freshly sharpened it is a scary tool, like a machete. just with that you know it is dangerous, the sickle looks soo "tool-ish" but damn keep your hands way above cutting height or you might have to collect your fingers from the grass.
@@512TheWolf512 yeah, where I live there is at least one accident with them each summer my wife is a surgeon and she pulls ER shifts a lot, she once had to suture more than 40 centimeters becouse some poor guy got cut with one in his leg and the blade rode up his bone gnarly stuff. effective tools, but damn they require more attention than many would expect.
@@gergokerekes4550 Dang that's gnarly. Just to elaborate you mean like the blade didn't cut into the bone so it deflected and rode up the bone, ending up leaving a hanging piece of flesh off the bone? If so that's one ugly and messy scene/
That hook around the neck is delightfully brutal; the sickle is definitely cool enough to build character concepts around like those from the beginning
Possible character idea as well: a fighter with the grappler feat who uses the sickles for said grappling. They seemed quite effective at that in the video, and honestly a lot of the flaws seem to be counteracted if using heavy armor.
Now I actually want someone to make Skall a dueling sickle, with slightly adjusted blade geometry and a hand-guard. He could rightly claim that it's for yard work. Also, I want to see a "double plebian combo" with a machete in the main hand with the dueling sickle in the off hand. Go full peasant!
@@corwinhyatt519 Kinda, but not really. They handle differently due to variations in blade geometry, which makes sense because machetes were intended to be used on densely overgrown foliage, not people. _Obviously_ the design is _plenty_ effective against flesh and bone, but that wasn't the true objective of the machete.
I'd love a followup/next in series for sickles, where Skall gives in depth thoughts as to how to improve sickle combat & design, the pros and cons of different ideas, possibly settling on one, and working with a blacksmith to make it
There is already an improvement on the sickle as a weapon (several actually), the shotel being one of them. The larger size blade, and greater mass, means that it is more difficult to displace its intercepting blade. I'm curious about how effective a shotel (or other comparable sickle-sword) would be with an appropriately scaled complex hilt.
@@zenhydra Ooh. Shotel like weapon with a useful guard could be quite a fun thing to mess with how effectively someone could hook a blade and score hits in unusual ways.
they're brutal in armored combat as well provided it isnt chain mail. you aim for the gaps in armor to dismember, from the bottom of the shoulder, where the coif meets the chest, the back of the knee so on and so forth
I love the audible groan after having to get bodied for using the sickle. Having that much of a reach disadvantage sounds extremely frustrating, I agree.
When I was doing Olympic style fencing, my coach was about 5'6. He often said that in the case of a height difference which usually meant reach difference, you let them come to you. Have them advance and try and time to attack when they're foot is in the air still.
Makes sense. You have less distance to close when the opponent is not moving backwards trying to kite you. I don't do any martial arts but I think this is a primary component of counter-striking.
I learned the exact same thing in boxing. I was a very tall kid, and my coach taught me this principle so I would understand what my opponents wanted. The only problem with the strategy of waiting for your opponent to approach is that a good opponent will know that’s what you want. They never have to come to you; they can simply wait for you to come to them. They don’t have to play on your terms. That’s exactly what my coach taught me to do, and it worked really well in boxing, so I imagine it works even better in fencing, since fencing is a sport where a single touch decides the winner.
this is quite literally the only effective way to use sickles with a reach disadvantage outside of just constantly attacking in an almost war cadence alternating grips and stiking hands to not give them the chance to counter, except the focus is less on their footwork and more on the elbow and shoulder, they tell you where the strikes momentum carries allowing you to anticipate parry and counter hopefully lethally on the first try. im more a fan of the constant attack method cause its more fun and with enough practice very rarely fails, where as the defensive style requires much more fine motor skill and training
there is no good or bade type of blade only individuals that are either good or bad with that blade, im trained in kama (japanese short blade sickles), have beat swords, but at the same time have lost a few times to individuals using sais, because they offer more utility but do the same job in essence, controlling your opponents arc of attack. so there is almost no such thing as a bad weapon, granted there are some but even those few that are genuinely bad, like the lantern shield (google it) which only works to its full potential at night have had people that were wildly successful with them. it is a matter of the time and effort each individual is willing to put into any given weapon that determines its value in combat. my instructor always used to tell me "weapons may break men, but it is the man who makes it a weapon"
@@rocconatale9503 Well, different weapons have pros and cons, and some are at a serious disadvantage against others. When a fighter is able to win with an inferior weapon it simply means that their skill / experience / physical fitness is far enough ahead of the opponent to compensate for that disadvantage.
@@Skallagrim thats what i just said though. And you are agreeing with me the individual is what makes the weapon dangerous. I have seen people beat longswords with a foil the weapon means nothing its the person that uses it. *at least in sport* i will say though that in actual combat the disadvantage feels much more real and is enough to psyche almost anyone out when you realize your weapon of choice is under a foot
@@rocconatale9503 something like the sickle is still a "bad weapon" in this sort of fight because you need a significant skill differential to even make it a fair fight. The sickle user is playing on "hard mode". Just because there exists a person who can beat you with their dominant hand tied behind their back doesn't mean that having a hand tied behind your back isn't objectively a disadvantage. A weapon can't win or lose a fight on its own, but it can certainly make it harder or easier, therefore we can rate weapons against each other.
@@Nerdnumberone you literally cant. A weapons effectiveness is entirely based on the person wielding it. objectively comparing weapons based on pros and cons means nothing. The only thing it allows you to do is determine which are harder or easier to learn. It does not speak to their effectiveness and to even attempt to imply otherwise is asinine. I've spent most of my life training with a variety of martial weapons im good with some bad with others but the weapons themselves are nothing more than tools, the utility of the weapon is determined by the craftsman just the same way that any other tools effectiveness is.
if you added a hand guard, it would probably have been better, still looks really cool and for a rogue/ assassin seems perfect. Great vid and gives insight into how tropes might be better implemented in media and gives a great learning experience. Thanks for great contene!
@@grits_taste_good415 Maybe, I dunno. I jus really like guards that cover the hand like Skall's photoshopped picture of a sickle with a hand guard. Edit: Also I imagine having a sword hit directly on your knuckles even with a gauntlet like that would probably be very painful, which isn't really a problem with full hand guards that are attached to the weapon, nut hey, I have never really spared with anything but Skall did mention this in some of his vids.
@@davyhype6502 alot of shotels don't seem to have that much of a guard but are much longer so has other advantages but no it doesn't really because it is a long curved sword, not a short sickle as Skall shows off in the video, but thanks for reminding me of it, it is still under appreciated and cool despite not really relating to the discussion. :D
The thing that I find the most interesting from these kinds of tests, is how likely it is that each fighter would end up with some kind of injury. Assuming both fighters are of comparable skill, even the victor is still walking away with some cuts and stab wounds (assuming limited armor options). It really makes me wonder how common debilitating injuries would have been even for those who survived most battles.
