Jaime's odds of becoming a great swordsman again.

[Winterfell Resident]

I guess it would depend on how FLEXIBLE the golden hand was made for Jaimie.

If the golden hand allows Jaimie to pick up objects as easily when he had his old hand then he should be able to get back close to

where he used to be physically.

However, mentally is another issue.

Jaimie may encounter doubts in his ability to fight against an opponent because of the damage that was done to his hand.

I believe this will play heavily on his confidence level when he is in a battle.

He may become great. But, it will be a long time before he gets there.

[The Fresh PtwP]

Well he did say in a year with hard practice he'd be as good as Peck, and that's actually pretty skilled if younconsider the two knights he killed in combat and the other two he captured

I actaully thought this was very telling. When we first hear the quote we think "pffft in a year he'll be as good as a squire?!?! he's finished!" then we learn that Peck is kinda a beast add that to the unknown skill of Payne and maybe Jaime is alot better than we think already.

[Minstral]

If he lives yes. Halfhand was introduced like the chapter before Jaime lost his hand. I think there was a reason for it.

Qhorin was introduced in ACOK and Jaime was dismembered in ASOS. Either way, the Halfhand lost three of his fingers on his right while maintaining his more the forefinger and the thumb,enabling him to maintain a grip on a sword and other weapons. He may have even been left handed originally and the severing of his fingers allowed him to adopt his sword style effectively. Jaime can spill his whine nicely, so the examples are not the same.

[A Man Has Said]

Realistically? Yes, probably. But thematically I'd say no. He's just not "that guy" anymore.

May be but I do not think that is really intented. Clearly GRRM wanted to show that with his hand cut off he is a changed man. With that I believe there will not be any occasion for him to actually draw a sword.

No. Jamie's not gonna be a good swordsman ever again. That's the whole point.

Sorry, I like him too, but no.

Agree with this approach. Whether or not you think it's possible through training, it doesn't fit the narrative arc for the character. He lost his hand for a specific literary reason; so that we get to see what that does to change his character.

[Sansa_Stark]

Jaime isn't going to be any good anymore.

[CosimaistheHottest]

He's gonna be dead soon so no.

[Señor de la Tormenta]

If he lives yes. Halfhand was introduced like the chapter before Jaime lost his hand. I think there was a reason for it.

As Bywater and Noye...hints that you can be a decent fighter even with one hand.

[IRON BANK]

The whole reason Jaime lost his hand was for character development. I do not see him being as good with one hand, However he will be better than average. This will make him when confronted with enemies to either seek help, furthering relationships with in the story. Or will also force him to use his intellect while in combat this will lead to some interesting reading.

[Julian Rayne]

I was wondering if they could attach some sort of gimbal arrangement to his wrist, so he could use a modified great sword. In place of a hilt, that sword would have a protrusion that screwed into the gimbol, and the diametrically opposite point of the gimbol would have the lower half of a greatsword hilt for his left hand.

I bet Tyrion could design it.

[Ser Lepus]

He could probably become decent pretty fast, since he was such a great swordman before. And with time, he could even become good, but not a champion.

The Jamie from before having his had chopped was the product of 24 years doing nothing but training (assuming he started his training at 9-10, like most knights. Jamie, at 34, is a middle aged man, and the westerosi age faster than us. Twenty years in the future from now he will be an old man by westerosi standards, he has no time to become as strong as he was.

[ugashep]

Just because Jaime lost his hand "for a reason", i.e. to make him more humble, gain new perspective, etc., I do not see why that would preclude Jaime from becoming a great swordsman again. This time he would just be a great swordsman who appreciates with great power comes great responsibility, totally different from Jaime at the beginning of the series.

As others have noted the Halfhand isn't the only maimed person we see aquitting themselves well on the battlefield during the series either (Bywater, Noye). I had always assumed there was no way Jaime could become great again, I now think that is incorrect, he certainly can, the Halfhand provides precedent, whether he will or not, we'll see.

[krtmd]

JMO, but I think Jaime ending up like the Halfhand was the idea, and would have made more sense with the time jump GRRM originally planned. Maybe not better than he had been, since Jaime was one of the best swordsmen in Westeros -- but recovered enough to be formidable.

I'm not sure we'll see him recover enough of his skill before the series ends, depending on the in-universe time involved. But I agree that it's possible and the Halfhand is precedent.

[Fire and Blood!]

Realistically he can never be as effective a warrior as he was, even if Vargo had decided to cut off his left hand it would have still hindered him greatly. Anyone who has ever trained medieval fencing would know that even when using a one-handed sword you don't fight with the other hand tied behind your back, you use it for carrying a shield, grabbing your opponent's hand or even simply for balance and I won't even get on his inability to use two-handed swords ore pole-arms(lance of horseback excluded). In a real battle(especially one between two armies) all these things can be crucial. So realistically while he can train himself to be a decent fighter with his left hand he can never reach his former prowess as a warrior. We are talking however about a work of fiction so if George wills it he can make him to be even better than before.

[Señor de la Tormenta]

I feel this is just bad writing. An awsome swordsman as he was despicted to be, would have trained to fight with two swords. Or any kind of two weapons. And also able to use any of his two hands to use the sword in case of need in battle or any random combat situation.

