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That's doing him a disservice. The halberd was something I tried damn near right away in Dark Souls because of how much of a polearm enthusiast I've become. Suffice to say, From seems to think the only thing the halberd can do is stab for what ever reason. Was pretty disappointing. Fortunately Seki Sensei's creativity with the halberd cured my depression.
What is interesting is that Seki Sensei was able to instinctively figure out the exact same technique that western style fighters use when swinging the halberd with a single hand. Joachim Meyer describes the exact same technique in his book written in the 16th century.
I have also said this on another of these videos, but an aspect of martial mastery is understanding the intricacies of biomechanics and physics, and such a refined foundation can be applied to quickly adapt to a new weapons. Seki-sensei knows his stuff, but is also a true mastery who approaches the tools of other disciplines with an open and wondrous mind, embracing these new tools with the eagerness borne of a true love for martial arts.
A lot of these skills are transferrable. Since Seki Sensei knows techniques with the Yari, Bo and Naginata, he already knows how polearms work, at which point it just comes down to figuring out the minutia that come from the somewhat different shape.
@@ArtThingies so much this. the human body only has so many bones and muscles, therefore only limited ways to use them effectively; adding a weapon of any kind is "just" adding another bone essentialy. if you've figured out how to move them it (almost) doesn't matter which weapon you choose. ofc training with any specific weapon or style will improve your ability, but the basics always apply.
@@ArtThingiesThat's one of the elements that keeps me watching this channel - Seki-sensei has this great awareness of biomechanics and mechanics (momentum and balance, his aiki, etc.), and is able to highlight it in his teaching on this channel.
He picked up halberd dueling concepts instantly. A thing to remember is halberds are rarely used alone, it shines best in pairs or groups, this is why it was a common honor guard weapon aswell as its disarming and “nonlethal” abilities
In East Asian context, halberd, trident, staff, spear and other polearms are also meant for individual fights. Most warriors are also equipped with a side arm, usually a sword or large knife.
¿"Non lethal skills? ¿Have you ever heard about Swiss mercenaries's battles against german nobles in the Middle Age? Therefore, this kind of weapons are very effective against pikemen or cavalry. Cheers.
I imagine a swordmaster like him picking up on many of the vital functions of the halberd and liking it quite a lot is all the more reason WHY it was such a successful weapon.
Anything with reach is an insane weapon. Halberds mix things up by giving great reach. Good balance, the ability to fight in close formation, good blunt power and good slicing power all in one item. It's not AS long as a 10" pike formation at being pikes, specially a hoplite style pike formation, but it is significantly more maneuverable and can break into scrum easily as well.
his skill is clear because he is instinctively recreating many well established techniques of western halberd fighting. Most importantly he immediately understood that it's primary use is hooking. The halberd comes from the end of the era before the domination of firearms. It evolved in a battlefield where armor was much more common than in Japan, there was just so much more good steel to work with in Europe that it proliferated. Much more armor on the battlefield and generally more coverage of armor on those who had it. The halberd was a way for footsoldiers to counteract the trend. The tip spike was good for threatening gaps in armor with a quick thrust, the various blades were for hooking and controlling an armored opponent. Force him off balance, force a disarm, get him off his feet. Then finish him via attacking at unarmored places while he's on the ground trying to regain his feet. Their most historically important role was anti-cavalry. They were perfect for hooking shock cavalry off their horses. Mixed formations of pike and halberd were used. Pikes to ward off cavalry and blunt the lance charge. Then as the charge stalled immediately in front of the wall of grounded pikes the halberdiers would rush forward and try to drag them off their horses. The halberd and poleax were counterparts, the two opposite strategies for dealing with the heavy full plate harness that developed in Europe. Halberds were favored more by common troops who were still armored quite a bit more than typical Japanese or Chinese foot troops but not nearly as much as the wealthy full harness wearing cavalry class. They tended to favor the poleaxe which wasn't really an axe. It was a specialist anti-armor weapon, designed for piercing and crushing plate armor. A half about 4 ft long with a short butt spike, a somewhat longer tip spike. Then a head that was a hardened steel pick for piercing armor on one side, and a hammer on the other for crushing plate armor and damaging the body beneath without penetrating.
I knew that Japan doesn't have a lot of nature recourses, but I never connected the dots to understand that this is why the armor used in Japan was so different than in Europe
One relatively minor nitpick. The Halberd doesn't fully predate the firearm. Halberds came into use starting around the late 13th century, and persisted to the 16th. One of the first uses of firearms in warfare (siege guns specifically) dates to 1340. The first recorded use of a halberd is from 1315, if I'm remembering correctly (and in both cases, the designs existed before those events.) So, it's a little more accurate to think of these two coming into existence at roughly the same time. Now, granted, firearms in the 13th and 14th century were wildly different critters from the technology we understand today, and it would take a few centuries, before those early firearms really started to transform the battlefield. It's worth remembering that, even as guns were changing the shape of warfare, combined polearm gunpoweder units (sometimes called "shot and pike") were fairly popular, so, while you're correct that the rise of the gun would eventually spell the end for polearms, they overlapped for a few hundred years.
Zweihänder would be amazing, but I think that sword is so different from other stuff that they might have a hard time grasping it's full potential on their own
@@racernatorde5318 maybe, but seki sensei has already shown on multiple occaisions how fast he can adapt to unusual/new weapons, i reckon he would do quite alright with it
I love the humility shown on this channel, theres no arrogance from "ive mastered everything here, i can easily master this too" but rather just "oh this is cool, heres how i would use it considering my skillset and knowledge, but im curious as to how this would have been used historically"
Sadly - for real HEMA weapons - they would have to do a business trip outside Japan - do all the videos there, and return with just foam versions of them.... Might be an interesting collab possible with Shadiversity though - as Australia is 1.5Mm (Mm=megameter) closer than US/Canada (Skallagrim)...
There's a reason the Halberd is often considered the 'best' weapon of it's era. It's reach, it's power, it's versatility, it's simply one of the best designed martial weapons ever made.
The concept of examining a weapon through the eyes of a master of a different one is something I think the people would love to see more of. Knowing techniques for one thing and seeing how it can apply to something completely different is such a great and new way to look at old and familiar things. Will keep coming back just to see his eyes light up with the newest “toy” to play around with. Great series!
It's no surprise that Seki Sensei picked up on the halberd's ability to hook an opponent so quickly. The halberd is designed to hook opponents and unhorse cavalry, and was basically the favourite weapon amongst European knights, along with other, similar polearms. It also comes with all the advantages of a spear, so even a novice could make good use out of it. As far as I'm concerned, it's one of the best melee weapons of medieval Europe, excellent both for battlefields and single combat. There's a reason it's so iconic, it's just that damn good!
The knightly favourite would be (in the era of the halbard) the poleaxe. Visually similar, but with differences that place it in a special category among polearms. AFAIK none of the longer polearms (like Halberd) were widely used by knight. That said, it was extremely effective and popular among more lightly armored soldiers.
@@jonasbarka Now that you mention it, I might've been thinking of the poleaxe... But then again, the differences between the two are fairly interchangable afaik. The poleaxe was more akin to a hammer-axe-spear combo, whereas the halberd replaced said hammer with a hook.
@@jonasbarka is there really a clear distinction? I mean the general idea behind both halberd and poleaxe is a pointy end (slightly more useful against soft targets), an anti-armour-side (beak or hammer) and an axe shaped depending on what you'd expect to fight against.
A couple of points from a HEMA practitioner who spars with steel polearms: In the context of 1v1 combat you would not hold the polearm, be it halberds and pollaxes, like a spear with your hands at the back and the front extended towards the enemy. The head of a halberd/pollaxe is usually held aloft/back and deployed once you create an opening/deflect with the back, which often had a spike and could be employed offensively. The head is quite heavy so you would have little control in long spear grip, and it would be too easy for the opponent to beat it to the side. Hooking by the backs of the knees and the neck are standard polearm techniques and employed very often against armoured opponents. Also, you are expected to often change the grip and slide the hand along the shaft. Additionally sometimes you grip the pole with hands situated in such a manner that both thumbs point towards the centre of the shaft. Such a grip helps with high guards and allows for a qicker shift between the head and the back spike. Lastly, this training halberd is definitely on a short side as many historical examples were noticeably longer.
@@Stop_Gooning Using a rifle in army formation does not make it worse 1v1 option. All of polearms thanks to the reach and maneuverability alone are one of the best weapons for all scenarios. Halberd, like pole axes have hooking capabilities as well as blunt force strikes options with axe part against armour (ofc you still can just stab with a spear part). Helberd is probably one of the best solo weapons for all case scenarios. The only possible disadvantage would appear in closed space fights, inside a room for example, or mb really tight tunnel. Even in those conditions if fight wasn't started suddenly and weapon already in fighting position it still has good chances vs many other weapons. Better choice for a 1v1 could only possibly be another (better) polearm.
@@Stop_Gooning I've practiced historical fencing for 2 years. The only thing more effective in 1v1 than falchion/shield combo is any polearm. If you know how to use it - you are untouchable.
@@Stop_Gooning Halberd is a devastatingly good 1v1 weapon. It's even pretty good in tight spaces, because while you may not have the space to swing it, you still have a slightly overweight spear. However, it would be a bit cumbersome to carry around outside of the battlefield. Everyday-life convenience is why short swords are so commonly seen in 1v1 scenarios.
Historical halberds (and the similar poleaxe) had weighted or spiked metal caps on their opposite ends, specifically to make the jab-swing combos Seki Sensei uses even more effective. The poleaxe emphasized these techniques, as they were meant to be used against heavy armor; keeping the axe in a high/overhead guard would mean you could stun or knock an opponent down with the cap, and you would already have the weapon raised high to split his helmet with the downstroke.
@eye1dry138 yes you can't slice through helmet but you can break rivets in helmet or if it lacking one blunt force trauma is not very pleasant too, also halberd hook can be used as makeshift battle pickaxe
Sadly, we don't know much about the other end of them. Many halberds were cut down either by users or later people who wanted to keep them in their homes. Plus, wood rots... They often didn't reattach the buttcap/spike, thus I have little to go on about how they looked like... With poleaxes and some spears, we do have more evidence on that matter.
@eye1dry138 yes but it was effective both at delivering blunt force to armored opponents, hooking them or stabbing into gaps, and cutting down unarmored opponents. there's a reason it became a dominant weapon in the Eurasian continent from Western Europe to China.
