Thing is Highlanders would usually bear several other side weapons, more handy than the broadsword in pub fights or surprise close quarter attacks, all kind of daggers, dirks and so on... often disguised or hidden just for that purpose. So the drawing speed of the broadsword isn't that much an issue if you put a highlander in his context. Just my 2c.
Most Scots would be carrying a dirk anyway-it took money to get a good broadsword. I hear that in the Jacobite wars, only the front ranks carried claymores while the bulk had dirks as sidearms.
To add a bit to your "daily carry" context... In the "daily carry" firearms community, there is a lot of discussion of what sort is the best choice that parallels this video quite a bit, and makes clear that many of the issues that you bring up are timeless and applied to a wide variety of weapons. The question pertaining to guns is this, "Which pistol is the best for daily carry?" which is a loaded (haha) question, as the answer is, "The one you will carry EVERY SINGLE day." The reason is that many people will buy a firearm that they think is a good defense weapon for whatever characteristics, and then find themselves leaving it behind many times because it is too heavy, bulky or whatever to carry conveniently. Likewise, there are many firearms which once deployed offer superior features, but are more difficult to bring on target rapidly due to holster design necessary to the firearm design. Thus, "primitive" and "inaccurate" firearms like a derringer continue to be useful for the same reason that they came into existence to begin with... Easy to carry, and easy to bring on target in an "oh shit" moment. The fact that this conversation is still relevant today, with modern weapons, I think, lends a lot of weight to your discussion in this video. It isn't a presumptuous to say you can guess what a guy in 1400 Europe was thinking regarding which sword to carry, as there's a guy in Texas right now going through the exact same discussion at the gun store and for the exact same reasons.
"A weapon no deployed is worse at both offense and defense than a deployed weapon" This is such a flipping key point in so much of combat at so many levels. Speed of deployment, be it knuckle bow sabers vs basket hilted long rapiers; infantry scouts vs cavalry scouts; standing armies vs levied armies; in so many ways and at so many scales, this point is so valuable
R. A. Salvatore's "The Legend of Drizzt" fantasy series has featured a marvelous basketed broadsword called Charon's Claw for decades. Bright red blade with a fuller, and a basket in the shape of an upside-down skeleton with the legs wrapped up beside the skull pommel, and the ribcage forming a nice cage for the knuckles. Magical shenanigans, of course, ensue.
So the Elder Scrolls have been lying to me this entire time? Because I carry a spear, two swords, a crossbow and a long now around with me all the time
10 pounds of soul gem crystals, 30 liters of potions, 20 enchanted daggers in lieu of currency, 12 books to haul back to the collection, a pickaxe, a dozen pounds in raw ore, 5 pounds of flowers and mushrooms, 20 servings of vegetable stew, a few spare pieces of armor and jewelry for different occasions, a stolen warhammer that I forget I have on me because I can't sell it, and THOSE DAMN POTS AND BUCKETS I KEEP ACCIDENTALLY PICKING UP WITHOUT REALIZING!
This idea was kinda shown on Game of thrones where we see the viper stab someones hand with a knife as they reach for their longsword (which wasnt drawn)
Cool topic. I'm currently practicing broadsword and one thing to add is the basket almost acts like a buckler too, providing protection from people trying to cut over or under your blade during a riposte. It's saved me a insane number of times. I do feel that in the quickdraw scenario something like a dagger should be your go to. Leave the Broadsaword for when you have time to draw it, and probably have a targe too - and be in a battle or with a bunch of mates. The whole pub fight/sudden violence thing just always makes me think 'what works at chest to chest range' because if I was suddenly attacking someone with lethal intent you can bet it wont be from several feet away. As for getting the hand into the basket to draw it quickly, this is something that has given me a love-hate relationship with the weapon since day one. I've got stupid big hands and I am at the point of getting a custom one made with a huge basket so i can actually close my fist inside without shredding my knuckles (no chance of padding it, would never fit) and also grab it quickly. I also heavily dislike the standard design of said baskets, where they have gaps blades can easily fit inside and have a slightly odd shape. If your going to have a basket and suffer the drawbacks, I say go all in - make it heavy, no gaps and very large. If I can get a custom one done I'll make a vid and share it with y'all.
I think the reason this doesn't matter as much or considered in the design is because from what I've read is the Basket hilt sword wasn't a self defense weapon but a battlefield weapon used in Highland Charges. The Dirk would have been the quick access into action weapon of Highlanders.
This was my main issue - in thinking about how it would be worn, I would imagine you'd be catching your forearm on the hilt on a regular basis - the same issue I would imagine occurring with a cutlass. However, with a cutlass (as Matt mentioned in previous videos), they mainly were stored on a wall in the ship's hull, and taken out only when you were about to engage in a boarding action. But the Basket-hilted broadsword looks to be something you'd need to wear on a regular basis. And while I do like the look and feel of the cutlass, I would imagine that it would get REALLY irritating to wear after, say, an hour or two.
That really depends on the sword and it’s made too. And the swordsman. I’m pretty big, about 6’2 and have worked a lot of jobs where you have to lift heavy stuff all the time. For me, wearing a broadsword has never been cumbersome. You can make plenty of hypothetical arguments, but it always depends on the individual.
Matthew Cooper the problem is moot the weight, but the protruding protection on your hips. After all a cutlass is far away from being the heaviest type of sword and a baskethilt looks a bit lighter then a long sword.
Nice explanation. The one point that is implied, but that I'd risk belaboring, is that 'slightly' dextrous actions (such as getting your hand onto the hilt properly and getting the sword out) are exactly the sort of thing that get fumbled more than you would think once you start hurrying the action, and I can't think of a situation any more 'hurried' than needing to get to a sidearm in a life-or-death situation. Room for error is a good design principle, particularly in war.
I would love a video about how one would mount/draw a long rapier. This because I've personally realised it cannot be drawn the same way as an arming sword for instance. Even more so when there's a developed hilt. You mentioned it and it's something I'd like to see.
"A really super-quick point!" - looks at video. Over 8 minutes long. "Good old Matt! Why aren't you lecturing at a university somewhere? You know you'd get coolest teacher award!"
I would think that on foot and with just a little practice, drawing a basket hilted sword in battle could be done with ease and confidence. Whereas trying to draw on horseback in the middle of a charge, regardless of experience level, would be problematic. So simple guards on a saber (pardon my American spelling) now make a lot more sense.
you didn't mention that later basket hilted broad swords came with a removable basket that could be swapped for a plain cross guard... I assume to help in some of the situations you mentioned
scholagladiatoria hey Matt never tougth about making a video about the differents types of hilt(both the complex and the simple ones) they are often not really considered as they should in the analysis of a sword
I learned to draw mine quickly by using just one change to how I draw the blade. Instead of immediately going straight for the hilt and drawing the blade, I'd let the very bottom of my palm (right where it connects to the wrist) touch the pommel of the blade first. When your hand touches the pommel of the blade, you want your wrist to be flexed. (Meaning that your palm should be parallel to the ground) then when you feel the pommel, relax your hand so it drops straight along the hilt and grab. I'm probably like .3-.4 seconds slower at drawing basket hilted blades, but it's very consistent and reliable. After I started using this method and practiced for 2-3 days, I have not had that awkward fumbly moment where you can't find the hilt lmao
Good points from the guru. I thought he would say that it was awkward to wear. That is another reason why not to carry certain swords. Basket hilt seems like pain to wear.
