I quadruple wield shields. I use a forearm strapped shield on each arm while holding a center grip shield in each hand. Also I have a fifth shield strapped to my back. My opponents never know what didn't hit them.

I'd love an analysis of the shoulder mounted shields that spearmen or pikemen occasionally used. Having both hands free and a shield seems incredibly useful.

The point about strapped shields being less tiring to carry is pretty important, considering that the vast majority of a soldier's time in war is not actually spent fighting.

I never knew why those shields had the bump in front. It was where the hand gripped behind! I'm 40 and learned something in seconds.

One thing I would like to note: Captain Amarica doesn't really wear the shield as a backpack, he doesn't put his arms through the straps. You can he just puts it on his back and it sticks there. The leather straps are holding what I think are electromagnets on his back on which the shield is attached.

The con you mentioned with the strapped shield, getting hit with an arrow that can also penetrate into your arm, can be expanded upon to include blunt force trauma. If you were to get hit by a war hammer or poll axe, the blow could break or damage your arm through the shield. A center grip shield would just give way to the strike, causing less damage to your arm. I remember Thrand explaining that in one of his videos.

Besides the general aspect of center grip shields being more tiring to hold I imagine the stress on your wrist when getting hit by a heavy blow would be significant if you don't deflect it properly

I’ve seen depictions of kite shields that had a center grip and a strap at the same time. Basically giving you the option of both. I always thought that was really interesting

Can you do flat vs convex shields next? Both strapped or boss gripped (and both small or large) shields could be flat or convex. I'm curious what the pros and cons are.

Heh. Thirty seconds in and I'm already glad I clicked this video. Skall's sense of humor never fails to put a smile on my face.

Skall, i like your advertising style. A personal touch, highlight a few products, and keeping it brief. I dont think ive ever watched through an ad before, I always skip them...until today. Keep doing it right 👍

I've never heard that theory about the shape of the Viking sword hilt! I have always wondered about the shape of those, it didn't seem particularly protective.

Love these hema/swordsmanship educational videos keep it up I’m a big fan!

Funnily enough, just as Skall said at the end, I have never even considered that you can still use your main weapon to deflect blows. I just got so hyperfocused on the shield being the "main" defence that the thought of the sword still being used for defence never entered my mind.

Recently Dumbarton Oaks had a symposium on the Aztec captial of Tenochtitlan, where one of the talks by Dr. Laura Filloy was all about Aztec shields and their construction methods. Dumbarton Oaks doesn't have a recording up yet, but I highly reccomend it once they do upload it (and keep in mind they don't host the recordings forever, so keep an eye out for when it does go up!)

Your friend has a magnificent beard

I love videos with this man, he also has a lot of knowledge as Skall and understanding of swordfight

Great to see this shown, it’s always explained but it’s nice to actually see the pros and cons

I'm really surprised you've haven't made this video sooner. I'm glad you took your time to gather the facts. This is informative and interesting and

The complexity of heater shield construction makes me wonder if those functioned as one flavor, the other, and something in between. Only recently people began to take a look at that complex shield grip construction, which is vastly more complex than the relatively simple center grip and centered strap grip. But then, of course it has to be complex, since it was had to be useful on horseback and on foot. And: different times, different weapons, different shields, different tactics and techniques.

Loved this video Skall! Lots of points to consider. I also am really excited about your sponsor for this video. I un-ironically give business to any company with a medieval or fantasy style flare, it's essentially how I choose what I want to buy. Very epic that these folks are sponsoring you, I'm checking them out right now!

One of my favorites you've done in a bit.

For the backpack carry you could have another strap, a third one running diagonally, like a sling.

