What is a BACKSWORD? How is it different to a BROADSWORD?
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- Опубликовано: 4 авг 2024
- What is a BACKSWORD? How is it different to a BROADSWORD? Why have one edge instead of two?
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Gonna start calling double-edged blades "backless swords."
I'll make one with blade on the other side and call it a belly sword. The ultimate collectors piece
Is the sword with both blunt sides a spiny sword or a gutless sword?
Just call them cowards, because they're spineless. :p
@@Immopimmo funny
The fact that there's a backsword implies the existence of a front sword. It's context !
You really want me to talk about the front sword?
@@scholagladiatoria Yes please
@@scholagladiatoria I mean you should probably save that for the Patron channel eh? Don't want to be giving us plebs too much for free . But I suppose it'd be allright if you just described the pommel a bit.
(Also I've been watching for years, thanks for the acknowledgement Matt. I'm a huge fan Cheers!)
@@scholagladiatoria You have never discussed reverse bladed or curved swords in depth. You've brought them up in passing, but you have never made a whole video on them.
@@scholagladiatoria I have a question about a sword I bought but can't find anything about it on the internet. I think it is a British Victorian style cavalry sword .
militaria.es/armas-blancas/esp-636.html
It is a straight thrusting sword .
What's this? Matt making a video that's under five minutes? Did pigs start flying while I wasn't looking?
(joking aside, this is great--bite-sized while still being informative)
Something just flew by me, thought I heard an "oink".
He also didn't say context!
Yes, they did. They're calling themselves 'hog-nosed bats' or something.
police helicopters are proof that pigs can fly
Not to be confused with the reverse sword, the sword that cuts the opposite body part of where you stabbed.
Ohhhh, the backside is blunt so they can fit more BLOOD GROOVE. LOL
Gotta love the blood groove. Really comes in handy when I leave my sword in the opponent instead of pulling out.
Stop it, it's not a blood groove
It's a blood gutter!
@@spawniscariot9756 Hey. Ok. Sorry. Whatever you call it, as long as it eliminates that crazy vacuum...you know...the one that's weirdly created when you stab someone...its all good. LOL
@@Greenmick6982 🤣
Clearly influenced by the katana as well :P
It's just like a normal sword, except when you whack a person, it _heals_ a cut instead of making it.
Damn, and this whole time i was going through the trouble of enchanting my swords with Holy attribute to get that to happen.
You mean that one sword from InuYasha?
@@testsubject747 Tenseiga is good for cutting and killing spirits and undead though.
No, no, that's a "Take Back Sword." They're easily confused. lol
actually matt there´s 3 types of sword a hipsword, a backsword and a imjustgonnacarrythiscauseitstoobigsword
There is only 1 sword: COOOOOONTEEEEEXT
Of course, it all makes sense now.
You forgot the I'mgonnasheathethisonmysaddle sword.
I like when he gives it to us quick and dirty like this. It's a satisfying experience.
Some of us first heard of Backswords when the Bearkillers adopted them as part of their standard loadout, in their early days just after the Change.
Guilty!
That's why I'm watching this video. Lol!
Same here
I am almost never jealous of the blades that Matt shows. I appreciate his sharing. Those 2 swords are the exception! I have always loved the basket hilt
Wait...... Matt Easton making a short video, staying on point, and without going off on various tangents and asides?! The End Times really are coming..... 😁😁
What? Too short, 0/10!
I saw a Schola Gladiatoria video and thought: Perfect, I can watch that while cooking.
Matt says short concise video, I thought, yeah, I'll be done cooking in 20 minutes!
3 minutes later... O.O
All joking aside, well done Matt, this was actually concise! Did you make a bet with someone that you could do a 3 minutes video?? 👍
Nick Thomas looks around with intent
I love all your videos they’re so detailed! But I find myself not watching them as much as I would like to because they are long and it’s hard to find the time to watch them sometimes. I absolutely love this short video series lots of info In a few minutes! Thank you!
That video was only 3 minutes long...
Who are you, and what have you done with Matt?
He's been replaced by Mett Euston!!
@@samprastherabbit Meth Feaston?
Hugh Weston!
Did anyone else notice that he never once said “ context “?
Nor "penetration!"
Really appreciate the concise video. I gradually tapered off watching you and Lindybeige just because of the length and repetition, but this one pulled me back in. Great explanation.
All your vids are informative and great! Thanks!
"Acute cutting edge" ... was that your opening chat-up line when you first met Lucy?
short and sweet, i like the format
Have any Schiavonas passed through you hands? They look cool as hell but none of the weapon channels I follow have discussed them.
I have never owned any, but I have handled maybe 10 or 20.
There are several in my local museum but, unfortunately, they don't let me handle their weapons.
