Ancient & Medieval Combat: Spear & Shield Combat Important Facts

Some important facts about spear and shield combat in the ancient and medieval world with Matt Easton of Schola Gladiatoria.
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[@charlesdexterward7781]

The whimsical piano accompaniment is a little-known Roman tactic. If you can make the enemy feel just a tiny bit romantic toward you, that may make all the difference whether or not he can block a masterful thrust from your shaft.

[@mjfleming319]

Charles Dexter Ward it can make a difference in if he even WANTS to block a masterful thrust from your shaft.

[@midshipman8654]

very true, there is a 40% survival increase in soldiers who tape a speaker to their helmet and play the titanic soundtrack as compared those who neglect this particular piece of equipment.

[@zerozeroone4424]

The music makes Matt seem like an npc in an rpg

[@88fibonaccisequence]

Me: I would like to train in One-Handed Weapons. Matt: I could teach you a few things. You: ... CURVED SWORDS.

[@lindseyfrancesco4]

He's the guy you go to if you want to level up your combat skills, and every dialog tree ends with him emphasizing context

[@Daedrex]

Hello adventurer. I see you've chosen to use the spear and a shield.

[@jameshaulenbeek5931]

"Let's see... plus one to Spear Mastery..."

[@Tennouseijin]

He's an NPC with rather high charisma. You just can't disagree with a guy who talks casually, while holding or swinging a polearm.

[@spyrofrost9158]

The music makes me feel like I'm talking to a tutorial guy in an MMO. Not a bad thing, just funny

[@Gearhead49d]

Someone please edit this with the MMORPG dialogue overlay 😂😂

[@scottmcmaster4927]

I sense a meme taking form.

[@palmerharrison7660]

Quest Complete. +1 Spears skill attained. :p

[@ThatsLeoYKnow]

I honestly really enjoy it. Nice with birds chirping, crickets chirping, calm music and Matt going about his business. Feels like a tutorial in an RPG or mmo like you said.

[@franciscodanconia3551]

Matt used to be an adventurer like you, but then he took a context to the knee...

[@thoraro]

Matt! Blink thrice if you are being held hostage by makers of meditation cassettes.

[@Hin_Håle]

I think he's way too relaxed to blink.

[@kieran7409]

This made me giggle for a good 3 minutes whilst the video was playing

[@BGH1961]

Oh, good... not just me wondering about that! There is a certain incongruity of "be-at-peace" music while presenting an enthusiastic discourse on bloody mayhem in combat that was disconcerting.

[@christiansinclair5903]

Best comment about this

[@BingleFlimp]

One year later and I'm watching this thinking. Why do I feel more relaxed than usual when watching Easton videos?

[@robbikebob]

I spent ages looking about to see where the music was coming from so I could listen to Matt! It always seemed to stop as I muted my phone. Thought I was going mad!

[@BrayOfTheDonkey]

Ditto was checking pages if some othe Vid/Ad was playing lol

[@toddgreener]

that ambience in your garden is enough background noise

[@mortonthiockol2387]

Yeah, I personally like the music, but I can also see why others would prefer no music.

[@BYGTraining]

I second that. The music is annoying to me personally, but if other people like it that's cool, too.

[@noldorwarrior7791]

There was a band beneath foliage

[@DogsaladSalad]

i immediately had to check the comments after hearing the wierd music

[@garynaccarto8636]

Yes that music is preaty wierd sounding. Or at least I think so.

[@syrehn7684]

lol same. I had to pause the video to see if the sound was comming from some other source.

[@Vampiracho]

Never thought I would cry during a video on spears, but the music was just too much for me.

[@omariscovoador7486]

Comments: 90% about the music in the background 10% actual subject of the video

[@scottmcmaster4927]

Wait, there was something other than the music?

[@omariscovoador7486]

@@scottmcmaster4927 😂👌

[@omariscovoador7486]

@@IanIngram1 lol

[@MarcioLiao]

perfectly balanced, as all things should be

[@am17frans]

Hard not to focus on the music, i could not really stand more then a minute of it sadly. :(

[@wonderboy2402]

Those with shorter spears, must have more vigorous thrusting.

[@omariscovoador7486]

I think generally yes, if you have a shorter thing i think it will bend less and therefore give more "hmpf" in the stab, if we didn't consider other factors

[@gusporterhouse]

@@omariscovoador7486 Pack it up guys, "My Sweet Summer Child" has entered the chat and it's all downhill from here

[@Matt_The_Hugenot]

Longer ones held two handed can be used more vigorously.

