Swords are one of the most beloved weapons of our fantasy worlds. Unfortunately, there are a lot of inaccurate tropes surrounding them. I’m going to explain the basics of what fiction is getting wrong about them, and not just show you what mistakes to avoid, but how to fix them. Quick disclaimer: I’m not a professional martial artist, but I enjoy this subject and have done a lot of research on it.
Also, if you’re really attached to a character and their fighting style, this might hurt a little to read (I know the feeling). But if you’re aiming to make your story as believable as possible, read on. You have my respect.
Let’s break it down.
Basic Sword Parts
Blade: We all know what this is. The sharpened plate of metal that tapers to the end.
Point: The very tip of the blade.
Edge: The cutting side of the blade. Hence the name “double-edged sword”—a sword with two sharp edges.
Fuller: You might’ve heard this as “the blood grove,” which is rather misleading. It’s the indentation down the blade where metal was removed to decrease the weight. It has nothing to do with blood, other than the fact it takes some extra cleaning to get it out.
Cross Guard/Quillons: The two arms projecting from the sword’s handle. They serve to protect your hands from the other person’s blade. Some swords include rings and/or sweeps for the same purpose. A very stylish way to add further hand protection, which makes a big difference in a duel. To maintain that purpose, avoid designing your character’s sword with spikes on this part. It’ll only hurt them as they fight.
Grip: This is the part you hold onto. Sometimes with one hand, sometimes with two, depending on the sword.
Pommel: This is the knob at the very end of the handle. Just like with the cross guard, these shouldn’t be spiky. The swordsman comes in contact with this part more than you think, in both single-handed and two-handed swords. Though spiky pommels would make a nasty blow when smashed with, 99% percent of the time the pommel is facing the user.
Hilt: This refers to the full handle, including the cross guard, grip, and pommel.
Sword Mechanics
Swords are Light: It depends on the sword, but on average they only weigh about 2-3 pounds. And a lot of that weight is distributed into the hilt. There’s a scene in the first movie of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” where Will Turner demonstrates the sword’s point of balance. The hilt was basically of equal weight to the blade. Hollywood got that right. This makes the sword easy to hold and maneuver with speed. Even really large swords, like the great sword, still maintain that point of balance. They’re usually no more than 6-7 pounds, thanks to their slender blade profile.
Yes, that means bulky swords aren’t very realistic. But that also means it’s totally valid for someone like a younger girl to wield a sword. In fact, it would probably be one of her best options. Many bows require good strength to draw, and fights with daggers tend to involve some form of wrestling.
However, don’t take this too far. Fighting is tiring enough without having to swing around an extra 2-3 pounds of metal. Your characters will be panting by the end of it. Unless they’re gods. Then you can do whatever you want.
Swords are Levers: That means they’re force multipliers. As in, you can exert a small amount of force, but still cause a terrifying amount of damage. Even small cuts are no joke. Your characters will not be tanking severe hits from a sword unless there are supernatural factors in play.
However, swords can’t cut through everything. There’s a reason thick clothing was used as a form of armor. Even that could effectively stop a good amount of sword damage for a while. So, unless your character has a magic sword, don’t show him destroying trees or boulders with it. That might mean you’ll have to think of a different way for him to storm the castle. He’s not going to be smashing those iron locks. He’s much more likely to break his sword doing that than actually damaging the things.
Swords are Finesse Weapons: You don’t use your sword to smash things. It’s not what they’re made for. They’re not hammers. They’re quick and nimble, and benefit most from a swordsman’s speed, not his strength. Though that’s not to say you can’t have strong swordsmen. Having a strong, athletic body that knows how to move is a big part of sword fighting. But swords are supposed to be light and fast, not heavy and slow. You really don’t need extra power to deal a good blow anyway. Think about how many times you’ve cut yourself with a pair of scissors, or a kitchen knife. Imagine a blade that’s at least double the size and much sharper. I think we underestimate how dangerous these things really are. They were designed for one thing only, and they do that one thing really well.
Sword Fighting
Now for some things to keep in mind while writing an actual fight. There’s so much we could cover on this, but I’m keeping it simple. I’m including a Part Two of this, so if you want more, go check out that post.
Offense & Defense: When in a fight, your sword acts as both your offense and your defense. Though it’s the tool you’re using to attack, it’s also the shield between you and your enemy. A fight involves both offending and defending moves.
This is why shields and bucklers are so useful. They’re a form of passive defense, covering a part of your body so you don’t have to actively defend that side (not nearly as much, anyway).
Range: This is basically how far your reach is from the other person. The taller you are, and the longer your weapon is, the greater your range. If it outdoes your enemy’s, then you’re at a significant advantage. It may not decide the duel, unless the margin is huge, but it really puts the odds in your favor.