Came here from Skallagrim. Would just like to drop a comment and say that these videos are a gem. Watching Seki Sensei's eyes alight with joy when trying a new weapon, just as the weapon itself comes alive in his hands as he seemingly instantly understands how to use it - is an absolute joy.
That single-arm thrust was actually very interesting: he basically "couched" the halberd much like a rider would with a lance, giving him plenty of stability and forcing the opponent to either retreat or fall on the point pretty hard. Kneeling down also helped him anchor himself, bracing the halberd further. Very cool to see.
Attacks where you have way more range than your opponent thinks you should without signalling it are very dangerous. Japanese practitioners seem more concerned with fighting from a travel or noncombat stance than western practitioners.
@@hypothalapotamus5293 Most of the surviving styles came from the era of peace really, so most of these do come from surprise attacks or home invasions. The really ancient stuff are very rare or even nonexistent, many were not written down. But many of the modern styles came from the past.
100%. A polearm is a polearm for the most part. Just figuring out how to use the "bits" on the end is the issue. A master like Seki Sensei would only need time to figure it out. Peace!
If you know bojutsu, you can use all the pole weapons. The fundemental strikes, stances, guards etc are the same. You just need to adapt to the shape, length and weight of the blade. I know bojutsu and naginatajutsu, but I can use halberd, bill and pollaxe. The techniques you see in medieval european treatises are 90% the same with the japanese ones. Biomechanics do not change.
there is a video on the channel where he used the naginata and while he says its not something he himself practiced he does own a version of the old manuels for the 8 naginata kata. but yes he does know how to use a naginata. infact that video was a month before this one
I love how Seki Sensei is both taking this seriously by thinking through how he can adapt his own training to a weapon he's never seen before, and clearly enjoying the process of learning something new. He looks like he's having the time of his life!
Right? It's like giving a kid a new toy and he's like "cool!" Love this channel, Master Seki's enthusiasm is so infectious and love seeing the process of him figuring out the best attributes of the weapon.
That very first strike you showed is the quintessential polearm technique used in western warfare. A simple kneel and raise and you turn an enemy charge into their own death sentence, exerting little to no effort on your end Incredible blow!
@@dschehutinefer5627what is very interesting tho is how he employed those techniques with the other ideas he gained simply from looking at the weapon. Often even finding the same use cases as it would have been used in the first place in his own way.
@@matttamal8332 Well the Billhook would be similar. But If you are used to Fighting with Weapons you will find ways to use new Weapons effectivly pretty quickly.
I'm a HEMA instructor for the Oklahoma State University HEMA club, I will have to make a video response! Polearms are not my specialty, but I can compare and contrast to the historical treatises. Very awesome to see Seki Sensei experiment with more western weapons. Super interesting to see the one-handed swing, that appears in Joachim Meyer's treatises of the late 1500s.
Tip to potentially improve that video; you may not be an expert yourself, but see if anyone else in your club (local or even maybe a bit further away but willing to travel/collab) is an expert on the matter.
A suggestion if I might? It would be very interesting to get martial artists of similar styles and compare and contrast them For example- Hema quarterstaff and Japanese bojutsu Show all the moves that are identical, then expand the video into "here's the stuff they teach in the East but not the West" and vice versa
@@misterturkturkle Oh yeah! I have experience in Shorin-ryu karate so I can definitely do that. I just started filming vids at my club so I will try to get something like that down soon. There’s a sparring vid on my channel right now if you’re interested.
So the halberd was originally developed to deal with armored enemies. For his first time using the weapon, sensei fully took advantage of it strengths quickly. I love you guys' work.
Been training with a Halberd since i was 11. You wouldn't hold the halberd with the head outstretched in 1 on 1 combat, the only time you would grip the end of the haft is when you are attacking someone on horseback. When in 1 on 1 combat you would have a more centered grip on the haft, the actual haliberd its self would have a pointed, capped or sometimes even bladed pommel on the end of it so you would primarily use the pommel to get an opening then strike with the blade or point. It was also common to put langettes on the sides and so if someone got too close there are actually records of jaws, noses and even orbitals being broken because of a double handed haft strike to the face. Extremely versatile weapon. im a machinist and i just moved to japan, if I could find the time id love to make seki sensei a real halberd because even I am interested in how he handles it. 😂
You know he is a pro not only when you see how he thinks of good techniques on the fly, but also the honest assessment of the good and the bad. Top content.
I been saying this around the HEMA community, to understand better our European weapons we must study the Japanese applications and approach. The similarities not just in swordsmanship but armour as well, are too big.
The Sensei's broud frame is such a fitting pairing with a big weapon. he also handles the staff so lightly but confidently that it really looks like an extension on him
@@gaming1zanagi-1999. Well the thing is, in my opinion that European and Japanese techniques are not that different. Recently according to some latest discoveries and studies by Anthony Cummings, pre Edo period swordsmanship resemble a lot more european swordsmanship. In the sense of japanese swordsmanship not being so square in their stances.
As the halberd is one of my favourite medieval polearms, it's really interesting seeing it being examined from a really different martial perspective. I _love_ these videos!
While I think his open mindedness is great, in terms of sparring it kinda irks me a little that he only shows training and sparring against an unresisting opponent. They do a single thing then freeze in time for Seki to do whatever he wants, and even when he strikes the side of the halberd his 'opponent' either greatly overacts or lets his arms go near limp to make the technique seem much more effective.
@@SethAbercrombyI remember seeing a true sparring video and he did great. This videos are for demonstration purpose but they probably spar regularly off camera
I cannot help imagining the sheer _quantity_ of joy there would be if Seki Sensei and Matt Easton and a few mates got together in a village hall full of stupidly dangerous stuff.
Someone should create a Go Fund Me account to make it happen. He could do a tour; Matt Easton, David Rawlings, Federico Malagutti, Bjorn Ruther, etc. or get them all in one place.
@@PsychoGemini Maybe we could get Metatron to organize it? He speaks fluent Japanese and he is also quite knowledgeable about both Japanese and European fighti9ng styles.
As a Swiss I'm so happy to see this weapon feature on the channel. Seeing how well the Halberd did through history, it's no wonder it was used by the Swiss during their uprising, their mercenaries after that and in many other conflicts. The halberd was basically the weapon that marked the end of the knight on his horse. Thank you for the amazing video :)
The pike and infantry squares ended the dominance of riders on horseback. But the knight on horseback didn't disappear, they proved to be very effective if employed correctly. Swiss mercenaries often fought together with french gens d'armes.
@@Tony.795 Of course knights on horseback didn't just dissapear, but with more and more defeats at the hands of people with halberds or pykes and the rise of gunpowder weapons is sure started a steady decline.
I wonder how someone like this person, who loves Japanese martial arts, Samurai and Japanese history, would feel if they heard the two songs Yasuke isn't to blame and The sin of Thomas Lockly.
Just to give more details about the Halberd, this weapon is a polearm, mixing both axe and spear, it's good against light armor and heavy armor, the halberd consists of an axe blade topped with a spike mounted on a long shaft and it can have a hook or thorn on the back side of the axe blade for grappling mounted combatants, there is a japanese halberd version of this, it's called kama-yari (鎌槍) a literal translation would be "sickle spear", i'ts basically a spear in a L shape, it's believed that the kama-yari have been developed by the sōhei monk Hōzōin Kakuzenbō In’ei, who wanted to improve the naginata used by Buddhist priests at his time, historically, it also had a non-military use, in which it was employed by firefighters to pull down the roofs of burning buildings to slow a fire.
That's interesting. I was going to say that the kamayari seems more comparable to the billhook, but actually I believe European firefighters also used halberds in their work. I guess it's a clear use-case that's just lost on our modern brains
@@トーキ-g8v eh,... it varies... 6-8ft is fine for a halberd, wheras roughly 4-6ft is poleaxe territory you dont want a halberd a lot longer than 8ft unless the head is pretty small and light and then it really becomes very thrust centric even then, seki senseis polearm is a halberd in SHAPE, its modelled off of a 1600s era halberd for sergeants if im to guess based on the shape
hah, thats funny. as i pointed out in another comment, the halberd was a favourite for european town guard too, precicely because it could double as a tool in emergencies/fire fighting.
It seems to me that this halberd is a bit more polaxe sized and lo and behold, Seki sensei naturally used some of the techniques taught in polaxe manuals. This shows you he didn't just google how to use a halberd. He really has an intuitive understanding of the weapon. A grand master indeed.
As a koryu practitioner I love to see these videos, it shows clearly once you have mastered your own body and the principles behind polearms and swords you can improvise decently with any weapon you find on the way, you are the weapon, the steel is just an extension of your limbs. Is not a coincidence this Master intuitively came with well stablished-manual techniques, it has to do with biomechanics and the abilities I mentioned earlier. That’s why I love Japanese martial arts. The amount of time and dedication masters have codified and transmitted is really an ART, the art of mastering your body and your will.
Whilst I’m not very knowledgeable about western blades. It still is very interesting to see techniques from other weapons come together to do those moves.
Sensei is doing a very good job figuring his way to relatively historical western techniques with these weapons. I really wish some western and eastern weapon masters had gotten together in the 1400s and been able to discuss the best way to fight - I think each would have walked away with incredible respect for the other.
@@roguishpaladin Given the number of paintings of European nobility with katanas and Japanese nobility with bits of European plate armor, I'm pretty sure that happened at least occasionally in the pre-Sakoku era.
@@Just_A_Dude Nobunaga absolutely adored Western stuff lol. If he had gotten control of Japan and not betrayed, he probably would've created a Japanese imperial expansion golden age, as he sent ships all over the world to gather trade and knowledge.
Hemaists: The halberd hits pretty hard, maybe we should only slow-spar with it while wearing half-plate Seki sensei: *unarmored halberd fighting intensifies*
@@theendlessskyethereal7380 Should've propably said that in my initial comment but that was my first impression on the video. After seeing it yeah they don't fight full-speed and the hits never actually connect. However: even a synthetic halberd hits really hard. There's a lot of mass at the end of that pole and when you thrust with it it doesn't flex much. Seki doesn't seem to cut with the halberd much but a couple thrust seemed they could really hurt if they accidentally connected without protective gear. In the end all of this can be boiled down to differences between iaido and HEMA. In HEMA hits are meant to connect in such a way that they would be lethal or draw blood in unarmored fencing with sharps. In iaido hits don't seem to connect that often amd gear is usually lighter. And I'm not saying this as a critique to iaido. They are just to different martial arts with different rulesets and traditions. I wouldn't judge basketball with football rules either Edit: meant kenjutsu, not iaido
This is definitely pretty accurate usage for the halberd. With the weight distribution on a real halberd, some of these moves may be difficult to execute but that's something solvable with practice.
actually pretty much everything shown here is actual Halberd Techniques, even large sweeping attacks, Halberds are built in such a way that allows for crazy moves that seem unfeasible and for incredible flexibility due to the need to counteract the heavy usage of plate armours seen near the end of the medevil times. Halberds were made with a near perfect defensive stance in mind while not losing a strong offense too.