I would say that if you have a sword like a scottish baskethilted broadsword. That are kinda the most extreme exmple of baskethilts. The more important it is to have a third weapon. like a dagger or such that can be drawn really qick if needed. And this you can kinda see in history as it was not uncommon to carry a dagger combined with some of the longer swords Like rapier often was combined with a dagger. Wearing a dirk or other dagger with the scottish baskethilt and so on. This i think is not only to be able to use in combination when fighting. but also because they knew the long blade of a rapier and the confined hilt on a broadsword would make drawing it fast a bit harder. So wearing a dagger that you can get out really freaking quick was a good thing. You could maybe end the fight just with the dagger and if not having the dagger out fast can give you time to draw the sword so to say I hope Matt takes this up in a future video. I might be wrong but i still like to see what his thoguhts are about this
Huh. I wonder if speed of deployment was why Colonial Rangers fighting the 7 Years War in N. America were armed exclusively with hatchets and cutlasses (military hangers?) as their sidearms to their muskets and rifles, in addition to needing a handy weapon for fighting in forests. Their doctrine talks about making a very close range volley and follow immediately with an attack with hatchets and cutlasses. What are you thoughts about that?
Speed of deployment was definitely part of it. Forests restrict line of sight and movement. Because of these two restrictions, ambushes work really well in forests, but not so well in grasslands. If you're about to be ambushed, there could be an enemy within mere feet of you before you notice them and they would be able to give chase more reliably than you could run through a forest to escape. If an ambushing enemy picked their spot well, you would likely have few avenues of real escape and they would position themselves appropriately. In such a situation, it's better to fight than present your back and you'll need to do it quickly. It should also be noted that Native Americans had spent a lot of time refining ambush tactics in their respective environments and, if they were involved, they would put an arrow in your back before you got ten strides away from them. Fighting hard on a moment's notice was really the only option.
Love this video, as an owner of a basket hilt myself i fully agree, but i found, their is a way to deal with this situation, have the sword sheath stuffed into your belt/sash, instead of hanging at your side, so you can quickly remove and replace the sword much like the samurai did, this would mean, in the unlikely event that you had time to be aware of and react to a surprise attack, which lets be honest, sadly, that the idea of the quickdraw, attack, kill the enemy, re-holster/sheath, your gun/sword, is more a thing of movies, if you did, you could then, pull the sheath from the belt, using the METAL sheath to block oncoming attack, and draw sword as you step back, off their center line, same with when drawing on a gunman who is aiming you down, move off their center, retreat and draw while finding cover, that's how i would deal with this. We should also consider it's not too far fetched to wear a sword in this manner because it's also quite common in those era's for them to quite literally just stuff them into the belt, and in fact in old photo's of mexican gunslingers you see them appendix carrying right at the naval like a gangster, so i would assume, not all scotsman, or other men using this sword, would likely always have it affixed to a belt, possibly just stuffed into the belt or sash etc, but this is just my way of thinking of it, another advantage is the metal sheath could be used in a choked up grip simillarly to a dueling dagger, allowing one to wield it to defend or even attack the enemy, as taking one of those to the head would surely do some damage. good video matt
I believe this is exactly why Victorian era police chose Hanger type cutlasses, rather than those of the naval variety with their larger baskets. A constable on patrol (today too) back then probably had instances where not much warning of the sudden need for a weapon in hand, while conversely a ship's boarding party armed with cutlasses was fully aware armed conflict was imminent. First stab wins the fight..
Fumbling a sword in its scabbard and sending it flying forward reminds me of people shooting their ramming rods out of their muskets when under pressure.
Yeah, Matt. Y'know, a good old-fashioned highland rapier with a Sinclair hilt. Just like the one William Wallace used in the second crusade against the vikings.
While watching this video I was reminded of another related video you made about why complex hilts didn't become common until after the middle ages (i.e. from the 16C onwards). In that video you argued shield usage and gauntlets probably weren't the main reason why complex hilts weren't developed but instead it was because, as sword usage became more common, especially in civilian life, this spurred design innovations, such as the complex hilt. After watching this video and bearing in mind that prior to and during the medieval period, swords were predominantly a backup (rather than primary) weapon, I wonder if another reason complex hilts didn't appear for so long was because they made it more difficult to access the sword in an emergency. As backup weapons, especially on a battlefield, swords needed to be drawn quickly and easily by someone wearing armour. *Could it be that a complex hilt would actually make this significantly more difficult?* In contrast, as swords became more commonly used as the primary sidearm, especially in civilian usage, the focus of hilt design switched from "easy to draw in battle" to "better hand protection when unarmed".
I bet it's because medieval swordsmen wore gauntlets, or heavy gloves, to protect their hands whilst wielding melee weapons. Whereas, basket hilts come around the time of muskets in general use, so I wonder if that's when European soldiers ditched gauntlets so that they could load and fire muskets more easily.
@@chasechiamulera7704 Basket hilts appeared several centuries after the middle ages, but complex hilts evolved before them, during the 15th and 16th century. There was an evolution of the sword guard from just a cross-guard, to which was added one or two finger rings, followed by a knuckle bow, and then extra curving bars to protect the hand, resulting in a complex hilt which eventually led to the basket hilt.
Mr. Easton, the historical context of the Scottish basket hilt you demonstrated with is important to its form. The clan skirmishes and cattle rustling, in the time you mentioned in the video, keep the basket hilt employed as a war sword. I would further say, and be supported by Rob Roy, that the broad sword is a terrible dueling sword; and was engineered primarily for fighting with a shield in clan against clan fights.
How ever mr Ian Wallace, there were numerous Scottish duelists who employed only a broadsword and no shield. Some of them were John MacCombie, Alasdair Mac Colla, Rory MacNiell and Donald MacBane to name a few. There were also a plethora of fencing manuals written on the use of basket hilts singly, such as the Expert Swords-man's Companion - Donald McBane (1728), The Guards of the Highland Broadsword - Henry Angelo, art by Thomas Rowlandson (Jan 20, 1799) to mention only two. Here’s a link to a Wikipedia page on the subject as well en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_fencing_in_Scotland.
I might add that specific basket-hilt was particular to Scotland. Depending on situation, a Scotsman wouldn't necessarily go for the sword first as they usually would have 2-3 other blades at their disposal. Those being the Sgian Dubh, Sgian Achlais , and Dirk. The latter being preferable in tight quarters. The dirk is also a good quick blade to draw and do some damage or encourage an opponent to back off slightly which creats time and distance to draw the basket-hilt. In the end it all comes down to ability and situation.
This would have been a great opportunity to include Mrs Easton, considering her love of basket-hilt swords (from what I can recall from the holiday episode).
It seems to me the basket hilt was more of a war weapon while the dirk was your everyday carry weapon. And of course, don't forget the skein dubh in your sock!
depending on the Era and context of basket hilt was usually worn in conjuction with a dirk or dagger that's what you would be used for quick draw or in later era's a pistol
Another advantage of the katana or other curved blade is that you can cut on the draw. The act of drawing begins rotating the sword into the extended position. The straight sword keeps the point aimed behind you until you completely clear the scabbard, and only then can you begin to bring the point to bear.
Robert Louis Stevenson did some research I suppose for "Kidnapped"- the swordsman Alan Stewart says at one point that because of the confines of a fight , "I must stick to the point," he said, shaking his head; "and that's a pity, too. It doesn't set my genius, which is all for the upper guard. " The style of hilt is certainly less than ideal for thrusting, but very good for a cutter.