[@xllab1]

With a short spear, you need to close in and thrust from different angles.

[@SheonEver]

It's important to ensure your opponent doesn't get the impression you're trying to compensate for a lack of skill with your weapon though, for if they do no amount of vigor will see them submit to you.

[@batto736]

am I the only one who likes the birds+music? it opens my soul to the knowledge being shared

[@markuskristensen2433]

It drowns matt out its louder than his voice there is a time and place for this kind of music but not here its way out of place and is quite distracting

[@AGermanFencer]

Thought i had another tab open with annoying ad-music playing :D

[@wartstein8814]

Matt, great vid as almost always! But I have to join the choir: The music is too loud relatively to you speaking.

[@nenesundog]

Cool video, but music is distracting when listening to your lecture.

[@SEGAClownboss]

I haven't really noticed the music really, and the overall effect was very calming.

[@markuskristensen2433]

@@SEGAClownboss the music was very loud I dont understand how you didnt notice and it drowns out what matt is saying

[@overeasymode]

A shield that's not really covered by anyone is the the Macedonian Telamon shield. Could you do a video on that one. I feel like that was a game changer; being able to use a pike with two hands while still supporting a shield. And it would have been interesting if technological development further pursued that style of shield use.

[@Intranetusa]

Speaking of strapped shields, the ancient Han and Jin Dynasty also used strapped shields that allowed two hands free. But these types of shields were eventually abandoned in both parts of the world, so I presume there were some disadvantages with them. Links: 4.bp.blogspot.com/-a1eaZPyyQIk/WwaBm7J6A9I/AAAAAAAAEqg/O2oUrmEwMz0H2A-IoQyglwdRmVO6UxkSwCLcBGAs/s1600/wKgB6lQdoViAW-ecACzyg17BGmg13.jpeg greatmingmilitary.blogspot.com/2018/05/evolution-of-shields-in-china-part-1.html

[@lasfw190aa]

Because they somehow count more in the armor department and therefore can easily be replaced by better bracer and body protection.

[@nicklab1927]

I like the concept of it and I also wonder why this kind of device wasn't more common during the middle ages. Maybe it has to do with training and professionnalism. In a highly trained army (macedonian phalanx or roman legion), you may trust your fellow soldiers more to defend you. If I can't trust the guys, I want a bigger shield for protection. Maybe that's one of the reason pike blocks disappeared, and with them these kind of shields. When pike blocks (or halberds) come back, I think soldiers replaced the telamon with better armour, especially for shoulder, head and arms.

[@jl9211]

It's a round version of the pelta, and it existed for centuries before as a light infantry shield.

[@yaboi-km2qn]

there's usually a reason why things stop being used. Because other things are better.

[@simonmorse1785]

Good video. The music, however, is not helping.

[@Almosteasyese]

I wonder what type of shield and spear combo would be best for fighting over the background music 🤔

[@peterthompson640]

hip hoplite

[@bigredwolf6]

An even better combo is two tower shields. Gotta max out my defense so I don’t get hurt.

[@jameshaulenbeek5931]

@@bigredwolf6 two spears - only way to go.

[@markuskristensen2433]

The longest pike you could get so you cant hear it

[@LordZachael]

Welcome New Adventurer to the RPG Combat Tutorial! Today we will cover one of the most effective and important weapons throughout human history... Spears! Either one handed with shields or in two hands, this versatile weapon gives you plenty of fighting options, even ranged when thrown. Your instructor Matt Easton will put this into CONTEXT to decide the best strategy for you! So take a deep breathe, relax, and let the soothing music put your mind into the sweet bliss of learning. Your life may depend on this, but don't stress it, you still have plenty of time to learn. Excellent video Matt and thanks for the great content during these difficult times. Future video idea, I would love to see tests with side by side comparisons of ax blows, hammer blows, and "murder strokes" from sword cross-guards and pommels. My guess is the swords will by nature of only having a thin blade to grip onto, be less effective, even though the weight of the striking force is now at the far end just like the ax and hammer. Still much better impact than striking hard surfaces with the blade alone. Always been curious how effective reversing a sword to hit like a hammer is to the real thing and how it compares to axes on resistant targets! Especially since sword "murder strokes" are shown in the historical manuals. I also theorize a stiffer blade should behave more effectively as a handle for murder strokes, with less flex on impact and so more force transferred to the target. Flexible blades should in theory lose more force, but how much, if at all I'm curious to see. It would be great to see tests done by different channels (Like ThegnThrand, Shadiversity, Skallagrim, Metatron, Modern History TV, Tod's Workshop, Lindybeige or anyone else who wants to try it) using multiple targets. Many different swords to test both 1 and 2 handed as well. Might even make for good video series and/or collaborations to test more targets, then compare the test results. Additionally I think thinner or sharper pointed sword cross guards may provide more penetration than axes to certain targets. Exactly what types might qualify I am very interested to find out with the tests! Now instead use the back spike on a ax and a war hammer and I believe they both should outperform the sword's cross-guard, but who knows? Maybe the swords will surprise us. As with any holding onto blades test, although it can be done without gloves so long as the blade doesn't slide in your hand, better to wear thick sturdy gloves for safety, improved grip and to absorb the shock from impact. Thanks again Matt for all the enlightening and entertaining content you provide us! Embrace your Dreams and Protect your Honor!

