I wanted to grab your attention. I try hard not to use this blog to brag about my own skills, or that of Anglesey and the Bog Troopers (including Galatia, The Concusare, Head Clan, and often Clan Prechain who reside in northern Atlantia, among a few others), because it really doesn't accomplish much and it isn't the point of the blog.
I'll simply leave it at this: we do very well for ourselves in melee, and we have a way about fighting that tends to be successful. We also have a way that is radically different than just about any other successful melee group in the known world.
Who's Their Commander?
The names will remain anonymous, but I'd like to relay this story. We were at an event and faced a household whose job is was to move through our unit. They came up on a seemingly disorganized group of fighters in a loose formation, if the word "formation" can even be used. Hmmm, they saw no shiny hats, no white belts, and not even a large number of shields. They did what any group would do. They charged. They charged left, and failed. They charged right, and failed. They charged center, and failed. Maybe if the knight could spot the commander and take him out, these fighters wouldn't know how to avoid the charges anymore. But, he never could figure out who the commander was.
So after the day was over, he walked up to a very experienced knight who had been around forever and who was familiar with our group. "Sir, can I ask for some advice?" "Certainly, Sir. What can I help you with?" "Can you tell me who their commander is and how to pick him out on the field." "Oh, of course I can. You see, that's easy. There is none."
Now some of you might be reading this and thinking, "Ahhhh, yes. I know where he's going. Everyone's a commander." No. No one is a commander.
And of course, this requires further explanation.
No Commander
What this specifically means is that there is not a person on the field who gives the order. Of course we have people who yell out, "Watch the archer in the back," or, "Who's covering the left flank," or, "We need to worry about the guy in the blue," but that's not the same as being micromanaged and waiting for a play call to be made.
Think of it this way. I work for a large engineering company. I'm a grown man, have skills, experience, and an education, and have earned the trust of my managers. Lets say I get an email with an important issue that comes up. Do I wait for my manager to tell me what to do? Or do I handle it in the best manner possible?
Now keep in mind, there is a huge difference between simply deciding to wing it with no commander or no plan, and actually building a unit of warriors who are capable of fighting this way. We've been doing this for over 30 years and raise new fighters within our fight culture like a pack of wolves raise their pups. This isn't something you can simply do at the next event.
Fifty Battles in One Day
First a little background on myself. I currently work as an strategic business planner, but my education is engineering. My former career, however, was teaching high school math as well as coaching basketball and track and field. One of the things I learned through that experience is that teachers have the natural tendency to over explain the concepts they are trying to teach. The more time you spend explaining, the more that cuts into time they could be working on math problems, or running through basketball drills. Over the years I got my explanations shorter and shorter, and my teams got better and my students got smarter. As an old physics professor once told me, "you don't learn physics with your ears. You learn it with your arm," (i.e. doing problems).
This weekend we had a practice war with about 25 fighters in total. We fought from 1pm to 330 pm, taking breaks as needed. We did exactly one scenario; an open field battle, and we did it about fifty times in that 2 and a half hour period. How do we do this? We don't start the day off with a tourney or any singles. When we get 8 or more fighters on the field, we call lay on. We fight until one team is dead, we get back to our sides, take about a minute to huddle and make adjustments, and then we call lay on again. We do this until people start dropping out, and then we take a break. Rinse and repeat.
Now let me try to put into context the effect that this has. One of the fighters that fought with us that day wasn't particularly experienced. In a normal sca practice, he'd be stuck in a shield wall and would get maybe 15-20 fights in. Each time he'd be told to keep tight with the other shields and wait for the command to charge in one direction or another. In essence, he would do fewer than 20 fights, and not be challenged to think for himself one time. After a few years of this, I'd expect him to still not be very good.
Instead, this weekend we put him on the right flank and his job was to hold the right flank. Sometimes a top level fighter would try to out flank him. Sometimes two fighters would come right at him. Sometimes a spear would try to poke at him at range. Sometimes the entire unit moved away from him. Etc. etc. Each time he was challenged to think about what the best course of action would be. He failed and he succeeded. Each time he failed, a veteran fighter would tell him what he could have done differently. If he succeeded, he was offered positive feedback. I'll contend that he learned more about fighting in a melee in those 2 1/2 hours than he has in the last 3 years combined.
And when you do this, you learn a lot about yourself and a lot about the people you fight with. You know what the big strong guy can do, and what the little fast guy can do, and what your spears can do, and what your poles can do, etc.
So What's This Look Like?
At the end of the day, we generally go wider than the enemy. Tightly packed units are the norm in the sca, and we generally counter by going wide and enveloping. Because of the kind of experience we have, each fighter can quickly figure out if a charge can be stopped, or if ground should be given where the chargers intend to hit, and we'd instead pinch on their weak points. There is absolutely no way to do this if you need a commander to tell you what to do.
This weekend we started off in a line, and as the day progressed, and each side constantly made little adjustments to try to do a little better in the following battle, the flanks got wider and wider until we pretty much split into two units. This is something I've harped on in many of my posts. You simply can't let people around your flanks, and I believe that any unit that would fight fifty battles in a row against a team that's not forced to stay tight will eventually figure that out. "Why do we keep losing?" "Well, those two guys that keep running around our flank kill a lot of people in our backfield."
Ultimately there were two main strategies on the day. Side A looked for the biggest weaknesses on side B and attack them. Interestingly, side B looked for the strongest fighters on side A and tried to neutralize and kill them.
Monday, April 11, 2016
Tuesday, April 5, 2016
Advanced Jobs for Melee Fighters within the Unit
This post is partially inspired by a Southern Army practice we had recently. I want to begin by stating up front that I think it was a good practice, and that it was very productive for all parties. I also agree with most of the general concepts about how the units should work together.
I do, however, think that there was a major piece missing. Maybe there wasn't time to cover it, or maybe it wasn't the proper venue to work on it. The piece is, what the roles are of certain key positions within the unit.
Classic Shield Wall
Below is a basic set up of what I like to call the classic shield wall. The shields are pressed tightly together and to the front of the unit. The design of such a formation is to keep the unit together, press forward, charge, and run over anything that is weak and/or disorganized.
From here, the most basic tactics are simply to charge left, or to charge right. This places more points of attack at the contact of engagement. If you, for example, charge right, you can attack the right half of their unit with your entire unit.
The very simplest instruction to give to each member of the unit is to move in the direction that is called out, stick together, and react to the situation as it presents itself.......without leaving your unit.
