Reverse grip pros: Looks cool. Reverse grip cons: literally everything else.

Dude behind him looks like that character in an anime that doesn't do anything the whole series until the end and it's really badass

Normal grip: wow that warrior looks really stupid Reverse group: wow that dead body looks awesome

Silent dude in the back _italian accent_ “You can’t do this, no? There’s just no reason.” *silent dude nods, arms crossed*

My dad used reverse grip all the time and he perfectly nailed it May god rest his soul

Reverse grip is only useful to spin around until you're dizzy while screaming "Blade Fury!" to block incoming magic attacks or when you teleport behind your opponent.

Basically. Dagger: Reverse grip acceptable Short Sword: Reverse grip no

This man is on a crusade to eradicate reverse sword grip forever.

It was nice of Johnny Silverhand to take time out of his day to help this guy with sword stuff.

Dude behind is the type of guy to teleport behind you and say " heh, nothing personal kid"

Everybody : Ok. Cool Levi : Oi oi oi!

Me who use reverse grip on both hands in a gun fight. *MY GOALS ARE BEYOND YOUR UNDERSTANDING*

Finally i can defend myself from people attacking me with a claymore sword

What about if you’re a 5’2 middle aged man with dark hair, extremely traumatic childhood, tons of fan girls and use that grip to spin like a fidget spinner to kill titans?

"Wake the f*ck up samurai", was one of my thoughts on the dude behind him

Dude is helllllla pissed. Can’t blame him he’s got a good point

you forget that reverse grip gives +30 respect which will give you a 24% chance for each opponent to not attack you due to feeling inferior

This is why u usually only see reverse grip used with small knives at close range. It is mostly used in grappling range for stabbing purposes. Which is exactly where u see them in the historical treatises.

Reverse grip is what you use with a knife when you want to ventilate someone’s neck or check the temperature of their heart from behind. Or, if armored, it is what you use to pierce your opponents eyes once you’ve grappled them to the ground. Be smart folks, don’t bring a knife to a sword fight. They are a highly conditional weapon at the best of times.

Tell that to Ahsoka..

After you beat all the mall ninjas these guys are the final bosses

I'll remember this for next time I need to defend against a longsword attack

Reverse grips only work if you're trying to get yourself killed or in grappling range

Yeah after trying to do that in blade and sorcery I 1000% understand what you are saying 🤣. There is literally no benefit in using a sword reverse grip over normal

I think the whole reverse grip thing was designed to present how skilled a character was because they are essentially fighting with a handicap. What about icepick grip with shorter blades?

Meanwhile in another universe Levi: I don’t know why but I felt as if I been insulted by the way i do things.

Reverse grip is for daggers, when you get to the ground.

Yes, exactly! Saw in a fictional movie or tv show recently where someone was teaching knife fighting and said that “pros hold it in reverse grip” and im like noooooo that’s literally the exact opposite of what pros do😂

I'm sure this will come in handy someday

Reverse grip works wonders in ping pong. I was able to win a game because my opponent was laughing so much

The “icepick grip” is an historical technique used in majority with roundel daggers, so yes this grip is effective, it’s just not used with a short sword against a longsword...

Me: reverse grip is kinda cool This guy: *so you have chosen death*

Idk why but these dudes giving me either protagonist or dangerous mercenary villain that everybody likes vibes.

Allright, time to give the pinned comment. I've practiced kali and Tae Kwon Do for over 8 years now, and from what I've got to know, the point in a reverse grip with a long weapon (Like the Korean Do or the Phlippine stick) is to hide it on first sight to be able to strike an unsuspicious opponent, wich is why usually when you get one of this weapons for actual sport, they're usually made customized to each person measurements so it can be hidden with the arm or back. After the first attack, both failed or successful, you've blown up the cover, so you can (and should) go back to a regular grip. There's also a certain posture with a regular grip sword in one hand and a reverse grip knife on the other, meant for spacing with the sword and stabbing with the knife. In both styles, using it in mid-battle makes absolutely 0 sense *at all*

The purpose of the reverse grip in Chinese swordsmanship with a Jian is to literally signal "I'm not in combat" and "I'm not a threat to you" to others even though you have it out of its scabbard It's basically like carrying a long gun with its muzzle pointed to the ground while not in combat You immediately transfer to an underhand grip as soon as there is a threat or enemy you have to fight

"Were doing it cuz its cool" "sun tzu"

I think the main reason to use a reverse grip is that when you hold a knife in reverse grip it makes it almost impossible to the opponent to grab your knife hand from the wrist. Thus making disarming even more difficult. There is a video about an old ww2 veteran who demonstrated that you use reverse grip when killing sentries by anchoring the knife's grip to your chest and you dont push but instead you pull the enemy to you and use the enemy's own weight to thrust the knife in the lungs. I dont know if that is true or not though. Reverse grip also makes it realy difficult for the opponent to drive your own knife into your chest if you fall on your back and and the opponent gets on your waist.

