He talks later about how swings are done because they're visually impressive and thrusts often aren't and I think that's one place where Troy did very well. They made the thrusts seem dangerous and powerful and visually interesting
@@jussy1287 and the Troy example, he says a swing is bad because its like being hit in the face with a stick... well with a bit of metal on the end swung by a pro athlete... so yeah could easily kill or knock you out, break your nose take an eye, if it connects or just give you space 🤷🏻♂️
@AileDiablo So you think it's a good idea to SWING a heavy, 8 foot long spear at your opponent instead of using quick stabbing strikes with the spear head? There is nothing fast about swinging a spear, only hollywood convincing you the opponent isn't sitting there waiting for you to complete your move so they can fake attack. You have never used a spear in your life, please stop telling us how it's used. There are actually people here who fight with these weapons.
I think "Troy" was the last time we saw a battle scene that isn't just a dizzying mass of super-quick cuts and we could actually see what was happening. Immense kudos to the actors for this incredible choreography!
@@bobzombie2710 nah I recon if you cut out descriptions of troops the Iliad is a better story. More fighting, gods and not making lovers their cousins 😂
I think it's important to note that Akhilleus is a demi-god, and even in the Iliad it is shown by his superior strength. So breaking a spear with his shield is a way to show how invincible he is, which is also why his fighting style is so "aerial", it's like he's flying through the battleground, breaking spears and shields, just like in the story.
While this is true, I think it's also worth pointing out that if Achilles was exerting enough force to snap Hector's spear in half, it would've been wrenched from his hand before it broke - probably would've broken Hec's wrist too
I hear ya but Troy is a terrible film dramatically and doesn’t make any of that clear to the audience. It plays it like a straight faced historical drama. Terrible choice. I still watch it every few years though, because I love the Iliad so much.
Sort of like Superman catching Lois and going from terminal velocity to full stop in 18". Anyone who ever hit meat with a knife (or vice versa in this case) would know there would be 3 hunks of Lois on the ground.
Give us more Matt Easton! He’s got crazy history knowledge as well as excellent knowledge of historical martial arts. Dude deserves to be in more of your reaction videos.
I'd say that the spear break with the shield is ok in this film, but only for Achilles. Don't forget Achilles is meant to be super-hero-ish in this film. Slightly later on you see Achilles stab at Hector's shield with his short sword, the strike almost knocks Hector off of his feet. No human is THAT strong, especially when striking a highly trained warrior.
Yes, Achilles is a demigod, (Well he's half-Nereid anyway). He's incredibly strong and functionally invulnerable, so equating anything he does with anything a human might do is largely missing the point.
This. And Hector is also partway to that superhero idea as well, almost a Batman, to Archilles' superman, which makes it fair that he can snap a spear by trapping and stomping on it.
In mythology, yes. In the movie he was a human. He says that if he was invincible as the Legends they tell about him, he wouldn't need a shield. The movie isn't mythological. He isn't the son of a Nereid trained by a centaur here.
I think Achilles breaking the shaft with shield may have been a cinematic choice to show his demi-god strength. Fair breakdowns though. Love the analysis
To me the issue is that unless the spear is braced against something, it's not going to break--it'll just move. Even Hector breaking Achilles spear has the same problem, to an extent--the spear would just get pushed to the ground unless Achilles really holds onto it and doesn't let it move.
@@crusherven It’ll still break even if it’s unsupported if hit hard enough. The inertia of the spear itself can be enough resistance. But you’re right, the spear should have moved much more under an impact that violent.
I dunno, the movie seemed to be going for a story with no supernatural elements. However, Achilles was so effective at fighting multiple opponents that you could argue that there was something supernatural about him.
@@crusherven It might have been, we can see Hector trying to trap the opponent's spear with his own so he probably planted the end into the ground, otherwise he wouldn't be able to get any force at all between his spear and his body or shield. Still a dubious move because these spears don't have a large head or lugs, so it would be hard to stop it from being pulled back with just friction, but it at least makes the breaking more plausible.
The critique of the Mandalorian was on point...and entirely showcased the fact that Mando had no spear training and had only been carrying it as backup because his gun locker was destroyed.
Yup, that was my read on the scene. That the most training Din had that was sorta linked would have been early childhood use of something like a quarterstaff. He's a gunslinger by choice and training and was WAY out of his depth in that fight.
@@LiamMarcon I guess but like, spear is probably the easiest weapon to use with no training. Stick em with the pointy end. Your untrained natural reaction is going to be doing that anyway.
Interesting that Hector's moves are plausible while Achilles' moves are not. I'd like to believe that that was on purpose. Achilles was, even in this movie universe, capable of doing things that were scarcely human. Hector commented that Achilles threw the spear like no one he had ever seen before. I like that the movie makers gave him moves that were just beyond what humans were capable of. It plays into his "greatest of all time warrior" image.
@@othisdede8027 exactly. he's only half human. wish he would have added a critique for the neck spear stab at the beginning. that seemed very plausible for someone with world class talent in their field and not requiring his demigod status but could easily be seen as supernatural talent back in those times I would imagine.
I'd also say that Troy took place roughly 2850 years ago and breaking their spears with a shield is probably possible due to the crafting of the weapons possibly not being as good as what you could make today
As much as I cringed at the weird across the shoulders, over the spear thrust that Achilles did, it was done to show that he’s Achilles, the greatest warrior of his day. So I guess it gets a pass ;P
@@CharlieNoodles exactly Achilles was the MJ of his time and his style was was so advanced that he could do these unorthodox moves. Many athletes across all sports develop certain quirks when they’ve mastered it.
It's also a certain amount of "These people are Legends. Even the guy who lost was so good at fighting that people knew his name a thousand, maybe two, years later when these stories were put to text." Like, these people are capital H Heroes.
I remember watching a behind the scenes bit about this fight and it was said that since Achilles was a demigod, his fighting style was influenced by that of the gods, and that even in defense he's always attacking.
I LOVED the fight scenes in Troy. Especially the Duel with Hector. It really "felt" real. (like they studied actual "ancient greek" fighting styles) Glad it earned a good rating.
Yeah that 1 on 1 battle in Troy was really good even though when looking at it Achilles was dominating Hektor. Hektor was close at 1 point i think scratching the lether armore but other then that Achilles was toying with him. The producer did a very good job not making it look as 1 sided as it really was.
The stun man who worked on this movie said they did it wrong. The correct way to hold the spear was too hard to made it interesting so they did the way they did.
Historically speaking, spears were the weapon of choice. You could mass produce them. You didn't need a lot of training to be effective. They offered superior range. They were extraordinarily hard to read as thrusting is very hard to gauge distance. The actual weapon of choice for thousands of years.
There have been some recent discoveries that question the idea that the primary weapon of the vikings where spear, over 100 swords where fond in two graves in estonia, and in sweden there was a mass boat burial where everyone had swords buried with them
@@DarthAxolotl It was more like a personal defense weapon and not a battlefield one. Nobility carried swords around during daily life as both a status symbol and light defense to fend off robbers and 'protect one's honor'. Same as a lot of ornamental pistols. Eventually we replaced them with canes. Like Andrew Jackson would've absolutely run around with a loaded pistol and rapier if he were born in a different century but in the mid 1800s that was considered a bit too barbaric.
That fight in Troy has always stood out. It is the perfect balance of being exciting and a little flashy while still looking like the two are actually trying to kill each other and looks very plausible.
Exactly, the flashiness works with this fight in particular, these are two Epic Heroes from when those words meant something. Hector, Prince and Guardian of Troy vs Achilles, greatest warrior in all of Greece. It would absolutely be a little flashier than if it were two regular soldiers fighting.
The Bible is truth. Please read at least Genesis Mathew and one book you chose yourself. The important part is combining the reading with the inner work Jesus Christ taught. Forgiveness is the thing that makes it all click. To be forgiven we must forgive. The key is our parents. They’ve loved us to some degree, feeding raising clothing, etc. we all build up grievances there. Actually dealing with those issues, and genuinely forgiving from within is what makes it all click. Seriously,
@@jamesmayle3787 no, it's full of myth and hubris spoken and written down by imperfect men before the scientific revolution. If you view it as a bunch of parables written down during a less informed time that still shows underlying values, you may be on to something, but calling it the outright truth is nutty. Sort of like calling Santa Claus as real solely because there's a good lesson about trying to be nice instead of naughty.
The Achilles v Hector fight is one of my favorite bits of visual story telling. It's clear from that outset that Hector is highly skilled, but completely outclassed. From moment one the outcome is clear, but man fights superman and displays exceptional courage against the inevitable. The moment when he strikes and scores Achilles' armor was moral victory and the complete lack of respect Achilles gives this honorable warrior defending his home makes you feel the outrage against Achilles for his transgressions.
Yeah that might be how the movie framed it, but in the real story the Trojans kidnapped Hellen and refused to give her back. By all metrics they started and prolonged the war and suffering of their own people because of one horny prince who wanted a queen as his sex slave.
@@spikem5950 Helen was largely a casus belli for Menelaus and Paris’ crime the perfect excuse for the Greek City States to crush one of their main rivals in the Mediterranean. A focus that hasn’t been really had in any version of the story I’ve seen is on Helen as a tragic figure. Born of the rape of her mother by Zeus, who’s great beauty was as much curse as blessing through her life and then reviled by the Greeks afterwards.
there are versions of the story where achilles and hektor are all but equal in their fight, which shocks achilles, because achilles is a fuckin demigod while hektor is just a man.
That fight in Troy between Achilles and Hector is one of my favorite fights of all time on screen. You can really get the sense during the fight of how Hector is a really competent fighter, but even so Achilles is just in his own higher class and style. Troy is an ok movie, but that particular scene really stood out.
Always been one of my favorite movies for the duels. The spear fight usage always struck a cord with me because the thrust seemed so much more realistic to mean.
@@ghandiah @Mark Phillips I'm with you on that. I've never seen Achilles as a hero figure. Hector knows he is going to die but still goes out to fight Achilles because he is fighting for his home city and family. Fighting when you know you will lose is courageous. In the Iliad itself, Hector says he knows that one day the city will fall but he still fights on. Achilles knows he is going to win so I can't see much courage in that. In the film's fight scene he's even surprised to actually suffer Hector's successful blow to his chest. Achilles is fighting for a corrupt king he doesn't even respect. His aim is to win personal glory. He fights Hector in revenge for his pain at losing Patroclus even though he has been the means of causing the same pain to countless others himself, with less just cause. He also has unearned advantages in being the son of a goddess. I can't see much courage in him or much to admire in his situation. Unfortunately, the best people are often not the ones to survive, one of the points Homer was trying to make in the Iliad I suspect.
I will always argue 1 small point for Troy. Brad Pitts footwork in that movie is so utterly insanely perfect it deserves a 10/10 for that alone. Drilling proper footwork takes forever and he just kills it
I would also argue that he seems to ignore the efficacy of hitting someone in the face with a pole (metal capped one too). he says it will make a guy flinch but not do much damage but I am not sure that is true. Would also open him up to being hit again and allow Hector to take the initiative against a normal guy.. That and him seeming not to care that Achilles is a demigod so breaking the spear with a shield isnt that hard to believe...
As a (very) former re-enactor, I have to agree with Mr Easton on the deadliness of spears in combat. More kills are racked up by spears than any other close combat weapon. A 2H axe is flashy and grabs an opponent's attention, sword and shield gives a good defence, but it's the spear that best takes advantage of a fleeting opening.