While I think this is a great approach for 50% of the fighters (these are the fighters that *never* practice melee, and have very little experience fighting in general) I feel that it limits the effectiveness of more advanced fighters, and consequently the overall effectiveness of the unit.
Key Positions
In a classic shield wall, I've identified five key positions. These are where you want to place your most experienced fighters, and each position has advanced duties to perform above and beyond simply moving with the unit. These duties are best performed, in my opinion, if the fighters are allowed the ability to improvise and adapt to the battles as they unfold.
The five key positions are the left most fighter in the front rank, the right most fighter in the front rank (usually shields), the left most fighter in the second rank, the right most fighter in the second rank (shields or poles), and then free floating fighters in the second or third ranks.
I've neglected to include 4 and 5 in the diagram since their jobs are identical to 1 and 2.
Jobs for #1) If the unit is charging left, the left most fighter in the front rank is tasked with being mobile and beating the opponent around the flank. He has do identify at what point to impact the enemy. If the enemy has some loose stragglers on their flank, he has to decide if he needs to peal off to deal with them, or if a fighter in the second rank will take on that task. Most importantly, he normally does not have a fighter to protect the side he is leading with, so he has to be careful not to get killed as he leads the charge.
If the unit is charging right, his job now changes. He is now in an even more dangerous position where he may end up with multiple fighters attacking him. he needs to coordinate with the fighter in position #2 to determine which one of them is going to attempt to fend off the enemies chasing their flank, or if they will attempt to leave their enemies behind altogether.
Whatever the decisions are, it is something that must be thought about for fighters in this position.
Jobs for #2) In my opinion, this is the more difficult position from a decision making standpoint. If in the left most position of the second rank and charging left, this fighter may want to swing out wide and double team on the outside most fighter of the first rank they are attacking. He may want to swing into the second rank in an attempt to quickly fold the flank, or he may want to swing even wider and into the backfield with no intent to engage, but rather to herd the opponent into a corral.
However, if the unit is charging right, the fighter in the #2 position has to decide either to attempt to hold off the flank that they are moving away from, or to move with the unit and leave fighter #1 to fend for himself. If holding off, he can do so from the extreme left position of the unit, or he can even separate from the unit and move into the opponent's backfield slowing up their advance.
Jobs for #3) I like to call this position the "free safety." Some people call it a "reserve" but I've found that for most SCA fighters they interpret that to mean, "don't engage until its too late." This fighter needs to read the battle as it unfolds and either move to the side that the unit is charging to in an attempt to lead out around the flank, move away from that direction in an attempt to shore up the weak side, or plug up in holes in the middle that may present themselves.
Below is an example of some of the options of some of these fighters.
In the above example, the unit is charging right. The lead front shield, in this case, decides to cut in around the flank, which is the obvious choice since red has lost the battle for the flank. The right most pole in the second rank now decides if he will attack in the gap between the two right most shields, come around the right flank, or go wide and into the backfield to put extra pressure on the right.
The left most pole in the second rank, however, is on "deny" duty. The plan is set up to hit hard on the right, while not letting the left collapse (a "right hook"). The pole can either go right, in order to avoid a charging red, go left and try to hold the now weak left flank (this can be done by shaking the pole and looking menacing, attacking from a safe distance while moving away, or hitting them hard and standing them up), or go wide left and into the backfield to disrupt the unit.
The "free safety" in the back has to decide to either wait and see if the middle needs help, move right to assist on the attack, or move left to assist on the deny. In this case since the right has already turned the flank, it would likely make more sense to either wait, or assist on the left.
The following result could look like this:
I do, however, think that there was a major piece missing. Maybe there wasn't time to cover it, or maybe it wasn't the proper venue to work on it. The piece is, what the roles are of certain key positions within the unit.
Classic Shield Wall
Below is a basic set up of what I like to call the classic shield wall. The shields are pressed tightly together and to the front of the unit. The design of such a formation is to keep the unit together, press forward, charge, and run over anything that is weak and/or disorganized.
From here, the most basic tactics are simply to charge left, or to charge right. This places more points of attack at the contact of engagement. If you, for example, charge right, you can attack the right half of their unit with your entire unit.
The very simplest instruction to give to each member of the unit is to move in the direction that is called out, stick together, and react to the situation as it presents itself.......without leaving your unit.
While I think this is a great approach for 50% of the fighters (these are the fighters that *never* practice melee, and have very little experience fighting in general) I feel that it limits the effectiveness of more advanced fighters, and consequently the overall effectiveness of the unit.
Key Positions
In a classic shield wall, I've identified five key positions. These are where you want to place your most experienced fighters, and each position has advanced duties to perform above and beyond simply moving with the unit. These duties are best performed, in my opinion, if the fighters are allowed the ability to improvise and adapt to the battles as they unfold.
The five key positions are the left most fighter in the front rank, the right most fighter in the front rank (usually shields), the left most fighter in the second rank, the right most fighter in the second rank (shields or poles), and then free floating fighters in the second or third ranks.
I've neglected to include 4 and 5 in the diagram since their jobs are identical to 1 and 2.
Jobs for #1) If the unit is charging left, the left most fighter in the front rank is tasked with being mobile and beating the opponent around the flank. He has do identify at what point to impact the enemy. If the enemy has some loose stragglers on their flank, he has to decide if he needs to peal off to deal with them, or if a fighter in the second rank will take on that task. Most importantly, he normally does not have a fighter to protect the side he is leading with, so he has to be careful not to get killed as he leads the charge.
If the unit is charging right, his job now changes. He is now in an even more dangerous position where he may end up with multiple fighters attacking him. he needs to coordinate with the fighter in position #2 to determine which one of them is going to attempt to fend off the enemies chasing their flank, or if they will attempt to leave their enemies behind altogether.
Whatever the decisions are, it is something that must be thought about for fighters in this position.
Jobs for #2) In my opinion, this is the more difficult position from a decision making standpoint. If in the left most position of the second rank and charging left, this fighter may want to swing out wide and double team on the outside most fighter of the first rank they are attacking. He may want to swing into the second rank in an attempt to quickly fold the flank, or he may want to swing even wider and into the backfield with no intent to engage, but rather to herd the opponent into a corral.
However, if the unit is charging right, the fighter in the #2 position has to decide either to attempt to hold off the flank that they are moving away from, or to move with the unit and leave fighter #1 to fend for himself. If holding off, he can do so from the extreme left position of the unit, or he can even separate from the unit and move into the opponent's backfield slowing up their advance.
