Often, sheaths and scabbards slightly press against the blade, so you may need to hold onto the sheath with the left hand when you draw with the right. Easy, right? Just make sure to keep your shoulder down. Lifting up with the shoulder as you draw makes the subsequent movement ungainly. Think of drawing forward toward your partner or across your body instead of up.
Aim to complete the draw within a single beat—assertive, but never rushed. Rehearse with your partner counting a steady ‘one-two’: the blade should clear the sheath on ‘one,’ and the transition to readiness or re-sheathing begins on ‘two.’
This rhythm isn’t just aesthetic—it maintains the illusion of readiness without dragging focus from the scene. A draw that lingers can upstage dialogue or telegraph intention too early; a rushed draw risks clumsiness or confusion.
Equally important: your partner must fill that beat with intention. Whether through a line, a look, or a shift in stance, the moment should feel motivated and alive. Their presence justifies the rhythm of your action, giving the draw purpose rather than pause.
What really gives a lot of actors a problem is sheathing the weapon. The action stops while the actor stares down at the scabbard opening and tries to poke at it with the sword tip until it finally finds its mark. Sometimes they slowly chase the scabbard opening, turning in a counterclockwise circle much like a puppy chasing its tail. There is an easier way.
Grab the top of the scabbard with the left hand and let the web of the hand [the part between the thumb and index finger] ride high, just above the opening. Lay the flat of the blade against the thumb and draw the sword up and across the body until the tip simply pops right into the scabbard opening. If the blade is curved, you’ll need to then give the sword a half twist so that it aligns with the curve of the scabbard. From there simply allow the sword to slide all the way in. With very little practice actors can sheath their swords without even looking at what they are doing, which not only maintains the flow of the scene but also looks really cool.
[Practitioners of iaido, the Japanese art of drawing and attacking with the samurai sword, practice this sheathing endlessly. As they work with “live” fully sharpened blades, and do not use gloves, most have sliced their thumbs or fingers at least once. Be glad that all stage weapons are dull.]
Holding the weapon
I’m going to remind you again here to use gloves, and not only to prevent injury. There are times during a sword fight when part of the hilt can pinch the flesh of the palm. Not enough to cause damage or even appreciable pain, but just enough to cause the perfectly normal reaction of instantly releasing your grip. Dropping your sword in the middle of a fight is embarrassing, and the simple use of gloves completely prevents that eventuality. The accompanying photographs show the hands ungloved, but only so that you can easily see the finger placement. For stage combat, use gloves.
There are several basic grips in stage combat, depending on what kind of sword is held. The weapon dictates the grip, the grip dictates the fight. But no matter which grip is used, one must keep the hand relaxed. There is an old saying regarding holding the sword that compares it to grasping a small bird. You want enough strength in the grasp so that the bird cannot escape, but not enough so that the bird is harmed. And the hand is always kept as close to the guard as possible to maximize your control of the blade.
Hammer grip French grip Rapier grip (tighter grasp for cut) Italian grip
The simplest grip is the hammer grip, obviously used for the heavier weapons such as the broadsword or heavy sabre. But even this is not a death grip, for the hand must constantly grasp and release, tighten and relax, allowing the handle to move slightly in the palm as you fight. If you don’t, the sword will unrealistically always stay at 90 degrees to the forearm, which limits your reach.
For longer weapons, a two-handed grip is necessary. It is helpful to give each hand a separate function: the left hand actually lifting and lowering the sword, and the right hand primarily guiding it to its target. [Note: Unlike the European broadsword, the Japanese katana was held with the pommel secured inside the grip of the pinky finger of the trailing hand].
The French grip is the one used for light dueling swords as well as for Olympic sport fencing. The handle rests diagonally across the palm as the fingers gently close around handle. [When you grab a small flag that’s on a stick and wave it, or when you grab and flair a small fan, you are using a French grip.] Most of the tension to hold the sword is in the thumb and first finger, the others supporting the weight and directing the point as needed. When the sword is pointed at the opponent and the hand is in supination (palm up) tightening the little finger will make the tip jump up to the high line of attack. Relaxing the little finger allows the tip to point to a low line of attack. Neither forearm not wrist movement is necessary to raise and lower the tip if that little finger is kept active.
The most common grasp for stage is the rapier grip, which is very similar to the French grip except that the first finger hooks around the quillon. This allows the hand to get much closer to the center of balance of the sword, and the first finger can control the movement of the blade far better than with either the French or hammer grips. (Even broadswords were sometimes wielded with the rapier grip (long before the rapier was invented, although it certainly put the hooked forefinger at a great risk of being lopped off!) Because of the variety of motions required for rapier fighting, the grasp cannot be locked into one position but must be very lively and constantly shifting.
Almost unseen these days is a variant of a sport fencing grasp called the Italian grip. In this grip, not just the forefinger but the middle finger as well hook over the cross guard. In this style, the blade passes between the first and middle finger. It is not nearly as strong as the rapier grip, but it does put the handle in-line with the forearm, giving greater tip accuracy during thrusts and more control during difficult pronated parries. Not a useful grip at all for stage combat, since cutting motions with this grasp are very weak.
No matter what the sword, cutting motions and strong blocks will feel more comfortable with the hammer grip, while finesse tip-work, thrusts, and deflective parries require the French or Rapier. Always relax the hand so that the sword can move freely between the various grasps as you need to employ them.