Phil Swift (HEMA) vs Wilson Humphries (Kendo)

I had an amazing time at The Rock Kendo club. It was super interesting to see similarities between Italian Longsword and Kendo! I hope you enjoy watching this as much as I enjoyed the bout with Wilson Humphries.

Longsword classes are starting in October so if you are interested feel free to send us a message!

[DoctorWhoBlue]

I was very disappointed to learn this wasn't an ad for FlexTape HEMA gear.

[Corellian]

Damn, these new For Honor updates are really looking good

[thelouster]

“Phil Swift”

That’s a lotta damage!

[names]

Nobody:
Kendo guy:
hema guy: *adjusts stance*
Edit: I think you Guy's are taking this comment to seriously I went through a stage when I was obsessed with Japanese martial art's too soo I'm quite aware why the kendo guy is shouting and as a person who practices HEMA I know why he adjust stances (to seize the space around him and look for opening's) and especially considering the kendo "guy" hold's his stances much longer then the HEMA "guy" keep in mind: "one hit you're out". So in this situation what they were doing is extremely rational and you Guy's have a taught me a lot about why he "shouts" so I'm actually very grateful to you people and am indeed respectful of you're knowledge however, I thought I needed to clarify I'm not just some guy who spends 15 hours a day online doing nothing and have actually practised HEMA for about 1 and a half years now I'm incredibly sorry if this comment caused irrational dispute and conflict and I hope you find it in you're hearts to forgive me and apologize to others you might of otherwise have offended.
My humble apology
- "some random dude who likes knights "

[jhstylewon]

Commentator Highlight Reel:
0:52 fatal stab to the face from the knight
1:02 samurai lands a hit to the hairline. If not fatal the force of the blow and the overwhelming amount of blood may debilitate the knight.
1:49 samurai redirects a strike from the knight, which opens up the knight's guard to land a strike to the right collarbone.
2:17 knight responded to the samurai's high guard by switching to the fool's guard (low guard). They clashed blades which canceled both opponents' attack momentum. Samurai chose to raise his guard to protect his head, while the knight decided to push for another attack, giving a cut to the samurai's right hand/arm.
2:47 samurai again redirects the knight's blade then landed the first blow to the head. The knight did land a hit to the head that the samurai could not have blocked. This exchange would've ended up in a double kill.

It's hard to say but it seems like the fight was a draw.

[frothbyte]

It's great to finally see a HEMA vs. Kendo video where both combatants are equally skilled and where the styles are very distinct (as compared to some videos where combatants obviously cross-train).

[Yggdraseed]

This was so cool to see! It's fascinating how both styles have some similar techniques, but also wildly different approaches. The Italian Longsword practitioner is constantly moving and adjusting his stance, trying to find a new angle of attack, whereas the kendo practitioner is waiting and watching, trying to not overextend or show his hand too soon, especially after that nice hit his opponent got on him in the first exchange!

[patriciusvunkempen]

seeing that one side has an asian symbol and the other one and octopus, i already fear the worst

[NoobPTFO]

Despite the differences, this just goes to show how much thought there is to each movement! Don’t matter if it’s western or eastern, sword fighting is just so bad ass!

[stipfedart]

I’ll be honest, I only clicked because of the name “Phil Swift” and I thought this was flex tap.

[Druid_Ignacy]

As far as such competition is hard to set up, because Kendo and HEMA have such different tournament rulesets, this is by far the best video of such sparring I ever seen ;)

[Pablo]

Much as I thought. When you have two trained and skilled practitioners it basically becomes a bit of a 50/50 proposition. More down to the skill of the fighter(s) and what happens in the moment, rather than any style.

[maeve-of-blades]

It's so nice to see a video like this that isn't some click-baity "HEMA PWNZ SAMURAI" video where the "kendoka" is just another HEMA fencer with a very basic approximation of what they think kendo looks like.

[youaresomethingstrange]

*stabs kendo guy in face*
Phil: NoW THaT's AlOt oF dAmaGe
Also Phil: *slaps flex tape on dude's forehead*

[biscuitboi]

The fact that your name is "Phil Swift" gives you a permanent lifelong damage boost

[aliddas]

My respect, I have seen several other videos where guys literally try make the Kendoka look bad and claim to be an experienced individual in Kendo. Whenever I saw them move, it was disgusting, easy to see that they hadn't even practiced at all and dare claim they are black belts.
I'm glad this time the HEMA and Kendoka are both well trained in their own styles. It was truly beautiful and magnificent.

[arbington]

They do play this background music during the fight right, that’s not just edited in? I hope they do.

[Ramash]

Can we just stop for a moment and appreciate the fact that Humphries managed to pull off a kote-kaeshi-men here ? That stuff is hard enough to pull on regular kendo shiai, where the opponent's moves are more predictable, imagine doing that against a HEMA practitioner. Kudos to both.

[unasalus]

I'm Italian and I am happy to see that something remained intact of my culture and I feel italian longsword is wonderful in its elegance and precision. That said I admit to myself I prefer the japanese style, not in effectiveness, but merely in beauty. Thr concept of not wasting and of total control has a too great fascination for me.
It is a side of the way of the warrior that we western often left unexplored.

[remingtonwright]

This just shows; there is no superior "way of the sword", only different dialects of the same language. This is merely two men having a conversation, as equals