Spear Tips Gleaming
Sunday,
May 11, 2014
Considerable
discipline, cohesion, and confidence were critical to Close Order Combat,
particularly in Close Combat. Teamwork was required in both rank (left and right)
and file (front and back). Files were
organized like a batting order with battle drill to coordinate defense and
attack from the enemy. This is why so
many units were drawn from the same home towns including the specialists and
mercenaries.
Templar
Shield wall against another’s armed the same way.
4
Getting
too close prevents the front rank from using their weapons effectively, and has
often led to butchery as on Senlac Hill, 1066.
As
orderly as I have rendered these images, the reality of disorder outranks order
every time. In the Medieval close order
formations, crowding was a potentially lethal mix, given the contagion of a
Startle Response.
The
top/bottom views show how important a 45 degree stance is to allow full range
of motion for the arm with the weapon while covering the soldier on the left or
shield side. In addition, the lead
ranks did not blindly stab upon each other, but had the same kind of moves
found on a basketball court, football field or pitch, or golf.
The
same kind of body mechanics in battle are the same as in competitive
sports. As a matter of fact, games which
replicate the same body mechanics began to appear as they disappeared from the
battlefield. This includes running,
blocking, hitting, and throwing.
The difference
between stabbing vs throwing is that the weapon is retracted by reversing the
sequence of actions.
Sort of
like a golf club (the club, not the Club)
As
Sergeant Grimm would say:
The Temple versus the Sith.
