Spear Fighting / The Way of the Spear

Spear Fighting / The Way of the Spear

S: 3:16am

E: 4:06am

Being a writer, I’m under a writer’s curse.  That is, when I think of something marvelous to write about, the desire to write within me burns.  It is now 3am in the morning and I’m having a fever, but I still want to write.  Actually, I feel, at least in the beginning states, having a fever increases a person’s intellectual ability.

Q: So what do you want to write about?

I’m a fan of military strategies and of weapons.  One of the weapons that fascinates me is the sword.  Oftentimes at night, I envision myself as an half-elven fighter dual-wielding swords to fight off evil. 

Q: Then why write about spear?

I find, after some thinking, that the spear is actually superior to the sword.  Sure, the sword looks flashier but it is youth’s folly.

Q: Why is the spear superior?

The spear, or to use euphemism, a pointy stick, has a greater range or reach than a sword.  When used correctly, this can be to deadly effect.

Q: How so?

The spear always has the advantage of range.  However, most spear fighters does not use that to the fullest extent.  The spear always, thanks to the range, has first or a preemptive strike.  It is important to outthink your enemy than to out-fight him.  The key to doing that is to understand human physiology.

When a person moves forward, it is the legs that move forward first.  If the spearman were to focus not on the body but on the upper legs, specifically the area from the kneecaps to the upper-thigh, that spearman will have a huge advantage.

Q: What kind of huge advantage?

To emphasize, the spearman always has an advantage in range.  By aiming at the legs, the body part that moves first, that spearman doubles that advantage.  It is the person’s legs that move first, then everything else.  The second or fractions of a second needed to get the rest of the body in position can be used to devastating effect by the spearman. 

Q: If the spearman focuses only on the lower body / leg area, then he/she leaves the upper-body open.  Wouldn’t that be a problem?

That is not an issue, again, thanks to the spearman’s range.  If the swordsman were to swing his sword at the upper-body, that person will hit only thin air.  In fact, if that swordman were to do that, the spearman should take this opportunity to attack the legs. 

Q: What if the swordsman has heavy leg armor?  Would that cancel this strategy?

Perhaps, but you will then have a greater strategy.  Throughout history, humankind focuses its armor mostly on the upper half of the body.  The lower-half, if armored, will impair movement.  A fighter that is not agile, due to heavy weights on his legs, will be dead meat to any fighter.  If that is the case, than out-maneuver and aim for the body.  You can still aim for the legs as the enemy’s legs will move slower due to the weight. 

Kind of off-topic, but using the spear also confers another advantage: pierce damage.  The same type of damage caused by modern bullets.  Pierce damage is extremely effective because it concentrates all its power on a small area, making it much more possible to go through (or pierce) enemy armor. 

Q: What if the enemy tries to dodge with his legs?

If the enemy tries to dodge with his or her legs, than that fighter will be unable to attack.  As said earlier, any movement or positioning is done by the legs first.  If the legs are dodging, the fighter will not be coordinated to attack. 

Q: What if the enemy swordsman was able to successfully dodge forward and close-in on the spearman?

This is when a second, concealed, back-up weapon will be needed.  A concealed dagger will be a good choice.  If the swordsman were to break the outer guard of the spearman, the psychology of victory will take over.  That swordman will be so excited to break the guard that he will close-in, almost touching, to kill the spearman.  However, when that happens, the spearman needs to drop the spear quickly, pull out the dagger and stab at the enemy body.  The spearman will benefit from this adage:

“Go big or go home.“

The spearman focuses on long-melee or short-melee range (the dagger).  In the above situation, the spearman will have to be as close to the swordsman as possible, which should be easy as the swordsman is also trying to close the distance to avoid the long-range attack.  It is difficult for the sword to do serious damage when the enemy is skin to skin.  The sword is a medium-ranged weapon, it needs some space to swing to build power.  The dagger, again using the stab-pierce motion/technique, will connect with the body and that will be enough to finish off the wounded warrior.

Q: Describe a typical spear-sword fight using this technique.

The swordsman will be constantly trying to close-in, however, he cannot as his legs betray him.  The spearman may have a few hits on the enemy’s legs, with each hit slowing and damaging the enemy’s mobility.  Eventually, the spearman will make enough hits that the sword fighter will not be able to stand anymore.  When that happens, the spearman can just run him over. 

Another point I almost forgot to mention is that most fighters are trained to defend from upper-body attacks, whether it’s dodging or parrying.  It is harder for most fighters to defend against lower-body attacks.  Looking at human physiology as well, most of the muscles of the arm are geared towards defending the upper-body, as well as ergonomics. 

The experienced spear fighter can also add some fun into the fight, by aiming between the person’s legs.  Would you fight against a spear fighter if that person is always aiming at your dick (sorry for vulgarism)?  Logically, it is not as effective as the knee-cap and upper-thigh area but it could be psychologically effective. 

So, to conclude, by using this method to fight with a spear, the spearman will almost always defeat the swordsman in one-on-one battle. 

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My method of fighting is more of the skirmisher / ranger.  Range beats melee any day.  A person who is adapt in ranged and melee fighting, and is willing to use hit-and-run attacks and prefers range, will be superior to almost any other fighter.  So far, the best doctrine I have is a decentralized, “continued-battle,” where there are no fixed lines, but fluidity and never-ending harassment [of the enemy].  With skirmishers harassing the enemy.  They will of course wear light armor because speed and mobility is more highly valued than protection.  But that is my blog for another time. 

Hope you enjoy reading and try it!  

Add: I did not include the possibility of the swordsman using a shield as well.  But, even then, human physiology confers a disadvantage to defending the lower-body with the shield.  That person, if he or she as a small shield, will have to bend down, sacrificing his or her posture and offensive ability.  With a larger shield, this spear strategy may be less effective and will need to be combined with other spear-fighting strategies.  As with warfare, it is like rock-paper-scissors.  There is no perfect strategy.  There is always a strategy to counter or defeat another strategy.  This technique works best against fighters without a shield.