Darth Maul Staff style

Gripping the blade was indeed common practice. It allowed you to strike with the pommel and hand guards, utilising them as a blunt weapon. This was better used for armoured enemies as blunted weapons were more effective than attempting to cut through their steel armour.

You would also use the lower end of the cutting edge to strike down on an enemy’s shoulder, using the added momentum from the weight being at the opposite end of the sword you were holding from the blade, to cleave through their flesh. This was called a reverse grip I believe?

 

The thing is I have suffered the same embarrassment. I did sort of stick fighting (I did hocks system)there for a while and thought I would go at it against a mate who knew nothing with some nerf bats.

And go at it we did.

And at speed almost nothing worked. It was literally an even fight. And we both got beat up.

 

That's pretty much everyone's experience when they spar for the first time ;-)

 

Its all a friction game, so being gloved or not plays a big part in it, if you arent it goes down to grip strength to create enough fricition so the blade cant be pulled out. But then if we are disucssing longsword, thats longsword, half swording and gripping the blade is common for longsword. I am not entiely sure how it relates to Katana or asian blades. Plus there is also the myth for longswords (european blades in general, largely longsword) out there that they are purposely kept blunt for some reason. I am of the view they kept their weapons as sharp as could be reasonable done and maitainted in the field, so if they dont get time to maintain their weapon in a week and they have fought the entire week it would be blunter than on the onset. to re enthisise i do mean PURPOSELY blunt, not like during this peroid this sword was more blunt on average than this sword. Purposely kept blunt as in they didnt sharpen it when able. Obviously a longsord has more mass so doesnt need to be as sharp as other things to cut.

Its still pretty dodgy and there is a knack to it as has been established, if you are working off the back of you using the blade like that then you allready have some degree of experience in holding the blade and under force.

I recall anecdote somone shared with me about a IJA soldier that ended up doing the (i forget the name and whats its based off) half sword katana thrust and found out after the hand that they had put on the blade was cut the bone.

Never the less to all that, you need a actual blade to practise on not a wooden one for sure.

 

Yes, gripping your own sword by the blade and using it to bludgeon with the hilt was also a common techniques. I was interring the discussion to be about gilling the enemies blade as he attacks.

 

I will bite. How does this not cut the cxxp out of your hands?

 

Metal glove?

 

A great deal of knack you have aquired. I think it does in practiality cut the persons hands quite often, wait actually if i recall in some cases longswords may be kept blunter where you half sword them etc to facilitate you doing that safer.


On that note i dont think people have really looked into how often does the person cut their own hands, this sort of thing is generally seen a nessesity so if you get hurt doing it its that or dying. I wonder if there is a statstic somone has made on the matter. Modern longsword doers might be spoilt in the fact they use mainly blunt swords while half swording.

 

The grip on a Blade, not Tanto, is half the marksmanship.123