[@tl8211]

Really dislike the music, it's very distracting for me. Is there a reason for it?

[@maximilianolimamoreira5002]

maybe he wanted a bit more fun,but yeah,i don't think that was a appropriate music for this video,maybe if it was a suspense music

[@HoJu1989]

I find the music very distracting, I often listen while doing other things on my PC and the music makes it harder to process what you say without paying full attention. At the very least you should turn it way down while you're speaking. Or remove it altogether and leave it only for the non-talky parts, like you doing moves and cutting and stuff like that.

[@interdictr3657]

the music is distracting

[@shorewall]

2:25 I imagined when Matt threw the Pilum offscreen, that someone screamed in pain. :D

[@interdictr3657]

I hear it as a lindybeige scream LUL

[@markuskristensen2433]

A scream of pain from the loud and distracting music

Hey Matt, we have had a tough week in the Covid ward, couldn’t sleep, today had to see your video again because the nice music made me sleep really well yesterday, Thanks!

[@InderjeetSingh-im3eh]

I agree with the other comments, the music is a tad distracting. My suggestion would be to reduce it by about 10-15%, if you wish to keep it. Otherwise to do away with it completely.

[@cooker1989]

Agree with this. I liked the music but it wasn't balanced for the audio so it was hard to hear what Matt was saying at times. I would also maybe think about fading the music in and out at different points in the video.

[@TwoHands95]

The music is way too loud and frankly is really distracting.

[@trollsmyth]

The music was a touch loud. And thanks for another great video! :)

[@stevenpremmel4116]

That music was very annoying.

[@tonys8243]

Steven Premmel l thought I must have had another program running in the background.

[@scatterbrain371]

Your ADHD is annoying

[@nivekab]

Love the music Matt!

[@w_ulf]

Video: Great...Bad music, bad! Distracting. Like I'm in a Will Wonka nightmare.

[@rumblechad]

I would love to see matt voice a weapons-master/teacher type character in a fantasy roleplaying game. Imagine doing a tutorial and learning how to fight goblins with matt.

[@2008davidkang]

The music made me realise the spear and shield are truely a perfect pair

[@Subtleknife12367]

I thought I had some music on in the background lol

[@ivan55599]

Music won't work in videos, which talk about serious things, no matter how many times it is tried.

[@nealsterling8151]

It's super distracting and annoying too.

[@Vlad_Tepes_III]

Replace the commas with line changes and it becomes a pseudo-haiku.

[@C0deH0wler]

This is incorrect. Video games (which are frames moving on your screen) do this well often. You just haven't looked enough in your interest circle, or your interest circle doesn't have much experience in music, or maybe you're not eating a lot of healthy foods which can mess with emotion, or etc.

[@markuskristensen2433]

@@C0deH0wler mate it doesnt sound good not becouse of him eating pizza but becouse its not needed and more of a distraction and it drowns matt out

[@demomanchaos]

From my experience spear alone and spear with shield are two VERY different animals. Spear alone is extremely fast, agile, and can keep most opponents are bay quite easily. Spears with a shield are not nimble or quick and can be easily knocked aside so you cannot use your reach advantage effectively, so you have to keep your point back and use the thing far more defensively.

[@zaszz]

Matt Easton that scary English guy that steals your French family's wheat harvest :(

[@yoloman3607]

You won’t have any to lose if the bourgeoisie take it all!

