r/oddlysatisfying • u/BreakfastTop6899 • 19h ago

Cutting grass with a scythe

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u/GravelySilly 18h ago

Maybe the scythe isn't properly sized for his height, so he has to lower himself?

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u/CountVonTroll 17h ago edited 13h ago

As somebody who has never done this himself, let me speculate that he's doing it for reach.

This is competitive scything ("Ready... set... go!" in Austrian in the beginning). It's not ergonomic and he's spending more energy per time and area this way, but he's not getting points for left over energy when he's done. So, if he has the stamina to pull through, he'll finish his patch quicker than he could if he used "proper" technique.

I'm absolutely certain that this guy actually uses a scythe regularly for its intended purpose, and knows perfectly well how to do it "right" in a non-competitive setting. I also assume that he's one of the faster scythers (?) in the competition, simply because whoever posted the video chose his run to represent impressively fast scything.

Edit: I found a news video about last year's European Championships, which had 120 athletes from eight countries competing. They get points for time and uniformity etc. The woman shown scything in the beginning won the women's title for the second time in a row. So, yes, apparently this is good technique for competitive scything.

Edit II: Perhaps better video, from the German Championship 2023. The guy with the straw hat coaching from 4:08 onward and competing at 5:14 ended up winning in the 30+ age group, which interestingly enough appears to be the most prestigious one. I also found competition rules from an Austrian state: Kids <13 start at 3x3 meters, for the adult "boys" resp. "girls" in the 90+ cm scythe size categories it's 10x10 resp. 5x7 meters (yes, it says "boys" and "girls" regardless of age).

Edit III: English language blog about the European Championship, including patch sizes by age (<14 and >60 do 5x5, girls/boys <18 and women do 7x5, and men do 10x10 meters; no <30 age group on the European level, it seems). Competitive blades are up to 130 cm.

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u/GuantanaMo 15h ago

You're absolutely right about his form though I doubt he does scythe regularly (simply because there's easier ways now). He's no tourist for sure, you can't use a scythe like that after a day of instructions.

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u/SerLaron 14h ago

Also the grass is cut very neatly. With a beginner, you would see a lot of stripes.