Everyone likes a different sized sword, my girlfriend says my sword is just the right sized, but I see her Google searches for zweihanders...

That kinky zoom though...

Does it, perhaps, depend on the context? Let's see...

Getting in close for the innuendo! LOL

"The ubiquitous tulwar - I will just grab one off the floor" Matt's flat is like a fight scene in an action movie lol

26 seconds in i decide to attempt to predict theanswer; depends on what you want them to do!

The curved blade in a swing will naturally cause a drawing cut. I expect in the day, a serious slice would take a soldier off the battlefield just as effectively as a killing blow.

Isn't it weird to think that a 90cm tulwar with strongly curved blade and disk pommel has less range than a 25cm Kukri?

It's my 57th (not 100 and 11th!!) birthday today and what better way to relax after a long hard working day than watching my favorite weapons expert Matt talking about CURVED SWORDS!!!!

*sees title* “Does it depend on context?” “Well in what context?” There we go. Also, drinking game. Just go through Matt’s videos and take a shot for each one that argues context. P.s. I totally agree it’s just really funny.

Learning how to thrust over the guard has certainly made me appreciate sabres with more curve like the 1803 pattern.

This was a terrific video. Fascinating topic covered in great detail. One of your best.

I recently had the great joy of practicing with an Ethiopian Shotel. That weapon, especially with a buckler, is extremely tricky and hard to defend against. The curve gives its a fair advantage to disarms and striking around shields. Yes, it gives up reach and thrust. However, it is a very fun and unusual weapon with clear advantages that help compensate for the sacrificed length. I highly recommend giving them a try.

@scholagladiatoria: Another good video... Lots of information well packed in the classic scholagladiatoria style. Excellent video, Matt... Thumbs up!

The innuendo in these videos never disappoints!

There's no way i'm googling pegging :)

Talking of reaching around, never forget, you've got a great big horse head in front of you... Followed your advice to look at some pegging videos, I'm really confused now, what kind of a channel is this 😕

There’s one advantage that the curved sword has that no one ever mentions even though they are generally side arms, and that is quick draw. Case in point, the katana is not all that curved, bit it is enough to make a good quick draw, and there is even a martial art devoted to it.

Wonderful videos. Informative and entertaining at the same time. Keep 'em coming!

On the point of different languages, I have a much bigger problem than yours with straight sabres in French. See, in my language (Polish) english word "sword" is commonly (and correctly, for the most part) translated as "miecz" (I will not bother you with pronunciation). But there is a problem: "miecz" and "sword" are not exactly the same thing. "Miecz" is always straight, always double-edge weapon, but in English you literally have CURVED SWORDS! There is no such thing like curved "miecz" for me. In English you are correct saying that sabre is a sword and that's fine. In my language, if someone says that a sabre (or, for us, "szabla") is a "miecz", it's wrong! Languages and technical terminology are really tricky things, right?

This video answers a lot of questions that I had. Thanks much!

the advantages described for the straight sword where simple, reach, easy thrusting, you don't need a huge amount of experience to advantage from those. the advantages of curved words, sneaky hook thrusts and false edge cuts behind around your opponent's guard. that is more advanced stuff, your going to need a lot of training to get those to work well in the heat of combat.

Love your videos. You have a great style, presentation and good context. Would love to see a video with spear man fighting against the swords man

Came for the Skyrim thumbnail, stayed for the quality.

Great video. This is definitely going to help me with my fantasy book that I'm writing; it has a duel scene between a guy with a Shaskha versus a guy with an early prototype side sword.

An interesting anecdote; periodically I, and a couple people that I train with, will get together and have an evening of cutting practice. One of the more difficult targets we use is a flat sheet of cardboard that has been rolled into a tight cylinder about 5 inches in diameter. ( cardboard is not ideal, I know, but I have it in great abundance because of my job. I also enjoy sharpening and polishing thankfully) Even with an experienced cutter Wielding it, a well manufactured and very sharp katana (hanwei great wave with an improved edge) has considerable difficulty making it through this target. An antique tulwar on the other hand, when used correctly, will go through almost effortlessly.

It's those Turkic, Mongol peoples having to curve swords just to look cool. #hipsternomads

This video you gave a very clear explanation as to the context of convex-edged swords and sabres and their applications in combat. What is your take, then, on concave-edged blades? For example, the Dacian/Thracian Falx and Rhomphaia were predominantly portrayed as being wielded on foot (per Trajan's Column). Do you see a distinct advantage to their use on foot over or on par with straight equivalents?