That's one of two reason why the spear was by far the most used battlefield weapon for almost all of history (really up until the invention of gunpowder) It was among the most effective weapons and it was also fairly cheap to make Movies almost always don't have enough polearms in their battles
@@Trepur349 *up to and including, since what is a bayonet on a long firearm but a very fancy spear? It isn't until somewhere around breech-loading firearms to smokeless powder that the bayonet starts to become a secondary for infantry, automatic weapons when the bayonet starts to be an afterthought, and an array of reliable, automatic small-arms that we even begin to see some infantry commonly without bayonets.
@@bluerendar2194 Yeah I guess technically true, but for most of the 16th and 17th century the musket was the most used battlefield weapon and pikes were a somewhat close second The more time went on the more pikes and other polearms fell out of favour, which in large part was due to bayonets basically allowing a solider to similtaneously be a spearman and a musketman But it was the first time in history the primary purpose of the primary battlefield weapon wasn't to have the reach advantage in a meelee because gunpowder changed the game
He missed something in Troy… if you watch closely, Achilles actually cuts the spear a few times before breaking it. He was planning from the start, and attacking the staff with his blade to prep for a break. Pretty cool.
@@danielreshef5299 The thing about Troy, though, is that it was more "grounded" as if the gods and demigods didn't exist. I personally love that as it makes Achilles far more a "perfect" specimen of man born as a fighter and less requiring that any form of "god-dom" made him better. He was fearless, his reflexes were off the charts and he was exceedingly competent in combat. As a man in combat with him, THAT is what I would fear.
Funny you would use the word perfect, as in the Illiad which this movie is based on, the whole point of the story is to show just how imperfect this son of a goddess really is and how his pride and ubris led to his demise and that of his most beloved friend / probable lover.
Take in mind that many hema manuscripts were written by the kind of guys youd see nowadays in central park demonstrating how to beat 7 ninjas with a chopstick. Most the legit ones had never been in battle, or a real fight. The few who had really stand out. Hema is for duels, and often had strict rules. Chances are you wouldn't have employed the technique in a real fight. I'm no great martial artist... and often demolish hema nuts just with aggression and a solid defense. Matt Easton knows a good range, which is brilliant though. I'd trust him at my side. My argument is against hema as a whole. There just is no real way to tell who in history was a braggard laying it in thick. Historians look at legendary knights and assume a lot of their deeds were exaggerated. Hema fans look at every manuscript as sacred gospel.
@@13thcentury Very little is known about the actual lives of the authors of most treatises so there's really not enough evidence to support your claim they werent professional duelists or participated in military campaigns. It could be one or the other or neither there typically isnt enough evidence to say one way or another. What "HEMA nuts" are you actually sparring with? It's a small community and the _vast_ majority are casual students not even close to the level of even semi-professionals. I see you're a Brit and while there are some decent HEMA competitors that have made it to finals in Swordfish from the UK the majority are Northern and Eastern European so your sample and your anecdotal experience isnt exactly definitive. HEMA training can overvalue treatises but HEMA in sparring, especially at higher levels, is about testing which strategies from historical manuscripts are most effective. And most high level competitors show bias towards certain methods that they have thoroughly tested through extensive, high intensity sparring experience.
I wonder if Achilles breaking the spear like that was more a nod to his strength. Ah well. Would love to get his thoughts on that short fight in the beginning of Fearless with Jet Li
The fight between Jet Li and Donnie Yen’s characters in Hero would have been a wonderful inclusion. It might not be realistic at all, but it sure is one of the most gorgeous fights (and movies for that matter) ever shot to film.
@@ntc1998 Spears are usually shown as inferior weapons to swords in most computer games. If you mainly grow up with gaming and have no understanding of weapons apart from the texts derived from there you have no idea how weapons are really used and how dangerous they could be. I got it even worse, I grew up with the Digedags, where a knight just casually slices through two crossed spears because he wanted to pass the guards. If you think that spears can be cut that easily (and that is a popular belief as Matt said), then spears appear far less dangerous.
6:13 he broke it easily because Achilles is depicted as a demigod with supernatural strength. He also threw a spear from a football field range with regular throwing stance so that also shows his unnatural enhanced strength. imo this shows just how impressive Hector really is. Going toe to toe with a greek demigod and performing similar techniques against him.
Experts always watch the movies as if they are viewing these people as in the real world when they are not because they have superhuman strenght and speed and abilities that humans in the real world does not.
If he hit it with enough power to break it in half, he would've actually just knocked it clean out of Hector's hand. For Hector to be holding on tight enough for the spear to break, he'd have to have the exact same supernatural demigod strength as Achilles, much more than mere training or willpower could provide. Momentum and the transfer of force matters. It's another side of the same basic physics that wouldn't let a stationary Superman catch Lois Lane at terminal velocity.
Also it depends on the thickness of the spear and the type of wood that comprises it. In the film the spear Hector holds looks thinner than the one Matt holds but also note the wood, Matt's is likely English Oak which is also a denser wood, Greek spears would likely not be as dense, especially if they are used as throwing weapons
I really like how they portrayed Achilles They showed that he can do impossible things most men can't. But those things also aren't totally unbelievable. Except for the football field spear throw, all the other movements and attacks he does look doable you know. They portay him as like a perfect human not an actual god.
For Mando, I think it does a great example. He’s never used a spear, he’s clueless and they show us that. Too often the hero picks up a weapon that to our knowledge they know nothing about yet still wield it like a pro. I appreciate that Mando has no idea what to do with the spear
Yeah but the point is (pun semi intended) that spears don't require a lot of training to be used somewhat competently. (mind you, obviously makes sense someone who has never held one and never seen a battlefield wouldn't know how to precisely strike weak points or find gaps in a defensive stance or how to read an opponent or the like) The idea however that the pointy end of your long stick should go into the other guy without him getting close to you, ideally, is something you have a rough grasp on instinctively. And Mando got a LOT more overall fighting expertise than a great deal of conscripts using spears during feudal times. In some way he is doing WORSE than conscripted farmers here. That's a bit much.
Spears have a tendency to be chopped in half in movies quite easily. I have a sharpened gladius and it can't chop through a broom stick unless I brace the broom against something. If I grab one end, and my friend grabs the other, our arms absorb too much of the shock, and the sword bounces off the broomstick leaving barely a scratch. But if I lock the broomstick in place, the gladius will chop through. Remember though, it's a broom stick. Not a hardened spear shaft.
One of my big issues with Hollywood multiple opponent fights is that the protagonist's adversaries who are supposed to be throughly trained, exhibit a good deal of incompetence. A good example of what happens in reality is the demise of the pirate Red Beard, (the first one, his brother.) While under siege he attempted to break out, and while fighting valiantly with his men (and being the last one standing) 13 Spanish spear men working together surrounded him and killed him.
To be honest. If you are surrounded by 13 spearmen. It does not matter how good of a fighter you are. You will be stabbed to death sooner or later. Unless there is enough range between you and them so that you can shoot them down before they get within stabbing range.
There is one scene in The Dark Knight Rises where one goon just falls down for no reason while "fighting" Batman. Just see yourself, it's hilarious /watch?v=j2tE-BCwZtw ( It's CinemaSins video ) and go to 0:45
@@taylorfusher2997 Against missile troops hoplites were not supposed to stand there subjecting themselves to a hail of arrows and sling stones for long periods of time. They were to charge them ASAP if they could pin them against a terrain feature, like at Marathon or Plataea, or they should have their own missile troops face them, like during the March of the Ten Thousand. If they were caught in a position where the enemy light troops could rain missiles at them for a long time with impunity they would likely lose, as it happened in Sphacteria and Lecheaum. I suppose they could try having their front ranks kneel behind their shields to reduce their exposed area like they did in the movie 300, but thats not really solving the main problem. Javelins are much slower moving compared to arrows and sling stones, and hence easier to spot, dodge or parry.
@@HaNsWiDjAjA Yep, a phalanx could “close ranks” against missiles by having the front rank kneel. However, there was never a good way to defend the corners and flanks without opening gaps.
@@WisdomThumbs Exactly, like I said a phalanx's response to a hail of missiles would be to: 1) charge the shooters if they think they could catch them, or otherwise 2) have their cavalry or light troops did so. For the hoplites to just stand there being arrow targets in the open was beyond stupid.
Troy is one of those few movies that give spears some respect, the way Achilles uses the spear is badass, more videogame developers should learn from this. Anything can be cool in fantasy with proper imagination.
Can hardly remember the last time a spear was even IN a western medieval/fantasy video game. Dark souls/Elden Ring doesn't count, since it's a japanese game, not a western one.
It hurts my heart to see people downplay spears and their awesomeness in reality compared to swords, but it’s not surprising when you see almost all of media making them out to be anything but what they are
@@edbrooke75 Katana is easy to carry around when you're off duty so people tend to think that it's main weapon of samurai. But in reality, Spear and bow are their weapons of choice, katana is more like a dagger to finish enemies off when they are down.
@@edbrooke75 @dokumaru8224 Another way to think of it is, a soldier might carry a rifle into battle, but have a handgun as a back up. The Katana was the sidearm of the samurai.
I love the breakdown of the glave fight because it brings to light a big issue the late Bruce Lee had with fight scenes from Chinese cinema in that he felt the fights while beautiful were totally unrealistic. In his movies he tried to add as many realistic thoughts as he could. In Fists of Fury he uses a nunchuck against a group of people hitting them anywhere and everywhere. In Enter the Dragon he uses many different types of weapons and continues to switch between them throughout the fight depending on the number of enemies. And in every fight he is using the weapon to its fullest.
Guandaos were never widespread as battlefield weapons to begin with. The attribution of the guandao to Guan Yu has been theorized to be a way to show Guan Yu’s martial prowess, as most versions were far, far too heavy to be used as actual battlefield weapons due to their construction. They appear to have seen some small historical usage during the Qing period, but have primarily been used for examinations and martial arts forms since then, which is why the clip shown is like that - it draws on the martial arts tradition of being an examination weapon, which would have been extremely heavy (20 lbs!)
@@taichi2245 The reason why the popular image of Guan Yu uses the Guandaos is that the author of ROTK (a novel based on history) was born in a time when the sword was used. The historical Guan Yu, of course, did not use the Guandaos, because the Guandaos appeared in history hundreds of years later than the Three Kingdoms period
Also the fact that Guan Yu is the second strongest character in the whole ROTK and stood over 2 meters tall so the weapon would be very appropriate for him, and he used the glaive as both a Calvary and infantry weapon.
@@zhuyuchen8324 Not even close, Guan Yu literal Saint if War defeated almost every Wei general possible and managed to escape from the middle of Wei vs a guy who ran for his life trying to save his Lords baby, Zhao Yun wouldn't even be in the top 10.
I've trained with the Guan Dao. In training, we actually did use the spinning around the neck and body. Reach advantage is tough with this weapon, as it's very heavy and heavy at the end, thus it doesn't move quickly like a spear and therefore the spinning is to build up its momentum and power.
Yeah, his remark on grip of that Guan Dao was little off (probably only one). I think it´s because these asian cultures used spear differently than europians. For them it was pole and blade, like 2 things in 1 so that grip looked fine. Also by look this weapon is not suited for thrusts (you can but its not most effective) and as he said it´s very heavy so where else would you like to hold it?