I would say the training weapon used in the video is more similar to the poleaxe, a very similar weapon which was similar in length to the one used in the video and had a smaller, more concentrated axe or occasionally hammer head with a rear spike. This weapon is essentially a poleaxe with a halberd style axehead. Real halberds would generally stand well above the wielders head when held straight up, being a mass formation polearm for dealing with cavalry and spearmen, they were much less snappy than the short example here but were highly efficient at dealing with mounted knights. (A lot of nobles were killed by halberds because they occupied the position of knight or commanded knights.) As for the weapon in the video, treating it as a poleaxe based on the size, such weapons were used by men-at-arms and dismounted knights to engage other armored soldiers. A smaller, more concentrated front head meant a lot of force could be delivered to weakpoints in armor with the speed and agility shown in the video, and the spike on the back would often be like a pick and quite effective for punching straight through armor. The deflections and attacks with the butt of the weapon are also well-documented, with many examples having metal or a small spike on the bottom of the haft to enhance blows from it. Treating it as a poleaxe, I think this is pretty good technique, and some of the noted weakness such as the hook being able to be turned against the wielder are less-so in a proper poleaxe, as the axe-head has much shorter gaps for a blade to hook into. The hooks aren't as prominent because as stated, the poleaxe is an anti-armor weapon, and would not be used for hooking at cavalry, a job reserved for halberds as well as things such as billhooks.
Halberd, glaive, bec de corbin, poleaxe etc are all very specialized and dangerous weapons. Like many pointed out they have a bit of flexibility. One interesting thing about some of these with a flat axe is that they were often blunt by design. I wonder what the reasoning behind that was, they were fighting armored targets so might have been for hooking purposes and make the blade sturdier?
@@huldu They were often used by city watch groups for managing civilians/crowd control. Blunting then was likely to make them cheaper to produce and less likely to maim.
@@ganymedemlem6119 I can't recall who talked about the first time I heard about it, maybe scholagladiatoria(?) and I think he was talking about battlefield weaponry. I've always been fascinated in middle-eastern/European history and I assumed they were always sharpened, especially for war.
I love watching the masters both smiling, laughing, and chattering about the weapon while sparring. Their eyes are so bright with passion for martial arts and appreciation for the weapon, it's infectious
The problem with a light sparring halberd is that it is light. Pushing away the head easily as demonstrated in the video is a lot less doable with a properly weighted halberd which is way more anchored due to its weight. On the flip side, a properly weighted halberd is also a bit more difficult to swing around and manipulate as easily for the user as well. It would be a pretty different dynamic with a proper metal one and I am interested to see what he'd do with one.
@@arx5638 The trick almost anywhere in the world is knowing what paperwork to fill out and who to talk to. Both of which I can almost guarantee you apply to a master instructor who owns their own business.
Stuff like this really makes me appreciate the differences between weapons. Used to be for me all the long sticks with sharp bits on the end were spears and every sword may as well have been only cosmetically different in my head, but over the years I’ve discovered just how much the small differences between swords affect the dynamic, or how the different spears and pole weapons all have entirely different functionalities.
I have trained halberd as a hobbyist for 4 years and this man upon holding it ONCE has replicated any of the things that I have drilled for months. Incredible.
Indeed. Swords are overly romanticized in the modern era when, for the most part, the kinds of arming/bastard sized blades you see depicted in fiction as legendary weapons would've been a knight's backup for if something happened where they couldn't use their halberd. It's right up there with the "muddy brown peasants" trope in things that annoy me when people do medieval/fantasy media.
@@Just_A_Dude literally, like the magic glorified daggers they have in LOTR, its the equivalent to pulling out your pistol in a firefight, u do it when u have no other options .
@@micahlittles774 Hrm, that's a interesting statement. Would you mind giving me a example of this glorified daggers from LOTR? Watched the movies many times but never felt daggers where being glorified so would love to take a look at it!
Seki Sensei picks up a halberd, instantly becomes as intimidating as Lu Bu (do not pursue)! This video was a joy to watch. I love polearms and halberds especially have always been dear to me - so to watch him combine his techniques with the advantages of the weapon and HAVE SO MUCH FUN is just amazing to see.
Ah, I'm having Dynasty Warriors flashbacks. First time I played was DW3 or DW4, I forget which, and when I ran into Lu Bu I thought he was straight-up programmed as an unbeatable boss.
Great to see someone try a weapon with no instruction completely out of its natural historical period and adapt it as best they can to their own area of combat. Would also love to see him observe instruction with those weapons to see his take on that too
I love how the halberd expands the concept of ‘grappling’ so far beyond the arm’s reach. The axe head isn’t just for brute force, but maneuvering and control.
honestly, that's pretty much the reason it has all of those spiky and hooky bits. Otherwise you'd either just have either a glaive/spear or a great axe.
Ayup, they're designed around the idea that somewhere between some and all of your opponents will be wearing some approximation of full plate armour. which makes the ability to grapple very important... along with the ability to get a spike into the gaps in the armour if you could manage it, or to smash a spike or axe blade into, and through, plate using the full power that the reach of the shaft allowed... and, of course, one needs to be able to defend oneself as well. Oh, and to deal with the fact that sometimes the other guy is on a horse. In mass formations a block of pikes is better at that last one, but when the formations break down, or you weren't in one to start with, the halberd doesn't have the pike's weaknesses and the halberd's other strengths come into play as well.
I love how Seki Sensei's knowledge and insight into personal combat is so at once focused and open that he can apply all he knows from his own traditions' martial systems to any weapon. That is beautiful, and an end to which any dedicated martialist should aspire.
We are grateful that Sensei has been so patient to put up with our very childish requests. We wish him and your whole team more good times. Cheers from the Philippines 🇵🇭 ♡
It truly is awe inspiring how Seki Sensei can hold almost any weapon in his hands and "feel" how to use it properly. His adaptability is very fun to watch, and everyone looked like they had fun taking advantage of the spike and hook! Another amazing video!
As much as I love watching Seki Sensei use and discover how to use new weapons, watching Tsukada learn how to react to them on the fly is amazing to me. Awesome video, it's always fascinating to me to see the intuitive use of new weapons when held by masters of other weapons.
It's great to see Japanese martial arts master to have so much fun with a weapon deeply connected with my country's history! Halberds and similar polearms were primarily weapons of war, used by foot soldiers, often recruited from citizens of medieval towns or willage peasantry, and they enabled them to stand against even heavily armoured opponents, knights and men at arms, both on horses and on foot, reach them, stop them, hook them, pull them to the ground and finally overcome their superiour armour either by heavy blows of the axe or by finding gaps in the armour with the spike. The halberd is one of iconic weapons of the era in which cooperating infantry became more and more important, and also an iconic weapon of social change - the Swiss uprising, the Bohemian Hussite wars... But heavily armoured knights on foot and men at arms started using them too, of course, in the form of polearm for war, and also in the form of pollaxe, shorter heavier polearm for both war and tournament on foot. The use of halberd is less documented in European historical martial art manuscripts, that focus mainly on the sword, but there are some. I would say that the approach of Seki sensei - use the reach, hooking and pulling, use the shaft and the end is very similar to actions presented by medieval masters. Their roots, fundaments of their combat style were a bit different, so the actions and movements looked differently that movements of Seki sensei, that are rooted in his combat style, but the basic ideas would be very similar...
This was a treat beyond anything i hoped for. The Halberd has always been my favorite medieval weapon of choice. Seeing a master from another part of the world adapt to using it with such swift expertise was enthralling. Thank you for this video!
Poleaxe is the Europe's mightiest weapons in the medieval and even during gunpowder era. Where its weapons have become a truly tested of time. It has a long spike which is a spear (usually at maximum of 1 foot long) An Axe (which is for breaking shields) A hook (which is for pulling out cavalry men from the horse) Sometimes Hook is replaced with Hammer which serves as a hook and armor breaker. A pummel which is used for both hammering and pummeling opponent when your axe is away. And a strong leather handguard for parrying attacks. This is a weapon of all trades, the AKM of Medieval era. Even an untrained farmer in formation can defeat heavy cavalry with this weapon. If foes closed in, you can just pull the poleaxe close and fight like a bayonet. 6:00 Although you can pushout the blade of the axe, halberd axe is pointed at an angle and not on a flat to reduce chances of "pushing" the head. And with angles, this makes uses of it's hook viable for both disarming and counter attacks. Hence at 7:36, holding the halberd at an angle makes it viable for strong counter attacks and disables. Unlike sword where it has its own concentration of force on the arms, upper body and footing. Halberds spreads forces evenly where it makes it a "farmer's weapon".
@@badart3204 Poleaxes were extensively used in mixed armies and were often paired with pike formations as a secondary line of defense. Unlike pikes, which were specialized for large-scale battles, poleaxes were more versatile and preferred for city defenses and crowd control. Spanish Tercios and Switzerland's Landsknechts used pikes effectively in large battles, but poleaxes remained relevant into the Gunpowder era, as the Spanish Tercios evolved to incorporate mixed armies. Over time, pikes were shortened, and poleaxes replaced axes and hammers for flag bearers, who served as rallying points rather than using them as main offensive weapons. The use of poleaxes continued until the 1700s for guard duties in German and Central European cities.
@@badart3204 The Pike is an anti-cavalry specialty weapon for large formations or at least decently sized groups. Halberds and related poleaxes as well as Zweihänder however are more flexible universal weapons, being effective against infantry like said pikemen, cavalry and even any ranged infantry relying on short swords as sidearms or bayonets, at least if they can close the distance.
@@badart3204 Abandoned? The halberd (or pollaxe) is contemporary with the pike and musket on the battlefield and outlived it in city guards (since it doubles as a fire axe and a big stick in addition to being a weapon). It's nicely complementary to a pike formation, but significantly less effective against a cavalry charge.
