Xue Sheng
All weight is underside
You know him? Where did you learn from him?
Spear fighting techniques
- Thread starter HauTruong
- Start date
You know him? Where did you learn from him?
Langenschwert
Master Black Belt
Some Fiore:
)
Is this a reconstruction from manuals?
Langenschwert
Master Black Belt
This does look fascinating although when it comes to spears, I am more into learning African spear fighting, but that's just me.
Charlemagne
Black Belt
For what, I think is the question.
There is a reason that pole arms were such a prominent battlefield weapon versus swords in many cultures. They are cheap to make comparatively with swords, and you can develop some basic skills with them in relatively short order, particularly in a peasant population who soldiers part time at best.
Spears obviously also provide advantage in regards to range.
Depending on the system you look at the spear can be a complex thing to use, or can be an afterthought as compared to the sword. If all things were equal and guns were not a factor (hypothetical world obviously), I would probably pick a short spear (sibat in FMA) as my primary carry weapon, backed up with short swords, knives, etc. due to the advantage of range that it provides. If it is going to be used in extremely close quarters, such as indoors, etc. then I would prefer a short sword, or even a dagger.
There is a reason that pole arms were such a prominent battlefield weapon versus swords in many cultures. They are cheap to make comparatively with swords, and you can develop some basic skills with them in relatively short order, particularly in a peasant population who soldiers part time at best.
Spears obviously also provide advantage in regards to range.
Depending on the system you look at the spear can be a complex thing to use, or can be an afterthought as compared to the sword. If all things were equal and guns were not a factor (hypothetical world obviously), I would probably pick a short spear (sibat in FMA) as my primary carry weapon, backed up with short swords, knives, etc. due to the advantage of range that it provides. If it is going to be used in extremely close quarters, such as indoors, etc. then I would prefer a short sword, or even a dagger.
Flying Crane
Sr. Grandmaster
It depends on a lot of things, but in Chinese methods, spear is called the King of weapons.
Om the battlefield, in general, yes. Spears were primary battlefield weapons. Most swords were backup side arms.
There's some kind of Korean spear/sword that I read about a while ago, looks interesting.
Training with a spear would be similar to training with a staff right? This is a good skill to have as a survivalist, once ammo becomes scarce.
What about a machete, what are your thoughts and where would you rank them?
Charlemagne
Black Belt
Spear and staff are different in many ways. The hold is different for sure. A staff can be held like a spear, but you lose the advantage of being able to attack with both ends of the weapon. Plus, in FMA at least, the staff (Bankaw) is significantly longer than a spear (Sibat), so the manner in which you can manipulate the weapon changes dramatically. Machete's are good weapons for sure, and if you train a blade-based FMA system such as Pekiti Tirsia or Ilustrisimo, you would be well positioned to use it.
I think that's somewhat unusual, though. If you look world wide across cultures, the average spear length is typically longer than the average staff length - sometimes quite a bit longer.
Flying Crane
Sr. Grandmaster
Well, I appreciate a good Zombie Apocalypse fantasy probably more than the average fellow, so I'll play along.
My comments come from my training in Chinese methods. There is some amount of crossover between spear and staff. Some staff material is clearly modified from spear. The key is though, that there is still a methodology attached to it, a way to develop a skill through a consistent approach and technique. It isn't just haphazard. Training in the one doesn't automatically give you skills with the other, but you might be able to figure out enough to become hazardous to get too close to. That could be enough and could be useful, even if not a high level of skill. I mean let's be realistic: in the Zed apocalypse, what keeps you alive is all that matters. Obsession with a perfect technique or system or history or pedigree in your training, doesn't.
I agree that a spear could be a useful weapon for defense or hunting, if the ammo is gone. Would hate to have a spear when my opponent pulls out a gun with the last bullet in it...
I find tomahawks to be a good weapon for close range. Put a long knife in the other hand and youve got a good arrangement, if you know what to do with them.
Charlemagne
Black Belt
Certainly spears grew in length depending on how they were used. As Western European battlefield weapons they tended to be longer, though that seems to have been a developmental process as well, though I am hardly an expert on the subject. As individual weapons they seem to have often been shorter, particularly in places like Africa, Southeast Asia, etc. Lots of variety it seems.
Langenschwert
Master Black Belt
The spear/staff connection can be very tight. In one version of Paulus Hector Mair's manual, staff is rendered "pilum" in Latin, implying a certain degree of substitution. The staves shown in his manual are quite short.
Charlemagne
Black Belt
I posted some videos earlier in the thread showing how we use the sibat (spear). Here is another one that was just posted that shows the first 4 strikes from the Multiple Attacks method out of the Doce Methodos (the foundation system of Pekiti Tirsia).