I'm not arguing it's not an issue, but presumably someone that's wearing a basket hilt every single day would be reasonably practiced at it. Were you to wear it for a couple weeks and practice drawing it every day, I would imagine much of the difficulty would be mitigated.
Sure you could train to mitigate it, but it's still an issue. If you're spending time having to train that, then it's time you could have spent training something else. :-)
I disagree with most of what you've said. Regardless of whether or not different skill ceilings or skill floors, each will still have their own challenges. The scimitar, for example, will have to deal with the wonky feel of a very curved blade among other challenges, such as drawing a curved blade. As for the fight between a basket hilt and a scimitar, both in the hands of novices, the reach and hand protection of the basket would provide a huge advantage. Either way, I think it's ridiculous for us to speculate on "who would win in a fight" with two different swords. We can takes guesses and provide reasons, but "chances are..." oversteps our speculative bounds.
Yeah exactly. I've been training with one about twice a week for a year now and it's still a pain to grab the damn thing. I don't think more practice here is going to help enough to justify the time it will take. Better off drawing a dagger etc as extra practice or - just sparring. I really feel that full on sparring is under-valued as a training tool too. Technique drills are of course crucial but every session needs sparring at the end for those who want to.
Interesting point I never thought about that. Thank you for bringing it up. Can you make a video about evolution of swords? and maybe difference between dueling and battlefield one. I wonder why suddenly swords change from a bit robust to a very thin ones basically only good for thrust.
Even though I haven't handled a basket-hilt, I kinda think that point at 3:31 is a bit over played. But, the point at the very end of the video sounds much more legit. Good video, Matt. Cheers to you as well.
Matt, could you possibly compare a Shiavona (also a basket hilted sword, as you probably know) to a Scottish basket hilted sword in this point? Because rhe Shiavona for example, has a relatively much more 'slim' basket, yet, it is slightly more open towards the side one will need to get his hand into... So, would you say the Scottish basket hilt is in this sense, less handy? Or wouldn't it make much of a noticable difference? As far as you can make an estimate, of course...
A valid point for the cases you mentioned. However with the context of internecine clan-on-clan raids the value of these in the historical context becomes clear. If your goal is to turn up in the middle of the night, smash and grab some cattle and get out with minimal casualties these start to be an attractive option. Polearms will be too much of a burdon, and if you intend to catch your enemies by surprise they don't add a lot of value. However you would want a sturdy arm in case things do turn against you, and these offer reach and protection which would help you get home and back to the highlands. Outside of that... yep, probably it was just familiar and available at the time and eventually became symbolic for some especially highland soldiery. In the highlands you probably wouldn't worry much for those you share a valley with, it's the buggers in the next one over you have to worry about.
I love when I learn something about real weapons that I can easily adapt to tabletop gaming. Penalty to Quick Draw rolls but better hand protection. Nice.
Perhaps the stirrup hilt saber could be drawn more quickly than a the 3-bar, but a cavalryman didn't normally have another cavalryman on top of him all of a sudden. He'd spot the charging enemy from a distance away and have time to draw properly.
I’ve heard this argument a lot and here’s the thing people seem to forget; people don’t wear weapons they can’t get to quickly enough. If a Scotsman couldn’t access a broadsword with enough skill, they would use a different weapon. If they couldn’t get their hand in the slot, they would use an arming sword. Also, the broadsword is really more of a dueling weapon. It was never okay to just go murder someone or fight someone to the death. It was always a bureaucratic nightmare, but you would almost always have to schedule a duel.
My biggest problem with a basket hilt is still a weight distribution. Yes, I admit, it might be a point of personal preference and familiarity, but it seems somewhat weird and clumsy to me.
There's baskets and there's baskets too. Swords like a walloons or a mortuary swords have much lighter baskets than a stirling style scottish broadsword. Highland broadswords represent the most massive basket hilts in history, they're one extreme of the spectrum and shouldn't necessarily be considered to be representative of all basket hilts.
Most baskethilts do not put emphasis on a trust, plus, I do not like feeling of whipiness you get from a heavy hilt and prefer to feel more mass in the blade for precision(it's hard to explain, but you probably understand what I mean).
I own one baskethilt, it's from a crimean war and it looks very similar, if not the same, as the one Matt is holding there, so, that is my frame of reference. I also handled several replicas but those were terrible.
For those who don't know these type of swords are for close quarters hammer strikes. Absolutely destroys bones and great for thrusting. Not for a fine cuts like sabers.
Seeing how you used a Scottish Baskethilt as your example, I have a counter-point: In that circumstance, a Scotsman of the era wouldn't go for the sword first. Instead, they would reach for their dirk first (Well, pistols more likely, but that's a different point altogether).
@@scholagladiatoria A real Scott could do just fine against a sword or a bayonet with a dirk. He would intercept like with a targe. With his blade held ice pick style and wedging with his forearm, he could protect himself as he moves into grappling range where he has the advantage. His forearm would get messed up though and probably die of infection later... but still.
@@scholagladiatoria people tend to forget that the Scot's would also carry a shield with them as well as other weapons like the Lochaber axe so really even if some Scot's get killed by a surprise attack the Scot's can easily win with other weapons at there disposal especially having a shield with them when fighting with a dirk or a basket hilt broadsword
I think a bowl hilt, like you might see on a 19th century cutlass, can be a good compromise between accessibility and hand protection. Having fenced with a bowl hilted sword, I can say it still does a great job covering the hand.
Matt I know you lauded Nick over at AHF for his series on "how far away can you safely fend off a charging attacker" which is a pretty fun exercise. Do you ever train with scabbards or practice quick draws at SG1?
Arguably the reason the prussian Uhlan regiments switched from the M1852 sabre (for all cavalry uses) to a lighter stirrup-hilt type: It was less cumbersome to wear on the body and it was their secondary weapon anyway...
"Gurney says there's no artistry in killing with the tip, that it should be done with the edge." -Gurney Halleck - Dune. I always felt that quote was backwards. Damnit Frank Herbert...
A highlander walking around wearing a broadsword, is thought to traditionally have three weapons on him. The basket-hilted broadsword, obviously, a bollock dagger or dirk, and a sgian-dubh. So while I agree that one might not be able to quickly deploy the first, the bollock, worn prominently front and centre and a length approaching that of a short sword, would most assuredly be at hand.
In Poland you CAN carry a sword with you pretty much everywhere! (apart from places where you can't have any blades, like in court). You can't have a sword cane, as it falls under "concealed blades", for which you need a licence, but sabres, arming swords, rapiers, longswords, cutlasses, even zweihanders - it's perfectly legal.
Laws can be strange. In my state, my Concealed Handgun Permit allows me to carry any handgun(s) concealed, even an AK-47 type pistol. However, a pair of concealed brass knuckles is verboten, as is any concealed blade longer than 3.5 inches. Concealed batons, tomahawks, etc are all prohibited - but it's all good if openly carried and you don't menace anyone with it. Courthouses, not even a penknife is allowed. We can't openly carry a firearm in a city park, but we can carry a concealed handgun in the same parks. Florida has a Concealed WEAPONS Permit, which allows concealed carry of any weapon concealed.
Ayyy, lmao. That's some serious crazy stuff. This just reminded me, that I can get and carry a real baseball bat, but "a bat made from wood or other hard and heavy material imitating a baseball bat" is illegal xD
I have read the Samurai were similar to the wild west gun fighter in that they both practiced the fast draw and the samurai duel was over in about two seconds. That Scottish basket hilt looks made for real fighting in my opinion. Not to wear as a comfortable-as-possible article of dress. Not for drawing quickly in a drunken brawl but for having in hand as you meet the enemy on a battlefield. An interesting feature of small swords I have seen and I don't know if Matt has discussed this is half the guard folding flat against the blade so it is much easier to carry.