Ive been waiting for this video for years!

does the curvature have any effect on an opponents parry or attempts to bind (it would seem to me that it would be harder to bind a curve -should note that I have no experience whatsoever in sword combat)

terrific video! Not on topic at all really, but what are the advantages of swords that curve forward? Like a kopis or falx for instance.

Dat zoom was perfect!

what about thicc swords?

@scholagladiatoria Great vid. I'd like to know your thoughts on forward curved blades like yatagans and kukris.

The medieval Romans used curved swords as a specialist cavalry sidearm. I think they actually would sometimes carry both the curved paramerion and the straight spatha. My understanding is that, when they needed to resort to swords (instead of bows, lances/spears, maces, or axes), they would use the paramerion against light-armored foes and spathas against more heavily armored ones.

Thank god for the Curved Pommel Ban Treaty

You can use a thrust then cut in a single action. Thrust while preparing a cut, if the thrust misses then you swing back and cut.The curved blade is perfect for that because of the point is in the opposite direction of the edge. I don't know why nobody mentions that!

Hey Matt, I remember reading something on Curved swords that stated they're better at defence against multiple opponents than straight swords since they can keep the sword flowing and moving better around them, but I wasn't sure how much truth there was too that. Any thoughts?

Hi Matt, one thing I'm curious about is how often did horsemen accidentally wound their horses in the heat of battle. I imagin it very difficult to keep the edge in line with anything after hitting things. Curved geometry added sticking the point somewhere unwanted should be the norm? Could you please enlighten us on that aspect? Cheers

Lindybeige has an interesting video about the use of a curved sword at very close and cramped quarters. He cites an historical report of an attack on some British soldiers in a crowded market place. The attackers held their curved blades close to their bodies and their hands on the back of the blade. They then used the sword almost as a grappling weapon, like a very short quarter staff, but with the ability to shift the angle and execute a devastating draw cut (or possibly push cut). Certainly, in a crowded environment or tight crush of melee, I can see how a blade that you could keep close to you and cut with draw or push would be less unwieldy than a straight blade.

Man I like those sneaky thrusts and cut into thrusts. Not much experienced with saber yet, but they're fun.

Love it when that context is stuck into every video.

omg, i saw the thumbnail and thought this was a gamerpoop short. you glorious bastard, Matt

pls talk more about spears.. like point of balance and weight dstribution and such... maybe techniques and construction as well. I love polearm

On the point where Matt mentions a weaknes to the legs I feel like certain sheilds naturally protect the legs and if not leg protection such as armor would nullify the danger. Feel free to point out any mistakes in my logic.

I love the innuendo zooms

Good video, well presented and lots of information. 👍

Its very interesting which and how blades were used on foot vs their use on horseback. tornister packs gave the soldiers protection when running from cavalery (the way experienced vs inexperienced cavalery act there vary which you can hear in the sharps talkingbooks). What also is interesting is that the tornster packs were later on used as protection against shrapnells from artillery which was supposedly quite effective.

Could you do a video on the Chinese Dadao, one of the last bladed weapons used on the battlefield?

I always thought curved swords were better in the cav melee for the slashing, bc you fan't do the fencing footwork on a horse. Maybe I got the melee conflated with light cav in the melee with broken infantry., just riding in circles and slicing them up like [insert analogy here]. Also I thought the curved light cav sabers were mostly meant to cut across the infantryman's face (at worst [for the trooper], this blinds the man, head wounds being notoriously bloody; at best, half his head goes sailing away.) rather than thrusting at all.

There was a book on blades on my college campus from yhe 30s that went into the nature of bladed weapon design. It stated the purpose of curving a blade was abord changing the center of gravity and the point of impact. Annother thing is that in a clumped up battlefield or a dense forest, having a long strait blade could be a disadvantage because its increased reach would mean increased probably of hitting a root or tree invof whatever your swinging at.

Which manuals is the cavalry drill you mention at about 8:50 in? The drill is the one where your hand passes back so your sword doesn't get stuck in the target.

Hey, Matt! Could you cover historical sources for India and the Middle East that sword-enthusiasts could find easily approachable, particularly for the English language? I would absolutely love to look into 13th-15th century India, Afghanistan, and other southeastern Asian areas.