I wouldn’t grip a machete like that but I’d hold a small knife like that

The actual benefit of reverse grips is the increased accuracy and close range maneuverability. This is why reverse grip daggers and knives are a thing, while anything more in line with a main weapon isnt.

Brilliant! I found your videos not very long ago and really appreciate the knowledge. Thanks

Yeah reverse grip with swords is impractical (although there are some similar things that you can do with for example a longsword), but with daggers it’s amazing haha!

I don't even care but this man is making some pretty solid points

FINALLY! Someone that really knows their way around a blade. I'm going to take this advice and hope I can better defend myself against the samurais on my block.

I heard of one possible use for reverse grip. I don't remember what manuscript it's from but it was for greatsword binds. When the blades are locked up over the head. Kinda like in crown guard. you could switch to a reverse grip on your weapon and thrust downward

Imagine holding a sword and shield being in a line with thousands of other men with swords charging at thousands of other men with swords. The old days were brutal.

I will remember this next time I get into a sword fight

There is an application for reverse grip we learned in Krav. For the most part it’s to attack the inside, slash eye of elbow, shoulder by the arm Pitt. It’s like to get in between the places where your armor would normally cover.

Agreed, stabbing overhead is the only thing it's good at

I always tought that reverse grip was only useful when you wanna stab with a knife, for strength reasons

Salt bae in the back wanted to play with bigger *knives*

It makes about as much sense as sunglasses inside 😂

For me and how I was trained to use it like that was to ensure that my collision points are actually not the blade at all and that the blade is at the ready to be switched to the normal position. I do agree with you, I'm never going to practical use that augmentation to the fighting styles I was taught however if I'm having to use a bladed weapon and have me to not cause lethal damage it would be the most optimal way to use it for how I was trained. There are a couple of additional hand tricks and motions that are utilized especially if the blade is one-sided and you would never hold it that way if it was double-sided. Keep making awesome videos!

Steven Seagals gunna be pisssed

I just wanna look cool when I jump at someone with 2 daggers in my hands :(

I have a sword fighting trick that always works in battle :) It’s called: “Bring a loaded gun”

every anime swordman: i missed the part where thats my problem

But that's how gray fox holds it! 🤣

İ trust this guy in my next swordfight on the street because the guy in the background looks trustworthy.

Ah yes, this takes me back. When me and all my friends would gather kitchen knives and meet up at the local park to have some super safe knife fights. Thank God the cops were there to make sure that if anyone got unruly they could promptly call a social worker to come and talk to us

I forgot where I saw it, but I saw a video detailing how montante greatswords were use in some formations, and the person talking about it said that they were sometimes held vertically upside down to defend against pikes, I was wondering how accurate that would be since they’re basically as tall as a person anyway

Are we going to ignore the fact that he is wearing sunshades inside...

Dude in sunglasses is a whole vibe... I like it

what I'm gathering is that the only practical application of reverse grip is a downward stab with a dagger, which isn't too useful in an actual confrontation but it does make eating with a fork marginally easier

I was wondering why I kept dying doing the reverse grip. Thanks for the pointer.

What about a reverse grip thrust?

I've been digging your content guys! Keep it up!

Beo the man in the back so fucking cool dude

People who use reverse grip are either people who don't know what they are doing at all or people who know what they are doing. And people who know what they are doing don't take chances.

Got ninja salt bae in the background:p

Ahh yes the age old life saver I remember when I was debating how to hold my sword before running into battle.

In PTK (a Filipino martial arts) the reverse grip (called Pakal) is used only with knife fighting in extreme close combat in order to make use of the biomechanic for a heavier downward strike and to "hook" the opponent. It's usually only used with a knife with a 4 inch or shorter blade. But other that that very specific case, the standard grip (called SakSak) is usually the go to.

I love anime and fantasy but most of it has warped our minds lol

Its only useful in one context I can imagine. To look stupid while your opponent disembowels you

"It looks cool on film" is the only argument made in its defense. Since most movie goers know next to nothing about actual sword fighting it will probably continue to look cool on film for a long time.

Only reason do wield a blade like this is a switch : let loose tension and pierce it into the ground (with enemy feed between) and therefore you need a second one to controll your enemy while you let the pressure go , espeacially after a Bluffpush.

