Technique of using two weapons, one in each hand, for training or combat
Mongolian soldiers dual wielding knives during skills display
Dual wielding orMacedonian shooting[1] is the technique of using twoweapons, one in each hand, fortraining orcombat. It is not a common combat practice. Although historical records of dual wielding inwar are limited, there are numerousweapon-based martial arts that involve the use of a pair of weapons. The use of acompanion weapon is sometimes employed inEuropean martial arts and fencing, such as aparrying dagger.Miyamoto Musashi, aJapanese swordsman andronin, was said to have conceived of the idea of a particular style of swordsmanship involving the use of two swords.
In terms offirearms, especiallyhandguns, dual wielding is generally denounced by firearm enthusiasts due to its impracticality.[2] Though using two handguns at the same time confers an advantage by allowing more ready ammunition, it is rarely done due to other aspects of weapons handling.
Dual wielding, both with melee and ranged weapons, has been popularized by fictional works (film,television, andvideo games).
Dual wielding has not been used or mentioned much in military history, though it appears inweapon-based martial arts andfencing practices.[3]
Thedimachaerus was a type of Romangladiator that fought with twoswords.[4] Thus, an inscription from Lyon, France, mentions such a type of gladiator, here spelleddymacherus.[5] The dimachaeri were equipped for close-combat fighting.[6] A dimachaerus used a pair ofsiccae (curved scimitar) orgladius and used a fighting style adapted to both attack and defend with his weapons rather than a shield, as he was not equipped with one.[6][7]
The use of weapon combinations in each hand has been mentioned for close combat in western Europe during theByzantine,[8]Medieval, andRenaissance era.[9] The use of aparrying dagger such as a main gauche along with arapier is common in historical European martial arts.[10]
North American Indian tribes of the Atlantic northeast used a form involving atomahawk in the primary hand and aknife in the secondary. It is practiced today as part of the modern Cree martial artOkichitaw.
All the above-mentioned examples, involve either one long and one short weapon, or two short weapons. An example of a dual wield of two sabres is the Ukrainian cossack dancehopak.
Eskrima, the traditional martial arts of the Philippines teachesDoble Baston techniques involving the basic use of a pair ofrattan sticks and also Espada y daga or Sword/Stick and Dagger.Okinawan martial arts have a method that uses a pair ofsai.
Famed for his enormous strength,Dian Wei, a military general serving under the warlordCao Cao in the lateEastern Han dynasty of China, excelled at wielding a pair ofji (ahalberd-like weapon), each of which was said to weigh 40jin.
DuringRan Wei–Later Zhao war,Ran Min, emperor of the short-lived Ran Wei empire of China, wielded two weapons, one in each hand, and fought fiercely, inflicting many casualties on the Xianbei soldiers while mounted on the famous horse Zhu Long ("Red Dragon").
Gatka, a weapon-based martial art from thePunjab region, is known to use two sticks at a time.
The Thailand weapon-based martial artKrabi Krabong involves the use of a separateKrabi in each hand.
Kalaripayattu teaches advanced students to use either two sticks (of various sizes) or two daggers or two swords, simultaneously.
The use of a gun in each hand is often associated with theAmerican Old West, mainly due to media portrayals. It was common for people in the era to carry two guns, but not to use them at the same time, as shown in movies. The second gun served as a backup weapon, to be used only if the main one suffered a malfunction or was lost or emptied.[12]
However, there were several examples of gunmen in the West who actually used two pistols at the same time in their gunfights:
John Wesley Hardin killed a gunman named Benjamin Bradley who shot at him, by drawing both of his pistols and firing back.[13]
The Mexican vaqueroAugustine Chacon had several gunfights in which he was outnumbered by more than one gunman and prevailed by equipping himself with a revolver in each hand.[14]
King Fisher once managed to kill three bandits in a shootout by pulling both of his pistols.[15]
Jonathan R. Davis, a prospector during theCalifornia Gold Rush, was ambushed by thirteen outlaws while together with two of his comrades. One of his friends was killed and the other was mortally wounded during the ambush. Davis drew both of his revolvers and fired, killing seven of the bandits, and killing four more with his bowie knife, causing the final two to flee.[17]
MythBusters compared many firing stances, including having a gun in each hand, and found that, compared to the two-handed single-gun stance as a benchmark, only the one-handed shoulder-level stance with a single gun was comparable in terms of accuracy and speed. The ability to look down the sights of the gun was given as the main reason for this.[19] In an episode the following year, they compared holding two guns and firing simultaneously—rather than alternating left and right shots—with holding one gun in the two-handed stance, and found that the results were in favor of using two guns and firing simultaneously.[20]
^The Power of Spectacle in Ancient Rome: Gladiators and Caesars, ed. by Eckart Köhne and Cornelia Ewigleben (Berkeley and Los Angeles, 2000), p. 63.ISBN978-0-520-22798-9
^abNossov, Konstantin (2009).Gladiator: Rome's bloody spectacle. Osprey. p. 208.ISBN978-1-84603-472-5.
^Marcus Junkelmann, 'Familia Gladiatoria: "The Heroes of the Amphitheatre"' in The Power of Spectacle in Ancient Rome: Gladiators and Caesars, ed. by Eckart Köhne and Cornelia Ewigleben (Berkeley and Los Angeles, 2000), p. 63.ISBN978-0-520-22798-9
^Elcolaí, Aburrebii ibn Salim (1237).Complete treatise on the war expeditions of the chosen Prophet and the three Caliphs Arabic: الاكتفاء في مغازي المصطفى والثلاثة الخلفاء.
^Hardin, John Wesley (1896). The Life of John Wesley Hardin: As Written By Himself. Seguin, Texas: Smith & Moore. p. 20.ISBN978-0-8061-1051-6. Retrieved March 30, 2011.
^Wilson, R. Michael (2005). Legal Executions in the Western Territories, 1847-1911: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. McFarland. pp. 43-44.ISBN978-0-7864-4825-8
