Board Thread:Off Topic/@comment-24993958-20160721222431/@comment-26397825-20160813061341

Okay. The only way you can actually get away with a back sheathed sword is one of these three options:

1. The sword is curved, like a katana.

2. The sheath is what they call a half-sheath, where only the tip of the blade is actually sheathed and the handle is clipped in place by a strap.

3. You utilise the amazing invention RWBY came up with called a magnetic sheath, and the sword is held in place by magnetisation, with no sheath.

If you try to put a standard great sword in a standard sheath on your back, it won't work because your arm does not extend long enough to actually draw it. A sheath forces the blade to be drawn straight from it, which means the blade has to go straight up above the head. A person's arm simply isn't long enough to do it, especially not with any sort of efficiency.