Jobs for #3) I like to call this position the "free safety." Some people call it a "reserve" but I've found that for most SCA fighters they interpret that to mean, "don't engage until its too late." This fighter needs to read the battle as it unfolds and either move to the side that the unit is charging to in an attempt to lead out around the flank, move away from that direction in an attempt to shore up the weak side, or plug up in holes in the middle that may present themselves.
Below is an example of some of the options of some of these fighters.
In the above example, the unit is charging right. The lead front shield, in this case, decides to cut in around the flank, which is the obvious choice since red has lost the battle for the flank. The right most pole in the second rank now decides if he will attack in the gap between the two right most shields, come around the right flank, or go wide and into the backfield to put extra pressure on the right.
The left most pole in the second rank, however, is on "deny" duty. The plan is set up to hit hard on the right, while not letting the left collapse (a "right hook"). The pole can either go right, in order to avoid a charging red, go left and try to hold the now weak left flank (this can be done by shaking the pole and looking menacing, attacking from a safe distance while moving away, or hitting them hard and standing them up), or go wide left and into the backfield to disrupt the unit.
The "free safety" in the back has to decide to either wait and see if the middle needs help, move right to assist on the attack, or move left to assist on the deny. In this case since the right has already turned the flank, it would likely make more sense to either wait, or assist on the left.
The following result could look like this:
This puts aggressive pressure on the right, supports the left, while also herding red into a corral. I personally think, provided that these key fighters can handle themselves on a battlefield, that this is a better position than the following:
Keep in mind, that though the unit looks cohesive in this scenario, look at what happens if red counters with a method similar to what I've been describing:
Summary
One point I want to emphasize is that what I am describing is no different than the standard tactics that most units teach. I'm simply adding to it a few champion level fighters and putting them in key positions that allows them to maximize their effectiveness on the field, and this isn't anything new. I've been using these very same tactics for decades, as have many of the people who I've fought with in that time.
Wednesday, March 23, 2016
Gulf Wars 25 - Lessons Learned
Hey all,
I just got back from Gulf Wars and had several learning moments I wanted to share. All were related to fighting with a spear, but I think are good concepts to think about regardless of the weapon type.
Pacing During a Resurrection Battle
My fitness was higher this year than its been in a long time. I was working out ~10 hours a week for the two months leading up to Gulf Wars, including a large amount of cardio. I still got exhausted during the town battle on Tuesday. Why? Because no matter how good my fitness is, I can always push the red line for too long. Its not a fitness issue, but rather a pacing issue.
After wearing myself out in the first 45 minutes, I had a brief conversation with Atlantian Crown Prince Sir Dietrich. His recommendation was to treat it like an interval workout. Go hard for 10-20 seconds, and then stand and recover for 1-2 minutes. By doing this, I can still be aggressive, get lots of kills, and keep the enemy in check while still lasting the entire battle. Taking this approach, I performed much better in the second half of the battle.
Avoiding Archers - Never Light 3 Cigarettes with One Match
Some people refer to this as Archer Wars. Archers are absolutely everywhere! My previous approach to archery was simply to go to the front and try to get as many kills as possible before getting shot. Historically I'd get about 2 kills before getting shot when there is this level of archery on the field.
This time I took a different approach which seemed to be much more successful. There's an old superstition believed to have come from World War One; never light 3 cigarettes with one match. The first lit cigarette grabs the sniper's attention. The second allows him to take aim, and the third gets shot. Likewise, if you stand in the front and take too many shots with your spear, its not long before the archers spot you, take aim, and fire.
In this year's ravine battle, I made sure that I never spent too much time in the front line. I'd sit back well behind the front rank and rest on my knees, watching the battle. If I saw an opportunity for some action, I'd low walk up to the front line and take a handful of shots with my spear. I never fired more than 3-5 times, killing 1-3 fighters, before I'd head back behind the ranks and take a knee again.
I probably had about the highest kill ration I'd ever had before in a battle with a lot of combat archery.
Finding Effective Positions in the Line Based on the way the Battle Plays Out
The job of a good spearman is not simply to get kills, or to stand there and wait for opportunities to present themselves. A good spearman always needs to read the battlefield and determine the best way he or she can effect the battle. The following is an example of what I did during the second field battle in an attempt to make myself as effective as I could:
I began the battle supporting Atlantia on the far right flank. As Atlantia engaged, they began to push and roll the flank. As this occurred, I sat in the second rank and looked for opportunities to open up in the gaps between the shields. At one point, however, the flank started to fold so fast that I found that my help really wasn't necessary anymore. I looked to my left and noticed a big kill pocket forming, so I moved over into the kill pocket in order to help whittle down the part of the line that had not yet collapsed.
As the battle progressed, however, the opponents sent in reinforcements to attempt to take back the right flank. Recognizing that they likely had the numbers to now roll our flank back onto us, I repositioned myself again, this time back to the flank in order to help reinforce our flank against the new threat.
The bottom line really is simply to always be thinking about ways to position yourself to have to most positive impact on the battle.
I just got back from Gulf Wars and had several learning moments I wanted to share. All were related to fighting with a spear, but I think are good concepts to think about regardless of the weapon type.
Pacing During a Resurrection Battle
My fitness was higher this year than its been in a long time. I was working out ~10 hours a week for the two months leading up to Gulf Wars, including a large amount of cardio. I still got exhausted during the town battle on Tuesday. Why? Because no matter how good my fitness is, I can always push the red line for too long. Its not a fitness issue, but rather a pacing issue.
After wearing myself out in the first 45 minutes, I had a brief conversation with Atlantian Crown Prince Sir Dietrich. His recommendation was to treat it like an interval workout. Go hard for 10-20 seconds, and then stand and recover for 1-2 minutes. By doing this, I can still be aggressive, get lots of kills, and keep the enemy in check while still lasting the entire battle. Taking this approach, I performed much better in the second half of the battle.
Avoiding Archers - Never Light 3 Cigarettes with One Match
Some people refer to this as Archer Wars. Archers are absolutely everywhere! My previous approach to archery was simply to go to the front and try to get as many kills as possible before getting shot. Historically I'd get about 2 kills before getting shot when there is this level of archery on the field.
This time I took a different approach which seemed to be much more successful. There's an old superstition believed to have come from World War One; never light 3 cigarettes with one match. The first lit cigarette grabs the sniper's attention. The second allows him to take aim, and the third gets shot. Likewise, if you stand in the front and take too many shots with your spear, its not long before the archers spot you, take aim, and fire.