@@duckman4928 He misunderstands what the Guan Dao is. The comparison he made for the blade is to that of a Falchion. A Falchion blade is broad but very thin along its cross-section and weighs sometimes less than a longsword. The family of dao the Guan Dao belongs to have largely the same kind of very thin blade the Falchion does, but the Guan Dao itself is a special version with a very heavy blade shaped more like wedge in cross-section. It's the special fat brother of the family.
But you trained martial art, or let say weapon art. See like in the movies some techniques are used just for entertainment, to sell the art or the artist. They never been used in real fights. And you can easy see the difference. In the case above - if you spin around the neck, the guy with the sword just will kill you. As your weapon may look great, but it is doing nothing, and you are in the reach of his blade. Also spinning does not build up momentum and power. Simple physics - with every spin the weapon actually is losing power. And you can see that every time you drive a car.
have an ancient manual for the guan dao (korean source) and it has 0 spinning. There are big differences between historical asian martial arts and today martial arts.
@@stevestrangelove4970 The Koreans never adopted the Guandao, probably because they have common sense. They use the Woldo, which is a lighter variant of the Yanyuedao family. There is a lot of misunderstanding about the Guan Dao in the internet, and its identification with the Yanyuedao is one of them. A Yanyuedao is a standard Chinese glaive. A Guan Dao is a special very heavy version of the Yanyuedao inspired by Romance of The Three Kingdoms and used for military examinations in the Chinese imperial era. Spinning isn't the real problem. It's the grip that Matt is wrong about. A standard "combat" Guan Dao weighs between 18 and 28 kg, while the examination version weighed a minimum of 48 kg (the weight of the weapon according to the novel). You simply can't use a standard polearm grip for the proper Guan Dao. It's a weapon made for show and bragging rights inspired by a fictional novel. Even in the novel it's technically wielded by a literal god! Donnie Yen is playing said god in this movie clip, btw. In contrast, the Woldo (and standard Yanyuedao) maxes out at 10 kg.
My main problem with spears in movies is that there is not enough of them. For most of human history spears (especially spear and shield) was incredibly popular. And for good reason: they are cheap, relatively easy to use and very effective. But they look less fancy than a swords, so we get lots of sword fights in movies that realistically should have been spear fights.
@@Slender_Man_186 Yeah but they kind of used their sword as a spear. Also they all had javelins on them. The "Pilum". Which could be used as a spear in a pinch. Ceasar's legions once used the pilum as a spear to counter Pompey's cavalry in the battle of Pharsalus for example.
What about Game of Thrones scene with the single combat between The Mountain and The Viper (Gregor Clegane vs Oberyn Martell)? The viper uses a spear and is very skilled. The scene shows how a smaller guy can beat a much bigger guy with different weapons and skills.
I’m sure that fight would have been roasted for Oberyn’s spinning the spear and flipping around, but would’ve gotten kudos for the stab into the Mountain’s leg. Probable rating: 5 or 6 to this guy, although to us fans, it was a solid 8-9.
@@rdpaikthe thing is though that even spinning the spear and not thrusting with it was effective in that fight due to the spear tip being poisoned. Single scratch from it and the Mountain was a goner (without Qyburn's supernatural ways ofc).
I think spears often get maligned by movies and videogames. The spear is one of the oldest weapons in the book. Variations existed for centuries after swords and other melee weapons were relegated to ceremonial duties. The spear was easy to mass produce, ideal for use in formations (swinging swords in formation gets a bit dangerous for everyone involved) and perfectly viable in single combat or small groups. It'd be nice to see movies and games do this weapon justice.
It's great to see so much love for the movie Troy, it's incredibly under-rated by critics. I think it's a very realistic interpretation of the battle, not delving to much in to the mythology, but respecting it enough to include it in a plausible setting. Extremely emotive story, backed by a compelling soundtrack, and undoubtedly the most realistic on-screen combat in any movie. The fighting is very methodical and fatigue inducing which you don't often see nowadays, everyone swings tirelessly for like 5 minutes without landing a single strike until the very end.
@@Cryogenius333 The pacing of a film is usually fast as you don't have time to drag it out like a TV series, the war went on for 10 years in the illiad, in the movie I believe they showed all the important events making it feel like it was all in the space of a few days, when in actuality it was a decade
@@henkhenkste6076 You sound like one of those bores that dunk on war movies for being inaccurate. I'm a history buff but a movie is a movie. You have to accept liberties will be taken and try to understand what kind of film they were trying to create. For what the movie Troy is, it's a great movie. History wise, like most movies, it gets some things right and other things wrong.
Indeed. The spear was very versatile. It's a great weapon. That's why it was used for thousands of years. The Caroleans were still using them in their formations until the 1700s!!
@@nasis18 Not only that! But I wager bayonets count as modern day spears too! Maybe not as elegant, but if your spear fires bullets, you won't have to make it throwable.
Just a friendly reminder that you're probably referring to slings and not slingshots as one of the great weapons of antiquity. Slingshots refer to the football goalpost style of projectile launcher, slings are the projectile launcher that rely on violent spinning motion prior to release.
I wish he had included 300 in his review. The Spartans used both the spear and shield with great effectiveness against the Persians. They used their spears as they were meant to be used. No wasted motion. Just a wall of spears and shields. Nearly impossible for the enemy to counter. I thought that was a notable omission.
Oh man, Where's the GoT 's Battle of the Bastards scene, Kung Fu Hustle, Matrix scene, 36th Chamber of Shaolin, and many more ???? Definitely a Part 2 Insider !!!
Damn, I was really hoping he'd cover the Oberyn vs Mountain fight scene from GoT. Also important to remember Achilles was a demigod in this story, not a mortal man. Another point, Macedonian Phalanx wasn't simply a pike phalanx. The changes to the Phalanx made by Phillip The II were world breaking. The Hypaspist and rank changes can not be overstated when comparing to the phalanx before it.
Yeah, mixing the Macedonian phalanx and traditional Greek phalanx made of hoplites doesn't sound good. It's like putting a musketeer against modern soldier. Both of them have guns but that's where the comparison ends. Also, phalangites did have a way to protect themselves from arrows. This was done by waving the sarissas in hopes of blocking or deflecting the incoming projectiles. How effective this was I don't know but they certainly did that.
@@crashoveryu yes I have also heard that about them using the spears to block arrows. At first it sounds odd although several ranks with 10ft spears all pointing them in the right direction in unision, perhaps that could well provide some bonus defence against a volley of arrows. One things for sure, the Macedonian army had incredible success on campaign against multiple large armies so in that respect it is hard to imagine them not having good resilience to ranged attack.
@@swan5446A slight correction, several ranks didn't all point their spears in the same direction. If we think of angles, the front ranks would hold their spears at zero degrees, and as you get deeper into the ranks they would hold the spears at higher angles until the back ranks are almost at 90 degrees. It gave more coverage against arrows by presenting something akin to a hedgehog
i am addicted to these videos! the people you get for them just ooze passion for their craft! you can really tell this guy is OVER how staves are portrayed in film ahahahaa!!! i love it! and i learned a ton too!
He's an OG youtube HEMA dawg, you can get more from his channel. Also recommend Lloyd from Lindybeige, he has more varied stuff than only historic combat, and a lot of energy. Alternatively, stoic Jason, the horse guy from Modern History, or an even more energetic and passionate Shad the aussie writer, castle enthusiast, from Shadiversity.
@@Helios601 you do know that HEMA practicioners actually spar and partake in combat contests very similar to what MMA fighters do right? Maybe not practical experience in terms of fighting in a medieval war with swords or spears, because I mean come on.....but if he's a HEMA instructor he's definitely competed in Sparring matches or contests
Just a point, Donnie Yen was portraying the character of Guan Yu who is traditionally depicted with a special glaive called the Guan Dao. It is traditionally considered to have weighed around the 30kg mark, which is a monstrously heavy weapon to be waving around. Guan Yu is generally depicted as an incredibly large and powerful warrior perfectly capable of wielding this massive weapon, but much of this comes from the Romance of the 3 kingdoms, which tends to be quite fanciful.
30 kg? He'd literally have to be a giant to wield anything that heavy in any useful way. And I don't mean a giant human, I mean a Giant giant..............lol.
Guan Yu was given so much backstory in Romance of the 3 Kingdoms, there isn't much documentation of his life from when he was alive, except for the military battles he participated in and his opinion of the more important political figures of the day. The guandao as a weapon didn't have widespread usage until the same century Romance of 3 Kingdoms was published either, and it may not have existed at all during Guan Yu's lifetime. All we do know is he was a loyal and capable general with a thick beard. Despite all this, I still love Romance of 3 Kingdoms, it's an icon of Chinese culture. Lionising people into becoming saints and heroes capable of inhuman feats is something we all do (Joan of Arc, John Henry, Jesus, etc)
@@thomasmanana2958 I believe you may of misread my comment to argue something that I didn't say, I didn't say it was realistic ... in regard to the video and what I said, I stated how "close" to the realism, as in the movie and fighting .... your taking it too literal and are just spouting a baseless argument for the sake of it
Fair, but the rewriting of the mythology frustrates me. Achilles and Patrocles were certainly not cousins, and the gods play such a vital role in the story that removing them completely removes it from its original context.
@@auroraourania7161 let tell you a secret, the movie is much more realistic than the original poem. Troy war probably existed and the poem is just bullshit.
Troy is superbly choreographed, but you also need to understand, not only is it set around the time of exodus, so 1100BC, but Achilles is obviously meant to be mythologically good at fighting. So him breaking Hectors spear isn't supposed to be all that crazy.
It's a nice but unlikely theory considering in the same fight Hector also broke Achillle's spear quite easily. And if we want to be be realistic and pedantic about it, even if Achilles had slight super strength or godly fighting skills the spear would've been knocked off Hector's hand instead of snapping like a twig. Either way Troy's duel is unique, original, and one of the best in cinema thanks to the use of spears instead of swords.
@@bryanclarke8107 Yeah the spear would have moved with the blow and take the punch out of it. Hector breaking it was a bit more realistic since the spear was against the ground so it had nowhere to go.
@@bryanclarke8107but hector was also considered slightly more than human. So it absolutely could work out. Youre thinking in very one dimensional terms
@@skeletorlikespotatoes7846 What are you talking about? Thinking in very one dimensional terms? You seem to be conflating "more strength" = "can break spear like that more easily", but the issue here is not that they wouldn't be strong enough or "skilled enough", but that the physics just wouldn't play out as portrayed in Troy. If you hit the spears with demigodly superhuman strength in the positions they were in, held in the way they were, the spears would get ripped out from the wielders' hands, unless you also want to say the two fighters had demigodly superhuman "grip" strength with their fingers and hands enough to hold the spears in place for the spears to snap the way they did Go ahead and try to snap a pencil's top portion off like it did in the movie by holding it with two fingers and trying swinging something fast and heavy across the top and see if it doesn't just whip out of your fingers. Try to hold a pencil by pinching from above and slamming down the bottom portion with something akin to a small foot and see if it doesn't just fall from your fingers.
