I always wondered how heavy those swords get. Never held one.

Pretty damn heavy. They're not lighter and more balanced like a sabre or a katana. They're meant to cleave through armor and bone. It takes some good strength to swing one accurately and repeatedly.

Still, much lighter than most people imagine. The German Renaissance two-handed Zweihänder would be 2 - 3.2 kilo (4.5 - 7 pounds) and this is about as heavy as it can get. I have handled a 18th century rapier which was slightly over 850 grams (less than 2 pounds).

I meant from my own experience. I'm not exactly big on upper body strength. :D

Upper body strength is not as critical as one may think; the conditioning of muscles and nerve connections makes all the difference :)

People in Middle Ages and Renaissance were much smaller than nowadays, an average male would be 155 cm tall but they practiced the right muscles and movements from childhood.

Ironically, I bet I'm stronger than most women from back then. ^__^

In general, "very" is usually a good answer. If not immediately than certainly after a bit of use during a session (so to speak).

Oddly, many are lightweight, this one featured weighs less than 3 pounds.

Most battle swords need to be flexible and lightweight, remember, you need to be constantly flinging it about.

A great sword battle scene is in the movie Rob Roy, you can see the actors actually getting tired swinging their swords about in the bar scene.

Exactly, see my reply above.

The modern replicas tend to be much heavier since the reenactors use them to hit sword against sword for effect (and in order to produce sparks) and that would break a real weapon pretty quickly.

Another consideration is the years training. I had two friends sparring with 18th century rapiers, one of them a 65+ years old guy, thin but fit, and with lots of experience, and the other a 25 years old bodybuilder and karate practicioner, about the strongest person pound-per-pound I have ever met. The young guy would give up after 15 minutes since his wrist could not hold the sword anymore, and the old guy kept swinging the blade for hours...

People in middle ages were much shorter than nowadays, but the years of training and conditioning made all the difference.

3-4 pounds doesn't sound like a lot until you have to swing it hard and repeatedly for the length of a battle. :D

3 to 4 pounds in your hand isn't nearly as tiring as 3 to 4 pounds, with the center of mass a couple of feet away from your hand...

*sigh* Rabbi you have not lost your touch! You STILL render the most sexy looking gals!

She looks like she's about to "Bobbet" someone though

"Your 'gun' - my sword. Any questions?"

Oh Balls!

Red: "Not for long if you keep going."

Anything that splits a skull will do. :D

In other words, a bottle of Scotch the morning after...

(speaking from experience, unfortunately.)

I can drink a lot of Scotch. I love the stuff. :D

(No joke, I went to a friend's house, took drinks of 10 different kinds of scotch, walked out without even a stumble. Just felt a little flushed ^^)

As it should be. As it should be.

I'm just saying that emptying a bottle or more of the stuff over an evening with not enough water to go with it is not a cleverest idea I have ever had...

I've never actually gotten a hangover, even after doing competitive Vodka shots with a friend, to the point where he got really sick. I guess I'm just immune.

If I remember correctly, there is something like this in Russian gene pool: an incredible tolerance to alcohol, something completely opposite to Far Asian hypersensivity to booze. Unfortunately, while the head remains relatively clear, the liver does suffer damage.

Rule #1, don't piss off a horse.
Rule #2, don't piss off a horse with a sword bigger than you.

Never argue with the little bundle of hormones.


It tends to lead to your bleeding.

>Sorry, she's not naked.

Is that even allowed around here?

It slices! It dices! Makes Julienne fries!

I have blade envy.

I prefer the hand-and-a-half or bastard sword. If you've ever gone against one, then you know what a bastard they can be.

Awesome!

Red is looking so gorgeous here. I like her expression as well.

There there Red, don't be all moody and let the Spanish stallion calm you down

The concept of my Skyrim character

Thy Longsword is the Claymore laddies.