As much as I love Seki Sensei's enjoyment of a variety of weaponry that he was previously unfamiliar with, I must admit that Tsukada Sensei always manages to make me smile too. He has this continuous facial expression of surprise. Even before Seki Sensei unleashes a move it just seems like Tsukada Sensei is surprised.
I think Tsukada Sensei is always really, really focused - he also seems to have a great sense of humor! 😁 They both seem to have a good time; it’s rather infectious. ☺️
Perhaps he has learned from his time training with Seki-sensei... that it is better to begin surprised, and then just focus on quickly reacting to whatever sudden technique ends up happening. If you wait to be surprised by the technique, you might not dodge in time...
Great video! I really enjoyed seeing the halberd in action. Just wanted to add a note about the side spike that was perhaps overlooked. Historically, the side spike (often called a hook or beak) had important tactical uses on the battlefield. It wasn’t just an afterthought-soldiers used it to hook onto opponents’ armor or shields to unbalance or disarm them. It could also be used to exploit gaps in armor, particularly in joints or weaker spots, and was quite effective for pulling mounted opponents off their horses. The side spike added versatility to the halberd, making it a formidable weapon not just for chopping or thrusting but also for grappling and controlling an opponent.
The sensi fought with the weapon, mostly correct. A halberd is mostly a mercenary or paid gaurds weapon in Europe. It required a professional soldier to use it correctly. They were nowhere as nearly trained as a knight, but often times had plenty of experience because they used these to protect villages from bandits that were constantly trying to steal food and money from the peasants. The kings guard also used these because they were useful for crowd control. You would rarely see a peasants fighting with a halberd. Most peasants would only have a simple spear and sheild or would use a bow. A peasants However if he gets enough warfare experience and proves himself, he could always become a mercenary or a man at arms. A man at arms is not a knight but is a trained soldier. A knight is of noble blood and has been trained since childhood to kill and maintain his armor. A man at arms often times stole armor and weapons off of the battlefield, along with gold, which was acceptable in Europe. It takes 20 peasants to kill a knight if they are lucky. It would take multiple men at arms to defeat a knight as well, but no wear near as many. I am curious with how you would fight with a loch habor axe. It is a very large axe with a hook on it. My people didn't have knights it was a system similar to Japan which was a tribal system but a clansmen would hook a knight clean off his horse and tear the knights helmet off so he could shove a dagger down the knights throat.
@sagittariusa9012 They are not trained with the same weapons so he doesn't understand how the weapon is actually meant to be used. Most Swiss were not trained as boys only knights were. Peasants had a chance go join the army when they became a teenager and if they were good enough the Swiss guard
@@bronsonleach3573 With "They" I meant the Swiss. They were also well trained working in a formation only works that way. The beginning of Swiss combat training mostly started with the age of 12y.
It is pretty important to note that the halberd really shined in instances where it was an infantryman versus a cavalier, it was a improvement on a weapon called the billhook which was a very unique weapon that could have a video all on its own. Halberds are really good at dismounting opponents on horseback and that was one of the major functions of it. It should also be noted that halberds usually had a "butt spike" that would have been basically just a sharp point on the end opposite the usual set of blades at the top. From what I noticed though, Seki Sensei was able to intuit a lot of the techniques that the halberd was designed for. Especially the ability to catch swords.
@@JustClaude13 Probably not, actually. They only really go after their own traditional weapons. A halberd cannot be easily hidden, and only skilled people can really use it.
Halberd is probably my favourite polearm, it's just so versatile making it actually difficult to predict what attack will come next, and compared to a spear the only weakness I'm aware of is that it's pretty top-heavy. Speaking of, a weapon that is very difficult to smack away is a Polish sabre, a weapon designed for a very quick exchange of slashes. I'm Polish and therefore would love to see it tried out on this channel.
@sekisensei I always enjoy when seki sensei gets tastes of European weapons It shows great mastery of martial arts to adapt to a weapon that you have no prior experience in As always great work i expect no less from you and your students
I love Seki Sensei's enthusiasm and open-mindedness to western arms. I feel it's a true sign of mastery of his craft that he is able to instantly recognise the merits of every weapon he is given and evaluate their strengths and weaknesses fairly quickly. It also makes it entertaining to watch, his genuine reactions of awe and curiosity show how much fun he is having with these experiments!
There is a similar weapon mainly associated with the Italians and English based of a heavy sickle like tool called a billhook. Some other countries have a machete style halberd calleda glaive, and others have a scythe based halberd called a fouchard. And of course there were some short-sword style halberds called various names, but the partisan is the most famous.😊
@@JackWendigo1234 It's a form of winged spear with a Gladius like blade and halberd like hooks. Often with sharpened wings. It is typically considered both a sword staff and halberd.
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The Man is an IRL Dark Souls character. Picks up any weapon and immediately has a usable moveset
One does not simply spend most of his life studying fighting techniques without becoming just generally overpowered
He also turns into a dark souls boss wen he gets a poleaxe
when you realize all weapons are the extension of your hand all that matters is how you use your hands.
@@estripp420It really does matter how you use your whole body, not just your hands.
That's doing him a disservice. The halberd was something I tried damn near right away in Dark Souls because of how much of a polearm enthusiast I've become. Suffice to say, From seems to think the only thing the halberd can do is stab for what ever reason. Was pretty disappointing. Fortunately Seki Sensei's creativity with the halberd cured my depression.
What is interesting is that Seki Sensei was able to instinctively figure out the exact same technique that western style fighters use when swinging the halberd with a single hand. Joachim Meyer describes the exact same technique in his book written in the 16th century.
He likely has experience with Japanese polearms and bow staffs, which would build the foundational skills for any other polearm
I have also said this on another of these videos, but an aspect of martial mastery is understanding the intricacies of biomechanics and physics, and such a refined foundation can be applied to quickly adapt to a new weapons. Seki-sensei knows his stuff, but is also a true mastery who approaches the tools of other disciplines with an open and wondrous mind, embracing these new tools with the eagerness borne of a true love for martial arts.
A lot of these skills are transferrable. Since Seki Sensei knows techniques with the Yari, Bo and Naginata, he already knows how polearms work, at which point it just comes down to figuring out the minutia that come from the somewhat different shape.
@@ArtThingies so much this. the human body only has so many bones and muscles, therefore only limited ways to use them effectively; adding a weapon of any kind is "just" adding another bone essentialy. if you've figured out how to move them it (almost) doesn't matter which weapon you choose. ofc training with any specific weapon or style will improve your ability, but the basics always apply.
@@ArtThingiesThat's one of the elements that keeps me watching this channel - Seki-sensei has this great awareness of biomechanics and mechanics (momentum and balance, his aiki, etc.), and is able to highlight it in his teaching on this channel.
He picked up halberd dueling concepts instantly.
A thing to remember is halberds are rarely used alone, it shines best in pairs or groups, this is why it was a common honor guard weapon aswell as its disarming and “nonlethal” abilities
In East Asian context, halberd, trident, staff, spear and other polearms are also meant for individual fights. Most warriors are also equipped with a side arm, usually a sword or large knife.
¿"Non lethal skills? ¿Have you ever heard about Swiss mercenaries's battles against german nobles in the Middle Age? Therefore, this kind of weapons are very effective against pikemen or cavalry.
Cheers.
@@vennsim71 most western weapons have a style for single use, but for many its more of a, party trick?
@@andrewhalo100 actually it’s no so much of a east or west thing. It’s more of the wielder. How the person use it.
60 DEX
Seki sensei is clearly a man of taste. His favorite weapon from the bunch is widely considered to be the greatest polearm of all time.
I imagine a swordmaster like him picking up on many of the vital functions of the halberd and liking it quite a lot is all the more reason WHY it was such a successful weapon.
I see that fighter torso alric
I've never seen anyone seriously involved in millitary history who didn't consider the pike the greatest polearm of all time
Anything with reach is an insane weapon. Halberds mix things up by giving great reach. Good balance, the ability to fight in close formation, good blunt power and good slicing power all in one item.
It's not AS long as a 10" pike formation at being pikes, specially a hoplite style pike formation, but it is significantly more maneuverable and can break into scrum easily as well.
If we're talking warfare the halberd is the peak of melee weapons bar none
his skill is clear because he is instinctively recreating many well established techniques of western halberd fighting. Most importantly he immediately understood that it's primary use is hooking. The halberd comes from the end of the era before the domination of firearms. It evolved in a battlefield where armor was much more common than in Japan, there was just so much more good steel to work with in Europe that it proliferated. Much more armor on the battlefield and generally more coverage of armor on those who had it. The halberd was a way for footsoldiers to counteract the trend. The tip spike was good for threatening gaps in armor with a quick thrust, the various blades were for hooking and controlling an armored opponent. Force him off balance, force a disarm, get him off his feet. Then finish him via attacking at unarmored places while he's on the ground trying to regain his feet. Their most historically important role was anti-cavalry. They were perfect for hooking shock cavalry off their horses. Mixed formations of pike and halberd were used. Pikes to ward off cavalry and blunt the lance charge. Then as the charge stalled immediately in front of the wall of grounded pikes the halberdiers would rush forward and try to drag them off their horses. The halberd and poleax were counterparts, the two opposite strategies for dealing with the heavy full plate harness that developed in Europe. Halberds were favored more by common troops who were still armored quite a bit more than typical Japanese or Chinese foot troops but not nearly as much as the wealthy full harness wearing cavalry class. They tended to favor the poleaxe which wasn't really an axe. It was a specialist anti-armor weapon, designed for piercing and crushing plate armor. A half about 4 ft long with a short butt spike, a somewhat longer tip spike. Then a head that was a hardened steel pick for piercing armor on one side, and a hammer on the other for crushing plate armor and damaging the body beneath without penetrating.
Excellent and accurate breakdown of the historical and martial contexts in which these weapons evolved, good job.