I’ve never used a spear, but I have done sword arts. From what I can tell about “swinging” the spear around, like in the first video and in Troy, the spear is used more for distance. So by “swinging” the spear towards the enemy’s eyes will force the enemy back to gain a better fighting distance. This is my opinion and it seems right. If anyone has another idea or has a reason why this idea is bad, then I would love to hear about it.
if you swing it around like that there is a huge timing in which you can rush past the spear and get in close at which point the spear user loses their advantage
Spear swinging was used but not in the way Hollywood typically portrays. I remember a documentary that showcased Gaelic spearmen and it said they would use short swings followed immediately by thrusts. It controlled distance and made it more difficult to anticipate the angle of the thrusts. It could be effective when outnumbered and nearly surrounded. So the swing is used to set up a thrust, whereas in Hollywood they usually portray the swing as the primary attack.
I was hoping that Hero fight would be in this the whole time i was watching it, got kinda sad it wasn't. I think he already talked about that GoT fight on his channel though.
Yeah, what's with that! The Hero battle is like the most iconic spear fight in modern cinema. It really showcases the whole scary flexible whip-like attacks that many (like me) hadn't ever considered in spear combat before seeing it.
I keep a 9ft spear as my melee home defense weapon, great length and reach. The weapon of farmers, common folk & peasants. A underrated home defense weapon 💯
Only if you plan on wielding it OUTSIDE of your home. Or is your home One Giant Open Space Without Furnishing/Appliances? Making me think of Seinfeld episode where billiards is played in a tiny room 🤣
The problem with eastern glave is that it's actually a ceremonial weapon. Most well known as 偃月刀 , used by Guan Yu in fictions. (and surly not historical) It was meant to be scary and huge , thus the weight of the blade part is ridiculously HIGH (a eastern glave is often estimate around 10~20 kg , KG! meanwhile spear is like 5 pound!) It is way too heavy causing it nearly impossible for it to work as a long weapon , but it plays a great part in the culture , so the martial artist design those moves make it possible in practice and performance , by holding the central part and use it like a heavy stick with one end edge. So it might be weird and silly for a warrior to use such a huge "dao" in close combat with all those fancy moves , but gota keep in mind that it's not meant to be historical in the first place. Chinese martial art movies is sometimes like eastern version of Harry Potter , it's just part of the culture.
@@koraegi It's got more usage in ceremony than battle field. (and can assume that they probly never used in actual battle field) And so was 方天戟 (fang halberd , well known because used by Lu Bu in fiction).
Schola Gladiatoria is really good at what he's doing! Ive been watching his videos for years and theres always something new to learn. Couldnt have thought of a better person to do this episode.
The Bible is truth. Please read at least Genesis Mathew and one book you chose yourself. The important part is combining the reading with the inner work Jesus Christ taught. Forgiveness is the thing that makes it all click. To be forgiven we must forgive. The key is our parents. They’ve loved us to some degree, feeding raising clothing, etc. we all build up grievances there. Actually dealing with those issues, and genuinely forgiving from within is what makes it all click. Seriously,
I agree I think it is great to show that din jaren really has no experience with melee weapons, (quickly looking back with not perfect memory) it is more weird that he didn't use his blaster because in most of his fights he did use his blaster close range.
@@megamert2848 Probably because he doesn't know if it will be effective against the darksaber. He should have still tried because even if Moff Gideon had been as good as a Jedi (he is not) and bounced the shot, he has his armor. I also think that the weight of the spear argument is a bit covered by lore? I think the metal is lighter and has more special properties (his armor is made of the same, that's why he can still move properly). I think the most outrageous thing will remain the visor of the helmet. It's impossible to see much with it hehehe
@@Folfire I'm not 100% sure about the helmet but I believe some of the helmets in star wars basically have cameras and show that on the inside similar to like vr. That would also explain like zoom functionalities + other mandolorian helmets have the collapsable aim/rocket guidance stuff which would only really do something if they had some form of hud.
@@megamert2848 but in some scence you can see there is nothing in the helmet On some is that what you describe outside on something like an antenna but on others who knows where it is because of the schots you get where you can see the inside of the helmet you can see that there is nothing in there Also the helmets are sometimes to small for the actors and you can say helmets in Star Wars doesn't make sense in any way
@@Folfire Helmets in Star Wars have cameras and sensors so are giving an enhanced view. You can see this in a few Mandolorian episodes where he uses the sensors in his helmet to track people. The spear is of course made with some magical sci fi metal which is light and super strong. Gideon was probably not able to use the dark saber efficiently if its mechanics are similar to a light saber. The light saber in SW is a blade of pure energy with no mass that was as much of a danger to the wielder as to the target, per the lore only a force user could wield one effectively as they're using the force to track the movement of the blade so they don't hit themselves with it
Another thing about Troy I was curious about is if you watch the scene closely, It almost appears as of they were following some type of ancient dueling rules. For example: 1. You can't pull your sword out until your spear is broken. Each of them attempted to break the spear and as soon as they broke swords were drawn. Hector didn't even use his sword while fighting against the spear. Only a shield. 2. Picking up items from the ground. Was that a dishonorable thing in a duel like this? Or were there any rules at all?
There was definitely an honor code, at least in that particular duel. There is the moment where Hector trips over a stone and Achilles allows him to regain his footing rather than having a rock credited for his victory.
Stepping on a spear is less about breaking it and more about breaking the grip or even posture of the enemy. It's however hard to get into the position unless he's overswinging. It probably works best when he's a little exhausted and you deflect and knock down an attack that is already a downwards movement. That's how I scored it once and got scolded for damaging the spear...
I like the grip the glaiveman uses in the Lost Bladesman as a thing to resort to after you've lost your reach advantage and the swordsman has closed, but you probably want to try to get them away and regain the advantage rather than continuing to fight at their preferred distance.
In the last section, Guan-Dao, the weapon the guy is using, IS in fact wielded like that, and this is largely because matt eastern deals in western weapons. Its actually by far one of, if not the heaviest weapon wielded in history. Guan Dao could way as heavy as 10 kilograms. They were very heavy, and often had steel run through their cores and in some instances were full metal weapons. They were used by officers, literally as an exercise regime. So you have to keep them closer to your body.
@hewdelfewijfe feel free to look them up. They were in fact used, a full metal polearm that was heavy enough to break horses legs with the combat style close to the center of mass. Performing your kata with a guan dao that weighed different weights was a method of officer grading and promotion. And plenty of instances in early Chinese warfare of them being used in war. ♡♡♡
@hewdelfewijfe I guess you are wilfully ignorant then. Plenty of guan dao found at the sites of famous battles weighed between 5 and 20 pounds. (2-10kilos) The mythical variants of the weapon that were fabricated. Like the weapon supposedly weilded by Guan Yu weighed in at 82 Jin. Which is closer to 49 kilos. So, that's obviously a myth. There are plenty of articles revealing the guan dao was wielded on plenty of battles at weights of up to 10kg. ♡ The heaviest known "testing guandao" used for officer training and testing is in the museum of shanheiguan and it weighs about 83 kilos. ♡ 10kg seems hardly fictitious after that. ;3
@hewdelfewijfe I didn't say 20kilo ones were used. And I thought you didn't want sources. ;3 if you're not going to believe what I give you then I'm not going to bother hunting them down unless you'll take them seriously. Lmao
@BBoyCobalt1 I wouldn't say biased. But eastern weapons amd combat styles are not his expertise, he admits as much whenever he talks about katanas etc ♡
There are two main issues with the way weapons are being depict in movies and games. First it's how much the weapons weigh, and second distancing! The weight is critical by considering stamina consumption and the amount of force needed to leave an impact on an opponent. Distancing, this even applies to modern warfares, a further distance gives you the advantage to safely control and manage the battle. In Hollywood movies, opponents get to grasp each other's weapons, probably to make it more cinematic! Some of my friends were awarded athletes, at least on local level, and time to time they had me for fun and to be trained, frankly on certain levels I could not see their body movements, the only time that I could manage their strikes were moments that I was at safe distance from them.
The weight thing is for practical considerations. For one, a full-weight weapon in the hands of actors is just asking for an accident, and an injured actor or stunt performer can significantly delay a production, which is very expensive. Second, even if the actor or stunt person is in good shape, performing with a realistically-weighted weapon is tiring, and their performance will suffer if they have to go multiple takes.
Three things that absolutely bug me in movie combat: - Shields are almost never used properly. It feels like shields spend less time between the two combatants - where they're actually useful - than they spend flying around as the characters are hopelessly flailing and spinning around - and exposing their backs to one another. Try fighting with a shield. That thing is damn heavy! It's not meant to be swung about in circles. Sure, a shield can and should be used dynamically to control opponents' weapons and vision, to obfuscate one's own movement, and even give the occasional push. But it's main function is to - can you guess? - SHIELD against blows towards you or your allies. Which leads me to: - People's movements and tactical choices in combat. Matt speaks about the "taking turns" bit, which is certainly one example of this. Another is when people break formations for absolutely no good reason OR on the other hand cling to their formations so much no-one even tries to flank an opposing troop. It's common in films to see two lines of people standing in the middle of a field or beach in tightly packed shieldwalls pushing eachother's shields and shouting. Where are they even trying to push their opponents to? Why is no-one attempting to circle around and stab the opposing force's sides and backs? On the other hand, it's just as common to see troops split up like a flock of birds to each do their own thing. Also often people don't seem to spend any time trying to fortify positions, corral their opponents, choose battle locations or equip themselves. Which leads me to: - Are these people allergic to helmets? Do we *really* think that audiences would consider a battle boring if people wore helmets? Dammit. I mean just look at that fairly modern english vs french young king movie with it's plate armor duels. Did helmets make that movie boring? No, I think it did the exact opposite.
I've gone up against someone using a poleaxe like in the last scene, just swirling it around in a great motion, when doing live steel fighting. Managed to close, mainly due to having a shield. Wilfully let the poleaxe impact the shield, but the force of the impact massively bruised my arm where the top of the shield was pressed into my upper arm as the poleaxe hit.
'just swirling it around in a great motion, when doing *live steel fighting* .' Fighting with LIVE STEEL? Is that even a thing? Where I come from, it would be called 'attempted murder'.....
People can say whatever they want about that Troy duel. But it's a fact, not an opinion that it's one of the best and coolest duels put on screen, maybe ever
hahah~ I love the mandalorian review, I thought the same thing! Fighting like it's a broom handle! To be fair, I think Mando had recently gotten the weapon for the first time, and he was accustomed to fighting with guns and rocket launchers - not martial weapons like spears or swords. This was like, one of the first times he used the spear properly in battle, so it makes sense he was absolutely awful with it.
Absolutely. If you compare it to how he uses his armor throughout the series, he's an expert. He knows how to use his armor to deflect, which blows he can just tank and which need to be avoided or blocked. He uses each weapon when it makes the most sense, and saves less useful weapons for when they will be more useful.
The point you make at the end is what I was going to post, and I think it undercuts a lot of the criticism of the fight in this video. The Mandalorian is not at all versed in the use of a spear, and it can even be argued that he’s using it with fear of the weapon he’s facing foremost in his mind. That would make the choreography related to character and reasonable, not awful.
In the fantasy story, that huge GuanDao polearm protagonist used is like 18kg(40pound), so he didn't holding it like a standard spear is understandable. But yeah GuanDao is just too heavy to be a practical weapon, they're mostly used for training and showing off.
At least not today they are. Back even during the late Qing dynasty, similar weapons were widely used to great effect. These versions though were far lighter than modern guandao .
@@durandal441 Yeah but assuming he would handle that weapon "the practical way" is wrong. It would be awkward and unbalanced to use a weapon like a traditional spear or halberd and something that should be noted to what he's saying about that stance.