[@maximilianolimamoreira5002]

Marxism was not even a theory back then,lol

[@apokos8871]

@@maximilianolimamoreira5002 leftist memes are timeless. you could change the bourgeoisie to feudal lords, same basic meaning in the end

[@yoloman3607]

The word “bourgeoisie” is French, derived from the word “burgeis” or walled city. Those with enough money to wall cities to live in were...you guessed it. Rich dudes.

[@harithomas1911]

Beautiful music, hope this format continues, I'm extremely interested in celtic history who I've heard and read were very good with spears

[@SuperOtter13]

Great points Matt. Thank you for sharing this with us.

[@LeeMorgan07]

The music is really distracting.

[@blairbuskirk5460]

The ever trusty patented pokey pole. Paired with the portable personal protective partition. A potent melee combination since antiquity.

[@davidm1563]

Just leaving my comment here but couldn’t finish the video sadly. That background music completely distracted me from the actual topic and was extremely off putting.

[@KamiSeiTo]

The music made it very difficult for me (non native speaker) to focus and understand Matt, where usually I have no problem. It was too loud at least, and to my opinion brought no added value. Keep doing amazing videos Matt, I really love your channel!!

[@nimrodthewise836]

That background music infuriated me, for some reason..

[@raifsevrence]

Probably because the music is awful. It's obnoxiously loud and clashes badly with Matt's lecturing. The quiet nature sounds (running water/birds w/e) would have been fine if the volume leveling layered it under Matt's voice instead of on top of it. But that music... It's terrible.

[@Yellow.1844]

I find it beautiful

[@adorabell4253]

I liked the music. Made the content seem more epic.

[@Trav_Can]

My vote... no music. I just want to hear Matt. It sounds like I'm waiting to be seated at a Chinese restaurant.

[@philipzahn491]

The next video without such music... please!

[@derstoffausdemderjoghurtis]

music is a bit too loud..

[@Cornefeu]

Note sure about the music, I fell kinda attracted to long shafts now

[@christophe7723]

Romantic video, Matt really loves spears!

[@JohnSmith-nd9oh]

I love this video not very often you see instructional videos that are interesting about the use of a spear and shield thank you

[@willparada2103]

Love the addition of music!

[@dylansheil2992]

Music and water sound effects make it hard for me to concentrate on your voice.

[@b.h.abbott-motley2427]

A variable difficult to account for in sparring & reenacting is piercing the shield. Tod of Tod's Workshop recently did a test against a shield where warbow arrows penetrated quite far. There are various accounts of arrows as well as spears (including pikes) defeating shields. A shield has to be rather thick & dense to offer sufficient protection against powerful projectiles & thrusts. Fatigue seems like a notable issue with larger & thus heavier shields like the scutum. Giacomo di Grassi derisively mentioned mentioned how some people rested their round targets against the thigh to reduce the burden, & those shields probably didn't weight more 10lbs at the most.

[@TheAchilles26]

The Romans pretty famously rotated their troops in battle, giving them time to rest between bursts of fighting. It's also believed that they tended to rest the scutum on their left greave, and it's even possible to plant the scutum in the ground and hide behind it like a wall while fighting.

[@KenoticMuse]

Why are you playing that background music? You don't need it and it's hard to actually listen.

[@mikefule330]

One of your best videos. Less repetition than usual, and I never noticed the music until I read the comments.

[@andrewprahst2529]

The music makes me feel like your spear monologue is actually you serenading me

[@kevinrobinson5654]

If you're going to drop random soundtracks onto your videos I want to cast my vote for Slovenian Polka.

[@worthlessendeavors]

It's about time. Great video.

[@MasterDrewboy]

Hi Matt! You know, your viewers might LOVE a channel called The Historians Craft, because he talks about history and warfare in late-ancient and medieval times as well as the social and cultural histories related to those topics. He gives a lot of detail in his videos and Ive learned a lot from him! He himself has been studying as a historian in college so he certainly knows his stuff!

[@TheFallofRome]

Thanks for the shoutout! Also Matt, loved the video! Excellent job!

[@colocado6685]

to all the people complaining about the music. Grow tf up, its not drowning his voice, its not weird, its just music. Quit being annoying

[@Beyondzworld]

Loved it! Ive been working on an adventure game for a couple years now. You've been a wonderful resource!

[@boatingwithspencer101]

That’s a really good job bro. Thanks

[@fpena6038]

I like the foray into using background music. Keep experimenting!

[@brokenblackbird]

The music is too loud and distracting. Keeping the music is ok if its softer.

[@_faultee_]

Thank you for the Spearman tutorial.