Excellent work! I love the technical breakdown, the sparring footage was illuminating, and there were plenty of laughs to be had. I also think it's impressive that Skall doesn't take himself too seriously and doesn't treat the sparring as a competition. High five to Sindri, too. (Is that his real name, or a nickname from the mythical dwarven smith?)
For me the really cool thing is hearing your mindset and possible improvements! Because all i could think was "wait, that sounds like a Chinese hook sword!" Longer reach, fairly complex hand protection, yet still with the advantages of the sickle!
I was thinking, "Besides the guard, you could add a point that extends beyond the hook for stabbing," only to realize that I just reinvented the oddly-named chicken sickles.
To sum it all up, *no* weapon's perfect, every single one has its strengths and weaknesses, and the one you pick should always be what works best for *you* and the situation *you're* gonna be in.
And since you are limited by money and the likelihood of situations a single weapon should be your answer so what should it be? For self defense probably a sword I think is fair and in times of war the spear is great
@@feritperliare2890 Historically, at some point, the sword *was* the expensive option. This wasn't different whether it's in Europe or Japan. Sickle is cheaper than swords like it's not funny. Hell they're much cheaper even in modern age, a good sickle is cheaper than dirt wallhanger.
With proper training you could use either against larger weapons. I would take someone with a sword using a daga and in fact have in scrimmage, but yeah sickles and kamas are objectively better at fighting outside of their weight class
@@nkyfong thats not true. Kama the japanese sickle are almost strictly dual wield with the exception of some kata that are designed for kodachi and kama, there are however kusurigama (chain kama's) that typically only have a kama on one side and a counter weight on the other that you can use as a hammer. So no even most ninjas dual wielded them since kusurigama is one of the harder weapons most of them wouldnt have been using it everyday
If I remember correctly, there were some Kusarigama with handguards for that particular reason. However; any actual farmer would much rather grab his pitchfork, sharpened spade or threshing flail as an improvised weapon. Also, sickles were extremely light, thin and made from plain iron, not steel. A moderate strike from a twohander would go straight through the blade.
By the way Skallagrim, this was brought to mind by the reference in video, but I actually played Castlevania for the first time recently and it was really awesome! I see why you reference it all the time.
I honestly really like watching these videos because you just genuinely seem to have fun doing this. And even if you for some reason completely stopped RUclips you would probably still be sparring with your friends until the day you physically can't. So thanks for the video, and I hope life is well for you :)
This has only just occurred to me, but do you think one of the companies that create these synthetic weapons would custom build your requests as part of what would essentially be a sponsorship deal...? I know it'd be painfully inefficient and expensive for them to just build a very small number, but I honestly know nothing about their manufacturing process to know how expensive it'd be for them. I was just thinking it'd be kind of cool if you could look at a weapon like this sickle, speculate on what would improve it (like added hand protection), have someone build a practice version for you, and then you go and spar with it ^^
a lot of them are either made of similar stuff as fencing foils or neoprene both are usually done with molds, pretty expensive cause each new design is a new mold entirely
Man, I really love these sickle videos. They're just so interesting. But if the main drawback is the lack of reach, what if instead of a rapier and dagger, one's offhand was the sickle?
Jesus Swashbuckling Christ you two are fast. The redirection of the sword tip and full swing, and the reaction of the sickle to meet it is just so impressive.
Great video. Apart from the ease of hitting with the swords, the percentage of hits that looked like they'd be immediately debilitating was much higher.
Now I wanna see what using the sickle as an off-handed weapon could do, sortof like how Rapier and Dagger fighting is considered to be superior solely because you have something to attack with mid-parry.
Love these vids Skall! Great stuff. It’s nice that you show actual footage and analysis rather than gimmicks. As a writer I appreciate this -immensely-. This has definitely inspired me to improve the sickle design into a dedicated weapon for my book.
It was a fantastic video. I feel like skall used more side movement with two sickles later on. Perhaps the trick is to not provide the longer reach weapon the comfort of standard fight and use the mobility to force the swordsman into bad footwork? 🤔
Now I curious how sickle would do against spear and other weapons with long shaft. Hooking against those weapons should be more deadly I think. It was a pleasure to watch all this sparing. It's very intresting see this weapon in action. I still think in a fantasy setting giving weapon like this to undead creatures is a good idea. They don't care about being damaged, but can go full offense with it bypass enemy armor by slashing weak spots.
I'd like to see the sickle up against other short weapons rather than vs a longer weapon. That would likely make for some more interesting & surprising conclusions. This also makes me really curious as to how a sword would stand up to a sickle sword. Seeing a medieval sword trainer vs a Street Forge Armory Sickle Sword trainer could have some very interesting results.
Firstly sickle swords are ancient and difficult to create sturdy usually b/c they require a much thicker tang to support the body meaning they weigh around a pound or two more than your typical sword and have much more utility. Sword loses to khopesh, shamshir, or shotel 9/10, they arent designed to bind like the sickle swords are and aside from that sickle swords are capable of generating more momentum due to their weight and anatomy. And even ignoring all of that the utility they provide being able to switch to almost any grip or stance without sacrificing power or range is just devastating. Oh and the traditional khopesh specifically is actually designed to disarm your opponent the crook of the blade is actually goes up then down to the hilt which creates a small lip near the base of the blade to catch a blade and all you have to do is twist hard to the outside and often it bind their blade between the lip and body of you own if not just wrench your opponents weapon from their hand.
Hey Skallagrim, I'm sure you've already been told, but I'd suggest for you to get into making more "shorts." They seem really popular, and I know they typically get a ton of random viewers in too. Your content has always been super interesting and highly immersive, plus you yourself are a really interesting speaker/narrator/educator with how you approach topics and teach. I think Shorts would definitely benefit you with the numbers and stuff as well as give you the opportunity to do more one-off skits or topics. But this is just a random recommendation coming from a random fan.
@@comradebork That's true, but I think RUclips is definitely going to mess around with that soon since most of their views and interactions are coming from those.
I like the basket hilt sickle. I'm going to try and work that into something, somewhere. Very cool idea and with a little false edge on the outside it would serve well as a secondary weapon for a culture more focused on slices than piercing armour like most of Europe developed into.
The sickle would definitely be a devastating weapon with minor improvements, it does need some hand protection though. I'd maybe try a longer handle too (not by much tho), possibly with a hidden dagger in it for that bonus assassin points
any thought to follow up with an improved combat sickle? i.e. a hand guard and somekind of cross or hook at the base of the blade to catch+hold a blade.
Obvious answer to deal with reach issues is to put it on a stick... That's a scythe. Or put it on a chain, that's a kama. I do like the Khopesh though, a blacksmith close to where I live makes beautiful bronze ones... I wonder if there was a sword made for cutting round corners?
@@kris4786 although the continent was Africa the swords were egyptian and persian not african the shotel was the ethiopian one and it wasnt meant to disarm like the khopesh or the shamshir is. although it is capable of doing so.