I think the most unrealistic thing about that fight isn't just the way the polearm is used, but the level of deflection the sword maintains. Given the momentum of the polearm, there are multiple moments where it should either break the guard of the opponent, or disarm them completely. The swordsman should have been relying more on dodging than on parrys and blocks.
I love the fact you mentioned the heavier the spear the easier to grab. Whenever I've sparred using weapons made of PVC Pipe, foam, and duct tape, I would always just grab the spear due to how heavy it was to get free hits.
It is not so easy against a real spear. First of all, you need to grab it bit further back as if you hold the spear tip, the enemy will just withdraw the spear quickly and you might get your hand cut a bit depending on the spear tip. Also as mentioned in the video, you can quickly use the leverage provided by your opponent holding your tip to strike with the other hand, and since the opponent has shield in one hand and your spear in the other, he cant attack you with his weapon, which is usually held in the hand with the shield for the "grabbing" part. Realistically, its a very risky move. And remember, than in real combat, if the spearman slashes your right hand of arm, the fight is usually nearly over for you, because you would be quite limited and spearman would pick you off. I dont have much experience with sword and shield myself, as i fought mostly with pike or spear or spear + shield and did some longsword (german school). But I would advise to very very very carefully approach the tip , cover with your shield as best as you can and try to deflect the tip to a side with your sword, if you do that, quickly close the distance and you have won. As the spearman, you have the initiative, you need to know this is the only way for the swordman to win, so you need to maintain the distance, have good footwork and stab his left foot or head or right arm/hand, as those parts are usually exposed, not behind the shield. I usually go for left foot while having the head as another option if the enemy focuses on defending his left foot too much.
The Bible is truth. Please read at least Genesis Mathew and one book you chose yourself. The important part is combining the reading with the inner work Jesus Christ taught. Forgiveness is the thing that makes it all click. To be forgiven we must forgive. The key is our parents. They’ve loved us to some degree, feeding raising clothing, etc. we all build up grievances there. Actually dealing with those issues, and genuinely forgiving from within is what makes it all click. Seriously,
Spears made of PVC, foam and duct tape does not function like an actual spear made for combat. The PVC is way more floppy and the entire thing gets balanced horribly. Also, a spear made of PVC actually weighs *more* than a real one. You can't take your experience dueling against a PVC spear as how a real one actually functions in combat.
This is great and I love they are continuing with the series. The potential of this is endless. Just imagine. "Plumbing expert rates 12 plumbing scenes in Movies and TV". "Clumsy guy rates 19 scenes in movies and TV where actors do something clumsy". "Serial killer rates 13 murder and planning for murder scenes in Movies and TV"
Plumbing Expert: "The guy really did well clearing the drain, but there was a complete lack of plumber's crack so I'm going to have to dock it one point for that."
Troy hands down the best. They really did their homework in choreographing that one and actually used all the weapons efficiently. Showed how good of a fighter achilles is. Others just felt like they were flailing around to make it look flashy with minimal intent to actually kill.
Archilles really worked that spear well. Hector struggled a bit and used his shield a lot more. Best spear fight scene and Brad Pitt's best movie performance.
Always a pleasure to get your insights on different weapon forms. Your passion for it is as entertaining as the fights themselves, and I actually implement your advice when I practice
Kudos to the editor! As much as I enjoy Matt Easton and his expertise, he likes packing in a lot of info when discussing something and can get kinda ramble-y sometimes.
The first scene, where he criticized the swinging of the spear - the intent there was to create space rather than damage so she could focus on less enemies at a time. Can be seen/taught in manuals of eastern pole arm and staff styles
That was my impression too. It looked like Okoye was about to be flanked, so she twirled her spear around to blunt the opponents' advances, and maybe to create space or stun some of the opponent's, reducing the number of opponents she needs to deal with at the same time.
I didn’t have as much of a problem with the swings in Black Panther and Troy because they were defensive to open up space as much as anything. Another great Insider video, thanks Matt!
1:03 Swinging a spear like that makes perfect sense if all you're trying to do is clear some space around you. Which is pretty clearly what the intent is. After all, even if she doesn't actually cut anyway, she's still hitting them with a with a solid piece of metal moving at a fair bit of speed. 5:51 To be fair to Hector and his swinging his spear across Achilles' face... if it had connected, while it wouldn't cut very deep, it doesn't have to be a deep cut to blind Achilles, even if only temporarily. And, like the example in Black Panther, even if it doesn't draw blood, a solid whack to the head with a bit of sharp metal at the end of a heavy stick is gonna knock you around.
I know he's judging realism more than anything but presumably Mando has no clue how to effectively use a spear and hasn't had any training for it 🤷🏻♂️ then the last fight really? Swinging it in a circle at a consistent speed and the dude catches it on his run in anyway ‘8/10’ 🤯
I also thought the idea of a shield breaking a spear is more plausible than a sword cutting through a spear. The idea being that a shield, especially a fully metal one, has a lot more weight and inertia behind it, especially when the spear is dug into the ground. Granted, it would probably break at or near the ground instead of where the shield actually hit it, but it's still conceivably more likely.
@@christopherconnolly2854 and surely both the shield and sword are more plausible than kicking through it first time even with greaves on. Both the shield and sword should have finer points, although you can put more force through your legs Hector barely swings at it 🤷🏻♂️ allow it though it's Achilles and Hector, they'd snap spears with their teeth
@@christopherconnolly2854 Swords are sharp and shields are super blunt, also theres no such thing as a full metal shield because that would weigh way too much, so weight is out of the question and cutting ability aswell.
One, he's armored, a wack is probably not going to much, especially when adrenaline is pumping. Which it always will be pumping. Stabbing is what made the Roman's and the Greeks so effective. Most of their non greek or roman opponents used slashes more often than stabs. Spears are meant for stabbing not slicing, some have the ability to slice, but their over all function is for stabbing.
Good video with one exception. With the Mandalorian scene he couldn't be more wrong. 1) The spear used by the Mandalorian is made of beskar, Mandalorian Iron. Which means that spear would be lighter than a wood and steel spear. 2) Everything said about how he used it does not take into consideration that this is the first time Mando used it in combat. When you critique something like this you MUST take all context into consideration. As someone who is also trained in the use of spears, staves and some swords I saw many more issues with the sword (lightsaber) combat in this scene.
I was very happy to hear this gentleman state at 8:50 that a "spear person can beat two sword wielders". I've seen other docs on precisely this (mind, we are talking about opposition of equal ability, of course). It's one of the reasons I've been a strong fan of spears as combat weapons. Considering they are no doubt the absolute oldest weapons man has been using and are still used today, they've got a lot going for them. :) I still love swords of course. They are very beautiful weapons but you need to be VERY good with them also.
I think that is subjective, if you are skilled with a sword it will take 2 spear wielders to have a chance of bringing you down. he is right about keeping the distance tho, once you close that gap with a spear user they are toast.
@@davidvesey-brown7171 No, this has been tested, a skilled swordsman is about an equal match for an untrained spearman. A well trained spearman, and the swordsman doesn't stand a chance (unless he has a shield to negate the spears massive reach advantage) There's a reason why swords were considered sidearms while spears where considered primary weapons. The main advantage of the sword was it's convenience, that you could just have it by your side, which is why they were the most preferred weapon for self-defense, you didn't have to worry about carrying this overly large weapon at all times, you can wear a sword at the hip much more easily than you can wear any other weapon (axes/maces have weird weight balancing to carry their and polearms are much too large). But if you had a choice before a combat of any weapon, all else equal you'd chose a polearm.
@@Trepur349 as a martial artist of many years this has not been my experience. If this were the case armies would not have really used the sword at all. You wouldn't have roman formations of gladius and shield as the key army formations with spears being used on the cheap troops etc. When you break it down you can dismiss the spear myth. While the spear has these advantages...cheap, easy to produce, good vs cavalry, easy for beginners etc. A well trained swordsmen will win. In a duel scenario. But it takes time to be good with a sword. You can't just throw untrained farmers a sword.
@@davidvesey-brown4683 I mean for the most part armies didn't use swords, they were a side arm, they were if you lost your main weapon (or in the case of spearman got into to close with the enemy to use your spears effectively) Swords were more a weapon of the gentleman then a weapon of battle, which is why they became so popular but only after all these other weapons became irrelvant thanks to gunpowder.
@@davidvesey-brown4683 The main battlefield weapon of the Romans was the spear, the Gladius was used after they got in close with their enemy. The Triarii their most elite soldiers, where equiped only with spears. But also shields played a factor, as I said, shields lower the advantage of spear over sword, and the romans had bigger shields than most, so the gladius played a lot larger of a role for Romans then swords did for anyone else
Love the assessments on all of those scenes! This series is always fun to watch. Just got to add though, the reason the Mandalorian sucks with the spear is that he's never been trained in it and is more used to daggers and short blades. He even struggles with the Dark Saber initially, before it got heavier. I think it's fair to say that he's untrained in this scene. Other than that, great video!
Im not trained with a spear either and i still know to use it to stab and keep the opponent away. Lack of training doesnt mean you have to fight like a complete fool.
My favourite thing about the Troy fight isn't actually the spear fight itself, it's how Hector doesn't immediately pull out his sword after his spear breaks. He sees that Achilles has the initiative, and waits for an opening to pull out his sword in an aggressive motion. It drives home that the spear is the primary weapon and the sword is a last resort.
The Spear. One of the greatest, most important inventions EVER invented by mankind, not just for fighting opponents or defending yourself, but also as a hunting tool. Even a wooden spear made with just a hunting knife is a deadly weapon.
As a person who is trained in Kung-Fu among other arts, I know how to use the Spear and it's great to see someone from the field ranking. Also I want to mention, the video before the last one it was a Kwan Dao and not just Dao. Dao is a broadsword which meant for slashing, and it differed from the Jian which is a thrust sword. Kwan Dao is designed mainly for slashing but also for thrusting, it is a prestiged weapon that not many would use in combat. Kwan Daos are usually longer, the length of the pole itself is more than the Javelin but less than the spear used in the phalanx formation, somewhere in the middle.
I can’t believe he didn’t take a look at the spear fight in Akira Kurosawa’s classic “The Hidden Fortress”. Probably the most realistic spear fight in cinema, and wielded by Toshiro Mifune no less.
The Bible is truth. Please read at least Genesis Mathew and one book you chose yourself. The important part is combining the reading with the inner work Jesus Christ taught. Forgiveness is the thing that makes it all click. To be forgiven we must forgive. The key is our parents. They’ve loved us to some degree, feeding raising clothing, etc. we all build up grievances there. Actually dealing with those issues, and genuinely forgiving from within is what makes it all click. Seriously,
Oh, no! Your comments about the Guan Dao are way off base! Yes, the neck spin, while even used in some forms to train dexterity with the weapon, is likely not a practical move. But the beauty of the Guan Dao, is that, while it is long, it can also be used in medium and close quarters. To use the Guan Dao totally at full length would be tiring. Though it can extend, I'd call it a medium-to-long range weapon, because it's abilities rest within using it's center and how it is manipulated from that balance point. In two-handed use, the dominant hand is usually closest to the blade on this weapon, almost like it is being used like a sword. (It is, after all, a Dao... a form of knife.) Perhaps you should have excluded the Guan Dao/Kwan Dao (General Kwan's Big Knife) from your analysis of spear fights.
Great fun doing this! Spears and polearms need a lot more love in movies. Hope the viewers enjoyed this.
