[NR] Sword vs Spear...

[CAMERON LEWIS]

In the SCA I don't think that a spear and shield combination would be as good a
combination as it would in real life.  You gotta hit folks in the SCA hard
enough for them to first, realize they have been hit and secondly, they have to
think that the hit would have incapacitated them.  It is hard enough to get a
fighter to call a spear with just a push two handed, much less one handed.  Real
spears do not glance off of chain mail nor does it take but a scratch to put out
an eye or tear a cheek off and that can be accomplished with a good real spear
on a stout shaft that is small enough to grasp one handed.  Spartans made their
living using spear and shield as did most people at the time.  Swords in the
Greek empire were found on officers and nobility and those that killed them.
All of the swords in the museum at Athens were bronze or iron and were either
gilt or had marble hilts or pommels.  There were very few that looked like they
were of lower class or caliber.  I believe that in real life that a spear is a
much better weapon for killing than a sword is because you can put it's point
into any opening and kill or incapacitate someone but in the SCA it comes down
to how hard you can hit someone and I don't believe that the average fighter can
deliver a killing blow one handed with a spear on a consistent enough basis to
become a viable threat.
Lastly, to defend against a spear in the SCA you have to block a 2 inch wide tip
that can only kill you if it goes forward not sideways.  The average warrior
only has about a 3 to 5 foot range over the end of the spear when it is used one
handed with a shield.  A sword can be swung faster and in many different
directions that your opponent must calculate instead of going forward to your
face or forward to your leg or forward to your body or arm like a spear would
have to do.

2 cents,
Alrek
Bunny not Ducky

Ivo Blackhawk wrote:

> A question: is it possible to effectively use a spear and shield combination
> on the battlefield? The key question being can a 6 foot spear effectively be
> used one handed?
>
> Lord Jean Paul and myself just reciently had a very interesting discussion
> about the flexability and effectiveness of a spear and shield combination as
> compared to a sword and shield combination.
>
> Lord Jean paul was of the opinioun that a spear would too easyly be blocked
> or parried, and that it would be to difficult to deliver a killing force
> blow with only one hand.
>
> I, on the other hand would argue that a spear can effectively be used even
> against an extremely well defended opponent, and I know for a FACT that a 14
> foot pike pole can be used single handed with enough force to punch 1/4 inch
> plywood (though it's not easy.)
>
> The discussion stemed from Lord Ainar's lecture about vikeing weapons and
> how they were used. It seems tha the primarly weapon's combination was a
> shield (kite, round or squair) and 6 foot spear used one handed. Swords were
> used, but were expencive and comparitively rare. Numbers from my own reading
> sugest that the battle of Hastings would likely have had as many as twenty
> to thirty spears for ever sword found in the infantry.
>
> Anyway, My reason for bringing this to the list is because the discussion we
> had was very lively, and informative, and I would like to take it to the
> list because I think that it would prove interesting to see what others have
> to say. While I have never personaly fought a spear and shield combination,
> I know that others have (I remimber killing a few of you at B3K a few years
> back ;) Also, a lot of people who are die-hard spearmen will likely know how
> well you can wield a spear one handed as they are more likely to try that
> than simply walk off the field after being struck in the arm.
>
> So, anyone else have anything to contribute to the discussion, I really do
> look forward to seeing who has what to say.
>
> Lord Ivo Blackhawk
>
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