Those who are shorter tend to combat this by actually getting lower to the ground. Most fighters aren’t used to watching their legs, and fighting downwards is a little more awkward.
Duration and Speed: We all love a show-stopping duel between two combatants that goes on for at least five minutes. However, they’re a little bit misleading. Fighting is much faster than that. A duel is usually over in seconds.
In movies and theater, good choreography is slowed down and extended on purpose so the audience can follow it and see the story being told. It’s one of those suspension-of-disbelief things that earns it, if well done. However, if you’re aiming for realism, shorter is more believable.
So, make it easier on yourself. Skip those long paragraphs of back-and-forth swordplay that would’ve taken hours to somehow explain. And honestly, a character that can end an enemy in seconds is really badass.
Solutions: However, if you do want to extend your character’s duel for the sake of tension, or adding that element of storytelling, but without stretching the truth too much, here are some ideas:
- A duel between two cautious fighters, with no protective gear on, would probably last a minute or so. But most of that time would be them probing at each other’s threats, not a series of flashy moves.
- Both are reluctant to kill each other. So, every time an opportunity presents itself, neither can bring themselves to take it. They just step back, stare, maybe say something. But they’re too hurt to give up the fight, so basically the board resets and they try another half-hearted exchange. Injuries still happen, but it takes much longer for your characters to get to the point.
- The terrain is being very uncooperative. One of them slips down a steep hill, slick from rain, forcing the other to chase after him (imagining him slipping too, so both are rolling helplessly down the hill). Or they’re fighting waist-deep in the ocean, and not only is it messing up their footwork, but the waves keeping pushing them around. Or sand and dust is blowing everywhere, making it impossible to see.
- One of them knows he has no chance of winning, so he keeps bailing the fight. But the other keeps charging after him. So, chase, sword exchange, chase, another sword exchange. Injuries are happening, but minor enough for this to keep going until the end finally comes. This reminds me of the fight in “The Princess Bride” between Inigo and Count Rugen. After an incredible display of Inigo’s skill, Rugen knew he was done for. Thus, like the self-respecting noble he was, he bailed. But that failed to stop the fight.
- After the first exchange, fast and skillful, the winner leaves the wounded man and walks away. But the loser gets up and manages to stab the other man in the back. Both severely wounded, they might try to fight through their pain, but it’s less coordinated and predictable.
Dual Wielding: The protagonist picks up two swords and wields them both with skill. Looks captivating, but is it possible in real life? I’ll put it bluntly: yes, but not with two full length swords. For a few reasons. It takes an incredible amount of training just to use one sword well. Learning two is a whole other commitment. Not just the skill alone, but also the extra coordination it requires. Choreography makes it look good because it’s planned and practiced in advance. You can make anything work that way. But if your character aims to win, it’s best for him to stick to the one sword in the one hand he’s confident with.
We’re not done yet, though, because there’s one other reason why it’s not the ideal choice. Using two full swords means you’re trying to use two offensive weapons. Which isn’t how duel wielding works.
Dual wielding in history was done with an offensive weapon in one hand, and a defensive weapon in the other. Some of the most effective combinations include sword and shield, ax and shield, sword and buckler, and sword and dagger. You can even do some unconventional combinations if your character is forced to improvise. Just make sure your combination has some practicality to it, and there’s a reason your character wants to dual wield. Some ideas include sword and cane, sword and scabbard, sword and pistol (if it’s empty), even sword and cloak. Imagine how distracting it would be to have a wave of fabric being thrown at your face while trying to fight, or getting caught up on your sword.
Reverse Grip: Couldn’t leave without addressing this. Is it maritally valid? No. Does it look exceptionally badass? Yes. But should your character do it? If you’re aiming to be realistic, no. It just compromises too many things for it to be useful. Leverage, range of motion, distance, maneuverability, etc. I know, so many awesome characters in fiction are given this fighting style. But remember, they remain cool despite this.
Solutions: However, I won’t leave without telling you some of the ways you can use reverse grip.
- The only weapon that still works in reverse grip is a dagger. Because of its small size, the leverage issues go away. And it’s already meant for up-close fighting. It’s still better to use it in forward grip, but say your character snagged it off the ground with no time to think about it. Or pulled it out that way while his other hand was occupied.
- Holding a sword in reverse grip is great if you need something to lean on after a long battle.
- Your character can run or embrace a friend with the sword in reverse grip to keep the blade out of the way. Say he had no time to slip it away before his relieved and exhausted friend came up to hug him.