Jeeze Matt, you're just popping up on my feed everywhere, dont stop though 😋
How come you didn't review the Kingmonger vs T'Challa waterfall fight scene?
Suddenly your last few videos on spear thiccness don't seem so random
Always nice when I get a subscription crossover 👍
Do you also plan on doing some more of these?
He talks later about how swings are done because they're visually impressive and thrusts often aren't and I think that's one place where Troy did very well. They made the thrusts seem dangerous and powerful and visually interesting
@AileDiablo God you are so obnoxious
its not necessary to "kill" or hurt someone! if you swing this pole around you make sure nobody comes close to you!
@@jussy1287 and the Troy example, he says a swing is bad because its like being hit in the face with a stick... well with a bit of metal on the end swung by a pro athlete... so yeah could easily kill or knock you out, break your nose take an eye, if it connects or just give you space 🤷🏻♂️
@AileDiablo So you think it's a good idea to SWING a heavy, 8 foot long spear at your opponent instead of using quick stabbing strikes with the spear head?
There is nothing fast about swinging a spear, only hollywood convincing you the opponent isn't sitting there waiting for you to complete your move so they can fake attack.
You have never used a spear in your life, please stop telling us how it's used. There are actually people here who fight with these weapons.
@AileDiablo yes, how is this "expert" not think about it? ..as i always say: never trust an "expert" in a youtube video :)
I think "Troy" was the last time we saw a battle scene that isn't just a dizzying mass of super-quick cuts and we could actually see what was happening. Immense kudos to the actors for this incredible choreography!
I also agree with the video that Troy was the best spear fight....
Just a shame the movie was completely inaccurate to the Iliad. Would’ve been great to see the Iliad fully realised, it’s such a great story.
@@teddywest-side6378 Sure, but it would be boring. That's why they hype up the sex and fighting.
@@bobzombie2710 nah I recon if you cut out descriptions of troops the Iliad is a better story. More fighting, gods and not making lovers their cousins 😂
@@teddywest-side6378 haha
I think it's important to note that Akhilleus is a demi-god, and even in the Iliad it is shown by his superior strength. So breaking a spear with his shield is a way to show how invincible he is, which is also why his fighting style is so "aerial", it's like he's flying through the battleground, breaking spears and shields, just like in the story.
True. Good balance without actually showing him fighting the river god lol.
While this is true, I think it's also worth pointing out that if Achilles was exerting enough force to snap Hector's spear in half, it would've been wrenched from his hand before it broke - probably would've broken Hec's wrist too
Interesting point Eric didn t think of that
I hear ya but Troy is a terrible film dramatically and doesn’t make any of that clear to the audience. It plays it like a straight faced historical drama. Terrible choice. I still watch it every few years though, because I love the Iliad so much.
Sort of like Superman catching Lois and going from terminal velocity to full stop in 18". Anyone who ever hit meat with a knife (or vice versa in this case) would know there would be 3 hunks of Lois on the ground.
Give us more Matt Easton! He’s got crazy history knowledge as well as excellent knowledge of historical martial arts. Dude deserves to be in more of your reaction videos.
Totally agree. He's been a real OG Weapon expert on TH-cam for a while.
@@Fulgrim_The_Phoenician Scholagladiatoria is by far my favorite HEMA based channel.
100 percent right
@AileDiablo who are you talking to?
@AileDiablo Why do you think he would read this?
I'd say that the spear break with the shield is ok in this film, but only for Achilles.
Don't forget Achilles is meant to be super-hero-ish in this film. Slightly later on you see Achilles stab at Hector's shield with his short sword, the strike almost knocks Hector off of his feet. No human is THAT strong, especially when striking a highly trained warrior.
Yes, Achilles is a demigod, (Well he's half-Nereid anyway). He's incredibly strong and functionally invulnerable, so equating anything he does with anything a human might do is largely missing the point.
This.
And Hector is also partway to that superhero idea as well, almost a Batman, to Archilles' superman, which makes it fair that he can snap a spear by trapping and stomping on it.
And the shaft of a Trojan's spear is probably not nearly as strong as a modern/late medieval spear.
In mythology, yes. In the movie he was a human. He says that if he was invincible as the Legends they tell about him, he wouldn't need a shield.
The movie isn't mythological. He isn't the son of a Nereid trained by a centaur here.
@@simon-pierrelussier2775. Why not?
It’s a piece of wood. In fact there would be more wood and better wood.
I think Achilles breaking the shaft with shield may have been a cinematic choice to show his demi-god strength. Fair breakdowns though. Love the analysis
To me the issue is that unless the spear is braced against something, it's not going to break--it'll just move. Even Hector breaking Achilles spear has the same problem, to an extent--the spear would just get pushed to the ground unless Achilles really holds onto it and doesn't let it move.
@@crusherven It’ll still break even if it’s unsupported if hit hard enough. The inertia of the spear itself can be enough resistance. But you’re right, the spear should have moved much more under an impact that violent.
I dunno, the movie seemed to be going for a story with no supernatural elements. However, Achilles was so effective at fighting multiple opponents that you could argue that there was something supernatural about him.
@@crusherven It might have been, we can see Hector trying to trap the opponent's spear with his own so he probably planted the end into the ground, otherwise he wouldn't be able to get any force at all between his spear and his body or shield. Still a dubious move because these spears don't have a large head or lugs, so it would be hard to stop it from being pulled back with just friction, but it at least makes the breaking more plausible.
Also it was forged by Hephaestus its not just a normal shield. Also you re right the strength is also a factor and the momentum.
The critique of the Mandalorian was on point...and entirely showcased the fact that Mando had no spear training and had only been carrying it as backup because his gun locker was destroyed.
Yeah that was my understanding as well. He received the spear, it wasn't a chosen weapon and he had no training in it at all.
Yup, that was my read on the scene. That the most training Din had that was sorta linked would have been early childhood use of something like a quarterstaff. He's a gunslinger by choice and training and was WAY out of his depth in that fight.
@@LiamMarcon I guess but like, spear is probably the easiest weapon to use with no training. Stick em with the pointy end. Your untrained natural reaction is going to be doing that anyway.
@@AWanderingSwordsmanexactly what I was going to say. They just wanted it to look dynamic
Why he didn't just slide the sword along the spear remove his fingers from his hand is baffling. 🙂
Interesting that Hector's moves are plausible while Achilles' moves are not. I'd like to believe that that was on purpose. Achilles was, even in this movie universe, capable of doing things that were scarcely human. Hector commented that Achilles threw the spear like no one he had ever seen before. I like that the movie makers gave him moves that were just beyond what humans were capable of. It plays into his "greatest of all time warrior" image.
@F. S. I love how you argument x)
@F. S. well, achilles is a demigod in myth so it isnt total bs when you think about it.
@@othisdede8027 exactly. he's only half human. wish he would have added a critique for the neck spear stab at the beginning. that seemed very plausible for someone with world class talent in their field and not requiring his demigod status but could easily be seen as supernatural talent back in those times I would imagine.
I'd also say that Troy took place roughly 2850 years ago and breaking their spears with a shield is probably possible due to the crafting of the weapons possibly not being as good as what you could make today
i think that Achilles also being blessed by the gods with demi strength helps him do things different also
That Troy duel is kinda nice honestly, there's the flair of the climatic battle and the realism
As much as I cringed at the weird across the shoulders, over the spear thrust that Achilles did, it was done to show that he’s Achilles, the greatest warrior of his day. So I guess it gets a pass ;P
@@CharlieNoodles exactly Achilles was the MJ of his time and his style was was so advanced that he could do these unorthodox moves. Many athletes across all sports develop certain quirks when they’ve mastered it.
It's also a certain amount of "These people are Legends. Even the guy who lost was so good at fighting that people knew his name a thousand, maybe two, years later when these stories were put to text." Like, these people are capital H Heroes.
I remember watching a behind the scenes bit about this fight and it was said that since Achilles was a demigod, his fighting style was influenced by that of the gods, and that even in defense he's always attacking.
@@cleverusername9369 yep. That fight is almost perfect.
I LOVED the fight scenes in Troy. Especially the Duel with Hector.
It really "felt" real. (like they studied actual "ancient greek" fighting styles)
Glad it earned a good rating.
Yeah Troy's fight scenes are great, I love how they realistically dodge and weave about
Yeah that 1 on 1 battle in Troy was really good even though when looking at it Achilles was dominating Hektor. Hektor was close at 1 point i think scratching the lether armore but other then that Achilles was toying with him. The producer did a very good job not making it look as 1 sided as it really was.
The stun man who worked on this movie said they did it wrong. The correct way to hold the spear was too hard to made it interesting so they did the way they did.
well it is the best fight scene ever recorded in history of film.
It's hard to balance the "realistic" and "cinematic" aspects. I think Troy as a fairly successful movie did a really great job in that.
Historically speaking, spears were the weapon of choice. You could mass produce them. You didn't need a lot of training to be effective. They offered superior range. They were extraordinarily hard to read as thrusting is very hard to gauge distance. The actual weapon of choice for thousands of years.
There have been some recent discoveries that question the idea that the primary weapon of the vikings where spear, over 100 swords where fond in two graves in estonia, and in sweden there was a mass boat burial where everyone had swords buried with them
@@Bubajumbaswords were valuable and seen as a mark of pride. Of course they were buried with them.
@@DarthAxolotl It was more like a personal defense weapon and not a battlefield one. Nobility carried swords around during daily life as both a status symbol and light defense to fend off robbers and 'protect one's honor'. Same as a lot of ornamental pistols. Eventually we replaced them with canes. Like Andrew Jackson would've absolutely run around with a loaded pistol and rapier if he were born in a different century but in the mid 1800s that was considered a bit too barbaric.
the spear was known as "King of all weapons" of course, this was before the bow n arrow
That fight in Troy has always stood out. It is the perfect balance of being exciting and a little flashy while still looking like the two are actually trying to kill each other and looks very plausible.
Exactly, the flashiness works with this fight in particular, these are two Epic Heroes from when those words meant something. Hector, Prince and Guardian of Troy vs Achilles, greatest warrior in all of Greece. It would absolutely be a little flashier than if it were two regular soldiers fighting.
The Bible is truth. Please read at least Genesis Mathew and one book you chose yourself. The important part is combining the reading with the inner work Jesus Christ taught. Forgiveness is the thing that makes it all click. To be forgiven we must forgive. The key is our parents. They’ve loved us to some degree, feeding raising clothing, etc. we all build up grievances there. Actually dealing with those issues, and genuinely forgiving from within is what makes it all click. Seriously,
@@jamesmayle3787 tHe BiBlE iS tRuE ... man sorry to break it to you but no one cares nowadays 😕
@@jamesmayle3787 Punching sand would be more productive then this attempt at conversion.
@@jamesmayle3787 no, it's full of myth and hubris spoken and written down by imperfect men before the scientific revolution. If you view it as a bunch of parables written down during a less informed time that still shows underlying values, you may be on to something, but calling it the outright truth is nutty. Sort of like calling Santa Claus as real solely because there's a good lesson about trying to be nice instead of naughty.
Holy CONTEXT it's Matt Easton, a damn pleasure seeing him do some content like this
On pole arms too, the real weapons and kings of ancient battles, especially the spear, you love to see it.
A lot of the viewers don’t understand this, but this is the best comment here 😂
That Troy fight was astounding to see the first time in theaters. Still the best ancient world fight in my mind.