More feedback from a fan. This is another great video. I really appreciate that you came at us with very practical information, pros and cons on both sides, and included live demos to show it off. I really do love that strap shield from this video. You showed it off on the target video too and it's stunningly gorgeous. Of course you don't really want to abuse it, but thanks for showing it as a tool and not just a decoration. I'm in favor of more of these types of videos. P.S. don't be afraid to revisit some of your old educational videos from 8 years ago. I know that "the basics" don't change, but you have better production quality these days and you can potentially reach viewers that won't go through your backlog but would like to learn about valid/legitimate melee combat. E.g. a video about edge alignment (swords and potentially other weapons) could be greatly informative. You cut like a pro, but show newbies how you got to that level. Does a flanged mace care about edge alignment? What about hammers? I'd love to hear your take on all of this.

I wonder if hybrids of the two designs exist. Ones with a strap but still a hollow area around the hand. Seems like the best of both worlds

Love to see the grappling aspect taken into consideration.

I feel like a thing you missed talking about with the center grip shield is not just how much more agile it is as a defensive weapon for deflecting and striking, it can also be used at full arm extension to close off broad angles of attack vs even a larger strapped shield.

I’ve always preferred the duel strap shields simply for their stability. I never could get the revolving door thing right.

Great work! You covered a lot of the big ones and a few that I wouldn't even think of! Two advantages of the center grip I thought of are 1. the fact that you can use it to create more space between yourself and your opponent if you need to wind up a larger attack, and 2. that with a center grip (especially a smaller buckler style one) you can use it to cut off your opponent's line of sight giving yourself an opening. You can do either with a arm brace shield as well, but not as effectively.

Good vid. Informative and had a good flow. Also, that strapped shield looked really nice.

I liked they mini-spar at the end. Unedited cuts like that are gems.

Love these types of videos on your channel. Cool to see diverse sponsors too.

Another great, informative, and practical video.

I really love this video idea Skall!

With the Targe, a highland 'thing' was to have the dirk or dagger in the "shield hand" and another weapon in the "free hand" giving an opportunity attack, a possibility of trapping a weapon or easy access to a 'spare' weapon if otherwise disarmed.

It's about time. This is a great topic to analyze.

As always, is nice to see a deeper insight in the body and physical mechanics that works in the weapons (or in this case, the shield). It would be easy to just say that as everything in warfare, each shield was made as a response of the conditions of their times and environment, so, each one has his own pros & cons, so, i appreciate your work going the extra step with the deeper explanation.

Very good and interesting video as always, thank you very much I'm not sure what type of grip I would pick in a fight if given the choice, so many pros and cons to each type. I got no practical experience but the center grip style seems a bit more practical to me I wish everyone here a good weekend, and a happy Easter, if you celebrate that 😃

something i feel like is missing here is that a Center grip shield could be on a sling (over the shoulder for example) aswell

Fascinating video. Really enjoyed it.

Love your videos, keep up the great content!

I think it is super cool that the pop up ad on your video is for tourism Ontario. May the algorithm be in your favor. Thank you. I am thinking about a cold steel buckler with the Espada Xl as my everyday carry.

I’ve thought about this very topic for years but nobody I knew was able to come up a proper answer, thanks skallagrim.

That targe is a beautiful piece of work!

Something that struck me when seeing these set ups face off, is that for an arm mounted shield, you really only have good coverage of the lines on one side of the body. As he demonstrated a boss shield can be pivoted in the hand to equally cover both sides of the body almost equally. It would be especially bad if the person with the boss grip shield was left-handed.

I was hoping you would do a video on this topic. Nice

Cool video, more stuff on shields please!

For usage I like the strapped sheild. I find I can manipulate my opponents weapon easier. The hand held designs tends to wobble during hard strokes. Great video and solid points made for both designs.

Giacomo di Grassi's manual has a great line regarding resting the round target on the thigh: "And there want not also men in our time, who to the intent they be not wearied, beare it leaning on their thigh as though that in this exercise (in which only trauaile and paines are auaileable,) a man should onelie care for rest and quietnesse" (from the 1594 translation).

Awesome video!