As always, excellent video! With all this talk of sickles, I'm wondering if you could maybe talk about the Shotel and sort of seeing how a sickle like weapon with a bit more reach would handle. I don't know if you'd actually be able to do it, but it would be interesting and might give me a better idea of the mechanics of such a weapon (I'm planning for one of my future dnd characters to use one).
Think of swinging around a curved stick now flatten it out and put a double edge on it boom you got a shotel. Its mostly just parry and slash in one fluid motion at its simplest form from what i understand
In all honesty, I would still feel uncomfortable using a sickle against an unarmed attacker. Every real fight I have ever lost was because my grappling sucks. I _need_ the ability to stab to feel confident.
Its funny because in "My Country" we actually still uses sickle ,specifically palm sickle as notorious for being one of the most commond weapon for street fighting , maybe because it was able to counter machete and really good at stabbing and grabbing people but idk more
I am trained in a rare style similar to this. The trick is... and this sounds really dumb at first and without training... a low stance and hopping/scittering around moreso than actually walking.
Makes sense. Keeps your legs within your own reach so you don't get chunked below where you can block and helps a little with the leverage problem, right?
@@Ithirahad Yes, it keeps the legs within the own reach but unfortunately there's no fixing the leverage. What it does do, is allow for better movement since you never put too much weight on one leg to move in any direction and you can lunge quickly at your opponent with a hop if you see an opening for grappling or striking. Also, it's part of Ninjutsu so it's very exhaustive and only meant to overwhelm an opponent quickly. Drawn-out fighting like this would be killer on your legs, regardless of training. It's very specialized.
@@rocconatale9503 close but no. It's possible they had the same origin. We use a lower stance than the Ryukyu style and we connect the two kama with a chain to form it into a rare type of kusarigama sometimes referred to as a Nikama. Also, as I said before it's a Ninjutsu style, not a Kobudo style. That said, some of the techniques are very similar.
@@EclipsisTenebris apologies i didn't see the earlier posts, i was just guessing because i trained the ryukyu kabudo, and from what you described its pretty similar. I was just excited to see someone else that might use ryukyu style. And i just recently started trying to encorparte the kusurigama with meteor hammer into my ryukyu i have been beating the crap out of myself with it for like 3 months now lol
A lot of it seems to be "I take a hit but I hit you at the same time!" Which is less than ideal. If you have to get hit to hit, that means it's not good. A crazy weapon, a creative one but not one I'd choose. If I had nothing else than sure but I'd pick a sword or axe or blunt weapon over a sickle every single time! But then I'm not a fighter or athletic so I could be way off. Though I don't see any reason why you'd choose a sickle over a sword if you had the choice. Again, if it's all you had it's better than nothing but if you had the choice, I think almost everyone would choose a sword instead.
taking a hit while also getting hit is somewhat common in sparring and the main reason shields and armor were invented. Parrying with your weapon relies on you correctly guessing what the opponent is going to do and that simply isn't guaranteed. If you go with weapons that are absolute garbage at parrying like an axe, a shield is more or less a requirement That said yeah the sickle is an inferior weapon but is probably better than most other short weapons and daggers because it's better at controlling the opponent's blade
Thank you for giving us more sickle vids. I really think that of the more "outlandish" weapons/ the ones that would have been derived from tools, its one of the more feasable ones. Therefore studying their usabillity and effektiveness makes a lot of sense.
When dual wielding sickles, would holding one sickle in reverse grip (similar to ice-pick grip on a dagger) make a lot of the mid to low blocks easier? That could be part of the reason for japanese kama reverse-grip techniques
Yes. But there is no universal grip that you maintain, using sickles, kama, or kusurigama you should be changing your grip to suit each individual strike or parry, there really isnt a great way to block with sickles your best option is to bind and counter or parry then riposte to either the throat or stomach but as soon as the riposte bites you slash outward for maximum damage. But If you land a good bind on an opponent with only one weapon while using sickles you have the opportunity to end it right there.
And parries although possible with sickles are ill advised and very difficult i have a total of 8 years training with kamas between being taught and just independant practice and scrimmage and I will go for a bind 10/10 before i even think about parrying because when you parry with a sickle the length of your blade means that by the time they roll off your parry they are literally one foot from your face or vitals (less with kamas) and can just immediately slash you unless you have superhuman rexflexes and manage to reset and parry again within a window of about 3 seconds.
But the reverse grip kama techniques are all about free range of motion it gives you the option to feint roll and turn while slashing and suprisingly suddenly at that
@@Skallagrim reverse grip is common both in sickle and kama both for defense as well as powerstrikes. And when using kamas specifically there is a lot more movement, tumbling, spinning attacks and the like, reverse grip ensures you cant stab yourself while you do these. And to add grip shouldnt be universal with any small arms your grip changes depending on your action.
Can't a sword just overpower those tiny sickles? I mean, it seens that a proper sword would have enough force to push those sickles even when parried, making contact with the body. Of course I have no idea of how this works, i'm just speculating. EDIT: haha, never comment before watching the whole video. Got my answer at 11:00.
The slow mo definitely shows how flexible nylon wasters are! Good for safety but also why cross training with different practice weapons is good. Feders, wood & nylon wasters all behave differently but mom behaves exactly like the real thing
Im soo glad you decided to continue experimenting with the sickle!!! i very much enjoyed this video as well! id be curious to find out how sickles would be against short or long axes or a pair of hatchets?? like two farmers having a disagreement, if mite work or not?? it would be amazing if someone could make you a pair of sickles with hand guards to see if that would make much of a difference , obviously reach would still be an issue against those longer weapons, it would also be interesting to see if a bit of longer handle would make any difference to the reach of the sickle?? but not scythe length or to hear your thoughts on if it would make a difference!! keep up the great work! truly appreciate the efforts that you put into your videos!
Just from watching the sparring, a Kama design with a D-shaped handguard and some short nails on the sides would seem to be a good set up: - The projection of the blade further away from the grip should assist in snagging the blade and the limbs of the opponent (though may require a technique adjustment) - You maintain a similar edge-length, though it is more straight (and perpendicular), than truly semi-circular - It allows an easier time with a "stab parry" due to the longer, straighter edge (For clarification, I refer to stabbing with the spine of the blade toward the angle of attack, much like trying to parry with the point of a pollaxe/halberd or axe) - The D-Shaped guard provides total frontal protection while also providing support for "ripping" type slices (yanking the blade through the target) and disallowing you to disarm yourself - the side nails (think like a Kriegsmesser) provide for some protection on the side of the hand, at least from sliding down the haft of the Kama style weapon. Thoughts on this? Note: Alternatively for the guard, you could have a somewhat narrower disk/Tsuba style guard that has a similar knuckle guard attachment for a very similar effect
Very fun to watch. Still feels like there is potential to the grapple play of the sickle, but pursuing it feels like a fun novelty. I understand short blade vs short blade isn’t your main pursuit but would watch it any time you post more sparring. There is a frenetic energy to it thats momentum + technique, whereas longer reach weapons rarely showcase the momentum. Would love to see a longer handled sickle with a hand guard. Not to mention if there are any hooked swords with edge on the inside. If you have already made a video of such swords would be great segue to link/ thumbnail.