I agree, and the sound of the action was highlighted, they kept all music out of the original cut, and just had some percussion, it sounded amazing
Maximus vs Tigris of Gaul is an amazing ancient fight too
Good job inviting Matt - scholagladiatoria is one of the best channels when it comes to historical weapons and their use
The Achilles v Hector fight is one of my favorite bits of visual story telling. It's clear from that outset that Hector is highly skilled, but completely outclassed. From moment one the outcome is clear, but man fights superman and displays exceptional courage against the inevitable. The moment when he strikes and scores Achilles' armor was moral victory and the complete lack of respect Achilles gives this honorable warrior defending his home makes you feel the outrage against Achilles for his transgressions.
no lol i was glad when he murdered him, and tied him to his carriage, all hail Achilles
Hector new he would lose from the first meeting.
Yeah that might be how the movie framed it, but in the real story the Trojans kidnapped Hellen and refused to give her back. By all metrics they started and prolonged the war and suffering of their own people because of one horny prince who wanted a queen as his sex slave.
@@spikem5950 Helen was largely a casus belli for Menelaus and Paris’ crime the perfect excuse for the Greek City States to crush one of their main rivals in the Mediterranean. A focus that hasn’t been really had in any version of the story I’ve seen is on Helen as a tragic figure. Born of the rape of her mother by Zeus, who’s great beauty was as much curse as blessing through her life and then reviled by the Greeks afterwards.
there are versions of the story where achilles and hektor are all but equal in their fight, which shocks achilles, because achilles is a fuckin demigod while hektor is just a man.
That fight in Troy between Achilles and Hector is one of my favorite fights of all time on screen. You can really get the sense during the fight of how Hector is a really competent fighter, but even so Achilles is just in his own higher class and style. Troy is an ok movie, but that particular scene really stood out.
jup. especially achilles resting the spear on his back is basically just him showing off how much better he is then hector
Always been one of my favorite movies for the duels. The spear fight usage always struck a cord with me because the thrust seemed so much more realistic to mean.
I really like this movie... and I agree that this fight was probably my favorite.
It doesn't matter how many times I see this movie, I always hope Hector will win.
@@ghandiah @Mark Phillips I'm with you on that. I've never seen Achilles as a hero figure.
Hector knows he is going to die but still goes out to fight Achilles because he is fighting for his home city and family. Fighting when you know you will lose is courageous. In the Iliad itself, Hector says he knows that one day the city will fall but he still fights on.
Achilles knows he is going to win so I can't see much courage in that. In the film's fight scene he's even surprised to actually suffer Hector's successful blow to his chest. Achilles is fighting for a corrupt king he doesn't even respect. His aim is to win personal glory. He fights Hector in revenge for his pain at losing Patroclus even though he has been the means of causing the same pain to countless others himself, with less just cause. He also has unearned advantages in being the son of a goddess. I can't see much courage in him or much to admire in his situation. Unfortunately, the best people are often not the ones to survive, one of the points Homer was trying to make in the Iliad I suspect.
I will always argue 1 small point for Troy. Brad Pitts footwork in that movie is so utterly insanely perfect it deserves a 10/10 for that alone. Drilling proper footwork takes forever and he just kills it
The fight choreography was done by 2 Filipino Martial arts instructors. They stressed balance and footwork to Brad Pitt.
I'll also add that the shield breaking the spear shaft was made easier because of the braced position it got caught in just before it was struck.
I would also argue that he seems to ignore the efficacy of hitting someone in the face with a pole (metal capped one too). he says it will make a guy flinch but not do much damage but I am not sure that is true. Would also open him up to being hit again and allow Hector to take the initiative against a normal guy.. That and him seeming not to care that Achilles is a demigod so breaking the spear with a shield isnt that hard to believe...
@@rossg4788
My piano teacher stressed keys and footwork but I couldn't get the hang of it.
The movie was crap tho.
As a (very) former re-enactor, I have to agree with Mr Easton on the deadliness of spears in combat. More kills are racked up by spears than any other close combat weapon. A 2H axe is flashy and grabs an opponent's attention, sword and shield gives a good defence, but it's the spear that best takes advantage of a fleeting opening.
That's one of two reason why the spear was by far the most used battlefield weapon for almost all of history (really up until the invention of gunpowder)
It was among the most effective weapons and it was also fairly cheap to make
Movies almost always don't have enough polearms in their battles
@@basilmagnanimous7011 Yeah, and I hate the argument that 'who cares it's not real' because it does give people wrong impressions about reality
@@Trepur349 It also appears lazy to me. I would love to see more representation of weapons that are barely used in fiction.
@@Trepur349 *up to and including, since what is a bayonet on a long firearm but a very fancy spear?
It isn't until somewhere around breech-loading firearms to smokeless powder that the bayonet starts to become a secondary for infantry, automatic weapons when the bayonet starts to be an afterthought, and an array of reliable, automatic small-arms that we even begin to see some infantry commonly without bayonets.
@@bluerendar2194 Yeah I guess technically true, but for most of the 16th and 17th century the musket was the most used battlefield weapon and pikes were a somewhat close second
The more time went on the more pikes and other polearms fell out of favour, which in large part was due to bayonets basically allowing a solider to similtaneously be a spearman and a musketman
But it was the first time in history the primary purpose of the primary battlefield weapon wasn't to have the reach advantage in a meelee
because gunpowder changed the game
Always happy to see Matt being brought on to review things, he has such a wealth of knowledge and context when it comes to European weapons.
Spear is spear! (Insert Mr Incredibly)
He has a firm grip on his shafted weapon as always.
(Its pretty much a intern joke w him and his audience at this time)
He missed something in Troy… if you watch closely, Achilles actually cuts the spear a few times before breaking it. He was planning from the start, and attacking the staff with his blade to prep for a break.
Pretty cool.
Really? Cool minor detail I think everyone, myself included, missed. Now I need to rewatch it. Cheers!
Now that you mentioned it I remember them putting attention on Achilles hitting the spear multiple times leading up to that.
It also helps that Achilles is in fact Achilles and not some mortal man. Being a demigod does bend some rules.
@@danielreshef5299 The thing about Troy, though, is that it was more "grounded" as if the gods and demigods didn't exist. I personally love that as it makes Achilles far more a "perfect" specimen of man born as a fighter and less requiring that any form of "god-dom" made him better. He was fearless, his reflexes were off the charts and he was exceedingly competent in combat. As a man in combat with him, THAT is what I would fear.
Funny you would use the word perfect, as in the Illiad which this movie is based on, the whole point of the story is to show just how imperfect this son of a goddess really is and how his pride and ubris led to his demise and that of his most beloved friend / probable lover.
Finally they got an actual HEMA expert.
Sadly there’s a lot of comments about weaponry usage like they experts hahahah
@@Jeffro5564 In the comments everyone's an expert. Personally I'm also a pro at handling long-shafted implements. :)
Take in mind that many hema manuscripts were written by the kind of guys youd see nowadays in central park demonstrating how to beat 7 ninjas with a chopstick. Most the legit ones had never been in battle, or a real fight. The few who had really stand out.
Hema is for duels, and often had strict rules. Chances are you wouldn't have employed the technique in a real fight.
I'm no great martial artist... and often demolish hema nuts just with aggression and a solid defense.
Matt Easton knows a good range, which is brilliant though. I'd trust him at my side.
My argument is against hema as a whole. There just is no real way to tell who in history was a braggard laying it in thick.
Historians look at legendary knights and assume a lot of their deeds were exaggerated.
Hema fans look at every manuscript as sacred gospel.
@@AnotherDuck We don't want to hear about your husband.
@@13thcentury Very little is known about the actual lives of the authors of most treatises so there's really not enough evidence to support your claim they werent professional duelists or participated in military campaigns. It could be one or the other or neither there typically isnt enough evidence to say one way or another.
What "HEMA nuts" are you actually sparring with? It's a small community and the _vast_ majority are casual students not even close to the level of even semi-professionals. I see you're a Brit and while there are some decent HEMA competitors that have made it to finals in Swordfish from the UK the majority are Northern and Eastern European so your sample and your anecdotal experience isnt exactly definitive.
HEMA training can overvalue treatises but HEMA in sparring, especially at higher levels, is about testing which strategies from historical manuscripts are most effective. And most high level competitors show bias towards certain methods that they have thoroughly tested through extensive, high intensity sparring experience.
I wonder if Achilles breaking the spear like that was more a nod to his strength. Ah well. Would love to get his thoughts on that short fight in the beginning of Fearless with Jet Li
Also spears then we're made to be broken so if you threw it they couldn't pick it up and use it on you.
The fight between Jet Li and Donnie Yen’s characters in Hero would have been a wonderful inclusion. It might not be realistic at all, but it sure is one of the most gorgeous fights (and movies for that matter) ever shot to film.
@@jamiethomas527 that was only for javelins and only after the Roman times.
His strength / possible divinity, yes. That's how I perceived it.
Im with you on this, his strength was pretty OP (remember when he threw the spear super far)
When Troy came out in theaters, a friend of mine said that he for the first time understood how dangerous a spear can be.
Your friend didnt think a spear was dangerous before he saw a movie 😂
@@ntc1998 There are some kind of people they need to keep reminding themselves to apreciate the worth of something...so don't be surprised...
for me that movie was lord of the rings made me realize how strong spears could be
@@ntc1998 he said HOW dangerous a spear can be. Learn to read, Junebug
@@ntc1998 Spears are usually shown as inferior weapons to swords in most computer games. If you mainly grow up with gaming and have no understanding of weapons apart from the texts derived from there you have no idea how weapons are really used and how dangerous they could be. I got it even worse, I grew up with the Digedags, where a knight just casually slices through two crossed spears because he wanted to pass the guards. If you think that spears can be cut that easily (and that is a popular belief as Matt said), then spears appear far less dangerous.
6:13 he broke it easily because Achilles is depicted as a demigod with supernatural strength. He also threw a spear from a football field range with regular throwing stance so that also shows his unnatural enhanced strength.
imo this shows just how impressive Hector really is. Going toe to toe with a greek demigod and performing similar techniques against him.
Experts always watch the movies as if they are viewing these people as in the real world when they are not because they have superhuman strenght and speed and abilities that humans in the real world does not.
If he hit it with enough power to break it in half, he would've actually just knocked it clean out of Hector's hand. For Hector to be holding on tight enough for the spear to break, he'd have to have the exact same supernatural demigod strength as Achilles, much more than mere training or willpower could provide.
Momentum and the transfer of force matters. It's another side of the same basic physics that wouldn't let a stationary Superman catch Lois Lane at terminal velocity.
Hector is also a demigod, so makes not much difference.
Also it depends on the thickness of the spear and the type of wood that comprises it.
In the film the spear Hector holds looks thinner than the one Matt holds but also note the wood, Matt's is likely English Oak which is also a denser wood, Greek spears would likely not be as dense, especially if they are used as throwing weapons
I really like how they portrayed Achilles They showed that he can do impossible things most men can't. But those things also aren't totally unbelievable. Except for the football field spear throw, all the other movements and attacks he does look doable you know. They portay him as like a perfect human not an actual god.
For Mando, I think it does a great example. He’s never used a spear, he’s clueless and they show us that.
Too often the hero picks up a weapon that to our knowledge they know nothing about yet still wield it like a pro.