Very well explained as usual. However you forgot tha cavalry vs cavalry scenario. Stendhal,veteran of the Grande Armée, states in his famous Waterloo s depiction in his novel La Chartreuse de Parme, that a light straight sabre is the best weapon ( taken carabins, pistols and spears aside ) against another rider. Then we have the fact that many units like the Cuirassiers and Dragoons ( also the mounted Grenadiers in the contemporary Southamerican wars of independence ) were armed this way. What do u think about it?

What about vs a armored person, would it give advantage for stabbing in arm pits or inner thigh?

Omg when u did the close up just to talk about putting it in then getting out, I lost shit , that was creating editing.

From the perspective of being worn at the side and used as a backup weapon, is there some convenience factor to a curved sword. For example, it’s easier to draw or it stays in place or gets in the way less.

Interesting context When watching Kali videos they do talk a lot about angles and that they on foot do use that a lot. What is your take on this part of the fight, when attacking at an angle what are the advantages of a curved sword? Ore is this the same as you did mention about it getting behind the parrying of a shield or sword?

Matt Easton, Have you seen the Ecole Polytechnique epee blade? I have one. What would you categorize that sort of blade? It's physically a small sword. About a 27.7" long from 1884. Weighs 363g. It's fairly flexible with no sharp edges. It's double fullered. Thrusts fairly ok. At least into wood.

I know it isn't in your general interests at the moment, but do you have an opinion on the usage and effectiveness of the kopesh?

9:34 Also, the point is perfectly aligned to the movement.

is there any correlation between the nature of the ground in area's and if the people prefer curved or straight swords? You mentioned reduced range in the cut, but I wonder if that makes it easier to hit someone very close to you if neither person can make quick steps, say standing in sand or mud. Solid ground maybe gives the thrust and range a bigger advantage because of the ability to quickly change your distance?

Matt is incorrect when it comes to the time period for sabres in India. The first iconography for a sabre in India is from the coinage of Vasudeva I, the Kushana Emperor around the early 1st Century CE. The first (secular) literary reference is from the state of Mekala around the 4th Century CE. The first (religious) literary reference is atleast 7th Century BCE- but that might be referring to the forward-angled chopping-style instead. Sabres became the dominant sort of sword in late Mughal times purely because people stopped wearing armour around the time. By Classical times, mounted troops would often carry both variants & an axe. However It was more common for artistic representations to go for straight-bladed depictions exclusively since they were believed to the sort of blades favoured by gods & heroes in earlier Ages of the World.

Voom in on the innuendo was appreciated. Also, a great video. Context is everything, and weapons can be specialized tools for certain combat context. Curved swords are no different.

Curved/single bladed *cut* better/getting edge alignment easier. PS Can anyone make video with katana and kriegsmesser comparision? Tired of 10000 videos of completely different katana and longsword...

Hahaha. Of course Matt Easton picks the one meme for a video logo I constructed for a bad joke. Hail from the facebook armour groups! Keep making videos!

Classic example of under-performing pistols in the American experience was the lack of stopping power of the US army- issued .38 revolver in the Phililpino rebellion, which lead to development of Colt 1911 .45.

Hey Matt, great video! 👍 Shouldn't a curved blade hit harder while hacking? Given the same weight as a straight sword and swung with the same force, the curved will hit the target on a smaller area. Since impact force is inversely proportional to the area it hits, the curved blade should have an advantage here. Right?

@4:00 I saw the red reflecting on the blade and thought Matt finally cut himself!

If a sword had enough of a curve could it be used to disarm an opponent with a straight sword by as you block/ meet their sword if one end was below their blade and the other above/the other side, if you rushed at them whilst stepping to the opposite side their blade was facing and applied all your body weight and strength to twisting the sword against their wrist, could it be possible to make them unable to hold onto their weapon or be put off balance by trying to, allowing you to trip or knock them over with yourself protected whilst their sword was trapped by yours?

How about just for day to day wearing them outside of combat situations?

What kind of sword was that cavalry sabre you compared it to the shamshir blade?

Thanks for the vid sir.👍🏼👍🏼

Might also be the ergonomics of a hanging scabbard and drawing a sword on horseback. I think when mounted a curved sword might draw more naturally than a similar length straight sword, and probably stays more secure in the scabbard when galloping around.

on the extremely curved blades, I think they use the sawing/slicing motion. You had mentioned in 1 video about one group using an indian blade that practiced where they could use it against the wall. Possibly an advantage in close quarters?