I knew that Japan doesn't have a lot of nature recourses, but I never connected the dots to understand that this is why the armor used in Japan was so different than in Europe
One relatively minor nitpick. The Halberd doesn't fully predate the firearm. Halberds came into use starting around the late 13th century, and persisted to the 16th. One of the first uses of firearms in warfare (siege guns specifically) dates to 1340. The first recorded use of a halberd is from 1315, if I'm remembering correctly (and in both cases, the designs existed before those events.) So, it's a little more accurate to think of these two coming into existence at roughly the same time. Now, granted, firearms in the 13th and 14th century were wildly different critters from the technology we understand today, and it would take a few centuries, before those early firearms really started to transform the battlefield. It's worth remembering that, even as guns were changing the shape of warfare, combined polearm gunpoweder units (sometimes called "shot and pike") were fairly popular, so, while you're correct that the rise of the gun would eventually spell the end for polearms, they overlapped for a few hundred years.
give him a zweihander next... that would be incredible
A real pike too would be a real puzzle.
@@wasumyon6147Both things I would pay to see
Zweihänder would be amazing, but I think that sword is so different from other stuff that they might have a hard time grasping it's full potential on their own
@@racernatorde5318 maybe, but seki sensei has already shown on multiple occaisions how fast he can adapt to unusual/new weapons, i reckon he would do quite alright with it
*Flamboyant testosterone monster intensifies*
I love the humility shown on this channel, theres no arrogance from "ive mastered everything here, i can easily master this too" but rather just "oh this is cool, heres how i would use it considering my skillset and knowledge, but im curious as to how this would have been used historically"
True mastery is quiet, and has no need to boast or brag. Seki-sensei is well-deserving of the title of 'Master'.
@@peterbear4413 solidly agreed, people who boast are often trying to prove themselves so its telling when someone is comfortable in their skill level
Very true. Once a student of a discipline, always a student of the discipline.
@@peterbear4413 Any man who claims to be wise is a fool, and any man who admits to being a fool is at least wise enough to realize it.
believe that it is a universal virtue shared by all human beings across borders and around the world.
I'd love it if someone would provide Seki Sensei with a real Halberd.
He truly deserves a weapon of this type.
or even just a wooden one which would be more sturdy and should be fine with the strict laws in japan
Good luck getting a real halberd in Japan given their laws
Sadly - for real HEMA weapons - they would have to do a business trip outside Japan - do all the videos there, and return with just foam versions of them.... Might be an interesting collab possible with Shadiversity though - as Australia is 1.5Mm (Mm=megameter) closer than US/Canada (Skallagrim)...
you have quite a few types of halberds.
Its like extremely difficult to legally get hold of an actual weapon outside of japanese swords in japan.
There's a reason the Halberd is often considered the 'best' weapon of it's era. It's reach, it's power, it's versatility, it's simply one of the best designed martial weapons ever made.
I think Halberds were much cheaper to make than a sword, great in formation, and required a lot less skill to use than a swordsman.
@@gunslinger9171there is a reason spears and polearms were used more for war than swords!
Mace is greatest against heavy armor tho
The concept of examining a weapon through the eyes of a master of a different one is something I think the people would love to see more of. Knowing techniques for one thing and seeing how it can apply to something completely different is such a great and new way to look at old and familiar things. Will keep coming back just to see his eyes light up with the newest “toy” to play around with. Great series!
It's no surprise that Seki Sensei picked up on the halberd's ability to hook an opponent so quickly. The halberd is designed to hook opponents and unhorse cavalry, and was basically the favourite weapon amongst European knights, along with other, similar polearms. It also comes with all the advantages of a spear, so even a novice could make good use out of it.
As far as I'm concerned, it's one of the best melee weapons of medieval Europe, excellent both for battlefields and single combat. There's a reason it's so iconic, it's just that damn good!
The knightly favourite would be (in the era of the halbard) the poleaxe.
Visually similar, but with differences that place it in a special category among polearms. AFAIK none of the longer polearms (like Halberd) were widely used by knight.
That said, it was extremely effective and popular among more lightly armored soldiers.
@@jonasbarka
Now that you mention it, I might've been thinking of the poleaxe... But then again, the differences between the two are fairly interchangable afaik. The poleaxe was more akin to a hammer-axe-spear combo, whereas the halberd replaced said hammer with a hook.
@@jonasbarka is there really a clear distinction? I mean the general idea behind both halberd and poleaxe is a pointy end (slightly more useful against soft targets), an anti-armour-side (beak or hammer) and an axe shaped depending on what you'd expect to fight against.
@DackelDelay i think the polearm is longer than the halberd?
@@aurelian2668No, normally the halberd is longer than the poleaxe.
A couple of points from a HEMA practitioner who spars with steel polearms:
In the context of 1v1 combat you would not hold the polearm, be it halberds and pollaxes, like a spear with your hands at the back and the front extended towards the enemy. The head of a halberd/pollaxe is usually held aloft/back and deployed once you create an opening/deflect with the back, which often had a spike and could be employed offensively. The head is quite heavy so you would have little control in long spear grip, and it would be too easy for the opponent to beat it to the side. Hooking by the backs of the knees and the neck are standard polearm techniques and employed very often against armoured opponents. Also, you are expected to often change the grip and slide the hand along the shaft. Additionally sometimes you grip the pole with hands situated in such a manner that both thumbs point towards the centre of the shaft. Such a grip helps with high guards and allows for a qicker shift between the head and the back spike. Lastly, this training halberd is definitely on a short side as many historical examples were noticeably longer.
I believe halberds were mostly used in group formations, so probably not something you'd choose for a 1v1 if you had other options.
@@Stop_Gooning Using a rifle in army formation does not make it worse 1v1 option. All of polearms thanks to the reach and maneuverability alone are one of the best weapons for all scenarios. Halberd, like pole axes have hooking capabilities as well as blunt force strikes options with axe part against armour (ofc you still can just stab with a spear part).
Helberd is probably one of the best solo weapons for all case scenarios. The only possible disadvantage would appear in closed space fights, inside a room for example, or mb really tight tunnel. Even in those conditions if fight wasn't started suddenly and weapon already in fighting position it still has good chances vs many other weapons.
Better choice for a 1v1 could only possibly be another (better) polearm.
@@Stop_Gooning I've practiced historical fencing for 2 years. The only thing more effective in 1v1 than falchion/shield combo is any polearm. If you know how to use it - you are untouchable.
@@Stop_Gooning Halberd is a devastatingly good 1v1 weapon. It's even pretty good in tight spaces, because while you may not have the space to swing it, you still have a slightly overweight spear. However, it would be a bit cumbersome to carry around outside of the battlefield. Everyday-life convenience is why short swords are so commonly seen in 1v1 scenarios.
@@Sarfixellwasn't it also favoured by guards and royal guards?
Historical halberds (and the similar poleaxe) had weighted or spiked metal caps on their opposite ends, specifically to make the jab-swing combos Seki Sensei uses even more effective. The poleaxe emphasized these techniques, as they were meant to be used against heavy armor; keeping the axe in a high/overhead guard would mean you could stun or knock an opponent down with the cap, and you would already have the weapon raised high to split his helmet with the downstroke.
@eye1dry138 yes you can't slice through helmet but you can break rivets in helmet or if it lacking one blunt force trauma is not very pleasant too, also halberd hook can be used as makeshift battle pickaxe
Sadly, we don't know much about the other end of them. Many halberds were cut down either by users or later people who wanted to keep them in their homes. Plus, wood rots... They often didn't reattach the buttcap/spike, thus I have little to go on about how they looked like...
With poleaxes and some spears, we do have more evidence on that matter.
There are even manuscripts that describe thrusting with the blunt end of a spear because how good of a technique the switch is
I've got a 16th century original at home, no end piece. Also: why slice a helmet if you can pierce it with the other side
@eye1dry138 yes but it was effective both at delivering blunt force to armored opponents, hooking them or stabbing into gaps, and cutting down unarmored opponents. there's a reason it became a dominant weapon in the Eurasian continent from Western Europe to China.
Came here from Skallagrim. Would just like to drop a comment and say that these videos are a gem. Watching Seki Sensei's eyes alight with joy when trying a new weapon, just as the weapon itself comes alive in his hands as he seemingly instantly understands how to use it - is an absolute joy.
This channel is a god send for animators looking for references on cool fight moves
That single-arm thrust was actually very interesting: he basically "couched" the halberd much like a rider would with a lance, giving him plenty of stability and forcing the opponent to either retreat or fall on the point pretty hard. Kneeling down also helped him anchor himself, bracing the halberd further. Very cool to see.
It's kind of similar how pikes were used to stop enemy formations from rushing in too btw.
Attacks where you have way more range than your opponent thinks you should without signalling it are very dangerous.
Japanese practitioners seem more concerned with fighting from a travel or noncombat stance than western practitioners.
@@hypothalapotamus5293
Most of the surviving styles came from the era of peace really, so most of these do come from surprise attacks or home invasions. The really ancient stuff are very rare or even nonexistent, many were not written down. But many of the modern styles came from the past.
From a crouched position, he could also leap forward to strike if an opponent stopped early enough to avoid the first thrust.
The Master may never have trained with a halberd but I suspect he may know how to use a Naginata or Yari 😎
It’s all mostly the same with a few different techniques. At the end of the day you’re just holding a heavier spear.
@@THECHEESELORD69 the hook adds a few extra functionalities tho
100%. A polearm is a polearm for the most part. Just figuring out how to use the "bits" on the end is the issue. A master like Seki Sensei would only need time to figure it out. Peace!
If you know bojutsu, you can use all the pole weapons. The fundemental strikes, stances, guards etc are the same. You just need to adapt to the shape, length and weight of the blade. I know bojutsu and naginatajutsu, but I can use halberd, bill and pollaxe. The techniques you see in medieval european treatises are 90% the same with the japanese ones. Biomechanics do not change.
there is a video on the channel where he used the naginata and while he says its not something he himself practiced he does own a version of the old manuels for the 8 naginata kata.
but yes he does know how to use a naginata.
infact that video was a month before this one
I love how Seki Sensei is both taking this seriously by thinking through how he can adapt his own training to a weapon he's never seen before, and clearly enjoying the process of learning something new. He looks like he's having the time of his life!
Right? It's like giving a kid a new toy and he's like "cool!"
Love this channel, Master Seki's enthusiasm is so infectious and love seeing the process of him figuring out the best attributes of the weapon.
My God these people are so crisp with their footwork and movement. As always, I enjoy how humbly he approaches any weapon.
That very first strike you showed is the quintessential polearm technique used in western warfare.
A simple kneel and raise and you turn an enemy charge into their own death sentence, exerting little to no effort on your end
Incredible blow!