Smallswords do not often have folding guards. Those are more often found on spadroons and court swords. The idea of the samurai quick draw really comes from the 19th-20th century and largely thanks to Kurosawa films. Actual accounts of Japanese duels from before the 19th century do not generally sound like that.
Hey Matt please make a video on 'If one has 10 hands , 5 on each side and has the dexterity to use them simultaneously without tangling them into knots, and each pair has varying size to allow for reach etc, was trained in specific weapons, does that make them as good as let's say 4 people?' I am wondering that because in certain Mythologies, specially ancient Indian and ones with such origin like Buddhism, gods, and specially Warrior Gods/desses are portrayed with several weapons. Since the people were very acquainted with warfare, and knew the shortcomings of having several hands, why did the warriors and weapon masters accept such a characteristic for their Gods. Certainly cant just be artistic license only.
I believe the quick draw weapon of choice for Scotsmen was the dirk, rather than the sword. Daggers definitely have an advantage over swords when it comes to ease of drawing them quickly, and the Scotsman would have both a dirk and a basket hilt on him at all times.
ok, but the basket hilt was an infantry officers sword. In battle would it not always be drawn and used as communication device as well as a weapon negating access issues?
yes, getting out a longsword isn't the fastest, but you can do it in a okay-ish time. It's way more annoying to get it back into the scabbard. But at then time shouldn't be an issue.
You know that swords can be worn horizontally. Then only thing that matter is how tightly You wear belt. Example upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/Samurai_wearing_a_nodachi_(field_sword).png
Yup, I'm quite a fan of basket hilts and love my replica of the Eglinton sword, but I sure as hell wouldn't want to try and draw it on horseback, at a full gallop.
I see the main problem with basket hilts is the fact that it secures the grip. A secure grip is a tight grip and a tight grip can more easily be leveraged even to a point where you can easily twist the arm.
I guess its a skill and knack of its own, like removing a pistol from its holster, like you said its prone to a fumble, so you would need to practice drawing the sword everyday to perfect it, somebody not used to the basket would see it as a detriment, but I guess some people of the era were experts at drawing the basket hilted sword and probably had no trouble with it after years of practice.
Hi Matt, on the off chance you see this, what are the dimensions of the blade on that sword? Specifically what are the width measurements at the shoulder and before the point taper, and what is the overall length of the blade from shoulder to tip? If you've got calipers handy I'd be interested in the distal taper as well. I'm a university student trying to gather a good set of samples for highland baskets for a project.
Oh BTW one other consideration, the basket makes for a good knuckleduster in the middle of a melee when bringing point or blade to bear is problematic.
Matt, There has been a dynamic that I cant quite wrap my head around involving the Scottish basket hilt. Mainly involving the targe. In instances like i33, the use of the kaskara and use of the dhal, small bucklers where used to protect the hands when there was little protection offered by the sword guard. The targe is fixed to the forearm and cant be used like a buckler anyway, which isn't to hard to understand, the hand protection was extensive. So the question raised is why would you use a small shield like a targe when you have the level of protection offered by a basket. I don't buy into the explanation that they stopped musket balls and they can be really small when compared to other shields that are fixed to the forearm so the protective range is severely limited. The only explanation I can think of is that more force may possibly be applied for offensive use, especially while using the spike or dirk. I'm sure you could even do a brief video on what you know. I have just found the pairing of the two weapons an odd combination.
To corroborate the japanese sword part, in "The Deity and the Sword", Otake Risuke states that many blades of the Sengoku-jidai were made shorter, especially those following the Bizen tradition as the rational was that if you were to draw your uchigatana in a battle it would mean two things: your main weapon (naginata, yari, yumi, etc...) was useless or too damaged to be used as a quarterstaff and then the enemy was already quite close. If you're wearing armor, the use of a long blade is somewhat lessened so that a shorter blade that is quicker to deploy, easier to manoeuvre in very close combat, easier to use with one-hand while the other help to grapple becomes very attractive.
![Eminem - Houdini [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/22tVWwmTie8/mqdefault.jpg)
No ladies, it's not small - it's just faster to deploy.
Lol
the slow blade penetrates the shield
"Surprise duel" - No, no, no, I didn't murder that man, we just had a surprise duel...
SmugPlatypus It's not murder if you yell "surprise!!".
Colm Kiely Is it murder, if you throw a weapon to the guy that f*ed your wife and then end him rightly in a duell?
Throw a knife at him so that he hasa weapon to defend himself! ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
I assure you, your honor, he was QUITE surprised...
Surprise duel 👍
hey Matt Easton, folks here
lol
I*always* say that. :D
Here Easton Matt, folks hey
Aadiyat Ahmad 👍
"A really super quick point"
*8 minute video.*
Never change, Matt, never change
the point is basket-hilted
"a really super quick point," eight minutes later... God, I love you, Matt.
watch a dracinfel video, "his title screen tag is 5 mins guide more or less", and he will post 2 hr long videos sometimes with that screen
Thing is Highlanders would usually bear several other side weapons, more handy than the broadsword in pub fights or surprise close quarter attacks, all kind of daggers, dirks and so on... often disguised or hidden just for that purpose. So the drawing speed of the broadsword isn't that much an issue if you put a highlander in his context. Just my 2c.
Most Scots would be carrying a dirk anyway-it took money to get a good broadsword. I hear that in the Jacobite wars, only the front ranks carried claymores while the bulk had dirks as sidearms.
@@Tareltonlives I have a dirk from the 18th C, it's got a 15'' blade... Very nasty..
And English basket hilts were 17th century cavalry weapons where the sword was the primary weapon.
@@HarryFlashmanVC The Scottish Dirk could easily be categorized as a short sword. Those things are gnarly.
@@emceeunderdogrising indeed, i own two and the more modern 19th C one is only 2" shorter than my Gladius
I wear a pike at all times.
If you have to pull something fast and tight, that's what the dirk is for. Almost always a companion to the broadsword.
Yep!
PREACH
To add a bit to your "daily carry" context...
In the "daily carry" firearms community, there is a lot of discussion of what sort is the best choice that parallels this video quite a bit, and makes clear that many of the issues that you bring up are timeless and applied to a wide variety of weapons.
The question pertaining to guns is this, "Which pistol is the best for daily carry?" which is a loaded (haha) question, as the answer is, "The one you will carry EVERY SINGLE day." The reason is that many people will buy a firearm that they think is a good defense weapon for whatever characteristics, and then find themselves leaving it behind many times because it is too heavy, bulky or whatever to carry conveniently. Likewise, there are many firearms which once deployed offer superior features, but are more difficult to bring on target rapidly due to holster design necessary to the firearm design. Thus, "primitive" and "inaccurate" firearms like a derringer continue to be useful for the same reason that they came into existence to begin with... Easy to carry, and easy to bring on target in an "oh shit" moment.
The fact that this conversation is still relevant today, with modern weapons, I think, lends a lot of weight to your discussion in this video. It isn't a presumptuous to say you can guess what a guy in 1400 Europe was thinking regarding which sword to carry, as there's a guy in Texas right now going through the exact same discussion at the gun store and for the exact same reasons.