Finally ive been waiting for this video for years

Idk how historical it is, but I thought of adding a steel layer between the shield planks and the forearm padding on a strap shield. Instead of an external boss, this would be an internal plate. You wouldn't need the entire shield to have the added weight. Just adding the internal plate for the forearm itself could be very beneficial. I also don't know if the internal plate would need to be as thick as an external boss. With a plate, an opponent's strike would be partially absorbed by the boards first, so the plate would only need to be strong enough for the residual energy that might pass through the boards. Even if you went with boss-gauge steel for the plate, it might end up only being the same size as the boss, before the boss was hammered out into the familiar dome shape. It would be the steel plate that a boss starts its life out as, without being worked into shape.

been waiting for this one

Nice editing and nice content. Works for me, an occasional watcher.

Has Skallagrim ever done a video on weaponizing shields? I've know adding spikes on the front of the shield exists and the occasional "we added a gun!", but I wonder if blading the edges of the shield would be of any use. A diamond-shaped shield with sharp edges could be an interesting fusion of defense and offense, albeit it wouldn't have that much reach if it was strapped. I'd love to hear any ideas on weaponizing shields! Edit: Somehow missed the arm-blade/spiked shield link in the description. Absolutely fascinated with the idea of a forearm bladed shield.

One thing I think could be important is the fact that with the center grip, you can (if you need to) protect the inner arm much more. Very minor but in some situations that might be a good thing to have. However, most strapped shields are sunken into the arm. This could be better protection as a large bracer.

Glad to see this because I have been thinking about it lately. I have a cheap home crafted buckler with a center grip strap, no boss and a bit of soft foam glued to it, to rest my knuckles while holding the strap. The strap can be tighten across my palm so I don't have to grip as much, I would still wear a glove for the pressure.

@Skalagrim, I admire your attempt to describe the use of the Highland Targe, however, you missed a few things, the first one is the Center Spike is a forged spike that Traditionaly is put through the back of the shield and held in place by forge welded disks on the front and the back of the shield. I know this because on my mothers side of the Family there were blacksmiths that taught me how to make them the Old Way. The Second is that there were Metal bands on the back of the shield that were attached by forge welds to corresponding metal disks in the front. And a third thing is that the Highland Targe was often used with a Knife or dagger either grasped in the left hand or attached to the shield by leathe straps or other devices ie metal bands etc. As for the Video itself, I cannot thank you enough for covering this topic as the art of using the Highland Targe has been mostly lost due to Colonization of Scotland by England. Cheers.❤✌😊

It would be so interesting if you bring along with this kind of content, some sparring videos, they are so good to watch, like, telling about some technics and tring to use in the sparring

One point you missed, in a formation both shields have also different advantages and disadvantages. Center handed gives more distance, strapped gives more stability.

nice video, well done

5:00 Shad once theorised, that you could grab a bow with the same hand as the one you are holding a strapped shield with, which is a pretty interesting idea.

I would also add that a center grip would be better for infantry (especially large ones or "tall" ones like Roman/Gallic shields) and strapped is better for knightly style mounted combat, couched lances, gripping reigns, etc.

As someone who loves sword and board style combat in any RPGs or any games that allow for it I always wondered which of these were more effective if any. I personally love the style of Heater and Kite shields and even some greatshields so this will be a fun watch.

Being a HEMA practitioner who enjoys fighting sword and buckler, I will fight against fellow HEMAists with long sword, I would agree a two handed can push through a buckler, however the ability to be more mobile using sword and buckler can give the benefit to get through their range, would be interested to see your take more on this sort of fight :)

Thank you so much for pointing out how a forearm strapped shield can be twisted to create a joint lock. It had occurred to me, but I'd not been able to verify that as a legit technique.

Absolutely great topic. Makes me remember the trash can lid until one of the bigger guys hits it with something hard. Even today a shield is still useful. Just have to change what a shield needs to look like. A backpack with bullet proof armor is still a shield.

That's a lot of factors to consider! I definitely prefer the small center gripped shield.

