Ethiopian Shotel or Gurade to share

werecow · 21st October 2022, 04:45 PM

It's not the most nimble sword I own, but the shotel has a sturdy tip and is quite sharp on both sides, and (as a total amateur) I think very capable of doing damage. From what I understand they were used with shields (so probably not much blocking with the blade; hence no guard needed) and the curvature allows one to stab around the shield while the belly of it is excellent for draw cuts.

Here's a couple of guys sparring with trainer shotels:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BQyoCEd0SE

And with the curve forward:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUVVj2OWnHQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lALvrVLIPmE

And a flow exercise with an antique one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-8MKbuLlmY

The pommel flare has a similar effect to the disc pommel of a tulwar and kind of forces you into a hammerfisted grip.

21st October 2022, 04:45 PM	#1
werecow Member Join Date: Sep 2021 Location: Leiden, NL Posts: 553	It's not the most nimble sword I own, but the shotel has a sturdy tip and is quite sharp on both sides, and (as a total amateur) I think very capable of doing damage. From what I understand they were used with shields (so probably not much blocking with the blade; hence no guard needed) and the curvature allows one to stab around the shield while the belly of it is excellent for draw cuts. Here's a couple of guys sparring with trainer shotels: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BQyoCEd0SE And with the curve forward: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUVVj2OWnHQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lALvrVLIPmE And a flow exercise with an antique one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-8MKbuLlmY The pommel flare has a similar effect to the disc pommel of a tulwar and kind of forces you into a hammerfisted grip. Last edited by werecow; 21st October 2022 at 04:56 PM.