My girlfriend bought me a scholagladiatoria t-shirt
i definitely recommend it
i can feel the context clinging to me
Panzer > FIFN
Feminism is for nobody context intensifies
grab her by the context. you can do anything
But what about Dragons?
Vincent Franke dragons!!!!!
Thus explaining why many Baskethilt wearers also carried a heavy dagger, dirk, or knife
Also so their other hand has something to do.
"A weapon no deployed is worse at both offense and defense than a deployed weapon" This is such a flipping key point in so much of combat at so many levels. Speed of deployment, be it knuckle bow sabers vs basket hilted long rapiers; infantry scouts vs cavalry scouts; standing armies vs levied armies; in so many ways and at so many scales, this point is so valuable
R. A. Salvatore's "The Legend of Drizzt" fantasy series has featured a marvelous basketed broadsword called Charon's Claw for decades. Bright red blade with a fuller, and a basket in the shape of an upside-down skeleton with the legs wrapped up beside the skull pommel, and the ribcage forming a nice cage for the knuckles. Magical shenanigans, of course, ensue.
So the Elder Scrolls have been lying to me this entire time? Because I carry a spear, two swords, a crossbow and a long now around with me all the time
and TWELVE WHEELS OF CHEESE
10 pounds of soul gem crystals, 30 liters of potions, 20 enchanted daggers in lieu of currency, 12 books to haul back to the collection, a pickaxe, a dozen pounds in raw ore, 5 pounds of flowers and mushrooms, 20 servings of vegetable stew, a few spare pieces of armor and jewelry for different occasions, a stolen warhammer that I forget I have on me because I can't sell it, and THOSE DAMN POTS AND BUCKETS I KEEP ACCIDENTALLY PICKING UP WITHOUT REALIZING!
Oddie Yang , Don't forget large gears, large hunks of raw meat that never spoil, and a bunch of boots and pieces of armor.
sweetroll XD
and about 40 servings of cabbage and carrot stew.
This idea was kinda shown on Game of thrones where we see the viper stab someones hand with a knife as they reach for their longsword (which wasnt drawn)
Cool topic. I'm currently practicing broadsword and one thing to add is the basket almost acts like a buckler too, providing protection from people trying to cut over or under your blade during a riposte. It's saved me a insane number of times.
I do feel that in the quickdraw scenario something like a dagger should be your go to. Leave the Broadsaword for when you have time to draw it, and probably have a targe too - and be in a battle or with a bunch of mates. The whole pub fight/sudden violence thing just always makes me think 'what works at chest to chest range' because if I was suddenly attacking someone with lethal intent you can bet it wont be from several feet away.
As for getting the hand into the basket to draw it quickly, this is something that has given me a love-hate relationship with the weapon since day one. I've got stupid big hands and I am at the point of getting a custom one made with a huge basket so i can actually close my fist inside without shredding my knuckles (no chance of padding it, would never fit) and also grab it quickly. I also heavily dislike the standard design of said baskets, where they have gaps blades can easily fit inside and have a slightly odd shape. If your going to have a basket and suffer the drawbacks, I say go all in - make it heavy, no gaps and very large. If I can get a custom one done I'll make a vid and share it with y'all.
You should see my concealable sawed down musket.
Sbm
I think the reason this doesn't matter as much or considered in the design is because from what I've read is the Basket hilt sword wasn't a self defense weapon but a battlefield weapon used in Highland Charges. The Dirk would have been the quick access into action weapon of Highlanders.
Also the basket-hilt is more cumbersome when wearing the sword.
Indeed.
This was my main issue - in thinking about how it would be worn, I would imagine you'd be catching your forearm on the hilt on a regular basis - the same issue I would imagine occurring with a cutlass. However, with a cutlass (as Matt mentioned in previous videos), they mainly were stored on a wall in the ship's hull, and taken out only when you were about to engage in a boarding action. But the Basket-hilted broadsword looks to be something you'd need to wear on a regular basis.
And while I do like the look and feel of the cutlass, I would imagine that it would get REALLY irritating to wear after, say, an hour or two.
That really depends on the sword and it’s made too. And the swordsman. I’m pretty big, about 6’2 and have worked a lot of jobs where you have to lift heavy stuff all the time. For me, wearing a broadsword has never been cumbersome. You can make plenty of hypothetical arguments, but it always depends on the individual.
Matthew Cooper the problem is moot the weight, but the protruding protection on your hips. After all a cutlass is far away from being the heaviest type of sword and a baskethilt looks a bit lighter then a long sword.
Your *Really quick super point* videos...they go on for quite some time....
I love them. Can we have more please?
Rob.
Nice explanation. The one point that is implied, but that I'd risk belaboring, is that 'slightly' dextrous actions (such as getting your hand onto the hilt properly and getting the sword out) are exactly the sort of thing that get fumbled more than you would think once you start hurrying the action, and I can't think of a situation any more 'hurried' than needing to get to a sidearm in a life-or-death situation. Room for error is a good design principle, particularly in war.
You can't use a spear in a pub... Oh wait that's the point.
I would love a video about how one would mount/draw a long rapier. This because I've personally realised it cannot be drawn the same way as an arming sword for instance. Even more so when there's a developed hilt.
You mentioned it and it's something I'd like to see.
"A really super-quick point!" - looks at video. Over 8 minutes long. "Good old Matt! Why aren't you lecturing at a university somewhere? You know you'd get coolest teacher award!"
Every video of his starts this way LOL you should be used to it by now.
I would think that on foot and with just a little practice, drawing a basket hilted sword in battle could be done with ease and confidence. Whereas trying to draw on horseback in the middle of a charge, regardless of experience level, would be problematic. So simple guards on a saber (pardon my American spelling) now make a lot more sense.
you didn't mention that later basket hilted broad swords came with a removable basket that could be swapped for a plain cross guard... I assume to help in some of the situations you mentioned
Hmm, they did, but that was more for ease of wear rather than as a combat/quick draw function.
scholagladiatoria hey Matt never tougth about making a video about the differents types of hilt(both the complex and the simple ones) they are often not really considered as they should in the analysis of a sword
Nice, these short commentary videos are my favorite on this channel
Now that I have one, I can appreciate what you're saying about them.
I'm sure this point is amplified further in a life or death situation, where adrenaline and stress do their bit.
I learned to draw mine quickly by using just one change to how I draw the blade. Instead of immediately going straight for the hilt and drawing the blade, I'd let the very bottom of my palm (right where it connects to the wrist) touch the pommel of the blade first.
When your hand touches the pommel of the blade, you want your wrist to be flexed. (Meaning that your palm should be parallel to the ground) then when you feel the pommel, relax your hand so it drops straight along the hilt and grab.
I'm probably like .3-.4 seconds slower at drawing basket hilted blades, but it's very consistent and reliable. After I started using this method and practiced for 2-3 days, I have not had that awkward fumbly moment where you can't find the hilt lmao
Good points from the guru. I thought he would say that it was awkward to wear. That is another reason why not to carry certain swords. Basket hilt seems like pain to wear.
I love that a quick point to you is a 7-8 minute video.
I would say that if you have a sword like a scottish baskethilted broadsword. That are kinda the most extreme exmple of baskethilts. The more important it is to have a third weapon. like a dagger or such that can be drawn really qick if needed.
And this you can kinda see in history as it was not uncommon to carry a dagger combined with some of the longer swords Like rapier often was combined with a dagger. Wearing a dirk or other dagger with the scottish baskethilt and so on.
