Young Writers Society

How long would it take for an average person, use to the weight of a normal sword and not a wooden one, to learn the basics of swordfighting? Doubt I'll get many answers...

What sorta sword, bastard, two handed short sword? That would give me a better idea.

LastPaladin wrote:What sorta sword, bastard, two handed short sword? That would give me a better idea.

I think it's a two handed.

Well depending how you mark average, I say they drag sword along ground first, and swinging a two handed sword no easy feat, because the blade weighs a ton. Notice characters who use two handed swords say like Auron from Final Fantasy X he is very strong in the upper body, so they'd need to work out heavily to even lift the blade, let alone swing.

But for the likes of light blade say like two handed Katana it would be easier to lift, it all depends on what sort of sword you believe character will have, are we talking medieval, japanese or some other such?

LastPaladin wrote:Well depending how you mark average, I say they drag sword along ground first, and swinging a two handed sword no easy feat, because the blade weighs a ton. Notice characters who use two handed swords say like Auron from Final Fantasy X he is very strong in the upper body, so they'd need to work out heavily to even lift the blade, let alone swing.

But for the likes of light blade say like two handed Katana it would be easier to lift, it all depends on what sort of sword you believe character will have, are we talking medieval, japanese or some other such?

XD Auron, huh? Yeah... he's pretty strong and awesome.
But I dunno... I can see my character with a medieval kind of sword. It's a girl and I just can't see her trying to get that strong to lift a huge sword like Auron's or something.

Type of sword is only important if the design of the weapon somehow impacts wielding it. Obviously if a sword is larger than you are or is unwieldy, you don't use it. In the real world FF rules of GIANT swords with little people is precisely what the title Fantasy entails.

What matters the most is whether or not someone is teaching them-self. It's nearly impossible unless you're a natural, and there are not nearly as many of those people as you'd think. I happen to have over a decade of sword expertise and training, and while I learned some on my own, it was with a mentor that I truly began to understand the importance behind no wasted movement and the most precise thoughts and decisions; am I a natural, I believe to a degree, but there is a reaaaaaally intimidating difficulty curve with swords that scares 99% of people away.

Now to your decision with actual weight and not wooden, I wonder why you make this distinction. There are reasons why one starts with a wooden sword rather than a metal "full-weight" one. At the same time, understand that wooden swords can weigh more than live blades. Don't let the idea of wood give the implication of less weight, but that knowledge comes with experience.

Nonetheless, I have taught a number of people in the last few years, and I find that it takes at least half a year of weekly meetings and training (dedicated training on their part) to see a strong, focused, correct stroke. Normally, people give up or they lack the regiment to practice; I prefer to avoid that type, as it's not a laughing matter to teach someone this skill idly. For someone to understand the "basics" of sword use, it can take up to two years, if not longer. The most difficult fundamental sword techniques to master are drawing the blade, proper grip, returning the blade to the sheath/scabbard, and then rolls with the wrist. This overlaps to all kinds of swords, though not all styles. Some styles don't care about drawing or sheathing, while grip and rolls are the most important aspects to guarding the body finding the right strike. So that's why it can take several years, if not longer for a natural. For the average person though it could take half a decade if they're dedicated, or half their life.

"A medieval kind of sword" is a rather broad description. Is it a broadsword? Longsword? Greatsword (less likely)? Bastard sword (those might be good--a type of longsword often found with handles that could accommodate both one- and two-handed grips)? I'm taking the heavy stuff like greatswords, claymores and estocs out, as those would probably be too large. A saber-style blade might work too, if you're looking for a more slashing style as opposed to thrusting/stabbing.
tl;dr: having an idea what type of sword exactly you're looking at would help with research, as then you'd know what to google for.

There's also the matter of how you define "basics". I'm translating it as "just good enough not to get instantly killed when fighting against someone who knows what he's doing" (and keep in mind, a fight between a skilled fighter and someone who has little to no experience is usually finished very, very quickly), and that could probably take a good while (reference: knights used to be trained starting at age 7--sure, it involved other stuff than just swordfighting but still). If you're going against people with no formal teaching but still experience on the field, it'd still take a bit while she builds up stamina, dexterity and some strength. It's one thing to just hold a sword (and most swords really aren't that heavy: average weight apparently was 3lbs), but it's another to go swinging it around in a real fight.

(aaand I just got pre-empted by M³ while writing this)

I had a longsword in mind. But something like a sabre or a rapier sounds better to me.

A rapier is definitely not a two-handed weapon, AFAIK.

I just now considered changing it to a rapier!

Look up a rapier. Note the thinness of the blade. It is very difficult to use as a primary weapon, especially if you're going to go up against something bigger. When the Mythbusters tested cutting a sword with a sword, the rapier was the one most likely to snap after one major hit. Using a rapier as a primary weapon would be nearly impossible, especially for a beginner.

Rapiers can be used as secondary weapons, but then you have to consider the coordination involved in duel-weilding. I can't speak from any sort of experience with swords, but I can just imagine how hard it would be to do.

*Marks out a Rapier from the list*

Depends also on the make of the rapier. Some of the early ones had a cutting edge and allowed for slashing, while those produced later on were very much focused on the thrusting aspect of it.

You might find it interesting to read some of the texts on this website. The 'Test Cuttings' section on there might also help you get a visual.

Alright. Thank you.

Since you want medieval, this site gives a quick overview of the types of medieval swords. It's a pretty decent starting point: http://www.algonet.se/~enda/oakeshott_eng.htm

This site just has loads of information on weaponry (and armor) in general, and if you find something specific that you want more information on, it's a great reference: http://www.myarmoury.com/home.html