments are hard to form habit.
Looks very fun
Off topic but, I really enjoyed the musical choices. :)