In this year's ravine battle, I made sure that I never spent too much time in the front line. I'd sit back well behind the front rank and rest on my knees, watching the battle. If I saw an opportunity for some action, I'd low walk up to the front line and take a handful of shots with my spear. I never fired more than 3-5 times, killing 1-3 fighters, before I'd head back behind the ranks and take a knee again.
I probably had about the highest kill ration I'd ever had before in a battle with a lot of combat archery.
Finding Effective Positions in the Line Based on the way the Battle Plays Out
The job of a good spearman is not simply to get kills, or to stand there and wait for opportunities to present themselves. A good spearman always needs to read the battlefield and determine the best way he or she can effect the battle. The following is an example of what I did during the second field battle in an attempt to make myself as effective as I could:
I began the battle supporting Atlantia on the far right flank. As Atlantia engaged, they began to push and roll the flank. As this occurred, I sat in the second rank and looked for opportunities to open up in the gaps between the shields. At one point, however, the flank started to fold so fast that I found that my help really wasn't necessary anymore. I looked to my left and noticed a big kill pocket forming, so I moved over into the kill pocket in order to help whittle down the part of the line that had not yet collapsed.
As the battle progressed, however, the opponents sent in reinforcements to attempt to take back the right flank. Recognizing that they likely had the numbers to now roll our flank back onto us, I repositioned myself again, this time back to the flank in order to help reinforce our flank against the new threat.
The bottom line really is simply to always be thinking about ways to position yourself to have to most positive impact on the battle.
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Press or Deny? Engage or stall? 3 on 2 fighting.
To quote Sir Thorson (who was quoting someone else), "don't fight if you can't win." I can also quote Anglesey Kensman Arundoor, "Never fight a fair fight."
This concept is, I think, one of the hardest to get across for individuals within a melee scenario. Aggressiveness is a good thing, but you need to be smart about it. "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee," is something I've been saying a lot, lately. Floating like a butterfly is another way of me saying that sometimes you need to stall the engagement.
I can explain below with the 3 on 2 fight as an example.
How to Engage when Outnumbered
We did several 3 on 2 engagements last Sunday. One of the things we've been working on at the Southern Army practice is how to engage when you are outnumbered. In short, you press the attack to one side.
I'd like to add a few more levels to this. In my opinion, the first thing you do is you asses which side has the range weapon superiority. If you have a spear, and they don't, then you actually don't want to press at all, but rather, lull them into a static fight, if possible.
The other option is not to engage at all. If the odds are against you, it is often in your side's best interest to have a small number of fighters stall the engagement of a larger number of fighters.
Having said that, it is certainly worthwhile to practice taking a smaller unit and pressing the flank of a larger unit. For example, maybe your small unit has all of your best fighters, and the larger unit isn't very good. In this case, you'd want to quickly win the engagement so that your best fighters can move on to other parts of the fight. Its also possible that you might be the last fighters left on the field, or maybe all of your units are outnumbered and you have no choice but to try to take a gamble in hopes to regain the numbers advantage.
More importantly than anything, practicing these engagements teaches tactical thinking and working as a unit.
3 on 2
The 3 on 2 is an interesting combination, and one that I've been putting a lot more thought into recently. I've noticed that this, more often than not, turns into a 2 on 1 and a 1 on 1. I've been on 3 man teams where its been done by design, but even if not planned, they almost always seem to break down into this configuration.
Now the question is, once we end up in this almost inevitable situation, what should both sides do. In this example, lets assume that all fighters are of equal abilities. Provided that all 5 fighters are relatively competent in melee fighting, the green pair against the single red fighter has a significant advantage while the singles facing each other have even odds of winning their engagement.
Green's best strategy: The pair should engage with the intent to win quickly, while the single green fighter should try to stall until his two teammates win and can come to his aid.
Red's best strategy: The fighter with a single opponent should press to win the engagement quickly. Even though the odds are even, and this would violate Arundoor's "never fight a fair fight" rule, it is the best chance of success for red. The red fighter facing the pair should, of course, stall the engagement.
Example from Sunday
A handful of times I faced off against Adam Greatsword on the flank in a 3 on 2 situation in which I was on the team with 3. I stalled the engagement, and he pressed. Since I was fighting with a 7.5' polearm, and he was fighting with a 4.5' greatsword, once he was inside on me, the odds of me winning the engagement dropped to well below 50%. What did I do? I went into full defense and tied him up since that was my greatest chance of surviving and prolonging the fight.
Had we switched teams, I would have had no choice but to change my tactics. I would have thrusted more aggressively from the outside, and if he closed on me, I would have been left no choice but to fight. Though the odds would have been against me, they would still have been greater than for my teammate who'd have been fighting 2 opponents.
Failed Attempt at a 3 on 1
To mix things up, Sir Thorson suggested that our team of 3 try to gang up on a single fighter in a 3 on 2 engagement. We pressed hard to the right. I was on our far left, so it was my job to deny the fighter on their left. I failed my job and exposed my back to Wulf as I attempted to join the others in an attack on Magnus. Magnus did his job of stalling the engagement by circling back behind Wulf, allowing Wulf to get a second kill as the pair moved past him.
I think its for this reason that these often break into a 2 on 1 and a 1 on 1. You simply can't leave an opponent unthreatened
Final Thoughts
A lot of this is very dependent on the space in which you are fighting. Sunday was on an open field, while Tuesday was in a much more confined space, so there was little room to really stall any engagements since there was nowhere to disengage to.
This concept is, I think, one of the hardest to get across for individuals within a melee scenario. Aggressiveness is a good thing, but you need to be smart about it. "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee," is something I've been saying a lot, lately. Floating like a butterfly is another way of me saying that sometimes you need to stall the engagement.
I can explain below with the 3 on 2 fight as an example.
How to Engage when Outnumbered
We did several 3 on 2 engagements last Sunday. One of the things we've been working on at the Southern Army practice is how to engage when you are outnumbered. In short, you press the attack to one side.
I'd like to add a few more levels to this. In my opinion, the first thing you do is you asses which side has the range weapon superiority. If you have a spear, and they don't, then you actually don't want to press at all, but rather, lull them into a static fight, if possible.
The other option is not to engage at all. If the odds are against you, it is often in your side's best interest to have a small number of fighters stall the engagement of a larger number of fighters.
Having said that, it is certainly worthwhile to practice taking a smaller unit and pressing the flank of a larger unit. For example, maybe your small unit has all of your best fighters, and the larger unit isn't very good. In this case, you'd want to quickly win the engagement so that your best fighters can move on to other parts of the fight. Its also possible that you might be the last fighters left on the field, or maybe all of your units are outnumbered and you have no choice but to try to take a gamble in hopes to regain the numbers advantage.