This i think is not only to be able to use in combination when fighting. but also because they knew the long blade of a rapier and the confined hilt on a broadsword would make drawing it fast a bit harder. So wearing a dagger that you can get out really freaking quick was a good thing. You could maybe end the fight just with the dagger and if not having the dagger out fast can give you time to draw the sword so to say
I hope Matt takes this up in a future video. I might be wrong but i still like to see what his thoguhts are about this
Huh. I wonder if speed of deployment was why Colonial Rangers fighting the 7 Years War in N. America were armed exclusively with hatchets and cutlasses (military hangers?) as their sidearms to their muskets and rifles, in addition to needing a handy weapon for fighting in forests. Their doctrine talks about making a very close range volley and follow immediately with an attack with hatchets and cutlasses. What are you thoughts about that?
Yes I think that is a factor, together with smaller hand weapons being more convenient to carry for skirmishers and scouts.
They were outdoorsmen and lived off the land, hachets would be carried by them naturally.
It says something that the Highlanders fighting the allied warriors at Bushy Run drove them off with bayonets, not with their broadswords.
Speed of deployment was definitely part of it. Forests restrict line of sight and movement. Because of these two restrictions, ambushes work really well in forests, but not so well in grasslands. If you're about to be ambushed, there could be an enemy within mere feet of you before you notice them and they would be able to give chase more reliably than you could run through a forest to escape. If an ambushing enemy picked their spot well, you would likely have few avenues of real escape and they would position themselves appropriately. In such a situation, it's better to fight than present your back and you'll need to do it quickly.
It should also be noted that Native Americans had spent a lot of time refining ambush tactics in their respective environments and, if they were involved, they would put an arrow in your back before you got ten strides away from them. Fighting hard on a moment's notice was really the only option.
there is a painting at Busy Run the soldiers did use the broadsword and their pistols as well
Love this video, as an owner of a basket hilt myself i fully agree, but i found, their is a way to deal with this situation, have the sword sheath stuffed into your belt/sash, instead of hanging at your side, so you can quickly remove and replace the sword much like the samurai did, this would mean, in the unlikely event that you had time to be aware of and react to a surprise attack, which lets be honest, sadly, that the idea of the quickdraw, attack, kill the enemy, re-holster/sheath, your gun/sword, is more a thing of movies, if you did, you could then, pull the sheath from the belt, using the METAL sheath to block oncoming attack, and draw sword as you step back, off their center line, same with when drawing on a gunman who is aiming you down, move off their center, retreat and draw while finding cover, that's how i would deal with this.
We should also consider it's not too far fetched to wear a sword in this manner because it's also quite common in those era's for them to quite literally just stuff them into the belt, and in fact in old photo's of mexican gunslingers you see them appendix carrying right at the naval like a gangster, so i would assume, not all scotsman, or other men using this sword, would likely always have it affixed to a belt, possibly just stuffed into the belt or sash etc, but this is just my way of thinking of it, another advantage is the metal sheath could be used in a choked up grip simillarly to a dueling dagger, allowing one to wield it to defend or even attack the enemy, as taking one of those to the head would surely do some damage. good video matt
I believe this is exactly why Victorian era police chose Hanger type cutlasses, rather than those of the naval variety with their larger baskets. A constable on patrol (today too) back then probably had instances where not much warning of the sudden need for a weapon in hand, while conversely a ship's boarding party armed with cutlasses was fully aware armed conflict was imminent. First stab wins the fight..
Fumbling a sword in its scabbard and sending it flying forward reminds me of people shooting their ramming rods out of their muskets when under pressure.
Matt Easton saying "That's actually quite a big point" whilst holding a rapier made me burst out of laughter.
A rapier?
Yeah, Matt. Y'know, a good old-fashioned highland rapier with a Sinclair hilt. Just like the one William Wallace used in the second crusade against the vikings.
OhioGentleman for one, fantastic comment. Two, I also reside in the mediocre state that is Ohio.
While watching this video I was reminded of another related video you made about why complex hilts didn't become common until after the middle ages (i.e. from the 16C onwards).
In that video you argued shield usage and gauntlets probably weren't the main reason why complex hilts weren't developed but instead it was because, as sword usage became more common, especially in civilian life, this spurred design innovations, such as the complex hilt.
After watching this video and bearing in mind that prior to and during the medieval period, swords were predominantly a backup (rather than primary) weapon, I wonder if another reason complex hilts didn't appear for so long was because they made it more difficult to access the sword in an emergency.
As backup weapons, especially on a battlefield, swords needed to be drawn quickly and easily by someone wearing armour. *Could it be that a complex hilt would actually make this significantly more difficult?*
In contrast, as swords became more commonly used as the primary sidearm, especially in civilian usage, the focus of hilt design switched from "easy to draw in battle" to "better hand protection when unarmed".
I bet it's because medieval swordsmen wore gauntlets, or heavy gloves, to protect their hands whilst wielding melee weapons. Whereas, basket hilts come around the time of muskets in general use, so I wonder if that's when European soldiers ditched gauntlets so that they could load and fire muskets more easily.
@@chasechiamulera7704 Basket hilts appeared several centuries after the middle ages, but complex hilts evolved before them, during the 15th and 16th century.
There was an evolution of the sword guard from just a cross-guard, to which was added one or two finger rings, followed by a knuckle bow, and then extra curving bars to protect the hand, resulting in a complex hilt which eventually led to the basket hilt.
The 1796 LC saber is still one of my favorite. It also helps since I'm a left handed pleb, so symmetry is useful.
Mr. Easton, the historical context of the Scottish basket hilt you demonstrated with is important to its form. The clan skirmishes and cattle rustling, in the time you mentioned in the video, keep the basket hilt employed as a war sword. I would further say, and be supported by Rob Roy, that the broad sword is a terrible dueling sword; and was engineered primarily for fighting with a shield in clan against clan fights.
How ever mr Ian Wallace, there were numerous Scottish duelists who employed only a broadsword and no shield. Some of them were John MacCombie, Alasdair Mac Colla, Rory MacNiell and Donald MacBane to name a few. There were also a plethora of fencing manuals written on the use of basket hilts singly, such as the Expert Swords-man's Companion - Donald McBane (1728), The Guards of the Highland Broadsword - Henry Angelo, art by Thomas Rowlandson (Jan 20, 1799) to mention only two. Here’s a link to a Wikipedia page on the subject as well en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_fencing_in_Scotland.
I might add that specific basket-hilt was particular to Scotland. Depending on situation, a Scotsman wouldn't necessarily go for the sword first as they usually would have 2-3 other blades at their disposal. Those being the Sgian Dubh, Sgian Achlais , and Dirk. The latter being preferable in tight quarters.
The dirk is also a good quick blade to draw and do some damage or encourage an opponent to back off slightly which creats time and distance to draw the basket-hilt.
In the end it all comes down to ability and situation.
a very simple idea in so many words
Great analysis.
Sounds like concealed carry conversations about deep concealment vs deployment speed
This would have been a great opportunity to include Mrs Easton, considering her love of basket-hilt swords (from what I can recall from the holiday episode).
Interesting points, thanks for sharing!
Cheers :)
It seems to me the basket hilt was more of a war weapon while the dirk was your everyday carry weapon. And of course, don't forget the skein dubh in your sock!
"But if you get in argument with someone in a pub and you have a sword and your opponent has a spear." Happened to me: *Too. Many. Times!!!* 🤔
depending on the Era and context of basket hilt was usually worn in conjuction with a dirk or dagger that's what you would be used for quick draw or in later era's a pistol
Another advantage of the katana or other curved blade is that you can cut on the draw. The act of drawing begins rotating the sword into the extended position.
