How do you fight with an axe?

[Marsha Larts4]

Oh, I've got all sorts of axes, from side axes (for green woodcraft) through splitting mauls to plain old hatchets. I'm sure I can find something that's suitable

Find one that with a haft that comfortably fits in your hand at the section just below the head. Now hold the axe upside down with the bit facing outward, away from you. The head serves as a pommel of sorts and guards the hand somewhat, and the haft is now the primary, 'business end of the axe'.

If you have a side axe that has good clearance for your fingers under the beard and plenty of haft, that would be ideal. Or you could re-haft one to your liking.

At any rate, the speed of the swing would be increased by some order of magnitude and the axe's versatility is almost doubled.

 

[Marsha Larts4]

Another weapon combo that I like the idea of is tomahawk matched with a long knife, something around an 8-12 inch blade. Perhaps a kukri would be a good match, it still has chopping capability but with better stabbing options than the hawk, depending on the specific kukri design. Some have a more slender profile than others.

That's a good combination for a number of different reasons. Using them together takes a bit of practice once the task of each hand is sorted out. Axe on the right and knife on the left for right-handers might be best practiced with only the knife for a bit to get some refined motor skills into the left hand. There's always the danger of something accidental happening even while practicing slowly.

Currently working on this one as a companion piece for one of the axes.

7 inch blade - 12 inches o/a

5160 - 58rc hardness

Going to try working the sheath down thin enough to put a leather skin on it without it looking too bulky.

I've made a few in this style, in keeping with the 'primitive' motif. It doesn't look it, but the handle is quite comfortable in the hand and chops without hotspots if it's held in a similar manner as a chef's knife. The extreme taper gives very positive retention in any type of grip.

 

[Rich Parsons110 1]

...

Another weapon combo that I like the idea of is tomahawk matched with a long knife, something around an 8-12 inch blade. Perhaps a kukri would be a good match, it still has chopping capability but with better stabbing options than the hawk, depending on the specific kukri design. Some have a more slender profile than others.

Hi FC,

Would the slicing weapon be in the dominant hand or would the chopping weapon be in the dominant hand?

And for those asking me:
I would say chopping weapon in the non dominant hand and the stabbing, slicing weapon in the dominant hand.
Personal preferences myself.

Thanks

 

[Flying Crane]

Hi FC,

Would the slicing weapon be in the dominant hand or would the chopping weapon be in the dominant hand?

And for those asking me:
I would say chopping weapon in the non dominant hand and the stabbing, slicing weapon in the dominant hand.
Personal preferences myself.

Thanks

I’ve thought a bit about that and I haven’t come to a definitive answer. I think there is an element of personal preference that could sway it either way, and the specific knife design could be a factor as well. A wide-bladed khukri that emphasizes chopping and cutting more than stabbing might minimize any differentiating between the knife and hawk. A more slender design such as a dagger or a slender Bowie, that would emphasize stabbing, could make someone want to switch it up.

I haven’t actually explored this in real time, it’s just something I’ve thought about. But I do have training with the double butterfly dao which I have also translated into double hawks, so I have some practical double-weapon work, and I habitually practice dao and jian both left- and right-handed, to build that basic competence in both hands. I feel like I have some baseline abilities that would enable me to successfully experiment with the hawk/knife combo if I ever get up the steam to give it some real effort. Life is busy, I’m afraid. I don’t have the time or energy to train like I did in my teens to 40s.

 

[Flying Crane]

That's a good combination for a number of different reasons. Using them together takes a bit of practice once the task of each hand is sorted out. Axe on the right and knife on the left for right-handers might be best practiced with only the knife for a bit to get some refined motor skills into the left hand. There's always the danger of something accidental happening even while practicing slowly.

Currently working on this one as a companion piece for one of the axes.

7 inch blade - 12 inches o/a

5160 - 58rc hardness

Going to try working the sheath down thin enough to put a leather skin on it without it looking too bulky.

I've made a few in this style, in keeping with the 'primitive' motif. It doesn't look it, but the handle is quite comfortable in the hand and chops without hotspots if it's held in a similar manner as a chef's knife. The extreme taper gives very positive retention in any type of grip.

I do like seeing other people’s work. I’ve rebuilt a number of swords (everything but the blade) and built a bunch of scabbards from scratch. I appreciate the craftsmanship.

 

[Same Trick109 10]

You axewarriors, don’t forget a good helmet is part of the arsenal.

vikings kirk douglas - 必应

通过必应的智能搜索，可以更轻松地快速查找所需内容并获得奖励。

cn.bing.com

 

[Marsha Larts4]

I think there is an element of personal preference that could sway it either way, and the specific knife design could be a factor as well.

Life is busy, I’m afraid. I don’t have the time or energy to train like I did in my teens to 40s.

Those are both very good points when considering the time-to-proficiency investment in one's training.

Hand someone a hammer and nail ask them to drive the nail into a block of wood. Now ask them to switch hands and drive another nail. One hand will feel extremely awkward and the proficiency of each hand will be markedly different.

Hand them a stick and without telling them which hand to use, ask them to prevent you from hitting them with your own stick as you 'attack' with a slow easy swing or thrust. Have them switch hands and do the same.

One's initial handedness in each exercise is the baseline of their intuitive orientation of single-handed method - the dormancy of one hand in balance with the activity of the other. Using a knife and fork is one of only a few double-handed tasks requiring fine motor skill that most people are familiar with, and even that is awkward for some.

Sword and dagger in a Florentine style and double knives or sticks, for example, has both hands doing many of the same movements shared between them. Hawk and knife has each hand doing very different things, often at the same time. IME, those two items are most quickly learned when first used as tools in terms of accuracy, angles and finesse. Throwing a hawk or knife with accuracy and speed as a ranging tactic is also a consideration in determining sidedness and committing to the tasking of each hand since switching isn't really something that can be done 'on the fly' unless one hand has been freed up first.

There's a lot to unwrap in the pairing of hawk and knife, but that's more than half the fun.

 

[HoffmanBot3k]

This is just a learned combo, but I utilize the hand-ax (not sure if you meant a longer ax) from the framing of Arnis/Kali. Using triangle footwork I learned, I count on the hand-ax as a cleaving weapon, looking to cleave into the objects body. I follow up with my machete, knife, or etc., to inflict a second round of damage. However, remember, this is just what I learned to do, and I must say, I have never had to cleave anyone; however, I still train it just in case.

 

[RDG1 1]

Resurrection: Ertuğrul
This Turkish TV series was amazing and they worked to show authentic weapon fighting.
Turgut Alp - Died fighting on horseback using his axe.

Historically, Turgut Alp lived an incredibly long life and is said to have died in 1334 or 1335 at the age of roughly 125. [1, 2]

• How he died: He did not pass away peacefully in bed. Even at his advanced age, he remained an active military commander. He was killed in battle (martyred) while fighting alongside Orhan Gazi (Osman's son and the second Ottoman ruler) during the siege and conquest of the Atranos Castle (modern-day Orhaneli)