You could adopt a lower fighting stance to compensate for the shorter weapon to defend from leg attacks. Though the average farmer would likely not know advanced combat stances and a knight or dedicated soldier would likely just use a better weapon lol. Great video Skallagrim.
Something I enjoyed from the first video was the theory before the sparring. I don’t see a lot of training against compliant opponents on YT and the segment where the two of you were demonstrating the blocks was cool.
DUDE! Perfect! This video is absolutely perfect. I love the thoroughness of your testing. I'm glad you show 1st person cam first for the experience, then the 3rd person cam for the explanation. I'm happy you had the text explanations of which hits were effective or not. I even like that you gave the simple answer right at the beginning of the video so people without the patience can still get the satisfaction. I think a PART 3 is due in which you pair the sickle with a variety of weapons and see what the most effective combination would be. Dual sickle? Sickle and straight blade? sickle and axe?? When you find that ideal combo, train with it for a couple weeks and try to entrench the techniques for dual short-range fighting with that combo. It could be a cool part 4 to revisit the fight after training. Seriously, you could make like 60% of your future uploads be this kind of testing weapon(s) against weapon(s). And then doing a sequence of training with them and then doing a rematch. I would watch every one of those.
Kali practitioner here, we train using a pair of shorter blades all the time, including the sickle like karambit, and the can be very effective. You really have to factor environment and intended target into it though. Longer blades will always have definite advantage in large open areas, but throw them into the dense jungle, or tight back alleys and the equation changes a bit. Similarly the unholy heat of the Phillipines most of you opponents aren't even going to be wearing heavy clothing increasing the lethality of even glancing blows. But if you were in an open field in northern Europe where even unarmored opponents will be wearing a heavy coat? Different tools for different tasks. (also dual wielding effectively really requires running a lot of drills to get both your hands used to working together)
I think combining a sickle with that parrying dagger you showed would be excellent. Turn that sickle virtually into a catcher's mitt for edged weapons!
I was working on a tabletop with some mechanics based on more realistic melee combat. You describing the manuals suggesting you wait for the opponent to approach when you're wielding a shorter weapon inspired me!
Skallagrim, I haven't been watching your channel for over 5 years, and your content is amazingly badass. Believe it or not I actually used a f****** copy of the God damn Sean Connery White dragon katana that I got when I was 16, just had it lying around and some guy try to jump through my screen open window. I grab the white plasticy dragon sword handle and put the blade to his chest as my friend jumped out of his chair and told the guy that he was f****** trespassing into jump the f*** out. Those were my exact words. He proceeded to grab the blade with both of his hands Palms Under the Blade obviously turned all of his weight and try to pull it out of my f****** grasp. I then turn the blade upward shifted my weight to whatever shoulder and sliced upward and and forward as f*** and the guy needed stitches. I didn't get any trouble because the apartment manager came over to investigate and basically he said look I'm going to charge you for the busted window blinds and I'm going to make sure that kid doesn't get arrested. And I'll make sure he never comes by here again. Smart guy. Mr skallagim. I have appreciated your channel for a long time and I would like to give you my personal email so that if you want I can draw you some customized artwork for your Channel. I am an artist in three different ways my friend. If I could say this. Please get back to me and I will send you my personal phone number or email address. Have a good night and thank you for everything you've done here on the RUclipss
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Anyone who ever used a sickle for their intended purpose for more than 10 minutes could tell you that it's not at all an innocent and unassuming tool
freshly sharpened it is a scary tool, like a machete. just with that you know it is dangerous, the sickle looks soo "tool-ish" but damn keep your hands way above cutting height or you might have to collect your fingers from the grass.
@@gergokerekes4550 just like with a scythe. And if you don't keep it properly sharpened, it won't do it's job at all
@@512TheWolf512 yeah, where I live there is at least one accident with them each summer my wife is a surgeon and she pulls ER shifts a lot, she once had to suture more than 40 centimeters becouse some poor guy got cut with one in his leg and the blade rode up his bone gnarly stuff. effective tools, but damn they require more attention than many would expect.
@@gergokerekes4550 yeah I nearly sliced my right index finger off this summer when sharpening a scythe
@@gergokerekes4550 Dang that's gnarly. Just to elaborate you mean like the blade didn't cut into the bone so it deflected and rode up the bone, ending up leaving a hanging piece of flesh off the bone? If so that's one ugly and messy scene/
That hook around the neck is delightfully brutal; the sickle is definitely cool enough to build character concepts around like those from the beginning
Possible character idea as well: a fighter with the grappler feat who uses the sickles for said grappling. They seemed quite effective at that in the video, and honestly a lot of the flaws seem to be counteracted if using heavy armor.
Now I actually want someone to make Skall a dueling sickle, with slightly adjusted blade geometry and a hand-guard. He could rightly claim that it's for yard work.
Also, I want to see a "double plebian combo" with a machete in the main hand with the dueling sickle in the off hand. Go full peasant!
Club main hand sickle offhand for blunt damage enthusiast's
Isn't a machete in that hypothetical roughly the same as a falchion, messer or cutlass?
@@corwinhyatt519 Kinda, but not really. They handle differently due to variations in blade geometry, which makes sense because machetes were intended to be used on densely overgrown foliage, not people. _Obviously_ the design is _plenty_ effective against flesh and bone, but that wasn't the true objective of the machete.
Just get a tree trimmer bill hook and your peasant will have a proper polearm to start with without being at a disadvantage in the first place
Or _The Gigapeasant,_ wielder of the mighty two-handed sickle.
I'd love a followup/next in series for sickles, where Skall gives in depth thoughts as to how to improve sickle combat & design, the pros and cons of different ideas, possibly settling on one, and working with a blacksmith to make it
That sounds exciting. We've seen the Skallagrim Reaper, now it's time for the... Sickle-agrim?
Agree! would love to see some "war sickle"!
That would be sick. Yeah, talking about pros and cons and improving sickle combat is a great idea!
There is already an improvement on the sickle as a weapon (several actually), the shotel being one of them. The larger size blade, and greater mass, means that it is more difficult to displace its intercepting blade. I'm curious about how effective a shotel (or other comparable sickle-sword) would be with an appropriately scaled complex hilt.
@@zenhydra Ooh. Shotel like weapon with a useful guard could be quite a fun thing to mess with how effectively someone could hook a blade and score hits in unusual ways.