More importantly than anything, practicing these engagements teaches tactical thinking and working as a unit.
3 on 2
The 3 on 2 is an interesting combination, and one that I've been putting a lot more thought into recently. I've noticed that this, more often than not, turns into a 2 on 1 and a 1 on 1. I've been on 3 man teams where its been done by design, but even if not planned, they almost always seem to break down into this configuration.
Now the question is, once we end up in this almost inevitable situation, what should both sides do. In this example, lets assume that all fighters are of equal abilities. Provided that all 5 fighters are relatively competent in melee fighting, the green pair against the single red fighter has a significant advantage while the singles facing each other have even odds of winning their engagement.
Green's best strategy: The pair should engage with the intent to win quickly, while the single green fighter should try to stall until his two teammates win and can come to his aid.
Red's best strategy: The fighter with a single opponent should press to win the engagement quickly. Even though the odds are even, and this would violate Arundoor's "never fight a fair fight" rule, it is the best chance of success for red. The red fighter facing the pair should, of course, stall the engagement.
Example from Sunday
A handful of times I faced off against Adam Greatsword on the flank in a 3 on 2 situation in which I was on the team with 3. I stalled the engagement, and he pressed. Since I was fighting with a 7.5' polearm, and he was fighting with a 4.5' greatsword, once he was inside on me, the odds of me winning the engagement dropped to well below 50%. What did I do? I went into full defense and tied him up since that was my greatest chance of surviving and prolonging the fight.
Had we switched teams, I would have had no choice but to change my tactics. I would have thrusted more aggressively from the outside, and if he closed on me, I would have been left no choice but to fight. Though the odds would have been against me, they would still have been greater than for my teammate who'd have been fighting 2 opponents.
Failed Attempt at a 3 on 1
To mix things up, Sir Thorson suggested that our team of 3 try to gang up on a single fighter in a 3 on 2 engagement. We pressed hard to the right. I was on our far left, so it was my job to deny the fighter on their left. I failed my job and exposed my back to Wulf as I attempted to join the others in an attack on Magnus. Magnus did his job of stalling the engagement by circling back behind Wulf, allowing Wulf to get a second kill as the pair moved past him.
I think its for this reason that these often break into a 2 on 1 and a 1 on 1. You simply can't leave an opponent unthreatened
Final Thoughts
A lot of this is very dependent on the space in which you are fighting. Sunday was on an open field, while Tuesday was in a much more confined space, so there was little room to really stall any engagements since there was nowhere to disengage to.
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Philadelphia Regional Practice - A Few Thoughts on Small Tactics Melees
We had a great practice with 17 fighters showing up, plus some youth fighters. We did several rounds of singles, and then did a few rounds of melees.
5 on 5
The melees were 5 on 5 in a relatively confined space. One side had 2 shields and 3 polearms while the other side had 4 shields and 1 polearm. We decided not to use spears because of the tight space. We also didn't balance the sides because we wanted to see how the tactics would pan out.
The biggest difference between the two sides, tactically, was that the side that was pole heavy went with a traditional shield wall, while the side that was shield heavy set up one rank deep, and spread wider. This is actually kind of unusual because normally you'd want the tactics to be reversed with this set up.
The other piece that was interesting was that the side with only two shields always initiated the charge. It was actually relatively successful at first because they were able to penetrate and get into our backfield, and with the small space they were able to pin us against the walls. Having said that, I am generally a fan of the idea of letting the range weapons work when you have a range advantage.
Leading with the Range Weapon
I am a big fan of this tactic, and we employed it on the very last 5 on 5 engagement. This accomplishes two things. First, it allows the range weapon to get at least one free shot on its opponent before engagement, but it also baits in the charge. In other words, the charge has to start out away from the shield wall far enough that it gives you time to read where the point of impact will be and to make adjustments.
This last engagement was our most successful one, allowing us to ultimately surround and kill the other side. I believe we were left with 3-4 alive after the engagement.
The counter tactic that was discussed was for red to present 3 poles forward to counter the one green pole (me). We then said that in this game of rock, paper, scissors, green would have to respond with a charge.
In my opinion, whenever playing these tactical games, you have to set up the best tactic given your circumstances, and then be aware of what the obvious counter is for that tactics and be prepared for it.
Anglesey (the mercenary group that I'm the warlord of) and the Bog Troopers (our alliance with Galatia and The Concusare) would typically have spread wide with the shields protecting the flanks if we were the red team. The obvious counter to that would be for green to charge. Red would then have to pinch hard on the flanks, and the poles would have to give in the middle.
Ultimately the tactic that is the best is the one that the players on the field can pull off successfully. There is never a single tactic that beats all other tactics. The reason why green was effective in the above scenario was largely due to the level of fighters present on green's team, and the ability to follow through on the plan.
3 on 3
We did several 3 on 3s at the end of the night. Again, I lead with the pole out in front on our team.
I think this is a great example of employing tactics that work to the strengths of the members on your team. I have a good range game/thrust and am mobile, so I work well in the front. Red really only has two choices. Their pole (Colin) can come out and meet me, and make this a static fight, or he can stay in the back. If he's in the back, then red has to charge. Because I'm more experienced with the pole at range, the odds are not in favor for Colin to meet me out front. Also, the red team had Sterling, who was the best shieldman of the 6 of us, so it was to red's advantage to charge and engage in close range.
If I remember correctly, the results were fairly even in these fights. With regard to the green team fighting with the pole out in front, in ~25-30% of the engagements, I scored a kill before red was able to charge.
Charging through the Spears
Sir Thorson showed us a tactic to charging through your own spear line. Too often when charges get organized, the play is given away to the opposition by making it painfully obvious that the charge is coming. I can't remember the last time I was ever killed in a charge as I generally knew it was coming 10 seconds before it happens.
In this tactic, the shields stay in the second rank and find the gaps between the spears. As the press through, they lead with their shield sideways, and stick the inside of the shield right in the face of the spear in front, and to the right of them. As a shieldman in these drills, it was instantly clear to me that the guy behind me was coming through the line as soon as I saw that shield.
The charge finishes up with the poles following the shields to fill the second rank, and then the spears fill in the third rank.
What we didn't discuss was how the charge is supposed to end. Push until you die? Retreat and let spears come to the front? At what point? Etc.
More to discuss on this later.
Hope you enjoyed reading!