There's a great video with Roland Warzecha (he has his own KZfaq channel), where he made a presentation on fighting with a shield, and arguing that center controlled shields aren't inferior, they were just used differently. Most of his demonstration was about Viking age shields and weapons, but it's applicable to other shield fighting as well, since for most of human history round center controlled shields were incredibly common. It's one of the best videos I've seen demonstrating how smart and ingenious ancient peoples were. Here's a short video on it (remove the spaces): www. youtube. com/watch?v=eNhMpiTSRFA Here's the full presentation (remove the spaces): www. youtube. com/watch?v=dkhpqAGdZPc I highly recommend watching the full version as he expands on shield use a lot, and theorizes on why they were constructed the way they were. I'll attempt to explain a single portion with words what he eloquently showed in his video. Back in the day when center controlled shields were the only type used, the combatants would try to get into advantageous positions with their shields, pushing in and changing the shield orientation where both their shield and the enemy's shield protected them, but opened a vulnerability in the enemy, allowing them to strike. There were several ways to do this, since both shields would act as a fulcrum at the center, and each combatant would hold the shield in their left hand and sword in the right. For example, you could push in with your shield, with the inner edge of your shield (normally facing your sword) facing toward the enemy's shield, and hit the enemy's shield on the inner side (the part closest to their sword), which would turn both your shield and the enemy's shield to protect your left side (the only side the enemy could offend with his sword), and open a vulnerability in your opponent's left side which you could hit with your sword. The only way for the enemy to protect himself, since the shields are locked together at that point, is to back up. There were other more complicated ways to open vulnerabilities that worked with the sword as well.

My favorite shield back when I fought regularly was a strapped shield with a false boss riveted to the front as a sword breaker. Only 'broke' one sword, but sure bent several.

I'm gonna refer to sword and shield as sword and board from now until the end of time. Thank you for enlightening me yet again you beautiful man.

I would think the most important difference would be the metal boss. Since one of the most important things about shields is their ability to protect against arrows, but arrows can still penetrate shields. So having a large amount of shield surface area in direct contact with the forearm means; blocking an arrow anywhere in that area has serious risks associated with it. The boss entirely negates those risks. Granted, both shield types “can” use a boss, it is mandatory on a center-grip, whereas it’s an optional feature on a strapped shield. So I think it’s worth mentioning.

On "wearing a shield as a backpack", there apparently were *guige* straps for precisely that purpose. These longer straps on the back of the shield enabled it to be worn slung across the back for transportation - clearly not for use in battle when you would need your shield in front of you.

Skall may have just talked me into beard products..... Apparently he's also an effective salesman.

Depends on context. *Matt Easton intensifies*

Great video. Personally I prefer centre grip. It allows for more offensive manoeuvrers like bashing your opponent with the flat of the shield. I also use an adjustable strap for carrying it on my back when I swing my dane axe.

Ever since I started playing Dark Souls yeeeaaars ago, I always wondered what the difference was with shields in this reguard. Many thanks, good sir!

I have always wondered this but didn't know how to word the question.

i prefer the center grip shield. i like the flexibility and balance, plus being left handed its easier for me to make. also as a romaboo and a norsaboo i like the centergrips of the times

Nice analysis. Something the center grip style, I suspect, is more readily capable of is use in a shield wall.

When the lead grip is closer to the lead sheild edge on a strapped shield shooting a bow/bracing a spear becomes easier I have found for what it's worth.. thanks for another video

3:00 This is what shield straps are for. They're depicted often in period art with men sometimes even leaving their shield dangling from the strap in front of them while they two-hand a spear.

I've done boffing and what I have noticed about center grip shields is that using them feel way more heavy and exhaustive, but you can keep them further from yourself which gives you more protection (just how the angles work). when someone hits the edge it will rotate and expose you, not much you can do about it.

