Breaking Shafts

In movies, our heroes get a shield full of arrows and simply snap the shafts off with the flick of a wrist. Looks great. But is it even possible for an average Joe like me? I am no Spartan, but lets find out!!!

[tods_workshop]

Hi All, Sorry I really should have made it clear that this was a film effectively about the Hundred Years War era and is a continuation of all my testing, so I used Leonadis as a well known Hollywood example, but I am talking about 12mm or 1/2" ash shafts not reed shafts - apologies I should have explained this. So this vid is supposed to represent if a knight could clear his shield of arrows circa 1400.

Many of the comments are directed at  "roll on the ground or stamp on it", or "get a friend to cut them away" or "strike harder". They are all true at some level. However a knight stood and fought and rolling or kneeling down was not an option and nor was turning to cut a friends arrows away and exposing the weaker parts of the armour.

As regards whether I could strike harder, I am no trained warrior nor immensely strong, but I do a physical job and am no weed and I was a very long way from being able to do this easily and the truth is that the motions required are very awkward and do not allow the strength I do have to be utilised efficiently.

[MikixD]

I failed to recreate leonidas with three sporting arrows. Who would guess that things designed to be sturdy are... well... sturdy

[aleclahti]

Now all I can imagine is a spartan smacking his shield in the heat of battle and saying "ow... ow... ow... oh, ow"

[DepressivesBrot]

Ah, finally we have found a use for ridiculously serrated fantasy swords: Sawing off arrow shafts!

[crustman]

This is not an accurate test.

1 not wearing a shirt
2 camera angle wasn’t low enough
3 you didn’t yell

All three are necessary to test

[NetTopsey]

I have to say, that hammer really is a beauty!

[PieterBreda]

That is because you weren't half naked as Leonidas. He scared thr shafts into bloody submission.

[TurinTuramber]

So carry an hatchet just in case.

*Inventory is full, reduced movement*

[MajorButtons]

a thought occurs: we hear about shieldbearers in historical records and even in biblical passages like King David's shield bearer. nobody could agree on what a shieldbearer actually did, and most just assume they carried a guy's shield for him. but what if a shield bearer's job wasn't to simply carry one shield, but to carry a guy's extra shields so when one got rendered useless from damage or stuck missiles he would just fall back and swap his NFG shield for a fresh one? this seems to be supported somewhat in viking dueling codes where each fighter was allowed three shields for the fight.

[themomaw]

Possibly the hardest part is not chopping the arrow shafts, but rather, convincing the enemy's archers to stop shooting at you long enough that you can safely lower your shield and make the attempt.

[ScottyAlmondjoy]

Tool of choice for cutting wood is an axe? Who would have thought?

[BlameTheController]

You should test to see if a second fighter could cut them off for you with their sword,

[JaleaWard]

As an archer, knowing how arrows get broken, I'd bend them until they snap, possibly using the ground. Not perfect, but it'd get a lot off the length off. :)

[bitbytes]

This was a horrible demonstration, scientifically speaking. The first and most obvious flaw of this experiment is you're not a descendant of Hercules like Leonidas was. I won't go further, this is enough to represent your incompetence.

[enezjaniw]

Perplexed archer 'What is he doing?'
'I think he's chopping up his shield for us!'

[MikixD]

Ah yes, my weekly dose of a guy smashing his shaft with a hammer

[sbvera]

So the tool of choice for cutting wood is a wood cutting tool?

Who knew.

[Muritaipet]

That was one of the best tests you've ever done!! It really tested a trope we've all seen and never thought about. Well done sir!

[OldWulf]

Just a few points. With a medieval wooden shield and the diameter of European arrow shafts it was more common for knights to run their shield across a wall or tree to snap the arrows off. In ancient Greece they used bronze sheilds so the arrows didn't set as deep and Persian arrow shafts were significantly smaller in diameter and easier to snap with a spear shaft on a combination down swipe spear and up swing on the shield.

[directrulefromgamerchair]

>not enough metal music
>not enough dramatic lighting
>everything is like 1500 years too advanced
>no slow motion