5 on 5
The melees were 5 on 5 in a relatively confined space. One side had 2 shields and 3 polearms while the other side had 4 shields and 1 polearm. We decided not to use spears because of the tight space. We also didn't balance the sides because we wanted to see how the tactics would pan out.
The biggest difference between the two sides, tactically, was that the side that was pole heavy went with a traditional shield wall, while the side that was shield heavy set up one rank deep, and spread wider. This is actually kind of unusual because normally you'd want the tactics to be reversed with this set up.
The other piece that was interesting was that the side with only two shields always initiated the charge. It was actually relatively successful at first because they were able to penetrate and get into our backfield, and with the small space they were able to pin us against the walls. Having said that, I am generally a fan of the idea of letting the range weapons work when you have a range advantage.
Leading with the Range Weapon
I am a big fan of this tactic, and we employed it on the very last 5 on 5 engagement. This accomplishes two things. First, it allows the range weapon to get at least one free shot on its opponent before engagement, but it also baits in the charge. In other words, the charge has to start out away from the shield wall far enough that it gives you time to read where the point of impact will be and to make adjustments.
This last engagement was our most successful one, allowing us to ultimately surround and kill the other side. I believe we were left with 3-4 alive after the engagement.
The counter tactic that was discussed was for red to present 3 poles forward to counter the one green pole (me). We then said that in this game of rock, paper, scissors, green would have to respond with a charge.
In my opinion, whenever playing these tactical games, you have to set up the best tactic given your circumstances, and then be aware of what the obvious counter is for that tactics and be prepared for it.
Anglesey (the mercenary group that I'm the warlord of) and the Bog Troopers (our alliance with Galatia and The Concusare) would typically have spread wide with the shields protecting the flanks if we were the red team. The obvious counter to that would be for green to charge. Red would then have to pinch hard on the flanks, and the poles would have to give in the middle.
Ultimately the tactic that is the best is the one that the players on the field can pull off successfully. There is never a single tactic that beats all other tactics. The reason why green was effective in the above scenario was largely due to the level of fighters present on green's team, and the ability to follow through on the plan.
3 on 3
We did several 3 on 3s at the end of the night. Again, I lead with the pole out in front on our team.
I think this is a great example of employing tactics that work to the strengths of the members on your team. I have a good range game/thrust and am mobile, so I work well in the front. Red really only has two choices. Their pole (Colin) can come out and meet me, and make this a static fight, or he can stay in the back. If he's in the back, then red has to charge. Because I'm more experienced with the pole at range, the odds are not in favor for Colin to meet me out front. Also, the red team had Sterling, who was the best shieldman of the 6 of us, so it was to red's advantage to charge and engage in close range.
If I remember correctly, the results were fairly even in these fights. With regard to the green team fighting with the pole out in front, in ~25-30% of the engagements, I scored a kill before red was able to charge.
Charging through the Spears
Sir Thorson showed us a tactic to charging through your own spear line. Too often when charges get organized, the play is given away to the opposition by making it painfully obvious that the charge is coming. I can't remember the last time I was ever killed in a charge as I generally knew it was coming 10 seconds before it happens.
In this tactic, the shields stay in the second rank and find the gaps between the spears. As the press through, they lead with their shield sideways, and stick the inside of the shield right in the face of the spear in front, and to the right of them. As a shieldman in these drills, it was instantly clear to me that the guy behind me was coming through the line as soon as I saw that shield.
The charge finishes up with the poles following the shields to fill the second rank, and then the spears fill in the third rank.
What we didn't discuss was how the charge is supposed to end. Push until you die? Retreat and let spears come to the front? At what point? Etc.
More to discuss on this later.
Hope you enjoyed reading!
Sunday, February 28, 2016
Caer Adamant Fighter Practice - Working Together
Excellent practice today. We had a total of 13 fighters on this fine 60 degrees and sunny afternoon. After doing some warmups and some singles fighting we got together for some melees. In general, everyone did well and I thought the practice was very effective and enjoyable for all.
Having said that, as usual, I'd like to focus on a couple areas where improvements can be made.
Spear Superiority vs Spear Inferiority
We had several 5 on 5 (give or take) melees in which one side had significantly more spears than the other. In this situation, there is a very clear strategy for each side. The side with the spears wants a static battle, so they should wait for the other side to come and fight them, hoping that their opponents will be ineffective in the press. The side without the spears needs to press, usually at the point where the spears are located.
I was normally on the side without the spears. We did a decent job of pressing, but it probably could have been better. There really needs to be full commitment to the attack, knowing that once inside, the fight is going to be 5 on 3, with the spears being taken out.
Spears on the Flank (bad)
I saw this happening a few times, and this is almost always a bad position to be in. The blame lies on every individual in the unit. The spears should know that they should not be out on the flanks, yet there should also be at least one person in the unit to say something to the spears when they see this happen. Here's one example of why this is a bad idea:
In this instance, it really wasn't too difficult for the pole to get two quick kills. Had there been a shield facing the two spears, it would have been even more effective for the green team.
2 on 1: Match the Foot Speed of your Partner
Part of why we practice is getting used to how our friends fight. One thing I noticed today is something that I've noticed in just about every pair of fighters that does the 2 on 1 drill for the first time in their life. Both fighters in the pair just rush in as fast as they can with little concern for what their partner is doing aside from maybe understanding that one will be attacking on the left while the other attacks on the right.
We had too many fighters standing in line and waiting their turn to really address it as it happened, which is something I hope we can do in the future. In the past, I've actually stood in place and not moved at all just to see what my partner does. Clearly I'm doing the wrong thing in that scenario, but if my partner leaves my side, well, that is wrong as well.
The whole point of the 2 on 1 scenario is to be able to engage the single fighter as a pair. What the single fighter wants is to be able to fight each fighter in the pair one at a time. Sprinting into the fight faster than your partner only allows the 1 on 1 to take place.
2 on 1: Forming the V just before Contact
The last point I want to talk about is is something that Sir Thorson brought up, and that is at what point does the pair form the V to attack on the 45s. Many fighters will form the V too soon, which is actually not really a V at all. Its two single fighters hoping to engage their opponent at the same time. The problem here is that it allows their opponent to move toward one side or the other and, again, creating the 1 on 1 that he wants.
Anyway, I think we accomplished a lot today, but I also see a lot of potential for accomplishing so much more in the future. It really was exciting to see everyone work so well together, learn, fight, and have a good time. I certainly get at least as much out of these practices as everyone else does. Thanks to all of those involved!