The straight sword keeps the point aimed behind you until you completely clear the scabbard, and only then can you begin to bring the point to bear.
Robert Louis Stevenson did some research I suppose for "Kidnapped"- the swordsman Alan Stewart says at one point that because of the confines of a fight ,
"I must stick to the point," he said, shaking his head; "and that's a pity, too. It doesn't set my genius, which is all for the upper guard. "
The style of hilt is certainly less than ideal for thrusting, but very good for a cutter.
I'm not arguing it's not an issue, but presumably someone that's wearing a basket hilt every single day would be reasonably practiced at it. Were you to wear it for a couple weeks and practice drawing it every day, I would imagine much of the difficulty would be mitigated.
Sure you could train to mitigate it, but it's still an issue. If you're spending time having to train that, then it's time you could have spent training something else. :-)
And the same goes for all other swords, where you must train to accommodate their weaknesses. Every type of sword with have its own nuanced needs.
I disagree with most of what you've said. Regardless of whether or not different skill ceilings or skill floors, each will still have their own challenges. The scimitar, for example, will have to deal with the wonky feel of a very curved blade among other challenges, such as drawing a curved blade.
As for the fight between a basket hilt and a scimitar, both in the hands of novices, the reach and hand protection of the basket would provide a huge advantage. Either way, I think it's ridiculous for us to speculate on "who would win in a fight" with two different swords. We can takes guesses and provide reasons, but "chances are..." oversteps our speculative bounds.
Yeah exactly. I've been training with one about twice a week for a year now and it's still a pain to grab the damn thing. I don't think more practice here is going to help enough to justify the time it will take. Better off drawing a dagger etc as extra practice or - just sparring. I really feel that full on sparring is under-valued as a training tool too. Technique drills are of course crucial but every session needs sparring at the end for those who want to.
@Mike Sloan Maybe you're just bad at it.
Interesting point I never thought about that. Thank you for bringing it up. Can you make a video about evolution of swords? and maybe difference between dueling and battlefield one. I wonder why suddenly swords change from a bit robust to a very thin ones basically only good for thrust.
Even though I haven't handled a basket-hilt, I kinda think that point at 3:31 is a bit over played. But, the point at the very end of the video sounds much more legit.
Good video, Matt. Cheers to you as well.
Suddenly those 3-bar-hilted swords on the wall are lookin' really nice.
Matt, could you possibly compare a Shiavona (also a basket hilted sword, as you probably know) to a Scottish basket hilted sword in this point?
Because rhe Shiavona for example, has a relatively much more 'slim' basket, yet, it is slightly more open towards the side one will need to get his hand into... So, would you say the Scottish basket hilt is in this sense, less handy? Or wouldn't it make much of a noticable difference?
As far as you can make an estimate, of course...
A valid point for the cases you mentioned. However with the context of internecine clan-on-clan raids the value of these in the historical context becomes clear. If your goal is to turn up in the middle of the night, smash and grab some cattle and get out with minimal casualties these start to be an attractive option. Polearms will be too much of a burdon, and if you intend to catch your enemies by surprise they don't add a lot of value. However you would want a sturdy arm in case things do turn against you, and these offer reach and protection which would help you get home and back to the highlands. Outside of that... yep, probably it was just familiar and available at the time and eventually became symbolic for some especially highland soldiery. In the highlands you probably wouldn't worry much for those you share a valley with, it's the buggers in the next one over you have to worry about.
I love when I learn something about real weapons that I can easily adapt to tabletop gaming. Penalty to Quick Draw rolls but better hand protection. Nice.
Intresting sir
Perhaps the stirrup hilt saber could be drawn more quickly than a the 3-bar, but a cavalryman didn't normally have another cavalryman on top of him all of a sudden. He'd spot the charging enemy from a distance away and have time to draw properly.
I’ve heard this argument a lot and here’s the thing people seem to forget; people don’t wear weapons they can’t get to quickly enough. If a Scotsman couldn’t access a broadsword with enough skill, they would use a different weapon. If they couldn’t get their hand in the slot, they would use an arming sword.
Also, the broadsword is really more of a dueling weapon. It was never okay to just go murder someone or fight someone to the death. It was always a bureaucratic nightmare, but you would almost always have to schedule a duel.
My biggest problem with a basket hilt is still a weight distribution. Yes, I admit, it might be a point of personal preference and familiarity, but it seems somewhat weird and clumsy to me.
you do know that just makes it even better :/ with more weight at the handle allow more precise stabs which is what you want for self-defence.
There's baskets and there's baskets too. Swords like a walloons or a mortuary swords have much lighter baskets than a stirling style scottish broadsword. Highland broadswords represent the most massive basket hilts in history, they're one extreme of the spectrum and shouldn't necessarily be considered to be representative of all basket hilts.
Most baskethilts do not put emphasis on a trust, plus, I do not like feeling of whipiness you get from a heavy hilt and prefer to feel more mass in the blade for precision(it's hard to explain, but you probably understand what I mean).
I own one baskethilt, it's from a crimean war and it looks very similar, if not the same, as the one Matt is holding there, so, that is my frame of reference. I also handled several replicas but those were terrible.
By the way hilt looks similar, blade seems to be broader.
The draw matters. Good break down.
I've always wondered, what are those two loops that stick out in the front?
For those who don't know these type of swords are for close quarters hammer strikes. Absolutely destroys bones and great for thrusting. Not for a fine cuts like sabers.
Seeing how you used a Scottish Baskethilt as your example, I have a counter-point: In that circumstance, a Scotsman of the era wouldn't go for the sword first. Instead, they would reach for their dirk first (Well, pistols more likely, but that's a different point altogether).
Going for a dirk against a surprise attack from a sword or bayonet would not usually end well for the dirk man...
@@scholagladiatoria A real Scott could do just fine against a sword or a bayonet with a dirk. He would intercept like with a targe. With his blade held ice pick style and wedging with his forearm, he could protect himself as he moves into grappling range where he has the advantage. His forearm would get messed up though and probably die of infection later... but still.
@@scholagladiatoria people tend to forget that the Scot's would also carry a shield with them as well as other weapons like the Lochaber axe so really even if some Scot's get killed by a surprise attack the Scot's can easily win with other weapons at there disposal especially having a shield with them when fighting with a dirk or a basket hilt broadsword
I think a bowl hilt, like you might see on a 19th century cutlass, can be a good compromise between accessibility and hand protection. Having fenced with a bowl hilted sword, I can say it still does a great job covering the hand.
All hail the cutlass!
Good morning Matt
Matt I know you lauded Nick over at AHF for his series on "how far away can you safely fend off a charging attacker" which is a pretty fun exercise. Do you ever train with scabbards or practice quick draws at SG1?
No we don't really, though we do occasionally talk about it and I have run a couple of classes on basic techniques.
My thinking is to defend/evade the charge unarmed to give your self more time, then think about drawing your weapon.
Arguably the reason the prussian Uhlan regiments switched from the M1852 sabre (for all cavalry uses) to a lighter stirrup-hilt type: It was less cumbersome to wear on the body and it was their secondary weapon anyway...
Hi, Matt! The metal loop protruding from the guard served any purpose? Maybe hanging some decoration from it?
You should make a video in which you briefly describe the swords in your collection.
"Gurney says there's no artistry in killing with the tip, that it should be done with the edge."