Watching a master mess around with a weapon he’s unfamiliar with but having fun learning how he could use it is sooooo cool and a lot of fun ^.^
To be fair, he is showing off mostly staff and Naginata techniques that he would be already familiar with anyway.
@@dschehutinefer5627what is very interesting tho is how he employed those techniques with the other ideas he gained simply from looking at the weapon. Often even finding the same use cases as it would have been used in the first place in his own way.
In the end: Polearm is Polearm. A Master with one should be able to use them all.
@@blablubb8615I think the hooking on the halberd is unique compared to regular polearms
@@matttamal8332 Well the Billhook would be similar. But If you are used to Fighting with Weapons you will find ways to use new Weapons effectivly pretty quickly.
I'm a HEMA instructor for the Oklahoma State University HEMA club, I will have to make a video response! Polearms are not my specialty, but I can compare and contrast to the historical treatises. Very awesome to see Seki Sensei experiment with more western weapons. Super interesting to see the one-handed swing, that appears in Joachim Meyer's treatises of the late 1500s.
Tip to potentially improve that video; you may not be an expert yourself, but see if anyone else in your club (local or even maybe a bit further away but willing to travel/collab) is an expert on the matter.
A suggestion if I might?
It would be very interesting to get martial artists of similar styles and compare and contrast them
For example- Hema quarterstaff and Japanese bojutsu
Show all the moves that are identical, then expand the video into "here's the stuff they teach in the East but not the West" and vice versa
@@misterturkturkle Oh yeah! I have experience in Shorin-ryu karate so I can definitely do that. I just started filming vids at my club so I will try to get something like that down soon. There’s a sparring vid on my channel right now if you’re interested.
Seki sensei moves are some Dark Souls boss lvl, always pulls off something unexpected
Imagine him as your training buddy in Sekiro
The jump and roll are some elden ring type dodges
That sudden halberd throw-thrust would get me. "How in the heck is he stabbing that fast?"
Well, now I know how!
So the halberd was originally developed to deal with armored enemies. For his first time using the weapon, sensei fully took advantage of it strengths quickly. I love you guys' work.
Been training with a Halberd since i was 11.
You wouldn't hold the halberd with the head outstretched in 1 on 1 combat, the only time you would grip the end of the haft is when you are attacking someone on horseback.
When in 1 on 1 combat you would have a more centered grip on the haft, the actual haliberd its self would have a pointed, capped or sometimes even bladed pommel on the end of it so you would primarily use the pommel to get an opening then strike with the blade or point. It was also common to put langettes on the sides and so if someone got too close there are actually records of jaws, noses and even orbitals being broken because of a double handed haft strike to the face.
Extremely versatile weapon. im a machinist and i just moved to japan, if I could find the time id love to make seki sensei a real halberd because even I am interested in how he handles it. 😂
I would love to see how he would try to counter it
You know he is a pro not only when you see how he thinks of good techniques on the fly, but also the honest assessment of the good and the bad. Top content.
There is something about him holding a halberd that just looks so fitting. That was really awesome to see.
I been saying this around the HEMA community, to understand better our European weapons we must study the Japanese applications and approach.
The similarities not just in swordsmanship but armour as well, are too big.
The Sensei's broud frame is such a fitting pairing with a big weapon. he also handles the staff so lightly but confidently that it really looks like an extension on him
@@tatumergo3931ye. Either that or apply both European and eastern techniques when possible to fully utilised it
@@gaming1zanagi-1999. Well the thing is, in my opinion that European and Japanese techniques are not that different. Recently according to some latest discoveries and studies by Anthony Cummings, pre Edo period swordsmanship resemble a lot more european swordsmanship. In the sense of japanese swordsmanship not being so square in their stances.
@@tatumergo3931 fair enough
As the halberd is one of my favourite medieval polearms, it's really interesting seeing it being examined from a really different martial perspective. I _love_ these videos!
You have great taste!
also best weapon in dark souls
1:23 he did EXACTLY what medieval infantry would do to counter cavalry
This man is so joyful and childlike! I would have loved to learn martial arts from him, back in my karate days!
The more I watch these videos the more respect I have for Seki sensei
Agreed, and seconded.
While I think his open mindedness is great, in terms of sparring it kinda irks me a little that he only shows training and sparring against an unresisting opponent. They do a single thing then freeze in time for Seki to do whatever he wants, and even when he strikes the side of the halberd his 'opponent' either greatly overacts or lets his arms go near limp to make the technique seem much more effective.
Same
@@SethAbercrombyI remember seeing a true sparring video and he did great. This videos are for demonstration purpose but they probably spar regularly off camera
Same. He clearly loves to _learn,_ and his preferred way of learning is obviously experimentation.
I cannot help imagining the sheer _quantity_ of joy there would be if Seki Sensei and Matt Easton and a few mates got together in a village hall full of stupidly dangerous stuff.
I want this meeting to happen so much.
Someone should create a Go Fund Me account to make it happen. He could do a tour; Matt Easton, David Rawlings, Federico Malagutti, Bjorn Ruther, etc. or get them all in one place.
You are basically talking about the crossover of the century, that would be neat
I'll get the fish and chips in
@@PsychoGemini Maybe we could get Metatron to organize it? He speaks fluent Japanese and he is also quite knowledgeable about both Japanese and European fighti9ng styles.
As a Swiss I'm so happy to see this weapon feature on the channel.
Seeing how well the Halberd did through history, it's no wonder it was used by the Swiss during their uprising, their mercenaries after that and in many other conflicts. The halberd was basically the weapon that marked the end of the knight on his horse.
Thank you for the amazing video :)
The pike and infantry squares ended the dominance of riders on horseback. But the knight on horseback didn't disappear, they proved to be very effective if employed correctly. Swiss mercenaries often fought together with french gens d'armes.
@@Tony.795bavarians aswell💯
@@Tony.795 Of course knights on horseback didn't just dissapear, but with more and more defeats at the hands of people with halberds or pykes and the rise of gunpowder weapons is sure started a steady decline.
The machinegun marked the end of the cavalry.
I wonder how someone like this person, who loves Japanese martial arts, Samurai and Japanese history, would feel if they heard the two songs Yasuke isn't to blame and The sin of Thomas Lockly.
0:21 He must be worthy enough to use god slaying emperor blade
Overlord references in all the places I want them in lol
0:10 me at first time in elden ring vs. tree sentinel
Just to give more details about the Halberd, this weapon is a polearm, mixing both axe and spear, it's good against light armor and heavy armor, the halberd consists of an axe blade topped with a spike mounted on a long shaft and it can have a hook or thorn on the back side of the axe blade for grappling mounted combatants, there is a japanese halberd version of this, it's called kama-yari (鎌槍) a literal translation would be "sickle spear", i'ts basically a spear in a L shape, it's believed that the kama-yari have been developed by the sōhei monk Hōzōin Kakuzenbō In’ei, who wanted to improve the naginata used by Buddhist priests at his time, historically, it also had a non-military use, in which it was employed by firefighters to pull down the roofs of burning buildings to slow a fire.
That's interesting. I was going to say that the kamayari seems more comparable to the billhook, but actually I believe European firefighters also used halberds in their work.
I guess it's a clear use-case that's just lost on our modern brains
tbf an actual Halberd would be WAY longer, something this size would be a pole axe and the techniques here apply way more to a pole axe which fits
Interesting to know, i may have ordered a more stylized and naginata like one of those for my hma training
@@トーキ-g8v eh,... it varies... 6-8ft is fine for a halberd, wheras roughly 4-6ft is poleaxe territory
you dont want a halberd a lot longer than 8ft unless the head is pretty small and light and then it really becomes very thrust centric
even then, seki senseis polearm is a halberd in SHAPE, its modelled off of a 1600s era halberd for sergeants if im to guess based on the shape
hah, thats funny. as i pointed out in another comment, the halberd was a favourite for european town guard too, precicely because it could double as a tool in emergencies/fire fighting.
It seems to me that this halberd is a bit more polaxe sized and lo and behold, Seki sensei naturally used some of the techniques taught in polaxe manuals. This shows you he didn't just google how to use a halberd. He really has an intuitive understanding of the weapon. A grand master indeed.
Yeah, it's really nice to see him figure that out organically in the video.
"Björn Rüther" here on RUclips have Halberd Fighting Techniques on his channel, based on old manuals. They are really good videos.
I'd love to see Seki Sensei react to those videos.
Björn is one of my favorite HEMAtubers
@@nonsequiturm I'd love seeing Björn Rüther and Seki Sensei in the same room. Get Matt Easton in there, too.
As a koryu practitioner I love to see these videos, it shows clearly once you have mastered your own body and the principles behind polearms and swords you can improvise decently with any weapon you find on the way, you are the weapon, the steel is just an extension of your limbs. Is not a coincidence this Master intuitively came with well stablished-manual techniques, it has to do with biomechanics and the abilities I mentioned earlier. That’s why I love Japanese martial arts. The amount of time and dedication masters have codified and transmitted is really an ART, the art of mastering your body and your will.
I am constantly amazed at how he gleans techniques from foreign weapons so naturally!
Whilst I’m not very knowledgeable about western blades. It still is very interesting to see techniques from other weapons come together to do those moves.
Sensei is doing a very good job figuring his way to relatively historical western techniques with these weapons. I really wish some western and eastern weapon masters had gotten together in the 1400s and been able to discuss the best way to fight - I think each would have walked away with incredible respect for the other.
@@roguishpaladin Given the number of paintings of European nobility with katanas and Japanese nobility with bits of European plate armor, I'm pretty sure that happened at least occasionally in the pre-Sakoku era.
@@Just_A_Dude Nobunaga absolutely adored Western stuff lol. If he had gotten control of Japan and not betrayed, he probably would've created a Japanese imperial expansion golden age, as he sent ships all over the world to gather trade and knowledge.
Hemaists: The halberd hits pretty hard, maybe we should only slow-spar with it while wearing half-plate
Seki sensei: *unarmored halberd fighting intensifies*
They are slow sparring and it is a practice weapon. I don't see how what they are doing is much different from other martial artists
@@theendlessskyethereal7380 Should've propably said that in my initial comment but that was my first impression on the video. After seeing it yeah they don't fight full-speed and the hits never actually connect.
However: even a synthetic halberd hits really hard. There's a lot of mass at the end of that pole and when you thrust with it it doesn't flex much. Seki doesn't seem to cut with the halberd much but a couple thrust seemed they could really hurt if they accidentally connected without protective gear.