I am reminded of when I used to spar in martial arts, the biggest advantage I could have was to just have longer arms than the other guy
I'm nearly 6'6 and it's the only thing that keeps me going when I spar with my friend with far better footwork than me
*sad short noises*
Yeah but only for striking because being shorter actually makes kne better and grappling
dude... the sickle just looks so brutal, picturing unarmored combat... town would look like a Jackson Pollack
they're brutal in armored combat as well provided it isnt chain mail. you aim for the gaps in armor to dismember, from the bottom of the shoulder, where the coif meets the chest, the back of the knee so on and so forth
I love the audible groan after having to get bodied for using the sickle. Having that much of a reach disadvantage sounds extremely frustrating, I agree.
A shield might help you get in close where you have the advantage.
When I was doing Olympic style fencing, my coach was about 5'6. He often said that in the case of a height difference which usually meant reach difference, you let them come to you. Have them advance and try and time to attack when they're foot is in the air still.
Makes sense. You have less distance to close when the opponent is not moving backwards trying to kite you. I don't do any martial arts but I think this is a primary component of counter-striking.
The shotel plzzz
I learned the exact same thing in boxing. I was a very tall kid, and my coach taught me this principle so I would understand what my opponents wanted.
The only problem with the strategy of waiting for your opponent to approach is that a good opponent will know that’s what you want. They never have to come to you; they can simply wait for you to come to them. They don’t have to play on your terms. That’s exactly what my coach taught me to do, and it worked really well in boxing, so I imagine it works even better in fencing, since fencing is a sport where a single touch decides the winner.
this is quite literally the only effective way to use sickles with a reach disadvantage outside of just constantly attacking in an almost war cadence alternating grips and stiking hands to not give them the chance to counter, except the focus is less on their footwork and more on the elbow and shoulder, they tell you where the strikes momentum carries allowing you to anticipate parry and counter hopefully lethally on the first try. im more a fan of the constant attack method cause its more fun and with enough practice very rarely fails, where as the defensive style requires much more fine motor skill and training
@@davyhype6502 What even is the point of your comment here???
Mismatched matchups with your analysis really help me understand what makes a weapon “good”. Thanks for doing this! More, please!
there is no good or bade type of blade only individuals that are either good or bad with that blade, im trained in kama (japanese short blade sickles), have beat swords, but at the same time have lost a few times to individuals using sais, because they offer more utility but do the same job in essence, controlling your opponents arc of attack. so there is almost no such thing as a bad weapon, granted there are some but even those few that are genuinely bad, like the lantern shield (google it) which only works to its full potential at night have had people that were wildly successful with them. it is a matter of the time and effort each individual is willing to put into any given weapon that determines its value in combat. my instructor always used to tell me "weapons may break men, but it is the man who makes it a weapon"
@@rocconatale9503 Well, different weapons have pros and cons, and some are at a serious disadvantage against others. When a fighter is able to win with an inferior weapon it simply means that their skill / experience / physical fitness is far enough ahead of the opponent to compensate for that disadvantage.
@@Skallagrim thats what i just said though. And you are agreeing with me the individual is what makes the weapon dangerous. I have seen people beat longswords with a foil the weapon means nothing its the person that uses it. *at least in sport* i will say though that in actual combat the disadvantage feels much more real and is enough to psyche almost anyone out when you realize your weapon of choice is under a foot
@@rocconatale9503 something like the sickle is still a "bad weapon" in this sort of fight because you need a significant skill differential to even make it a fair fight. The sickle user is playing on "hard mode". Just because there exists a person who can beat you with their dominant hand tied behind their back doesn't mean that having a hand tied behind your back isn't objectively a disadvantage.
A weapon can't win or lose a fight on its own, but it can certainly make it harder or easier, therefore we can rate weapons against each other.
@@Nerdnumberone you literally cant. A weapons effectiveness is entirely based on the person wielding it. objectively comparing weapons based on pros and cons means nothing. The only thing it allows you to do is determine which are harder or easier to learn. It does not speak to their effectiveness and to even attempt to imply otherwise is asinine. I've spent most of my life training with a variety of martial weapons im good with some bad with others but the weapons themselves are nothing more than tools, the utility of the weapon is determined by the craftsman just the same way that any other tools effectiveness is.
if you added a hand guard, it would probably have been better, still looks really cool and for a rogue/ assassin seems perfect. Great vid and gives insight into how tropes might be better implemented in media and gives a great learning experience. Thanks for great contene!
Why not a clam shell gauntlet?
@@grits_taste_good415 Maybe, I dunno. I jus
really like guards that cover the hand like Skall's photoshopped picture of a sickle with a hand guard.
Edit: Also I imagine having a sword hit directly on your knuckles even with a gauntlet like that would probably be very painful, which isn't really a problem with full hand guards that are attached to the weapon, nut hey, I have never really spared with anything but Skall did mention this in some of his vids.
The shotel is op
Does the shotel solves the issue of sickle
@@davyhype6502 alot of shotels don't seem to have that much of a guard but are much longer so has other advantages but no it doesn't really because it is a long curved sword, not a short sickle as Skall shows off in the video, but thanks for reminding me of it, it is still under appreciated and cool despite not really relating to the discussion. :D
The thing that I find the most interesting from these kinds of tests, is how likely it is that each fighter would end up with some kind of injury. Assuming both fighters are of comparable skill, even the victor is still walking away with some cuts and stab wounds (assuming limited armor options). It really makes me wonder how common debilitating injuries would have been even for those who survived most battles.
Excellent work! I love the technical breakdown, the sparring footage was illuminating, and there were plenty of laughs to be had. I also think it's impressive that Skall doesn't take himself too seriously and doesn't treat the sparring as a competition. High five to Sindri, too. (Is that his real name, or a nickname from the mythical dwarven smith?)
There's a Korean group that was using a double ended scythe against a katana or samgakdo. Love that group
Are they dead?
I think you're talking about Weaponism. I love that channel.
@@tekinahlat7378 lmao
Skall became Death, straight up
For me the really cool thing is hearing your mindset and possible improvements! Because all i could think was "wait, that sounds like a Chinese hook sword!" Longer reach, fairly complex hand protection, yet still with the advantages of the sickle!
Well that would be a bit more similar to a one handed Dacian Falx.
I was thinking, "Besides the guard, you could add a point that extends beyond the hook for stabbing," only to realize that I just reinvented the oddly-named chicken sickles.
To sum it all up, *no* weapon's perfect, every single one has its strengths and weaknesses, and the one you pick should always be what works best for *you* and the situation *you're* gonna be in.
Which is not likely going to be a sickle... Badass tho
And since you are limited by money and the likelihood of situations a single weapon should be your answer so what should it be?
For self defense probably a sword I think is fair and in times of war the spear is great
@@feritperliare2890 9mm
@@feritperliare2890 I think a halberd might be better
@@feritperliare2890 Historically, at some point, the sword *was* the expensive option. This wasn't different whether it's in Europe or Japan. Sickle is cheaper than swords like it's not funny. Hell they're much cheaper even in modern age, a good sickle is cheaper than dirt wallhanger.
