Help Me With My Battle Axe Style

[Thesemindz]

So the other day I was in a flea market when I spotted a battle axe. It isn't much, just a plain dowel rod with a broad flat head on one side and a pointed head on the other. It's about three feet long. It's clearly something cheap and ornamental that someone made in their woodshop, but it was also only four bucks so I bought it and brought it home to play with. I wanted to ask you guys if you had any tips for training with a battle axe. Videos? Books? Drills or activities? I've been working with it for a few days and I'm having a good time. It's a different method of execution from many of the other weapons I've worked with. I thought some of you guys who do western martial arts might have some suggestions on what to work on.

Thanks!


-Rob

 

[Sukerkin]

Have a look at this somewhat superficial video. It might be edu-tainment but a starting point at least:

[yt]zhRCNLMzUMY[/yt]

 

[Sukerkin]

It's in three parts but if you watch them with YouTube's auto run switched one then each one is loaded as the last one finishes. It's not bad altho' the 'history' bit at the end is more than a little lacking, giving the wrong impression as to why the Norman's won at Hastings. The generally accepted pivotal point was that Harold's son was over eager when the Norman's retreated and chased after them, allowing a significant number of Saxon troops to be defeated in detail as the Norman's were rallied from their near-rout.

 

[kegage]

I can try. Axes were generally used in three ways. Two handed, Single handed with a shield, and thrown. Since the shaft you describe is too long to be used single handed, and it is obviously not a throwing axe, I will concentrate on the two handed style.
Battle Axes are generally a difficult weapon to learn to use because the balance. All of the weight is in the head of the axe. It is both a cutting weapon and a crushing mass weapon. Since you have been playing around with it you probably have realized that short, snap-like strikes, the kind you can make with a sword, are difficult to do with any degree of finesse or form. The physical nature of the axe lends it to wide sweeping and committed blows. If you have ever chopped wood with an axe, those are exactly the type of blows one has to use in combat.

I am not going to get into methods of offense and defense. That will take many more posts. Just the bare bones basics.

Holding the Axe: Generally it the same as chopping wood. You start with your hands relatively wide apart. One hand at the end of the handle, and the other about half way up the shaft. Like in other weapons forms the grip should be light not tight.

Stance: A little wider than in most forms to compensate for the off balance nature of the weapon, and the type of blow necessary because of it.

Throwing a blow: Again, almost the same as chopping wood. Important point- All blows should start from the center (chest) area of your body. I am going to describe a simple blow to the side of the opponent. Almost all of the other types of blow are similar to this basic blow.
Hold the axe in front of your chest and slightly away from your body with the head of the axe up. You begin the blow by moving your arms slightly back above your shoulders. As you start to swing the axe forward, using both arms, rotate the axe so you are guiding the head towards the side of your target. Also, as the axe begins to move forward, slide your upper hand down the shaft slightly to increase the momentum of the head, but not so much as to lose control of the axe, or to throw yourself off balance.

That’s the best I can do in a relatively short post. Here’s is a link to a video that might help a little.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhZ3dA4diZA&playnext=1&list=PLDFACADC5A9AD2F2F

Hope this helps.

Kevin

 

[Sukerkin]

As an aside, this is a very nice site for starting to look at the Battle of Hastings:

http://www.battle1066.com/

The author himself notes that there are some things he states that are disputed details of the historical record, which is nicely honest of him and the site is well presented to give a springboard for further research.http://www.battle1066.com/

 

[kegage]

Have a look at this somewhat superficial video. It might be edu-tainment but a starting point at least:

Resist! Resist! I can resist detailed commentary. Suffice to say, in the last two senerios where he attacked the guy with the shield, if he had been against a trained warrior, who was not afraid to retaliate, he would have been dead several times over. The training stuff is bogus, however the historical stuff is good.

Kevin

 

[Big Don]

Lesson one: Hit the other guy, hard
Lesson two: repeat

I had one of Cold Steel's Bad Axes. It looked cool on the wall

 

[Thesemindz]

I can try...Hope this helps.

Kevin

Dude! Thanks so much for the information! I'll try to post a video of me working with the weapon some time soon. It's definitely a different way of fighting. I'm really enjoying it.


-Rob

 

[kegage]

Glad to do it. Two handed axe is one of my favorite fighting styles. Of course, if you haven’t already figured it out, the video I posted is the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronisms). I see you are in Springfield, MO. There is a local group there. They’re called the Shire of Oakhart. Their website is: http://www.oakheart.org/ . The SCA is a non-profit educational organization.
You might want to contact them. We love helping people out like this. I will be happy to provide whatever help I can, but they should be able to give you some direct hands on information, and should be happy to do it. After all, there is only so much understanding that can be properly related, and learned, for stuff like this on-line.

Let me know if you are going to contact them, and I will send a letter of introduction to the group so you will have an in before you get there.

Kevin

 

[Thesemindz]

I made a video of me doing some work with the battle axe. It's pretty rough, I've only had about a half dozen training sessions with it, but I'm having a good time.

I'm sure you guys have some suggestions. Thanks for watching.


-Rob

 

[Jenna]

The Carpathian Mountain axe was a cultural part of fighting in my family preceding my grandparents' era. There is interest in the weapon and similar recently (

, and, http://www.myspace.com/video/guildofrighteousbrigands/axe-clip-revised/32792237 etc.). There is plenty dotted around in hidden corners and but you may glean something to spark further interest or to add to your kata which is looking accomplished and tidy, Jenna

 

[chinto]

Go find a local SCA shire. ( SCA= Society for creative anachronism ) unfortunantly in the last 10 years or so they have gotten very much more bureaucratic about some stuff, but they have people who will show you how to use such a weapon well.

 

[kegage]

Go find a local SCA shire. ( SCA= Society for creative anachronism ) unfortunantly in the last 10 years or so they have gotten very much more bureaucratic about some stuff, but they have people who will show you how to use such a weapon well.

Yes they have, but it mostly has to do with, our insurance companies, and forestalling modern legal hooha. Even with that the SCA is now allowing more martial arts oriented stuff than it has in it's entire history. The most recent examples are Steel Weapons Cut And Thrust and Jousting.
I have provided the information he needs to contact his local group.

Kevin