Another video where I'm gonna waffle for ages because you're both right AND wrong in a short :p Please bear with me, I just like talking swords! If I ever actually get around to making my own videos this is one I have practically scripted already! So the lack of range is not a bug, it's a feature. It's specifically intended for very close quarters work where you're getting within someone's reach and likely switching to unarmed, which is why it shows up in martial arts stuff like tai chi - it's a very different approach from some sword arts which are more focused on keeping the other person the hell away from you. (Possibly a feature of classical training being unarmed for a decade before you pick up a weapon? Unsure). It's also not intended to receive heavy blows, it's intended to *sweep* blows - you catch and deflect with sideways motion, with the blade usually flat along your arm, or very nearly (you're correct the extended version has no mechanical strength). Basically you've 100 percent correctly identified why you shouldn't use the version you see in films and tv, which is why the correct version doesn't *look* like that. And the correct version is *still* relatively niche, not a position you hang out in all day. In the dao/Jian forms I'm familiar with it's actually one of the opening moves, *before you've drawn the sword* - basically someone has got up close to you and tried to strike you, so you want a quick deflection from the carry position (granted each move has lots of applications). It's part of a series of essentially unarmed movements before you actually separate the blade from the sheath. (In the Jian you then switch to a longer measure I believe, the dao still tends to be very close range.) Ironically, of all places that gets it right, there's a moment in Rings of Power where Galadriel does this in that scene where she's 'training' numenoreans. Most of it is not very impressively shot, but the bit where she does that particular move? Probably not perfect but off vague memory was surprisingly pretty close to what we do in the form If you know this and are just talking about the "Hollywood" reverse grip rather than the times it actually can be done, then fair enough - I think what often gets lost in the discussion is "yes it can work, but NOT like that". There are even *some* strikes you can do from it (thrust mainly) , but Jesus Christ no not the ones you normally see being done! Those are just...*so* bad. I have a suspicion it started being done by knife choreographers who didn't know how swords work, and I absolutely hate it. (I believe if you're working with *short* blades the more Hollywood style icepick grip actually works pretty well, hence why it was so popular for rondels and such, but I've never fought with one)

Him: this is bad Some anime characters: hold my sword. Im about to prove you wrong with this kunai knife

Back then as a kid i was like how do they swing so far in the movies because if you try you know that its like glued to your arm

I swear to you, if you ever lose a bet we are gonna make you play Force Unleashed, just so you'll have to look at reverse grip for the next 10 hours of gameplay.

Becuase we all live in the 15th century still ! Mi lord 🤣

Thanks for being honest and for destroying sand castles 👍☮️✌️

I've always thought about this. A thought that lives in my head rent free lol. Glad someone else agrees

He looks pissed 😂😂

These guys look like what happens when an extrovert meets those guys that lived in their moms basement studying the blade their whole life.

Its simple your sword grip should be orienting your thumb with the side with the most weight aka the blade end. Try holding something without the thumb and swing it around. Thumb gives most of your control and has direct attachment to alot of the muscles in your forearm giving you clear advantage over reverse grip. Theres no reason to reverse grip even stabbing downward.

Are they at a Cyberpunk convention?

The only use for a reverse grip EVER is as a means of concealment of a smaller blade in a situation where you want to have a weapon actively drawn and most others unaware of it. Those situations are EXTREMELY rare for a majority of people.

Roy from Fire Emblem: *sweating intensely*

Only cool in anime, but irl those characters would be getting hurt a lot more...

There's absolutely 💯 a reason to hold your sword in reverse grip. To look cool AF 😎

I understand what you say. But Ashoka Tano with two lightsaber reverse grip is awesome.

Reverse grip has one use, and one use only, stabbing with a small blade.

That's why it's cool in anime

These are the type of guys I want to be teaching me swordplay.

I have only used reverse grip once, it was in larp and one of my friends had a scythe that I made him the only real attacks I could get in on him were weak thrusts. All he needed was one more hit so I swapped hands and put my sword in my left hand and my dagger in my right hand in reverse grip and charged him and blocked the scythe with my sword and reached up and slit his throat

He looks like ah antagonist in a movie

I HAVE THE POWER OF GOD AND ANIME ON MY SIDE

It was never made for defense in the first place. It's a professional grip for those who know how to use knives or any stick like weapons.. reverse grip is awesome for counter kill strikes and offensive defense, for only seasoned warriors. As for swords, it's just not practical at all. This is a good video explaining the simple reasons why.

The whole "reverse grip works good as a defense" comes from larpers, mainly. And in larp, it's true. But even in larp, reverse grip is still only really used by newcomers who haven't gotten the hang of combat yet and elite veterans who are trolling their opponents.

The dude in the back is the final boss