@@williamsavage7746 try not telling them your surname :D
Wearing a Conan The Barbarian shirt doesn't help.
Just search Schiavona in the RUclips search bar. You will get a few results. I love those swords, by the way.
good job on your short videos. I think you give us informative information.
What!?! A genuinely short video from Matt Easton! I was not prepared for that :p
I like these quick cuts.
great video concept! More please
Really interesting! I loved it!
Great short video Matt, thanks, know I know.
Thanks for explaining that, and I really quite adore the bracelet! Lest we forget.
3 minutes 4 seconds might be a new record. loved the video; no redundant points being made redundantly, not like some kind of sword that has two edges where just one would suffice
I never thought Matt could make a three minute video
I have a Cold Steel English Backsword. It's one of their best products that I've tried. The basket is a bit big but I don't mind that as it allows more hand motion. The blade is decent and sharpened up quite nicely. I could consider getting a broad sword if I found a good price on a victorian era antique but I have no real urge to look given how good my back sword is.
very interesting, thank you very much 🔥
Finally, I got an answer to this question, I always wondered why anyone would bother making a straight sword with a single edge.
Yup. You can add to the reasons that the basket prettty much restricts you to using only one edge anyway, apart from the back edge near the tip which was ususually sharpened on backswords as well.
@@ivanharlokin Also known as a "false edge" btw, and many historical techniques make use of false edge cuts! My own backsword has this false edge
I have learned so much during lockdown
"short video"
[is actually under 5 minutes]
OMG MATT WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU
I seem to remember from a Wikipedia binge ages ago that Backswords were highly recommended by a 16th or 17th century fencing master whose writings have been influential in HEMA. Maybe George Silver?
I just picked up the Cold Steel Mortuary-hilt Backsword. Could use a bit more distal taper, but it's not that bad.
Thank you
That is an awesome wall of swords!
This isn't the sort of length I usually expect of Matt.
But a quickie has its uses.
Love your t-shirt...Rock on
Loving your short video series. Wouldn't it also be stronger, less subject to bend/break ?
I usually put the origin a bit further back in history, to the “Wakefield hanger” type 15th Century falchion (or whatever one wishes to call it). The side bar on some survivors, coupled with the knuckle bow is halfway to a basket hilt, IMO.
Would love to hear some thoughts on this, as I am rather in love with those swords, but they rarely get any attention.
+scholagladiatoria *Thanks for a simplified contrast of two contemporary arms.* Men at arms across Europe and Great Britain used backswords, which were economically maintainable, for war. The nobility favored the broadsword, direct descendant of the arming sword, for battle; the broadsword also served duelling at honor until lighter thrusting swords evolved.
Feels almost wrong watching a “short video” on this channel that actually IS short! 😝
Right on
I didnt know you were capable of short videos :P
New Scottish baskethilt broadsword owner, really love the feel of it; but when did the baskethilt become so synonymous with Scotland, as you've shown there were early English baskethilts?
You should do a video on Mortuary swords.
I sort of think of it the other way around: why on Earth would a basket hilted sword of any type have two edges? With your hand so encased in the grip there is really only on way to hold the sword so bringing the back edge to bear for a powerful cut would be very difficult (I guess you could point down and flick up but that seems of limited effectiveness). And it’s not like if an edge grows dull, or gets a big chunk taken out of it, you can just flip it over in your hand and use the other side - as you could with an open gripped double edged sword.
Am I missing something? Seems like, as Matt said, the better edge geometry would always win out over having a second edge you can make little use of.
@@eibolsoe It would seem to me that could be handled by a more "saber like" style of blade where only a portion of the blade near the tip is double edged. Thus one could perform the cuts you're talking about and still have the advantage in edge geometry of a blade that was mostly single edged.
Hi eibolsoe and Matt,
Great points. I like the idea of a small edge at the tip for little flick cuts, etc. As for draw and return cuts I guess, sure, sometimes. But it harder to apply force with the radius side of your forearm than it is the ulna side. If one goes wide with the thrust and wants to execute a draw cut as one retracts the blade it seems to me more effective to quickly (and this can be done in almost the blink of an eye) rotate the wrist so that the “forward” edge of the blade is now brought to bear for the return slice. (Scenario imagines a right handed swordsman missing to the left side of his target as he faces it)
But even if that is not always possible I just don’t see the other edge being more valuable than better cutting ability on the primary edge. As Matt teaches us, weapon designs are all about compromise and if I were maximizing my hand protection and I then had to choose between two sharp edges or one exceptionally sharp edge - I know which I would choose.
A single edge straight cut and thrust one handed sword with either simple or complex hand protection build into the hilt or guard.
Not even 4 minutes. I'm really impressed.
Holy crap..a Short video from Matt? What did you do with him and who are you?