In the end all of this can be boiled down to differences between iaido and HEMA. In HEMA hits are meant to connect in such a way that they would be lethal or draw blood in unarmored fencing with sharps. In iaido hits don't seem to connect that often amd gear is usually lighter.
And I'm not saying this as a critique to iaido. They are just to different martial arts with different rulesets and traditions. I wouldn't judge basketball with football rules either
Edit: meant kenjutsu, not iaido
@@stampsuwell this isn’t iaido, it’s kenjutsu
@@トーキ-g8v ah, my bad. Confused the two for a moment
@@stampsu you can even see Seki sensei himself sparring and man is he intimidating lol
This is definitely pretty accurate usage for the halberd. With the weight distribution on a real halberd, some of these moves may be difficult to execute but that's something solvable with practice.
actually pretty much everything shown here is actual Halberd Techniques, even large sweeping attacks, Halberds are built in such a way that allows for crazy moves that seem unfeasible and for incredible flexibility due to the need to counteract the heavy usage of plate armours seen near the end of the medevil times.
Halberds were made with a near perfect defensive stance in mind while not losing a strong offense too.
I would say the training weapon used in the video is more similar to the poleaxe, a very similar weapon which was similar in length to the one used in the video and had a smaller, more concentrated axe or occasionally hammer head with a rear spike. This weapon is essentially a poleaxe with a halberd style axehead. Real halberds would generally stand well above the wielders head when held straight up, being a mass formation polearm for dealing with cavalry and spearmen, they were much less snappy than the short example here but were highly efficient at dealing with mounted knights. (A lot of nobles were killed by halberds because they occupied the position of knight or commanded knights.)
As for the weapon in the video, treating it as a poleaxe based on the size, such weapons were used by men-at-arms and dismounted knights to engage other armored soldiers. A smaller, more concentrated front head meant a lot of force could be delivered to weakpoints in armor with the speed and agility shown in the video, and the spike on the back would often be like a pick and quite effective for punching straight through armor. The deflections and attacks with the butt of the weapon are also well-documented, with many examples having metal or a small spike on the bottom of the haft to enhance blows from it.
Treating it as a poleaxe, I think this is pretty good technique, and some of the noted weakness such as the hook being able to be turned against the wielder are less-so in a proper poleaxe, as the axe-head has much shorter gaps for a blade to hook into. The hooks aren't as prominent because as stated, the poleaxe is an anti-armor weapon, and would not be used for hooking at cavalry, a job reserved for halberds as well as things such as billhooks.
I love how humble Seki Sensei is- being willing to pick up a weapon he's never used and give it an honest try.
It could be argued that the Halberd is one of the best weapons ever devised by humans.
Halberd, glaive, bec de corbin, poleaxe etc are all very specialized and dangerous weapons. Like many pointed out they have a bit of flexibility. One interesting thing about some of these with a flat axe is that they were often blunt by design. I wonder what the reasoning behind that was, they were fighting armored targets so might have been for hooking purposes and make the blade sturdier?
I think of the supremacy of the 戟 Jǐ and 戈 Gē of ancient Chinese armies.
Considering that the spear itself is probably the best, it's no surprise
@@huldu They were often used by city watch groups for managing civilians/crowd control. Blunting then was likely to make them cheaper to produce and less likely to maim.
@@ganymedemlem6119 I can't recall who talked about the first time I heard about it, maybe scholagladiatoria(?) and I think he was talking about battlefield weaponry. I've always been fascinated in middle-eastern/European history and I assumed they were always sharpened, especially for war.
I love watching the masters both smiling, laughing, and chattering about the weapon while sparring. Their eyes are so bright with passion for martial arts and appreciation for the weapon, it's infectious
Mhm! This is a man that has mastered so much because he enjoys doing it.
The problem with a light sparring halberd is that it is light. Pushing away the head easily as demonstrated in the video is a lot less doable with a properly weighted halberd which is way more anchored due to its weight.
On the flip side, a properly weighted halberd is also a bit more difficult to swing around and manipulate as easily for the user as well. It would be a pretty different dynamic with a proper metal one and I am interested to see what he'd do with one.
I mean Seki sensei himself said it that it would be dangerous to try against a real one simply because the head would be difficult to avoid
@@arx5638and he also said that he wants a real one.
@@inquisitorbenediktanders3142 Yeah good luck with that with the Japanese laws
Wrong, the heavier the tip, desto easier it is to deflect.
@@arx5638 The trick almost anywhere in the world is knowing what paperwork to fill out and who to talk to. Both of which I can almost guarantee you apply to a master instructor who owns their own business.
Stuff like this really makes me appreciate the differences between weapons. Used to be for me all the long sticks with sharp bits on the end were spears and every sword may as well have been only cosmetically different in my head, but over the years I’ve discovered just how much the small differences between swords affect the dynamic, or how the different spears and pole weapons all have entirely different functionalities.
I have trained halberd as a hobbyist for 4 years and this man upon holding it ONCE has replicated any of the things that I have drilled for months. Incredible.
the halberd is a very versatile weapon that often gets overlooked in favour of longswords and spears, its an axe, spear, hook and big stick all in one
I'm not sure if it is so much overlooked as just too dangerous to play with for most.
@@foldionepapyrus3441 That's how you know it's a good weapon, if it's dangerous to play with.
Indeed. Swords are overly romanticized in the modern era when, for the most part, the kinds of arming/bastard sized blades you see depicted in fiction as legendary weapons would've been a knight's backup for if something happened where they couldn't use their halberd. It's right up there with the "muddy brown peasants" trope in things that annoy me when people do medieval/fantasy media.
@@Just_A_Dude literally, like the magic glorified daggers they have in LOTR, its the equivalent to pulling out your pistol in a firefight, u do it when u have no other options .
@@micahlittles774 Hrm, that's a interesting statement. Would you mind giving me a example of this glorified daggers from LOTR?
Watched the movies many times but never felt daggers where being glorified so would love to take a look at it!
Seki Sensei picks up a halberd, instantly becomes as intimidating as Lu Bu (do not pursue)!
This video was a joy to watch. I love polearms and halberds especially have always been dear to me - so to watch him combine his techniques with the advantages of the weapon and HAVE SO MUCH FUN is just amazing to see.
Seki sensei: *swings halberd one-handed*
IT'S... IT'S LU BU!
Ah, I'm having Dynasty Warriors flashbacks.
First time I played was DW3 or DW4, I forget which, and when I ran into Lu Bu I thought he was straight-up programmed as an unbeatable boss.
Tsukada Sensei is the real mvp of these videos.
Great to see someone try a weapon with no instruction completely out of its natural historical period and adapt it as best they can to their own area of combat.
Would also love to see him observe instruction with those weapons to see his take on that too
This was a really cool demonstration; I always loved spears and halbert as weapons.
Wish I could get into hema and training like this
THANK YOU so much for this! Halberds are a particular favorite of mine, and this was a very interesting video.
I love how the halberd expands the concept of ‘grappling’ so far beyond the arm’s reach. The axe head isn’t just for brute force, but maneuvering and control.
honestly, that's pretty much the reason it has all of those spiky and hooky bits. Otherwise you'd either just have either a glaive/spear or a great axe.
@@Darwingreen5 Also, using them like a pickaxe to break open heavy armour
Ayup, they're designed around the idea that somewhere between some and all of your opponents will be wearing some approximation of full plate armour. which makes the ability to grapple very important... along with the ability to get a spike into the gaps in the armour if you could manage it, or to smash a spike or axe blade into, and through, plate using the full power that the reach of the shaft allowed... and, of course, one needs to be able to defend oneself as well. Oh, and to deal with the fact that sometimes the other guy is on a horse. In mass formations a block of pikes is better at that last one, but when the formations break down, or you weren't in one to start with, the halberd doesn't have the pike's weaknesses and the halberd's other strengths come into play as well.
Tsukada is a god of mobility I am convinced
Most fun weapons combat channel on RUclips! Love watching the two of you experiment, learn, and have fun!
Seki sensei is a joy to watch and a testament that body motorics and martial skill are universal.
This shows what I had concluded: martial artists must add the study of biomechanics to their portfolio as well.
I love how Seki Sensei's knowledge and insight into personal combat is so at once focused and open that he can apply all he knows from his own traditions' martial systems to any weapon. That is beautiful, and an end to which any dedicated martialist should aspire.
We are grateful that Sensei has been so patient to put up with our very childish requests. We wish him and your whole team more good times. Cheers from the Philippines 🇵🇭 ♡
Watching Seki-sensei having such fun trying out new weapons is a unique kind of joy.
It truly is awe inspiring how Seki Sensei can hold almost any weapon in his hands and "feel" how to use it properly. His adaptability is very fun to watch, and everyone looked like they had fun taking advantage of the spike and hook! Another amazing video!
As much as I love watching Seki Sensei use and discover how to use new weapons, watching Tsukada learn how to react to them on the fly is amazing to me. Awesome video, it's always fascinating to me to see the intuitive use of new weapons when held by masters of other weapons.
There's no denying it. Seki-sensei is what I would call a truly wise fighter.
New life achievement: Seki Sensei also likes your favourite weapon
It's great to see Japanese martial arts master to have so much fun with a weapon deeply connected with my country's history!
Halberds and similar polearms were primarily weapons of war, used by foot soldiers, often recruited from citizens of medieval towns or willage peasantry, and they enabled them to stand against even heavily armoured opponents, knights and men at arms, both on horses and on foot, reach them, stop them, hook them, pull them to the ground and finally overcome their superiour armour either by heavy blows of the axe or by finding gaps in the armour with the spike. The halberd is one of iconic weapons of the era in which cooperating infantry became more and more important, and also an iconic weapon of social change - the Swiss uprising, the Bohemian Hussite wars... But heavily armoured knights on foot and men at arms started using them too, of course, in the form of polearm for war, and also in the form of pollaxe, shorter heavier polearm for both war and tournament on foot.
The use of halberd is less documented in European historical martial art manuscripts, that focus mainly on the sword, but there are some. I would say that the approach of Seki sensei - use the reach, hooking and pulling, use the shaft and the end is very similar to actions presented by medieval masters. Their roots, fundaments of their combat style were a bit different, so the actions and movements looked differently that movements of Seki sensei, that are rooted in his combat style, but the basic ideas would be very similar...
This was so enjoyable to watch. Before guns existed, the mighty technology of the stick won battles!