Can you put together a video concerning two handed curved blades?

French terms are designed to not make sense to English people, btw :)

It depends on your preference curved blades allow for consecutive rolling strikes due to their elegance and fluid style. Straight blades more often are better for cleaving and thrusting. This also indicates that a saber is usually weighted more towards the handle while a broadsword is usually blade heavy

If scholagladiatoria is captain context then is Skallagrim dependable? (It depends)

Is it possible for the blade of a curved sword to lean forward so it doesn't sacrifice too much reach? Or is there a reason they don't make it like that, be it structural or awkwardness?

It seems to me that center of percussion is of less importance/value with a more curved blade. Would this be true?

This madman is hitting 3000 innuendos a minute. I am cracking up 😂

I thought I was alone in pointing out the impact delay with curved swords cuts, good to know I'm not the only one.

That close up killed me, more than any sword ever could... :D

In chaotic combat, like on a ship, where there are no formations, I think curved swords might be useful for the same reason curved shields are useful: you're defended from a broader range of attack angles. When you're guarding yourself with the blade, it's easier for you to block side blows with a curved sword. Also, in cramped quarters, the curved sword is less likely to be interrupted in its swing when it clips an obstacle. _Offensively,_ because curved swords are harder to stop, they're good for slashing at an enemy many times in rapid succession.

The Apache warrior Geronimo attended the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904. He was very impressed by the Turks, who demonstrated their skill with curved scimitars in a sham battle. He said, "They would be hard to kill in a hand-to-hand fight."

I think it's also important to note that in most armies the rank-and-file soldier received very little by way of instruction in the use of the sword. An untrained or poorly-trained person will almost always revert to hacking/slashing under stress, thus a sword better suited to cutting makes sense. You can see this in, for example, naval cutlasses. Sailors had little instruction in use of the sword so they were issued a weapon with a heavy, curved blade. Naval officers, on the other hand, usually carried (and still do in the British and US navies) a sword with a straight blade. Coming from the gentry (historically) they typically had formal training in swordsmanship. As a side note, army officers' swords of the 18th and 19th centuries typically had curved blades because even infantry officers were mounted.

Would strait blades also be cheaper to forge and easier to maintain presuming both have the same cross section, tapers, etc?

It would be nice to see a video about the Shotel.

Stick it in captain !

Excellent discourse! A lot of information and a lot to think about. Using machetes I see no difference between straight and curved blades in cutting ability.

I always thought the advantage of a curved blade is that the point of impact is very small, hence more energy is transferred to this point. Isn't that true?

What are the advantages of swords with inverse curves like the sosun pata, kukri, kuku macan, yataghan or shotel?

One context where curved blades are usual in fantasy, possibly as usual as in mounted combat, is fights on decks of ships. Would make any difference to be on a ship or is just a aesthetic preference, in your opinion?

I've wondered if curved blades in Indian and Middle Eastern blades were a function of the steel used as much as anything else. In the article "The Key Role of Impurities in Ancient Damascus Steel Blades," the authors note how the blades were likely air cooled after forging, and that pearlite was the dominant steel that forms in the faster cooling cutting edge. It seems possible to me that a distally tapered blade could cool too quickly and form too much pearlite in the tip-thus making it too soft to be an effective thrusting weapon. Blacksmiths worked around this by curving the blades to reduce the amount of force the tips would be exposed to in battle. It would also give an alternative theory to the disk pommel on a tulwar; it exists to keep you from damaging the end of your blade (and the blacksmith's reputation in the process).

Who likes a falx? Or a sica.

If a curved sword has a false edge, would the ability to use hooking techniques be an advantage over the straight sword in situations where a shield is involved? Or would it be too awkward to be used effectively?

Yup, context. I figured ;) But, like with many things in life, it seems that sword design is always a matter of compromises and trade offs. You can have a generalist sword that works alright in most contexts, or you can have a specialized design that does one thing very well, at the cost of not being good at other things - with a spectrum in between.

Very interesting video, Thumbs up.

Matt trying to demo reaching around a shield with a saber seems like a distinctly awkward motion since the curve isn't really going the right direction at all. Weren't swords made to get around large shields (like a falx) sharp on the inside edge, not the outside? Also, aren't the curves they use very different? Just some thoughts.