Acrobatics: Spins, flips, and dodge rolls, we can agree, all look cool. Unfortunately, they’re only possible in choreography. And the real reason for that is speed. It takes more time to make a full rotation, whatever it is, than for the other person to swing their sword. The enemy would slash at your character before he’s halfway through his move.
Now, that certainly doesn’t mean you have to eliminate acrobatics from your character’s skill set. They’re just not something he should be doing in 1v1 swordplay.
Solutions: Because they’re so badass, and it hurts to not include them, here you go:
- Spinning might actually be plausible if your character is up against multiple enemies. Especially if he’s wielding a great sword, which was designed for crowd control. Spinning it around, or going from person to person, keeps his sword between him and the enemy. Though I can see the enemy exploiting a weak point somewhere, or someone charging in to take the hit, it’s much more valid than a random spin in a duel. (I talk a little more about outnumbered fighting below.)
- I’ve watched some real fencers, and have noticed that cool moves still happen. They’re not actual, practiced techniques, but more like flukes that managed to work in those scenarios. Fighting, especially in real life situations, is messy. It’s an act of survival and self defense; it’s not predictable. So sometimes weird, cool stuff happens, and it works.
- There’s also such a thing as “styling on your opponent.” Meaning, you do something impractical on purpose to demonstrate your skill and stick at your opponent’s idiocy. So, if your character is up against an idiot, that can be a great way to add in those shenanigans. Just make sure it aligns with his character. A quiet swordsman would be much more interested in getting the job done, rather than showing off. But if he’s a goofball of a fighter (how fun that would be), then feel free to have him pull off insane tricks and laughing the whole time he’s doing them.
Multiple Opponents: Because one bad guy isn’t enough to mess up your character’s world. We often get choreographed scenes where the protagonist singlehandedly takes down multiple enemies. Sometimes with no injuries. But there’s one issue with this, and that’s… the bad guys take their turns? If only that was so. But let’s be honest, they’re not saints enough to do that.
Solution: There’s actually a really simple way around this—funnel them. As in, force them to have no choice but to go one at a time. Which will simultaneously showcase your character’s use of strategy. Have him on purposely run into a narrow hall so his enemy has to line up inside it. Or up the stairway of a tower. Behind a slim archway in the rock formation. Through the side door of a castle. As long as there are no arrows involved, the enemy is stuck playing his game. A good example of this is seen in the “Lord of the Rings.” When Aragorn lets Frodo go with the ring, and is faced with a horde of Uruk-hai, he soon gets atop the ruins to force them to come up the stairs mostly one at a time. It’s a short moment, and he probably only survived because his friends came in to help. But that was a good use of tact on his part.
Daggers: Though it’s really cool to see characters take down enemies with weapons twice the size of their one dagger, it’s not very realistic. Almost any other weapon is longer than a dagger, thus has more reach. Even if your character is really fast, he still has to outrun a very simple cut or stab. Which is highly unlikely, unless it’s a super power of his.
Solutions: However, if your protagonist has nothing but a dagger, there are a couple ways he can win against those odds.
- An ambush attack. If his enemy has no clue he’s in a fight, then range doesn’t even matter.
- He has no self-preservation skills. Whether as a dangerous trait, or an act of desperation, he just dives in and doesn’t care. He’ll probably die trying, or at least become gravely wounded.
- Or he has an absolute klutz of an opponent. Like, his opponent is drunk, or clueless in a sword fight.
Sound of Swords: There are two sounds we tend to associate with swords. The “shing” every time they’re drawn, and the “ring” any time they’re clashed. Neither actually occur in real life. Drawing a sword from a scabbard is very quiet. You barely hear it at all. If your sword does make a “shing” noise when drawn, that means it’s rubbing against metal, and that will damage it. It’s the same reason you never want to drag your sword on the ground. It will dull the blade, which is terrible to have in a fight.
Blunt training swords do actually have that sweet ring to them when clashed together, due to their rounded edges. Which is probably where the myth came from. In reality, though swords make more of a “clunk” or “thud” sound when hit together. There might be a slight ring at the end, depending on the sword, but not much. If you’ve ever read old texts, and they describe the clashing of swords as thunder, that’s why.
Solution: There’s really no solution for this if you want to be realistic. However, it’s not all bad, and here a couple reasons why:
- A quietly drawn sword means that your character won’t get caught if they’re trying to hide or sneak attack.
- Your character can compare the sound of their training sword to the sound of their sharp sword. The sweet ringing reminds them of their training environment vs the harsh thunder on the battlefield. Nothing is glorious about war.
- You’ll sound very original describing it that way in your books.
Conclusion
This is not a master list by any means, but now you have the basics of what swords can and can’t do. Now go write that fight scene of yours with confidence. And if you have something more to share about this, drop it in the comments! If you want to learn more about this, go check out Part 2.