I am in awe of Seki Sensei. It is beautiful watching a master at work!
one of the best channels on youtube
This was a treat beyond anything i hoped for. The Halberd has always been my favorite medieval weapon of choice. Seeing a master from another part of the world adapt to using it with such swift expertise was enthralling. Thank you for this video!
This is the first time I saw Sensei so enthusiastic about a western weapon! Hope he gets a real one soon! 🙌
In Japan any weapon but a katana is illegal to own.
@@sihilius wow for real? and in Japan the land of katana you are not allowed to own one?
@@bluebottle1449 Please read again. Also, the Katana must be traditionally made. "cheapo" 1095 don't count!
Thank you so very much for your demonstration, this weapon is an outgrowth of a simple farming tool used for pruning hedges.
It's neat to always see videos like this, because you know the weird shapes on a halberd wasn't a random thing, all of it has a very good use case.
Seeing him with a sword and shield would be fascinating
He already did a buckler test
@@Sbv-25 Right, but not something like an arming sword and heater.
@@Just_A_Dudeyeah, but fairly similar fundamentals
Round shield and vendel period sword.
@@Aaa-vp6ug Possibly, but a shield that covers you from neck to hip/knee is very different than a small buckler in how those fundamentals manifest.
Poleaxe is the Europe's mightiest weapons in the medieval and even during gunpowder era. Where its weapons have become a truly tested of time.
It has a long spike which is a spear (usually at maximum of 1 foot long)
An Axe (which is for breaking shields)
A hook (which is for pulling out cavalry men from the horse)
Sometimes Hook is replaced with Hammer which serves as a hook and armor breaker.
A pummel which is used for both hammering and pummeling opponent when your axe is away.
And a strong leather handguard for parrying attacks.
This is a weapon of all trades, the AKM of Medieval era. Even an untrained farmer in formation can defeat heavy cavalry with this weapon. If foes closed in, you can just pull the poleaxe close and fight like a bayonet.
6:00 Although you can pushout the blade of the axe, halberd axe is pointed at an angle and not on a flat to reduce chances of "pushing" the head. And with angles, this makes uses of it's hook viable for both disarming and counter attacks.
Hence at 7:36, holding the halberd at an angle makes it viable for strong counter attacks and disables.
Unlike sword where it has its own concentration of force on the arms, upper body and footing. Halberds spreads forces evenly where it makes it a "farmer's weapon".
Idk, about mightiest considering it was abandoned in favor of the pike. Still a top tier weapon though
@@badart3204 Poleaxes were extensively used in mixed armies and were often paired with pike formations as a secondary line of defense. Unlike pikes, which were specialized for large-scale battles, poleaxes were more versatile and preferred for city defenses and crowd control.
Spanish Tercios and Switzerland's Landsknechts used pikes effectively in large battles, but poleaxes remained relevant into the Gunpowder era, as the Spanish Tercios evolved to incorporate mixed armies. Over time, pikes were shortened, and poleaxes replaced axes and hammers for flag bearers, who served as rallying points rather than using them as main offensive weapons.
The use of poleaxes continued until the 1700s for guard duties in German and Central European cities.
@@badart3204
The Pike is an anti-cavalry specialty weapon for large formations or at least decently sized groups. Halberds and related poleaxes as well as Zweihänder however are more flexible universal weapons, being effective against infantry like said pikemen, cavalry and even any ranged infantry relying on short swords as sidearms or bayonets, at least if they can close the distance.
The pummel often has spike on it as well so it was a devastating weapon on both ends.
@@badart3204 Abandoned? The halberd (or pollaxe) is contemporary with the pike and musket on the battlefield and outlived it in city guards (since it doubles as a fire axe and a big stick in addition to being a weapon). It's nicely complementary to a pike formation, but significantly less effective against a cavalry charge.
As much as I love Seki Sensei's enjoyment of a variety of weaponry that he was previously unfamiliar with, I must admit that Tsukada Sensei always manages to make me smile too.
He has this continuous facial expression of surprise.
Even before Seki Sensei unleashes a move it just seems like Tsukada Sensei is surprised.
I think Tsukada Sensei is always really, really focused - he also seems to have a great sense of humor! 😁 They both seem to have a good time; it’s rather infectious. ☺️
Perhaps he has learned from his time training with Seki-sensei... that it is better to begin surprised, and then just focus on quickly reacting to whatever sudden technique ends up happening. If you wait to be surprised by the technique, you might not dodge in time...
Great video! I really enjoyed seeing the halberd in action. Just wanted to add a note about the side spike that was perhaps overlooked. Historically, the side spike (often called a hook or beak) had important tactical uses on the battlefield. It wasn’t just an afterthought-soldiers used it to hook onto opponents’ armor or shields to unbalance or disarm them. It could also be used to exploit gaps in armor, particularly in joints or weaker spots, and was quite effective for pulling mounted opponents off their horses. The side spike added versatility to the halberd, making it a formidable weapon not just for chopping or thrusting but also for grappling and controlling an opponent.
The sensi fought with the weapon, mostly correct. A halberd is mostly a mercenary or paid gaurds weapon in Europe. It required a professional soldier to use it correctly. They were nowhere as nearly trained as a knight, but often times had plenty of experience because they used these to protect villages from bandits that were constantly trying to steal food and money from the peasants. The kings guard also used these because they were useful for crowd control. You would rarely see a peasants fighting with a halberd. Most peasants would only have a simple spear and sheild or would use a bow. A peasants However if he gets enough warfare experience and proves himself, he could always become a mercenary or a man at arms. A man at arms is not a knight but is a trained soldier. A knight is of noble blood and has been trained since childhood to kill and maintain his armor. A man at arms often times stole armor and weapons off of the battlefield, along with gold, which was acceptable in Europe. It takes 20 peasants to kill a knight if they are lucky. It would take multiple men at arms to defeat a knight as well, but no wear near as many. I am curious with how you would fight with a loch habor axe. It is a very large axe with a hook on it. My people didn't have knights it was a system similar to Japan which was a tribal system but a clansmen would hook a knight clean off his horse and tear the knights helmet off so he could shove a dagger down the knights throat.
They were not less trained than knights. They were different trained. Most Swiss also were also trained from young age.
@sagittariusa9012 They are not trained with the same weapons so he doesn't understand how the weapon is actually meant to be used. Most Swiss were not trained as boys only knights were. Peasants had a chance go join the army when they became a teenager and if they were good enough the Swiss guard
@@bronsonleach3573 With "They" I meant the Swiss. They were also well trained working in a formation only works that way. The beginning of Swiss combat training mostly started with the age of 12y.
Seki Sensei looks like a kid in a candy store. His techniques and enjoyment of the weapon are beautiful to see.
@00:02 discribes it perfectly, he who stabs first has an advantage.
A lot easier when you have the reach and people to your left and right with similar reach. That’s the same reason armies had archers…
Seki Sensei is a true budoka. Love watching him work with unfamiliar tools
Truly wonderful to watch a master have fun with other weapons much love
It is pretty important to note that the halberd really shined in instances where it was an infantryman versus a cavalier, it was a improvement on a weapon called the billhook which was a very unique weapon that could have a video all on its own. Halberds are really good at dismounting opponents on horseback and that was one of the major functions of it. It should also be noted that halberds usually had a "butt spike" that would have been basically just a sharp point on the end opposite the usual set of blades at the top.
From what I noticed though, Seki Sensei was able to intuit a lot of the techniques that the halberd was designed for. Especially the ability to catch swords.
Moving from the shoulder is a great concept. We have this in our art as well, though it is done quite differently.
Using the Halberds own hook points against it. I gotta try this with my Polaxe. Subarashi Seki-Sensei.
Let’s Get Master a Real one. ❤
Yeah!!
I'm sure that would be highly illegal in Japan, where even pocket knives are banned.
@@JustClaude13 we are watching a video about a sword school.
@@JustClaude13 Probably not, actually. They only really go after their own traditional weapons. A halberd cannot be easily hidden, and only skilled people can really use it.
Great video! I'm in a Meyer based HEMA club, but none of us, instructors included, have worked halberd. Thanks, Shogo.
Halberd is probably my favourite polearm, it's just so versatile making it actually difficult to predict what attack will come next, and compared to a spear the only weakness I'm aware of is that it's pretty top-heavy.
Speaking of, a weapon that is very difficult to smack away is a Polish sabre, a weapon designed for a very quick exchange of slashes.
I'm Polish and therefore would love to see it tried out on this channel.
I would have guessed that there possibly would be some overlap with how a masakari is used and with how a juumonji Yari is used with the halberd
Took the words out of my mouth
@@damnyankee3558there are also masakari axes outfitted with a yari blade aswell
Some halberds have a smaller blade or point at the bottom of the handle allowing a small jab to be thrown into a mix
@sekisensei I always enjoy when seki sensei gets tastes of European weapons
It shows great mastery of martial arts to adapt to a weapon that you have no prior experience in
As always great work i expect no less from you and your students
I love Seki Sensei's enthusiasm and open-mindedness to western arms. I feel it's a true sign of mastery of his craft that he is able to instantly recognise the merits of every weapon he is given and evaluate their strengths and weaknesses fairly quickly. It also makes it entertaining to watch, his genuine reactions of awe and curiosity show how much fun he is having with these experiments!
A true Master of Martial Arts. To be able to pick up on techniques used in western culture so quickly is a true treat to witness.
ハルバートですか！？
杖+鎌+槍みたいな感じですね😅
扱い方にクセがありそうで、日本語チャンネルでの解説を楽しみにしています。
配信ありがとうございました😄
Its supposed to look like a axe mixed with spear
Halbert is a Polearm utilizing a Pike, Axe, Hook, and occasionally a Spike or hammer instead of the hook.
There is a similar weapon mainly associated with the Italians and English based of a heavy sickle like tool called a billhook. Some other countries have a machete style halberd calleda glaive, and others have a scythe based halberd called a fouchard. And of course there were some short-sword style halberds called various names, but the partisan is the most famous.😊
@flyboymike111357 Partisan isn't a halberd. It's a broad-bladed spear.
@@JackWendigo1234 It's a form of winged spear with a Gladius like blade and halberd like hooks. Often with sharpened wings. It is typically considered both a sword staff and halberd.
Such a creative master!
so now we all need to get together and start a go fund me to get Seki Sensei a real Halberd
This is so interesting. Much respect for your production 🫡