Interesting, they seem to be much more viable than daggers against bigger weapons
With proper training you could use either against larger weapons. I would take someone with a sword using a daga and in fact have in scrimmage, but yeah sickles and kamas are objectively better at fighting outside of their weight class
clearly sickles are meant for dual wielding
@@TrueFork no one said they werent?
@@rocconatale9503, except for ninjas.
@@nkyfong thats not true. Kama the japanese sickle are almost strictly dual wield with the exception of some kata that are designed for kodachi and kama, there are however kusurigama (chain kama's) that typically only have a kama on one side and a counter weight on the other that you can use as a hammer. So no even most ninjas dual wielded them since kusurigama is one of the harder weapons most of them wouldnt have been using it everyday
If I remember correctly, there were some Kusarigama with handguards for that particular reason. However; any actual farmer would much rather grab his pitchfork, sharpened spade or threshing flail as an improvised weapon. Also, sickles were extremely light, thin and made from plain iron, not steel. A moderate strike from a twohander would go straight through the blade.
Love it skall. Always appreciate the hard work and study you put into these vids.
The SNICK-SNACK of double sickles before a bout seems hella intimidating.
By the way Skallagrim, this was brought to mind by the reference in video, but I actually played Castlevania for the first time recently and it was really awesome! I see why you reference it all the time.
I honestly really like watching these videos because you just genuinely seem to have fun doing this. And even if you for some reason completely stopped RUclips you would probably still be sparring with your friends until the day you physically can't. So thanks for the video, and I hope life is well for you :)
now i remember the guy from sleepy hollow, decided to grab two sicles to fight the horseman then gets cut in half.
This has only just occurred to me, but do you think one of the companies that create these synthetic weapons would custom build your requests as part of what would essentially be a sponsorship deal...? I know it'd be painfully inefficient and expensive for them to just build a very small number, but I honestly know nothing about their manufacturing process to know how expensive it'd be for them. I was just thinking it'd be kind of cool if you could look at a weapon like this sickle, speculate on what would improve it (like added hand protection), have someone build a practice version for you, and then you go and spar with it ^^
a lot of them are either made of similar stuff as fencing foils or neoprene both are usually done with molds, pretty expensive cause each new design is a new mold entirely
Man, I really love these sickle videos. They're just so interesting. But if the main drawback is the lack of reach, what if instead of a rapier and dagger, one's offhand was the sickle?
Jesus Swashbuckling Christ you two are fast. The redirection of the sword tip and full swing, and the reaction of the sickle to meet it is just so impressive.
Great video. Apart from the ease of hitting with the swords, the percentage of hits that looked like they'd be immediately debilitating was much higher.
I JUST LOVE THE INTRO "PEASANTS GONE WILD" LMFAO
Now I wanna see what using the sickle as an off-handed weapon could do, sortof like how Rapier and Dagger fighting is considered to be superior solely because you have something to attack with mid-parry.
especially since the sickle seems to be fairly good as a parrying weapon. paired with a good sized onehanded sword it likely would be a great combo.
Love these vids Skall! Great stuff. It’s nice that you show actual footage and analysis rather than gimmicks. As a writer I appreciate this -immensely-. This has definitely inspired me to improve the sickle design into a dedicated weapon for my book.
It was a fantastic video. I feel like skall used more side movement with two sickles later on. Perhaps the trick is to not provide the longer reach weapon the comfort of standard fight and use the mobility to force the swordsman into bad footwork? 🤔
Next episode, sickle and hammer fighting
Now I curious how sickle would do against spear and other weapons with long shaft. Hooking against those weapons should be more deadly I think. It was a pleasure to watch all this sparing. It's very intresting see this weapon in action. I still think in a fantasy setting giving weapon like this to undead creatures is a good idea. They don't care about being damaged, but can go full offense with it bypass enemy armor by slashing weak spots.
I'd like to see the sickle up against other short weapons rather than vs a longer weapon. That would likely make for some more interesting & surprising conclusions. This also makes me really curious as to how a sword would stand up to a sickle sword. Seeing a medieval sword trainer vs a Street Forge Armory Sickle Sword trainer could have some very interesting results.
Firstly sickle swords are ancient and difficult to create sturdy usually b/c they require a much thicker tang to support the body meaning they weigh around a pound or two more than your typical sword and have much more utility. Sword loses to khopesh, shamshir, or shotel 9/10, they arent designed to bind like the sickle swords are and aside from that sickle swords are capable of generating more momentum due to their weight and anatomy. And even ignoring all of that the utility they provide being able to switch to almost any grip or stance without sacrificing power or range is just devastating. Oh and the traditional khopesh specifically is actually designed to disarm your opponent the crook of the blade is actually goes up then down to the hilt which creates a small lip near the base of the blade to catch a blade and all you have to do is twist hard to the outside and often it bind their blade between the lip and body of you own if not just wrench your opponents weapon from their hand.
Hey Skallagrim, I'm sure you've already been told, but I'd suggest for you to get into making more "shorts." They seem really popular, and I know they typically get a ton of random viewers in too. Your content has always been super interesting and highly immersive, plus you yourself are a really interesting speaker/narrator/educator with how you approach topics and teach. I think Shorts would definitely benefit you with the numbers and stuff as well as give you the opportunity to do more one-off skits or topics. But this is just a random recommendation coming from a random fan.
Agree
I hate shorts so much I'm watching naked.
The problem is navigation: shorts have inferior and awkward controls.
@@comradebork That's true, but I think RUclips is definitely going to mess around with that soon since most of their views and interactions are coming from those.
@@comradebork apparently it depends on the app. On my Android tablet, I see both with the same viewer and therefore the same controls.
I thought that you don't make much from Shorts though.
the way you hooked the guard at 5 minutes shook me to my core.
love to see a specially designed battle sickle
I like the basket hilt sickle. I'm going to try and work that into something, somewhere. Very cool idea and with a little false edge on the outside it would serve well as a secondary weapon for a culture more focused on slices than piercing armour like most of Europe developed into.
Though I suppose at that point it almost becomes a Chinese hook sword. Still probably different enough.
The sickle would definitely be a devastating weapon with minor improvements, it does need some hand protection though. I'd maybe try a longer handle too (not by much tho), possibly with a hidden dagger in it for that bonus assassin points
Damn! That catch and throat slice to the right. Chef's kiss and s***
any thought to follow up with an improved combat sickle? i.e. a hand guard and somekind of cross or hook at the base of the blade to catch+hold a blade.
Obvious answer to deal with reach issues is to put it on a stick... That's a scythe. Or put it on a chain, that's a kama. I do like the Khopesh though, a blacksmith close to where I live makes beautiful bronze ones...
I wonder if there was a sword made for cutting round corners?
@@shaderax_storm6165 there are African swords for hooking shields and striking around them.
@@shaderax_storm6165 kamas are not on a chain. kamas are short bladed front facing sickles, kusurigama is the chain sickle
@@kris4786 although the continent was Africa the swords were egyptian and persian not african the shotel was the ethiopian one and it wasnt meant to disarm like the khopesh or the shamshir is. although it is capable of doing so.
