Civil War sword finds way back to Pittsburgh
A "significant" Civil War sword that may have been sold, stolen or bartered away from Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum is back at the Oakland museum, officials said.
There is almost as much variety within the types of two-handed swords as there is within weapons as a whole; broadswords, katanas, zweihanders, and more are all part of this subtype of swords, and while there is a broad range of weapon-specific techniques there are also a few basic skills that will help anyone looking to learn how to wield a two-handed sword, and that might even apply to a few other weapons.
The first thing you should learn is an appropriate grip. A key to a powerful sword swing is similar to a powerful punch; you want to make sure your wrist is lined up well with the cutting edge much like how a straight punch is more powerful. You can achieve this by lining up the back edge of the grip so that it crosses diagonally from the base of your index finger. Both hands should have this grip.
This might feel awkward at first; both wrists should be twisted somewhat outward, placing your wrists directly behind the edge of the blade. Your second goal is to get good leverage; this involves placing your hands a decent ways apart from each other; in fact, on swords with pommels that make it reasonable, curling your lower hand's pinky under the base is often a good idea. Your goal is to get enough leverage to allow quick snap motions, allowing for quick attacks and defense.
Most of your attacks with a two-handed sword are going to be slashes. A quick wrist snap should start your attacks, and you should be slashing, not chopping; you want to sort of drag the blade powerfully across your opponent, in theory creating a deep and long cut; a chop is less effective and risks breaking certain kinds of swords.
And don't broadcast your attacks; there is no reason to raise a sword far above your head for an vertical slash, etc. Similar logic holds with regards to thrusts; less is more. You shouldn't be aiming to run someone through like you see in movies; you'll overextend yourself with absolutely zero practical effect.
For defense, you should still aim for a minimal movement, and avoid direct blocks, as they slow your counterattacks. Defensive movements differ from attacks in that where with an attack you want to move the tip of the blade, with a defense you should move the base and handle first. You want to keep the blade in line as much as possible, and for low attacks where this is impossible you want to drop the blade straight down your center before rolling it outward to block.
Make sure to check out my blog, where I write about everything from Roman swords to modern-day armor clothing.
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