I won't be able to find the source again as it was a few years ago, but I remember reading an article from a blacksmith saying that straight single edge swords were comparatively harder to make than curved single edge or straight double edge swords?
This must be the shortest Matt Easton video I've ever seen...
A genuinely short video on ScholaGladiatoria?!?! Who are you and what have you done with the real Matt?
Wow this was actually a brief note
Can you do a vid on side swords
Hi Matt, really looking for a primary source on the term Backsword. Can you please point me to some Primary sources?
Is there any technical difference between a saber and a backsword? I've heard (probably from you) that they're interchangeable.
Yes big difference, a back sword is generally straight while a saber is curved
I have an old sword (very similar to yours in appearance, specs, etc, yet the "back" side is sharpened from the tip back about 7 inches. Was this common or ?? Cheers!
Hello from Greece you have something for Scotish Claymore?
Are there half swording techniques with backswords? Maybe where you put the flat of your hand on the back of the blade such as blocking a close range powerful blow?
Somehow I thought this video was made in 2015 when watching it. I'm pretty sure you talked about this back 5 or 6 years ago =D. Then I checked the date, this was just 2 weeks ago XD
How much would you use the rear blade on a broadsword? More push / pull cutting ? So maybe not a lot?
This one be up for sale? Thanks
Another thing: what would be the point of a full-length double edge if the configuration of the grip or protection prevented a real cut with the upper part of the blade?
I'm wondering if the "back" of the backsword makes the blade more rigid, which would also improve the thrusting power of the weapon?
Can u breakdown Sword "Families"
There is a third reason for using 1 side for the blade. Because of the tight handguard you cannot efficiently cut with the backside of the sword. With a blunt backside you can also use your other hand for support in parrying , or pushing the enemy with the sword.
Does this refer only to straight bladed swords or is it a generic term for any single edge blade? Would a sabre be a backsword if it only has one edge? Or a falchion type of blade? Or is it specific to a certain time period that automatically excludes most other sword types?
Series of short videos? Sounds promising =)
Hey Matt, I have a backsword related question I've been wondering about, if you don't mind answering.
While civilian swords developed into what is probably the best unarmored dueling sword in the rapier (and then later into the small sword mainly for convenience I think?), why is that swords such as backswords, broadswords, and sabres remained the preferred battlefield/military sword?
I understand that while advancing firearms made full plate obsolete, it did not fully do away with armor all at once, with at least cuirasses remaining common, and persisting basically at least as long as swords did, and that such armor would reduce the usefulness of the rapier. But wouldn't it also reduce the usefulness of backswords etc? Was a soldier who ended up in a situation where they had to use their sword expected to just chop at unarmored limbs? Which yes a rapier would be poorer at, but is that all or is there more to their military effectiveness than that?
Thanks as always for a great informative video, take care!
I expect a good part of it would have to do with durability. Rapiers don't stand up to heavy impacts and general abuse as well as beefier bladed sabres/broadswords etc, so they are the preferred battlefield weapon.
Even in their own time, what we call rapiers, were a civilian self defense/duelling/status symbol weapon, while the battlefield version would be more like a side sword.
Scott MacGregors got the right of it, but also yes soldiers were expected to be very choppy in fights, hacking and slashing is very instinctual, not to mention generally a lot easier to do, and even veterans trained to focus on thrusting will resort to it in the heat of the moment, they may thrust a lot too but generally swings are easier to line up in a chaotic situation than stabs.
@@scottmacgregor3444 hmm I had not thought about durability. I know that, as Matt's videos have shown, they're much more durable than the average (non sword nerd) person thinks, but if I remember correctly while it was impossible to cut through a rapier I don't think it came out wholly undamaged. But would that risk of some amount of damage, which would be less for backswords but not completely absent for any sword, really outweigh the advantages of the longer rapier over other swords?
@@zigzaghyena hmm and I suppose that time spent on training to use a sword, which even at its height would still be a sidearm, became less and less focused on as firearms advanced and became more important to train with, heightening the effects of chopping instincts.
Is anyone aware of a decent replica backsword that feels good in the hand and could stand up to some cutting? I suspect the originals are out of my comfort zone, but I've long loved this design.
Same. So far the Hanwei Cromwell mortuary sword seems promising, but all the reviews I've seen so far are from random backyard cutters rather than martial artists properly knowledgeable on backsword, so I'm not fully sold on it yet.
Is there a diff between the backsword and a straight sabre?
I wonder. I know that when fighting on foot, false edge cuts are sometimes used. Is this also the case when fighting on horseback or is there no advantage of a double edged sword for a cavalryman?