[@nudl3Zz]

wow, the music choice is really weird

[@konstantinavilov1192]

So... We're witnessing the birth of a new ASMR channel! =)

[@davidk6269]

Great content, but may I make one suggestion: the background music was much too loud and was quite distracting.

[@gozer87]

I swear one of my daughter's crib mobiles used that music.

[@barrysmith1202]

brilliant, comprehensive

[@yermanoh]

the music is a little bit to loud and competing with the volume of your voice. beyond tha, all is good...carry on

[@MartinGreywolf]

To be fair, parrying thrown projectiles is absolutely doable, especially those thrown without assistance of something like an atlatl or sling - they move about as fast as the pool-cue thrust - so shield is about as useful against it as it is against melee attacks. Which is very useful.

[@Baraodojaguary]

I love the classical music in the background

[@robertleigh7678]

Drop the music ,it is irrelevant and annoying.

[@cabbage0dusk]

Interesting topic... The music was kind of distracting though

[@weasel75]

Too much. Way too much. Music. Could. Not. Watch. To the end. What kind of experiment is this?

[@josephwilliampeach]

Another fascinating talk! I've always wondered (from a fantasy perspective) has there never been a strap held shield which enables the spear to be used two handed?

[@josephwilliampeach]

Ah, I see this was already addressed!

[@Tacklebox3000]

Love the background music

[@richardwilks545]

New but Loving the channel. I got directed to you from a Mark Wildman video. Addicted now!

[@ProperZen]

The soft music blended with the tones on Matt’s voice. Chills ran through my body. I thought this must be a dream. Then he held out the full length of his spear. I knew this was the night I would become a woman.

[@GodKiller97]

Are there any historical examples of large shields with hooks on the sides to rest your spear as you’re holding it? Advantages might be to assist with leverage for use with longer spears so you get the advantage of length without the disadvantage of being unwieldy.

[@teddy_hamburg]

Dear Matt, I like your videos. The content is exciting and you have a great way to pass on your knowledge in an interesting way. The more I ask you to think again about the music. Unfortunately, as a non-native speaker, this distracts me a lot and reduces the enjoyment enormously.

[@Pyrela]

The music is like something you'd hear in a romance movie, which feels weird for this type of video. Plus it's too loud.

[@2bingtim]

Very distracting music-No thanks Matt. Not even in "background", it's making it hard to follow what you say. Big thumbs up for everything else!

[@ariovistus22]

music didn't work for me, kept pausing the video to find if i had something in the background running, couldn't pay attention to anything you were saying.. something about a spear..

[@SeemsLogical]

Hey Matt, video idea for you: How effective are spears at slashing a target? Was playing a video game where an enemy made a slash with a spear. Is this effective/possible? Would be interested to see an explanation of this.

[@rockhuddy]

I spent the first 30 seconds trying to figure out where the music was coming from. Couldn't watch the rest.

[@davegerson7820]

Thanks!

[@carlosalbin7706]

Loved the music along with your explanation. Thank you

[@Gimpzomg]

I'm sorry, but the music in the background is really annoying. It is distracting.

[@SEGAClownboss]

Personally I like the music, it adds a different dimension to these videos.

[@MacAttack001]

Gather round students, here we have an informative video that is disrupted by the choice of music played just loud enough that one cannot ignore it. In short, how to make a good video bad. I made it to 4:05 before giving up. I normally watch his videos all the way to the end.

[@biggrigg4281]

Loving that music

[@halo12390]

superb video. i learn much today. I'm still curious about two handed spears. hard to find videos regarding the subject. only other video i found are Lindybeige's experiments. PS: funny how much of the comments are about the music. personally, i think it would be nice if the music was toned down a bit more.

[@bbald90]

The music is awesome! I feel like im in Firelink Shrine in Dark Souls.

[@gregsmith6935]

Nah. Get rid of the music. I have trouble hearing with background music, I honestly can't hear you.

[@mwhyte1979]

Another interesting video as usual Matt but how did you get so many tree's in the elevator?

[@erikjarandson5458]

Yes, Matt, that was very interesting. I never knew that I hated music, until now. Considering the strength of the hatred, it's a wonder that I hadn't noticed before. Weird. Pretty please, no more music!

[@rippertrain]

Great channel thank you for all your hard work

[@gillesmeura3416]

Dear Matt, I'm not too hot about the music... 😉

[@sarahbezold2008]

love the calm serene music overtop of a video about killing

[@Qwayeasn]

Absolutely agree with basically everyone here, the music is nice but a little distracting