@@kris4786 my bad i just noticed you were talking about stirking over shields which is exactly what the african one is for lmao
Really liked the fighting montage, first in first person, then from the outside for a clearer picture. Nice work!
If used correctly this can definitely be a devastating one on one combat weapon style
I love the commentary during the sparring; both written and voice over.
As always, excellent video! With all this talk of sickles, I'm wondering if you could maybe talk about the Shotel and sort of seeing how a sickle like weapon with a bit more reach would handle. I don't know if you'd actually be able to do it, but it would be interesting and might give me a better idea of the mechanics of such a weapon (I'm planning for one of my future dnd characters to use one).
Think of swinging around a curved stick now flatten it out and put a double edge on it boom you got a shotel. Its mostly just parry and slash in one fluid motion at its simplest form from what i understand
0:33
Or a scary wolf who’s supposed to be the embodiment of death!
If you have good armor I could imagine dual wielding scythes could work. Use one hand to always bind while the other focuses solely on damage.
I friggin love the camerawork, editing, commentary and overall epic content of this video! It's even better than the last one!
In all honesty, I would still feel uncomfortable using a sickle against an unarmed attacker. Every real fight I have ever lost was because my grappling sucks. I _need_ the ability to stab to feel confident.
Make the outer edge as sharp as the inner then maybe?
Learn wrestling
Its funny because in "My Country" we actually still uses sickle ,specifically palm sickle as notorious for being one of the most commond weapon for street fighting , maybe because it was able to counter machete and really good at stabbing and grabbing people but idk more
Pick it up.
pick... it... UP!
Skall, some of your dodges against the longsword... uff mah man, smooth!!!
I am trained in a rare style similar to this. The trick is... and this sounds really dumb at first and without training... a low stance and hopping/scittering around moreso than actually walking.
Makes sense. Keeps your legs within your own reach so you don't get chunked below where you can block and helps a little with the leverage problem, right?
@@Ithirahad Yes, it keeps the legs within the own reach but unfortunately there's no fixing the leverage. What it does do, is allow for better movement since you never put too much weight on one leg to move in any direction and you can lunge quickly at your opponent with a hop if you see an opening for grappling or striking.
Also, it's part of Ninjutsu so it's very exhaustive and only meant to overwhelm an opponent quickly. Drawn-out fighting like this would be killer on your legs, regardless of training. It's very specialized.
Would it happen to be ryukyu kama kabudo?
@@rocconatale9503 close but no. It's possible they had the same origin. We use a lower stance than the Ryukyu style and we connect the two kama with a chain to form it into a rare type of kusarigama sometimes referred to as a Nikama. Also, as I said before it's a Ninjutsu style, not a Kobudo style.
That said, some of the techniques are very similar.
@@EclipsisTenebris apologies i didn't see the earlier posts, i was just guessing because i trained the ryukyu kabudo, and from what you described its pretty similar. I was just excited to see someone else that might use ryukyu style. And i just recently started trying to encorparte the kusurigama with meteor hammer into my ryukyu i have been beating the crap out of myself with it for like 3 months now lol
Loving the sparring videos+breakdown! It really brings the narrative and explanations to life
A lot of it seems to be "I take a hit but I hit you at the same time!"
Which is less than ideal. If you have to get hit to hit, that means it's not good. A crazy weapon, a creative one but not one I'd choose. If I had nothing else than sure but I'd pick a sword or axe or blunt weapon over a sickle every single time! But then I'm not a fighter or athletic so I could be way off. Though I don't see any reason why you'd choose a sickle over a sword if you had the choice.
Again, if it's all you had it's better than nothing but if you had the choice, I think almost everyone would choose a sword instead.
taking a hit while also getting hit is somewhat common in sparring and the main reason shields and armor were invented. Parrying with your weapon relies on you correctly guessing what the opponent is going to do and that simply isn't guaranteed.
If you go with weapons that are absolute garbage at parrying like an axe, a shield is more or less a requirement
That said yeah the sickle is an inferior weapon but is probably better than most other short weapons and daggers because it's better at controlling the opponent's blade
i think it would be more useful in indoor combat, its a small weapon wich can be hidden in close space, like the wakizashi (sorry for my english)
@@gustavoalejandro3432 you're English is good!
Thank you for giving us more sickle vids. I really think that of the more "outlandish" weapons/ the ones that would have been derived from tools, its one of the more feasable ones. Therefore studying their usabillity and effektiveness makes a lot of sense.
When dual wielding sickles, would holding one sickle in reverse grip (similar to ice-pick grip on a dagger) make a lot of the mid to low blocks easier? That could be part of the reason for japanese kama reverse-grip techniques
Yes. But there is no universal grip that you maintain, using sickles, kama, or kusurigama you should be changing your grip to suit each individual strike or parry, there really isnt a great way to block with sickles your best option is to bind and counter or parry then riposte to either the throat or stomach but as soon as the riposte bites you slash outward for maximum damage. But If you land a good bind on an opponent with only one weapon while using sickles you have the opportunity to end it right there.
And parries although possible with sickles are ill advised and very difficult i have a total of 8 years training with kamas between being taught and just independant practice and scrimmage and I will go for a bind 10/10 before i even think about parrying because when you parry with a sickle the length of your blade means that by the time they roll off your parry they are literally one foot from your face or vitals (less with kamas) and can just immediately slash you unless you have superhuman rexflexes and manage to reset and parry again within a window of about 3 seconds.
But the reverse grip kama techniques are all about free range of motion it gives you the option to feint roll and turn while slashing and suprisingly suddenly at that
I don't see any benefit of holding a sickle / kama in reverse grip. You're shortening your reach *even more* while also exposing your hand more.
@@Skallagrim reverse grip is common both in sickle and kama both for defense as well as powerstrikes. And when using kamas specifically there is a lot more movement, tumbling, spinning attacks and the like, reverse grip ensures you cant stab yourself while you do these. And to add grip shouldnt be universal with any small arms your grip changes depending on your action.
Awesome breakdown
Would love to see more like this
Can't a sword just overpower those tiny sickles?
I mean, it seens that a proper sword would have enough force to push those sickles even when parried, making contact with the body.
Of course I have no idea of how this works, i'm just speculating.
EDIT:
haha, never comment before watching the whole video. Got my answer at 11:00.
I loved the video and seeing the sickles in action. Even if they're not an ideal weapon, it's still a joy to watch.
Thanks Skall!
Great insights, I really love these types of videos even though reviews are nice too.
I love these in-depth analysis.
The slow mo definitely shows how flexible nylon wasters are! Good for safety but also why cross training with different practice weapons is good. Feders, wood & nylon wasters all behave differently but mom behaves exactly like the real thing
Boosting the algorithm, I love your content skal, you should do a video on different types of shields!
These sickle videos have been really great, my favorite type of content on your channel. More more more
These are the really important questions that need answers. Totally on-board for this content.