-Gurney Halleck - Dune.
I always felt that quote was backwards. Damnit Frank Herbert...
A highlander walking around wearing a broadsword, is thought to traditionally have three weapons on him. The basket-hilted broadsword, obviously, a bollock dagger or dirk, and a sgian-dubh. So while I agree that one might not be able to quickly deploy the first, the bollock, worn prominently front and centre and a length approaching that of a short sword, would most assuredly be at hand.
If a sword doesn't has a pommel that you can unscrew and throw at your enemy it's useless.
If you don't finish them rightly, you must therefore be finishing them wrongly.
In Poland you CAN carry a sword with you pretty much everywhere!
(apart from places where you can't have any blades, like in court). You can't have a sword cane, as it falls under "concealed blades", for which you need a licence, but sabres, arming swords, rapiers, longswords, cutlasses, even zweihanders - it's perfectly legal.
Laws can be strange. In my state, my Concealed Handgun Permit allows me to carry any handgun(s) concealed, even an AK-47 type pistol. However, a pair of concealed brass knuckles is verboten, as is any concealed blade longer than 3.5 inches. Concealed batons, tomahawks, etc are all prohibited - but it's all good if openly carried and you don't menace anyone with it. Courthouses, not even a penknife is allowed. We can't openly carry a firearm in a city park, but we can carry a concealed handgun in the same parks.
Florida has a Concealed WEAPONS Permit, which allows concealed carry of any weapon concealed.
Ayyy, lmao. That's some serious crazy stuff.
This just reminded me, that I can get and carry a real baseball bat, but "a bat made from wood or other hard and heavy material imitating a baseball bat" is illegal xD
Poland is really growing on me ,it started with pierogi and now this
Oh yeah, definitely, you sometimes need to get your hand down there, and get the thing out, as fast as possible. God I love Matt Easton videos.
Can you make a video about sword collecting and legal issues/permits etc that one might need, and how best to display them.
I have read the Samurai were similar to the wild west gun fighter in that they both practiced the fast draw and the samurai duel was over in about two seconds.
That Scottish basket hilt looks made for real fighting in my opinion. Not to wear as a comfortable-as-possible article of dress. Not for drawing quickly in a drunken brawl but for having in hand as you meet the enemy on a battlefield.
An interesting feature of small swords I have seen and I don't know if Matt has discussed this is half the guard folding flat against the blade so it is much easier to carry.
Smallswords do not often have folding guards. Those are more often found on spadroons and court swords. The idea of the samurai quick draw really comes from the 19th-20th century and largely thanks to Kurosawa films. Actual accounts of Japanese duels from before the 19th century do not generally sound like that.
Hey Matt please make a video on 'If one has 10 hands , 5 on each side and has the dexterity to use them simultaneously without tangling them into knots, and each pair has varying size to allow for reach etc, was trained in specific weapons, does that make them as good as let's say 4 people?'
I am wondering that because in certain Mythologies, specially ancient Indian and ones with such origin like Buddhism, gods, and specially Warrior Gods/desses are portrayed with several weapons. Since the people were very acquainted with warfare, and knew the shortcomings of having several hands, why did the warriors and weapon masters accept such a characteristic for their Gods. Certainly cant just be artistic license only.
The ha'basket hilt reminds me of a naval cutlass bell guard.
I believe the quick draw weapon of choice for Scotsmen was the dirk, rather than the sword. Daggers definitely have an advantage over swords when it comes to ease of drawing them quickly, and the Scotsman would have both a dirk and a basket hilt on him at all times.
ok, but the basket hilt was an infantry officers sword. In battle would it not always be drawn and used as communication device as well as a weapon negating access issues?
as a sane person you cant wear a longsword or a 1.2 m rapier but that never stopped anybody from trying
And rapiers got up to 1.5m (ish) like this example
collections.royalarmouries.org/object/rac-object-23397.html
yes, getting out a longsword isn't the fastest, but you can do it in a okay-ish time. It's way more annoying to get it back into the scabbard. But at then time shouldn't be an issue.
Sure you can wear a longsword, just not a big two-hander.
You know that swords can be worn horizontally. Then only thing that matter is how tightly You wear belt.
Example
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/Samurai_wearing_a_nodachi_(field_sword).png
Does sane=short in this context? I'm 6'5" (1.96 m), and I don't have any difficulty drawing most rapiers/longswords in the standard fashion.
Yup, I'm quite a fan of basket hilts and love my replica of the Eglinton sword, but I sure as hell wouldn't want to try and draw it on horseback, at a full gallop.
I see the main problem with basket hilts is the fact that it secures the grip. A secure grip is a tight grip and a tight grip can more easily be leveraged even to a point where you can easily twist the arm.
i really really wanna see the video about techniques used with the sword in the scabbard please!
I love it when he says "context" lol
does this explain the short length of the katana, and the importance of draw-and-attack techniques there?
also the cross guard lightsaber ;)
I guess its a skill and knack of its own, like removing a pistol from its holster, like you said its prone to a fumble, so you would need to practice drawing the sword everyday to perfect it, somebody not used to the basket would see it as a detriment, but I guess some people of the era were experts at drawing the basket hilted sword and probably had no trouble with it after years of practice.
Can you do a video coverage of different types of swords hilt history?
A nice katana reference, it is from what I've seen the fastest draw sword.
Hi, Matt... What's your opinion on the Puerto Seguro sword, that is quite an icon in Spanish history? Thanks.
Hi Matt, on the off chance you see this, what are the dimensions of the blade on that sword? Specifically what are the width measurements at the shoulder and before the point taper, and what is the overall length of the blade from shoulder to tip? If you've got calipers handy I'd be interested in the distal taper as well. I'm a university student trying to gather a good set of samples for highland baskets for a project.
Oh BTW one other consideration, the basket makes for a good knuckleduster in the middle of a melee when bringing point or blade to bear is problematic.
Matt,
There has been a dynamic that I cant quite wrap my head around involving the Scottish basket hilt. Mainly involving the targe. In instances like i33, the use of the kaskara and use of the dhal, small bucklers where used to protect the hands when there was little protection offered by the sword guard. The targe is fixed to the forearm and cant be used like a buckler anyway, which isn't to hard to understand, the hand protection was extensive. So the question raised is why would you use a small shield like a targe when you have the level of protection offered by a basket. I don't buy into the explanation that they stopped musket balls and they can be really small when compared to other shields that are fixed to the forearm so the protective range is severely limited. The only explanation I can think of is that more force may possibly be applied for offensive use, especially while using the spike or dirk. I'm sure you could even do a brief video on what you know. I have just found the pairing of the two weapons an odd combination.
You're correct, it's a good topic for a video. I'll have a think about it.
I have 2 options to buy either the french curassiers sword or the one you are showing! Which one is more valuable ?
To corroborate the japanese sword part, in "The Deity and the Sword", Otake Risuke states that many blades of the Sengoku-jidai were made shorter, especially those following the Bizen tradition as the rational was that if you were to draw your uchigatana in a battle it would mean two things: your main weapon (naginata, yari, yumi, etc...) was useless or too damaged to be used as a quarterstaff and then the enemy was already quite close. If you're wearing armor, the use of a long blade is somewhat lessened so that a shorter blade that is quicker to deploy, easier to manoeuvre in very close combat, easier to use with one-hand while the other help to grapple becomes very attractive.
Very interesting!
I really like my Basket hilt Sword, made by MOLE late 1800s far as i can tell. Its needs the parmol and inside basket.