Also, why cant he fight with a long sword anyway? The ones so big that you got to hold them with two hands?

Bad writing really. Payne beating his ass is like saying Ill would kick Rafa Nadal ass if he plays me with his right hand.

[Fire and Blood!]

I feel this is just bad writing. An awsome swordsman as he was despicted to be, would have trained to fight with two swords. Or any kind of two weapons. And also able to use any of his two hands to use the sword in case of need in battle or any random combat situation.

Also, why cant he fight with a long sword anyway? The ones so big that you got to hold them with two hands?

Bad writing really. Payne beating his ass is like saying Ill would kick Rafa Nadal ass if he plays me with his right hand.

I wouldn't call it bad writing most of the people I know are not as good with their off hand and few spend much(or any) time practicing with it. Personally I never made any great effort to train with my left hand.

As for the two-handed sword I meant he cant use one now that he lost a hand. Such a sword is simply too heavy to be effectively wielded with one hand(unless you are Gregor Clegane but even in-universe it is regarded as somewhat unnatural).

Ilyn Payne is not a random peasant however, he was captain of guard for Tywin Lannister so I find nothing surprising in him beating the crippled Jaime.

[Señor de la Tormenta]

I wouldn't call it bad writing most of the people I know are not as good with their off hand and few spend much(or any) time practicing with it. Personally I never made any great effort to train with my left hand.

As for the two-handed sword I meant he cant use one now that he lost a hand. Such a sword is simply too heavy to be effectively wielded with one hand(unless you are Gregor Clegane but even in-universe it is regarded as somewhat unnatural).

Ilyn Payne is not a random peasant however, he was captain of guard for Tywin Lannister so I find nothing surprising in him beating the crippled Jaime.

Jaime thinks of himself as one of the five "strongest" men in the realm. He just put above himself greatjon, the cleganes and crackhall. And bob, the white bull and Dayne, but they are all dead.

[Miryana]

I suppose there's some in-world logic that would justify it (Halfhand, etc), but it would be superheroish and not in the style of ASOIAF's gritty fantasy, and it would mean that the little bit of poetic justice Jaime endured for crippling Bran would be taken away. The loss of his hand hasn't even gotten Jaime to feel empathy for Bran or the other innocents he's hurt. If he got his fighting skill back too (and he's already lucky in comparison to Bran, getting to keep his legs, his ability to father children, his home, his title, the army that guards him while he goes about the Riverlands spitting on honour and justice as he promotes Lannister/Frey/Bolton interests...), that would be one hell of a Karma Houdini.

[mormont]

I feel this is just bad writing. An awsome swordsman as he was despicted to be, would have trained to fight with two swords.

Why would he do that? Hardly anyone in Westeros fights in that style, and certainly not knights. It's not a knightly form of combat: it's more something a bravo would do. I wouldn't expect Jaime to train with two swords any more than I would expect Syrio Forel to train at jousting.

Also, why cant he fight with a long sword anyway? The ones so big that you got to hold them with two hands?

Because he doesn't have two hands?

It's not just about weight - it's about the length of the blade and more importantly, the grip. Gregor can do it, not just because he's strong, but because he's freakishly tall too. Jaime isn't.

In any case, even if Jaime could fight with a two-handed or hand-and-a-half sword in his off-hand - how does this differ from fighting with a one-handed sword in his off-hand? I don't even see the point here.

Bad writing really. Payne beating his ass is like saying Ill would kick Rafa Nadal ass if he plays me with his right hand.

Not at all.

Fighting is no different than anything else. Handedness varies in degree between people, and even between tasks. I, for example, can comfortably use a sword in either hand but can't write a word with my left. Jaime, it appears, is simply very right-handed when it comes to sword use. He's learning to use his left (which, by the way, is not a simple task - he has to reverse all of his footwork and body movements too, training that is ingrained in him from an early age and now has to be unlearned) but he won't ever be the prodigy he was with his right.

[Jon Dovahkiin Snow]

If he lives yes. Halfhand was introduced like the chapter before Jaime lost his hand. I think there was a reason for it.

I'm pretty sure Halfhand is introduced the book before Jaime gets maimed, not the chapter before.

Either way, I could see Jaime ending up at the Wall for some reason. To fully restore his honor or something. The next Halfhand and Lord Commander come Spring.

Jaime has a gift for swordfighting. Wayne Gretzky wouldn't have been The Great One if he switched to a right handed stick halfway through his career, but the gift would still be there. Jaime will hold his own, I think.

And if he doesn't end up at The Wall, Brienne and him will make a deadly team.

[Sleeve of Wizard]

First of all, Jaime has money. Let's face facts, even in our modern world those who can afford it will push the limits of technology to improve prosthetics, sometimes even eclipsing the "human" limit e.g. Oscar Pistorias.

So, I think it's safe to assume that questions of proper swords or harnesses, etc. are not relevant because as a Lannister he could pay for whatever was necessary.

He could actually become more formidable. If he lives... :devil:

Personally, I would love to see something ala Ash in the Evil Dead series.