Actually, no. There are scabbards that go over the back. But. The idea was solely for carrying them; if you had to unsheath, you ducked out of the strapping or released the buckle and let the sheath slide off as it cleared your body. The one-handed-over-the-shoulder pull was a trick, like the pulling-the-Colt .45-and-spinning-it-on-your-finger stuff is. Showboating.