I can't really conceive of a situation when mounted that a false edge cut would be of much use. They're only preferable on foot for a few specific situations that you're not really going to encounter on horseback. Pretty much every one of those situations is the result of an extended bind, and that's not really a thing that happens when a horse is moving around constantly so you both avoid being a big stationary target for bayonets.
Not unless you and your opponent halt your horses and decide to fence "on foot" from horseback you won't. From what I've seen, horseback solely uses basic, sweeping long-edge cuts and trusts--the latter being done by simply presenting point and letting momentum do the work. (And cavalry sabers really reflect this in how they handle vs infantry sabers.)
sometimes, a short video is all that's needed. Now, onward to the mortuary sword perhaps?
For a sword with an orientation like a basket hilted sword, I genuinely don't see the advantage of a full double edged blades like a broad sword. Sure, in theory it "might come in handy", but honestly, at most I think a short false edge at the tip down to where the fuller(s) end is so sufficiently good enough that it just doesn't justify the extra work and money to make a double sided one. It is a bunch of effort and money for the extra hypothetical 1 or 2% improvement. Obviously doesn't apply if the blade is salvaged from an older sword.
Maybe next side-sword vs rapier?
So which is better
Does anyone know more about how/when/to what extent the backsword was used in North America?
What are your thoughts on the gladius being an iron xiphos the Iberians made without a leaf blade because it made hammering the shape a lot harder. Unlike the bronze xiphos would could be poured into a mold so the leaf blade wasn't so difficult to produce. They copied the kopis, falcata, why not the same for the other common sword from the new cultural hegemon of the Med.?
Saw a forging video a while ago that made an iron leaf shape blade, think it was Gandalf's sword Glamdrim, and they talked about the blade shape being more difficult to forge than a straight or tapered blade.
So, what's the difference between a straight saber and a backsword, if any?
Basket Backswords are beautiful c:
_Baby got BACK!_
Are there any examples of two-handed backswords?
I would have called both of those "claymores."
Does anyone know if there's a difference between these swords and a typical Scottish claymore?
Both these would have potentially been called claymores in the 19th century and both are similar to Highland swords used in the 18th century.
@@scholagladiatoria Eventually you're going to have to explain which categories which swords fit into and which they don't, and why.
I know, a lifetime's research won't fit into a five minute video, but several half hour videos on the topic will be not only acceptable but welcome!
"Claymore" is Gaelic for big sword, so any style of sword that is bigger than the average sword is arguably a Claymore. In the 18th and 19th the standard sword was the Smallsword, and Basket-hilted-broadswords are bigger than those, so they got called Claymores. Then the Victorians started doing their sword-research, realized that in the 14th-17th centuries Scots had a truly massive two-handed sword, and that got called Claymore too. These days more people are interested in 1450 than 1750, so the 1750s Claymores have to go by Basket-Hilted Broadsword, or Highland Broadsword.
Note that with the rise of D&D people have started calling the Viking-age one-handers "Broadswords," which means naming these poor Highland swords has become even more complex.
I first learned claymore as being the US Army anti-personnel mine.
@@gpgpgpgp1000 Front Toward Enemy - always good advice
A three minute video from scholagladiatoria? WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH MATT?!
How useful is it to have 2 edges with a basket hilt? You movement is more restricted by the basket, and you can't turn the sword around to use the other edge if one of the edges gets damaged. What exactly is the theory behind 2 edges basket hilts? Did basket hilts sometime get two-edged blades transplanted on to them?
My God, a video from Matt Easton in which thing were said once and was less than 15 minutes, eeerrrrmm, 10 minutes, eeerrrrm, 5 minutes.. Does this mean the world is at an end??
The daggers in that illustration appear also to have basket hilts. So...backdaggers?
Anyone notice the jumpcut to keep Matt from going on a tangent?
👍
With this type of sword, I think I prefer the back sword. Get that good hack in. Maybe have a back edge at the point to help with thrusting.
Don't underestimate the ability to deliver blunt strikes with the back of your sword, when it comes to real life applications of violence.
You may don't want to kill someone.
2 short videos in a row? What the hell is this monster you're working on?
Matt, if you could make all the videos five minutes or below like this, I would be greatly appreciative. It's not that it's not interesting and I don't want to, but I ain't got the attention span brother. I think this is one of the first of your videos I've actually finished. 😅
Is backsword the same thing as a pallasch?
No :-)
You know, I sorta knew this intuitively, but thought my way out of it at some point. I knew that the broadsword was double-edged, but when thinking about a "backsword" it didn't make sense to me that it'd be single edged, unless the single edge was along the back of the blade, and that seemed silly. Wouldn't that be a "frontsword" if the single edge was the front of the blade? Brains are weird and they do weird things, lol.
a short video that is actually short? Now yes, all hope is lost...
Would that mean sabres are a kind of backswords?
It's the one sword I have :)