Looks like you had some fun experimental sparring. Good on you.
The video where each step is stopped and shows what is happening right there is very neat
This video is sick...le. Anyway double sickles look cool but I will choose the reach of a longsword anytime.
This is what I love from you Skall, keep it up!
Im soo glad you decided to continue experimenting with the sickle!!! i very much enjoyed this video as well! id be curious to find out how sickles would be against short or long axes or a pair of hatchets?? like two farmers having a disagreement, if mite work or not?? it would be amazing if someone could make you a pair of sickles with hand guards to see if that would make much of a difference , obviously reach would still be an issue against those longer weapons, it would also be interesting to see if a bit of longer handle would make any difference to the reach of the sickle?? but not scythe length or to hear your thoughts on if it would make a difference!! keep up the great work! truly appreciate the efforts that you put into your videos!
I guess Death's advantage is his bigger than Puss in boots and his sword
This was interesting. I liked that this video illustrated the reach advantage well, since in this video I could really see it in action.
Last one, I promise for now, your channel is the first one I look for when I turn my Smart TV on my friend
The sickle just looks awesome. When you land a hit, it's like a preying mantis grabbing a grasshopper.
The sparring footage is really good quality, respect, Sir!
Just from watching the sparring, a Kama design with a D-shaped handguard and some short nails on the sides would seem to be a good set up:
- The projection of the blade further away from the grip should assist in snagging the blade and the limbs of the opponent (though may require a technique adjustment)
- You maintain a similar edge-length, though it is more straight (and perpendicular), than truly semi-circular
- It allows an easier time with a "stab parry" due to the longer, straighter edge (For clarification, I refer to stabbing with the spine of the blade toward the angle of attack, much like trying to parry with the point of a pollaxe/halberd or axe)
- The D-Shaped guard provides total frontal protection while also providing support for "ripping" type slices (yanking the blade through the target) and disallowing you to disarm yourself
- the side nails (think like a Kriegsmesser) provide for some protection on the side of the hand, at least from sliding down the haft of the Kama style weapon.
Thoughts on this?
Note: Alternatively for the guard, you could have a somewhat narrower disk/Tsuba style guard that has a similar knuckle guard attachment for a very similar effect
Really nice analysis, and it's great to see your sparring footage!
Nice vid as always. Like the double pov.
Very fun to watch. Still feels like there is potential to the grapple play of the sickle, but pursuing it feels like a fun novelty.
I understand short blade vs short blade isn’t your main pursuit but would watch it any time you post more sparring. There is a frenetic energy to it thats momentum + technique, whereas longer reach weapons rarely showcase the momentum.
Would love to see a longer handled sickle with a hand guard. Not to mention if there are any hooked swords with edge on the inside.
If you have already made a video of such swords would be great segue to link/ thumbnail.
I love this kind of content. Fascinating weapon. Thank you for putting this all together for us.
Cheers!
This looks like the kind of fighting style Sly Cooper would use with his sickle-like cane.
That was awesome!! Love the content and super glad to see you guys in action!!
You could adopt a lower fighting stance to compensate for the shorter weapon to defend from leg attacks. Though the average farmer would likely not know advanced combat stances and a knight or dedicated soldier would likely just use a better weapon lol. Great video Skallagrim.
I really liked this video and the one before it. Really opened up some ideas, while keeping in mind the drawbacks =)
Cool video! The sickle faired better than I would have guessed!
Something I enjoyed from the first video was the theory before the sparring. I don’t see a lot of training against compliant opponents on YT and the segment where the two of you were demonstrating the blocks was cool.
These are my favorite kinds of videos you do. Keep up the good work Skall!
This is ultra fun and very interesting at the same time, great work!
Okay, that intro caught me off guard, thanks 🤣
DUDE! Perfect! This video is absolutely perfect. I love the thoroughness of your testing. I'm glad you show 1st person cam first for the experience, then the 3rd person cam for the explanation. I'm happy you had the text explanations of which hits were effective or not. I even like that you gave the simple answer right at the beginning of the video so people without the patience can still get the satisfaction.
I think a PART 3 is due in which you pair the sickle with a variety of weapons and see what the most effective combination would be. Dual sickle? Sickle and straight blade? sickle and axe??
When you find that ideal combo, train with it for a couple weeks and try to entrench the techniques for dual short-range fighting with that combo. It could be a cool part 4 to revisit the fight after training.
Seriously, you could make like 60% of your future uploads be this kind of testing weapon(s) against weapon(s). And then doing a sequence of training with them and then doing a rematch. I would watch every one of those.
Character concept: Experienced travelling merchant, dual-wielding sharpened dollar signs.
Some of the shots are like, "I've got it, I'll bind the sword with my torso! He'll never see it coming!"
Love the content lately keep it up skal
Kali practitioner here, we train using a pair of shorter blades all the time, including the sickle like karambit, and the can be very effective. You really have to factor environment and intended target into it though. Longer blades will always have definite advantage in large open areas, but throw them into the dense jungle, or tight back alleys and the equation changes a bit. Similarly the unholy heat of the Phillipines most of you opponents aren't even going to be wearing heavy clothing increasing the lethality of even glancing blows.
But if you were in an open field in northern Europe where even unarmored opponents will be wearing a heavy coat?
Different tools for different tasks.
(also dual wielding effectively really requires running a lot of drills to get both your hands used to working together)
I think combining a sickle with that parrying dagger you showed would be excellent. Turn that sickle virtually into a catcher's mitt for edged weapons!
Very cool video. Love this format.
Your shirt has more production value than armor pieces in Rings of Power XD
I was working on a tabletop with some mechanics based on more realistic melee combat. You describing the manuals suggesting you wait for the opponent to approach when you're wielding a shorter weapon inspired me!
Skallagrim, I haven't been watching your channel for over 5 years, and your content is amazingly badass. Believe it or not I actually used a f****** copy of the God damn Sean Connery White dragon katana that I got when I was 16, just had it lying around and some guy try to jump through my screen open window. I grab the white plasticy dragon sword handle and put the blade to his chest as my friend jumped out of his chair and told the guy that he was f****** trespassing into jump the f*** out. Those were my exact words. He proceeded to grab the blade with both of his hands Palms Under the Blade obviously turned all of his weight and try to pull it out of my f****** grasp. I then turn the blade upward shifted my weight to whatever shoulder and sliced upward and and forward as f*** and the guy needed stitches. I didn't get any trouble because the apartment manager came over to investigate and basically he said look I'm going to charge you for the busted window blinds and I'm going to make sure that kid doesn't get arrested. And I'll make sure he never comes by here again. Smart guy. Mr skallagim. I have appreciated your channel for a long time and I would like to give you my personal email so that if you want I can draw you some customized artwork for your Channel. I am an artist in three different ways my friend. If I could say this. Please get back to me and I will send you my personal phone number or email address. Have a good night and thank you for everything you've done here on the RUclipss