Monday, February 22, 2016
Fifty Spear Tips Video Tutorial
Check out the spear tutorial video here.
1) Stance: stand completely sideways to your closest spear threat. It creates the smallest profile to hit. Opening up just 20 degrees opens up a kill pocket in the arm pit.
2) Stance: Keep the knees at least slightly bent. Find the sweet spot where you can fire your spear as quickly as possible.
2) Stance: Keep the knees at least slightly bent. Find the sweet spot where you can fire your spear as quickly as possible.
3) Fire from the hip: half of the power and speed comes from pushing the hip that is furthest away from the target toward the target.
4) Avoid lunging: taking a big step forward with the front foot is slow and telegraphing. It gives the opponent time to see that the shot is coming, and it gives other opposing spearmen the chance to counter attack. The return to a defensive position is also very slow. Learn how to safely get within your opponent’s range so that minimal forward movement is needed. A small step forward is ideal in order to move into range, but keep this movement as small as possible while still being able to hit your target. Sometimes a bigger lunge may be appropriate, but be aware of your vulnerability when doing this.
5) Use the full range of your weapon. Fight at a range such that you can step in, hit your target while fully extended, and step right back out of range. Don’t get caught dancing inside too much.
6) Move your arm, hips, and legs at the same time. The shot will get to its target in half the amount of time with twice the power than if your arm follows after the hip has rotated.
7) Fire a spear with one hand: Removing the “guide” hand off the spear allows you to rotate the body quicker and to extend 6-8” further. Don’t worry if your spear tip hits the ground after your shot. Step back just out of range and recover.
8) Recoil to a defensive position as quickly as possible. Once your shot is fired, you are exposed (assuming that another spearman is within range). Get out of range as quickly as possible.
9) BE THERE! A spearman who stands a foot behind his fellow spearman might as well not be there at all. Simply being a threat by being in range of your opponents protects your line.
10) Fight from the front: Get out in front of your line and use your spear. If your opponents charge you, retreat behind your line before they get to you.
11) Trade shifts with other spearmen. If you are on the front line, you should be working for a kill and keeping 100% focus. When you are tired and need a break, step back and let another spear take your spot. Don’t hog the front line, its bad for you and for your side.
12) See the whole line in front of you. Don’t get tunnel vision. Your potential targets and potential threats to you are not always only the guy right in front of you.
13) Take good spots on the front line, not just available spots. This means you will need to figure out how to communicate with random fighters and convince them to move so that you can take a good spot.
14) Two spears spread apart with a gap in between them are better than two spears next to each other. This places the two attacks at wider angles on the opponents making it more difficult for them to defend.
12) See the whole line in front of you. Don’t get tunnel vision. Your potential targets and potential threats to you are not always only the guy right in front of you.
13) Take good spots on the front line, not just available spots. This means you will need to figure out how to communicate with random fighters and convince them to move so that you can take a good spot.
14) Two spears spread apart with a gap in between them are better than two spears next to each other. This places the two attacks at wider angles on the opponents making it more difficult for them to defend.
15) Don’t crowd the front line. Too many spears crowded together can’t move to attack or to defend.
16) Sometimes its best to find a spot where no spears can kill you so that you can get lots of free shots on poles and shields. When in this situation, kill them as quickly as you can.
16) Sometimes its best to find a spot where no spears can kill you so that you can get lots of free shots on poles and shields. When in this situation, kill them as quickly as you can.
17) Sometimes its best to be in a position against lots of spears. You might be the only thing keeping these spears from killing your line. In this situation, be very careful. Even a great spearman will have a difficult time fighting 2-3 opposing spearmen by himself.
18) Often simply looking intimidating will keep people from attacking. A line that is ready to press can be stopped by simply stepping forward with confidence and getting in to a very aggressive stance. Most fighters are actually very afraid of a good spearman.
19) Deflect an incoming spear with minimal movement. It usually only takes a slight movement with your shaft to deflect their shot out of the way.
20) When facing a spearman, you can control where his spear is pointing by pushing it slightly out of the way with your spear. In general, try to keep your spear pointed at his body while keeping his spear pointed away from your body.
18) Often simply looking intimidating will keep people from attacking. A line that is ready to press can be stopped by simply stepping forward with confidence and getting in to a very aggressive stance. Most fighters are actually very afraid of a good spearman.
19) Deflect an incoming spear with minimal movement. It usually only takes a slight movement with your shaft to deflect their shot out of the way.
20) When facing a spearman, you can control where his spear is pointing by pushing it slightly out of the way with your spear. In general, try to keep your spear pointed at his body while keeping his spear pointed away from your body.
21) If he tries to over power your spear, you can disengage by dropping your spear tip just below his shaft which causes him to swing past the position he was fighting for, and you can re-engage on the other side of his shaft with your tip, again, pointed at his body and his tip pointed away from yours.
22) Draw and counter: sometimes you can allow him to have the straight line pointed at your body hoping to get him to shoot at what he thinks is an open target. When he does, deflect his spear off target so that he misses, and then fire your spear at him immediately after.
23) Disengage and fire. While pointing your tip at one side of the body, if he tries to push your spear away from that target, disengage by dropping your spear tip beneath his shaft, and immediately fire to the other side of his body as his spear moves out of the way.
24) Disengage and disengage and fire. This is the same as the previous maneuver, except after the first disengagement, you anticipate him to swing his shaft back to knock your spear back off of line. When he attempts that, simply move the spear below his shaft again to move it back to the side that you started on and immediately fire. Both of these maneuvers should be done very quickly.
25) Feints: Pretend to fire a spear shot to one side, then immediately fire somewhere else. A slight head fake and a slight foot stomp can help. The previous two maneuvers can be done as feints instead of engaging with his shaft.
22) Draw and counter: sometimes you can allow him to have the straight line pointed at your body hoping to get him to shoot at what he thinks is an open target. When he does, deflect his spear off target so that he misses, and then fire your spear at him immediately after.
23) Disengage and fire. While pointing your tip at one side of the body, if he tries to push your spear away from that target, disengage by dropping your spear tip beneath his shaft, and immediately fire to the other side of his body as his spear moves out of the way.
24) Disengage and disengage and fire. This is the same as the previous maneuver, except after the first disengagement, you anticipate him to swing his shaft back to knock your spear back off of line. When he attempts that, simply move the spear below his shaft again to move it back to the side that you started on and immediately fire. Both of these maneuvers should be done very quickly.