Are you going to be commenting on The Northman?? I watched it last night and it's incredible!! But it'd interesting to hear you're thoughts on the accuracy of weapons, combat, tactics etc👍

An advantage of the centre grip shield is that if you hold it at arm's length, it will provide a bigger cone of protection against missile fire, a bit like a goal keeper moving forward to narrow the angles. My view of the Viking sword hilt, and the earlier Roman gladius hilt is that it was as compact as possible to stop it catching on the edge of your own shield. You would fight with your sword held back behind the cover of the shield, then thrust it forward when the opportunity arose. A mediaeval-stye cross guard might foul the edge of your won shield.

One thing I kinda felt kinda got addressed but not really given a chance to be fully discussed is that you can blast through a center grip much easier than a strapped shield. Like if you in particular thrust jar you can get the shield to pivot and potentially get a lethal blow if they can’t successfully parry you.

Skallagrim, another fun thing you can do with the strapped shield, is shoot a bow while holding it. If you place the arrow on the right side of the bow, and use an Asiatic thumb draw (if the shield has a relatively thin) handle grip, I can quite comfortably shoot my Asiatic bows, while also holding my targe. Functionally it provides very little difference from shooting normally, and if I were trading arrows against other skirmishers, I would very happily take the minor inconvenience in exchange, not to mention the shield is now already in hand if I need to drop the bow and engage in hand to hand.

interesting vid. Watching this with the eye of an unarmed expert (and definitely NOT a shield expert)- The arm lock demonstrated is very real, of course there's also many counters - and they ran through my mind as i saw that move. I think given my own skill set i would prefer a shield that has 2 straps for the arm leaving the hand free, maybe even the shield directly mounted to a bracer, couple that with thick reinforced leather gloves for catching weapons perhaps. I took on a hema guy at our local Viks club some years back- for fun/education, they gave me a knife (scram i believe) and he had a big round shield and combat safe axe, I used that exact maneuver to unshield him and his shield as cover for my own body - it just came naturally - nice to know its also in the historic manuals - perhaps that specific manual was written for some one more used to unarmed techniques than battlefield warfare? Thought provoking and instructional as always chap!

Cool you got Varg to practice with :D

On resting, your targe has a couple of D-rings (for a strap?), and you could easily put one on to the center grip shield and - assuming it's small and light enough a shield, obviously - a matching hook could be attached to clothing/belt/armour to just hang it there where you give your arm and fingies a quick stretch out.

If you haven't already, could you do something about different shield geometries?

Thank you for this helpful living archaeology. Thank you again for telling us about the KZfaq algorithm changes which have allowed me to catch up. :-)

Strapped all day for me. The ability to transmit force with it is more important for me than those other negatives. Whether force in a clinch, charge, strike or blocking.

The I.33 manual shows how you can use the center grip buckler in ways that can't be done with the strap shield. I think the center grip is better for small shields and the strap for larger ones.

The biggest thing with center grip shields is a lot like fencing with a pistol grip. The angle and orientation of your hand is super relevant. You've got a position the shield be to be strong in the direction you need strength. This is to say imagine an imaginary line through the shield drawn through the axis of the grip. That's where you're strong That's what you have to use to block relatively heavier incoming strikes.

In school i made a metal shield with the straps as the handle, i also made a much crappier aluminum teardrop shield with the center grip, there was a third shield i had been working on that was going to have my families heraldry on it but i didnt get to finish it and wasnt able to bring it home with me lile i had with the first two

That's fun and interesting.

Make a small 'back clip' and drop a single strap of your shield into said clip for general carrying. Or at a metal 'loop' to the inside of the shield specifically for the adventurer hook. I've seen some small shields hung off the side of a sword frog before in front of the blades obscuring the scabbards. 'Looks' cool, but you can't grab your scabbard as easily to draw your blade, so you'll need to have the sword easy to one hand out of the scabbard because if it's tight at all, it won't go.

An interesting exception the center-grip shields needing a boss to protect the hand is the Ishilangu or Nguni shield, which is an oval shield made from hide with a center grip, but a more or less flat surface. It also has two spike-like protrusions on the top and bottom which could be used to catch and manipulate an enemies weapon.

I really enjoyed this video, good analysis! Commenting for the Algorithm.