25) Feints: Pretend to fire a spear shot to one side, then immediately fire somewhere else. A slight head fake and a slight foot stomp can help. The previous two maneuvers can be done as feints instead of engaging with his shaft.
26) Try to shoot around the opponent’s spear shaft. Most shots need only to be straight, but some shots can go around the shaft.
27) Shooting around from the inside: if your right hand is back, step out and to the left with your front foot as you fire your spear (step out to the right if your left hand is back). Move the hand holding the back of the spear across your body, and rotate your back hand so that your elbow is facing the ground when finishing the shot. This will give you the greatest angle of attack to get around your opponent’s shaft.
28) Shooting around from the outside. When you fire, move your back hand in a direction that swings out and away from your body to get the tip to move up and over the opponents’ shaft. Beginning with the spear tip a little higher will help move it around the shaft. As the back hand moves up, the tip will drop onto its target. When fully extended, the elbow should point out or even up toward the sky.
29) If you anticipate having your spear deflected in one direction, aim to hit a spot that far to the other side of your target. For example, if you think he will deflect your shot 8” to the right, then aim 8” to the left.
30) Watch their eyes. If your opponent looks away from you, hit him! (or hit the guy next to him).
31) Pump and shoot: This is effective against shields in a static line when you are not threatened by other spears. Shoot for the face but pull the shot right before it hits your opponent. He will raise his shield to block. Hold the spear tip a foot from his face. When he drops his shield to look, finish the shot. Because you are only a foot from his face, he will have no time to react once he drops his shield.
30) Watch their eyes. If your opponent looks away from you, hit him! (or hit the guy next to him).
31) Pump and shoot: This is effective against shields in a static line when you are not threatened by other spears. Shoot for the face but pull the shot right before it hits your opponent. He will raise his shield to block. Hold the spear tip a foot from his face. When he drops his shield to look, finish the shot. Because you are only a foot from his face, he will have no time to react once he drops his shield.
32) If you can, sneak attack good spearmen from the side. Instead of taking them straight on, try to attack them from a few spots down the line. They will be less likely to notice you, and their spear will not be in a good position to defend.
33) Protect your friends. If the spearman across from you is killing the people to the left and right of you, then you are not doing your job.
34) Slap me low – too slow. Ever play the game “Give me five, slap me high, slap me low…too slow?” Eventually you learn that in order to slap the hand that is low before they pull it away, you have to be quick and sneaky. This is how you should approach fighting with a spear. Be quick and sneaky. Try to hit your opponent quickly and when he doesn’t expect it.
33) Protect your friends. If the spearman across from you is killing the people to the left and right of you, then you are not doing your job.
34) Slap me low – too slow. Ever play the game “Give me five, slap me high, slap me low…too slow?” Eventually you learn that in order to slap the hand that is low before they pull it away, you have to be quick and sneaky. This is how you should approach fighting with a spear. Be quick and sneaky. Try to hit your opponent quickly and when he doesn’t expect it.
35) After firing a spear and hitting your target, sweep the hand left holding the spear up in front of the face as you recoil for defense. This will knock incoming spears out of the way.
36) Target practice often. Hit something that has a little give in it (not a thick tree. Not a brick wall) but not too much give (not a tennis ball on a string). A tire swing, weighted pell, or thick vine hanging from a tree all work. Also, a cardboard box stuffed with cardboard will work provided that the surface is reinforced (a plastic tote lid works). Place dots on your target for you to aim at.
37) Practice against your target as if you are really fighting. Pretend you have an opponent in front of you, and that you need to be quick and sneaky to hit him, and when you do, you need to get out of the way before getting hit. If you can do this is in practice, you can do it for real. If you don’t practice in this manner, you will develop bad habits.
38) Sometimes look at an object away from your practice target, and then turn your head to spot your mark and hit it has quickly as possible.
39) Sometimes aim for one mark on your target, but hit a different mark as quickly as possible. Don’t forget to recoil for defense as soon as you do.
40) Sometimes hit multiple targets in rapid succession as quickly as you can.
37) Practice against your target as if you are really fighting. Pretend you have an opponent in front of you, and that you need to be quick and sneaky to hit him, and when you do, you need to get out of the way before getting hit. If you can do this is in practice, you can do it for real. If you don’t practice in this manner, you will develop bad habits.
38) Sometimes look at an object away from your practice target, and then turn your head to spot your mark and hit it has quickly as possible.
39) Sometimes aim for one mark on your target, but hit a different mark as quickly as possible. Don’t forget to recoil for defense as soon as you do.
40) Sometimes hit multiple targets in rapid succession as quickly as you can.
41) Practice recoiling from the target while sweeping the hand holding the spear in front of the face for defensive purposes.
42) Practice against other spearmen at fighter practice. Spear dueling, 1 on 2, 2 on 2, 5 on 5, etc. are all good practices.
43) 3 on 3 counter attack practice: 3 spears face 3 spears on a “bridge.” The spears on the ends can only attack each other. The spears in the middle can only attack the spears on the ends when those spears are in the process of firing a shot. This drill is intended to teach the spears in the middle to look for counter attack opportunities on people not directly in front of them and it is to teach the spears on the ends how to be quick and sneaky when multiple spears are watching them.
44) Practice fighting another spear over a line that can’t be crossed by either spear. Without this, spear duels often devolve into running each other down and choking up. That’s a fine technique to win an actual one on one spear matchup, but it occurs less than 1% of the time in actual combat. Using a line that can’t be crossed teaches the spears how to make those attacks at range, which is more practical.
45) Be aggressive in battles that don’t last long. Especially with archery so prevalent these days, a spearman may only last a few minutes in the front rank of a battle. Make those minutes count and get lots of kills!
46) Pace yourself in long resurrection battles. If the battle is won in the last five minutes, make sure you have enough left over to be able to hold your ground and get kills in those 5 minutes.
47) Stay off the extreme flank. It is very difficult for a spear to defend himself against a charging shield man. A spear should never (almost never) be at the end of a line unless there is a terrain feature to protect him.
48) Use your spear to control the shape of the lines. You almost always want to be surrounding your enemy by making your lines concave and their lines convex. When they turn their backs to each other and bulge out in the center, you can get more spears on them in better attack angles. Be like a sheep dog with that spear. Make them move to where you want them to be to kill them.
49) Follow your shields when they charge. Look for gaps to open up, and dead people to start to create obstacles to fight over.
50) If someone charges you, use your shaft and press it against their body to guide them away from you. A cross check is fine if you are big enough to knock them over, but it doesn’t really take much leverage just to push one man charging into another.
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