I appreciate that Mando has no idea what to do with the spear
That's very fair, same reason I wasn't upset that he couldn't use a lightsaber well at all
Yeah but the point is (pun semi intended) that spears don't require a lot of training to be used somewhat competently.
(mind you, obviously makes sense someone who has never held one and never seen a battlefield wouldn't know how to precisely strike weak points or find gaps in a defensive stance or how to read an opponent or the like)
The idea however that the pointy end of your long stick should go into the other guy without him getting close to you, ideally, is something you have a rough grasp on instinctively.
And Mando got a LOT more overall fighting expertise than a great deal of conscripts using spears during feudal times.
In some way he is doing WORSE than conscripted farmers here. That's a bit much.
I agree with everything, but there weren't many conscript soldiers in the medieval period
Strong disagree. Doesn't take a master to understand how a spear works (you stab).
Mando is a class-A example of terrible filmmaking at every level.
Great evaluation, I found Troy simply stunning, the fact that weapons were used accurately gives it even more credibility.
Spears have a tendency to be chopped in half in movies quite easily. I have a sharpened gladius and it can't chop through a broom stick unless I brace the broom against something.
If I grab one end, and my friend grabs the other, our arms absorb too much of the shock, and the sword bounces off the broomstick leaving barely a scratch.
But if I lock the broomstick in place, the gladius will chop through.
Remember though, it's a broom stick. Not a hardened spear shaft.
Very good point here, shame that hollywood ignores basic physics.
Movies are indeed fake
forget about the spears, armor gets sliced in the movies like if it was made out of cardboard LOL
What? You think they would made the weapon they used most in battle to be easily broken apart?
Excellent point here. The natural movement and flex of the human body is such a shock-absorber, it makes everything all the harder to cut through.
One of my big issues with Hollywood multiple opponent fights is that the protagonist's adversaries who are supposed to be throughly trained, exhibit a good deal of incompetence. A good example of what happens in reality is the demise of the pirate Red Beard, (the first one, his brother.) While under siege he attempted to break out, and while fighting valiantly with his men (and being the last one standing) 13 Spanish spear men working together surrounded him and killed him.
To be honest. If you are surrounded by 13 spearmen. It does not matter how good of a fighter you are. You will be stabbed to death sooner or later. Unless there is enough range between you and them so that you can shoot them down before they get within stabbing range.
There is one scene in The Dark Knight Rises where one goon just falls down for no reason while "fighting" Batman. Just see yourself, it's hilarious /watch?v=j2tE-BCwZtw ( It's CinemaSins video ) and go to 0:45
@@taylorfusher2997 Against missile troops hoplites were not supposed to stand there subjecting themselves to a hail of arrows and sling stones for long periods of time. They were to charge them ASAP if they could pin them against a terrain feature, like at Marathon or Plataea, or they should have their own missile troops face them, like during the March of the Ten Thousand.
If they were caught in a position where the enemy light troops could rain missiles at them for a long time with impunity they would likely lose, as it happened in Sphacteria and Lecheaum. I suppose they could try having their front ranks kneel behind their shields to reduce their exposed area like they did in the movie 300, but thats not really solving the main problem.
Javelins are much slower moving compared to arrows and sling stones, and hence easier to spot, dodge or parry.
@@HaNsWiDjAjA Yep, a phalanx could “close ranks” against missiles by having the front rank kneel. However, there was never a good way to defend the corners and flanks without opening gaps.
@@WisdomThumbs Exactly, like I said a phalanx's response to a hail of missiles would be to: 1) charge the shooters if they think they could catch them, or otherwise 2) have their cavalry or light troops did so. For the hoplites to just stand there being arrow targets in the open was beyond stupid.
Troy is one of those few movies that give spears some respect, the way Achilles uses the spear is badass, more videogame developers should learn from this. Anything can be cool in fantasy with proper imagination.
Can hardly remember the last time a spear was even IN a western medieval/fantasy video game. Dark souls/Elden Ring doesn't count, since it's a japanese game, not a western one.
I really like the use of spears in the recent Assassins Creed games!
@@henrikaugustsson4041 for honor has spear characters
Chivalry 2 has a nice spear.
It hurts my heart to see people downplay spears and their awesomeness in reality compared to swords, but it’s not surprising when you see almost all of media making them out to be anything but what they are
Yes indeed!
Even in Japan, the primary weapons of the Samurai have been THE BOW + THE SPEAR.
The spear is a tremendeous weapon.
That’s interesting. You always think of the katana with a samurai.
@@edbrooke75 Katana is easy to carry around when you're off duty so people tend to think that it's main weapon of samurai. But in reality, Spear and bow are their weapons of choice, katana is more like a dagger to finish enemies off when they are down.
@@edbrooke75 @dokumaru8224 Another way to think of it is, a soldier might carry a rifle into battle, but have a handgun as a back up. The Katana was the sidearm of the samurai.
Yari Ashigaru supremacy, Naginata Samurai is my favourite
@@elkingoh4543 Yari, da!!!! 💪💪💪
I love the breakdown of the glave fight because it brings to light a big issue the late Bruce Lee had with fight scenes from Chinese cinema in that he felt the fights while beautiful were totally unrealistic. In his movies he tried to add as many realistic thoughts as he could. In Fists of Fury he uses a nunchuck against a group of people hitting them anywhere and everywhere. In Enter the Dragon he uses many different types of weapons and continues to switch between them throughout the fight depending on the number of enemies. And in every fight he is using the weapon to its fullest.
Guandaos were never widespread as battlefield weapons to begin with. The attribution of the guandao to Guan Yu has been theorized to be a way to show Guan Yu’s martial prowess, as most versions were far, far too heavy to be used as actual battlefield weapons due to their construction.
They appear to have seen some small historical usage during the Qing period, but have primarily been used for examinations and martial arts forms since then, which is why the clip shown is like that - it draws on the martial arts tradition of being an examination weapon, which would have been extremely heavy (20 lbs!)
@@taichi2245 The reason why the popular image of Guan Yu uses the Guandaos is that the author of ROTK (a novel based on history) was born in a time when the sword was used. The historical Guan Yu, of course, did not use the Guandaos, because the Guandaos appeared in history hundreds of years later than the Three Kingdoms period
Also the fact that Guan Yu is the second strongest character in the whole ROTK and stood over 2 meters tall so the weapon would be very appropriate for him, and he used the glaive as both a Calvary and infantry weapon.
@@yammoto148 3rd lu bu and zhao yun/zilong are stronger
@@zhuyuchen8324 Not even close, Guan Yu literal Saint if War defeated almost every Wei general possible and managed to escape from the middle of Wei vs a guy who ran for his life trying to save his Lords baby, Zhao Yun wouldn't even be in the top 10.
I've trained with the Guan Dao. In training, we actually did use the spinning around the neck and body. Reach advantage is tough with this weapon, as it's very heavy and heavy at the end, thus it doesn't move quickly like a spear and therefore the spinning is to build up its momentum and power.
Yeah, his remark on grip of that Guan Dao was little off (probably only one). I think it´s because these asian cultures used spear differently than europians. For them it was pole and blade, like 2 things in 1 so that grip looked fine. Also by look this weapon is not suited for thrusts (you can but its not most effective) and as he said it´s very heavy so where else would you like to hold it?
@@duckman4928 He misunderstands what the Guan Dao is. The comparison he made for the blade is to that of a Falchion. A Falchion blade is broad but very thin along its cross-section and weighs sometimes less than a longsword. The family of dao the Guan Dao belongs to have largely the same kind of very thin blade the Falchion does, but the Guan Dao itself is a special version with a very heavy blade shaped more like wedge in cross-section. It's the special fat brother of the family.
But you trained martial art, or let say weapon art. See like in the movies some techniques are used just for entertainment, to sell the art or the artist. They never been used in real fights. And you can easy see the difference. In the case above - if you spin around the neck, the guy with the sword just will kill you. As your weapon may look great, but it is doing nothing, and you are in the reach of his blade. Also spinning does not build up momentum and power. Simple physics - with every spin the weapon actually is losing power. And you can see that every time you drive a car.
have an ancient manual for the guan dao (korean source) and it has 0 spinning. There are big differences between historical asian martial arts and today martial arts.
@@stevestrangelove4970 The Koreans never adopted the Guandao, probably because they have common sense. They use the Woldo, which is a lighter variant of the Yanyuedao family. There is a lot of misunderstanding about the Guan Dao in the internet, and its identification with the Yanyuedao is one of them. A Yanyuedao is a standard Chinese glaive. A Guan Dao is a special very heavy version of the Yanyuedao inspired by Romance of The Three Kingdoms and used for military examinations in the Chinese imperial era. Spinning isn't the real problem. It's the grip that Matt is wrong about. A standard "combat" Guan Dao weighs between 18 and 28 kg, while the examination version weighed a minimum of 48 kg (the weight of the weapon according to the novel). You simply can't use a standard polearm grip for the proper Guan Dao. It's a weapon made for show and bragging rights inspired by a fictional novel. Even in the novel it's technically wielded by a literal god! Donnie Yen is playing said god in this movie clip, btw. In contrast, the Woldo (and standard Yanyuedao) maxes out at 10 kg.
My main problem with spears in movies is that there is not enough of them. For most of human history spears (especially spear and shield) was incredibly popular. And for good reason: they are cheap, relatively easy to use and very effective. But they look less fancy than a swords, so we get lots of sword fights in movies that realistically should have been spear fights.
Exactly, swords were more like a sidearm for most civilizations, the one big exception that comes to mind is Rome.
Once the Stormlight Archive gets movies Kaladin will have a good showing with his spear
That's true in video games too. There are no spears in Skyrim for example.
@@Slender_Man_186 Yeah but they kind of used their sword as a spear. Also they all had javelins on them. The "Pilum". Which could be used as a spear in a pinch. Ceasar's legions once used the pilum as a spear to counter Pompey's cavalry in the battle of Pharsalus for example.
@@Slender_Man_186 Rome's main weapon was the shield and tactics.
What about Game of Thrones scene with the single combat between The Mountain and The Viper (Gregor Clegane vs Oberyn Martell)?
The viper uses a spear and is very skilled. The scene shows how a smaller guy can beat a much bigger guy with different weapons and skills.
Go to his channel, he made many videos commenting GoT fights.
@@stanhauser Many thanks! I'm just saying that that fight in particular was spear vs sword, and the spearman very skillful.
I’m sure that fight would have been roasted for Oberyn’s spinning the spear and flipping around, but would’ve gotten kudos for the stab into the Mountain’s leg. Probable rating: 5 or 6 to this guy, although to us fans, it was a solid 8-9.
@@rdpaikthe thing is though that even spinning the spear and not thrusting with it was effective in that fight due to the spear tip being poisoned. Single scratch from it and the Mountain was a goner (without Qyburn's supernatural ways ofc).
@@cmxpiiplit was also a very long bladed spear it wasn’t a point spear in the normal sense hence why spinning with it potentially made some sense
I think spears often get maligned by movies and videogames. The spear is one of the oldest weapons in the book. Variations existed for centuries after swords and other melee weapons were relegated to ceremonial duties. The spear was easy to mass produce, ideal for use in formations (swinging swords in formation gets a bit dangerous for everyone involved) and perfectly viable in single combat or small groups. It'd be nice to see movies and games do this weapon justice.
A good powered-up spear in the game Dark Souls can be pretty deadly.
Oberyn's fight against the mountain showed how strong spears were as well
@@VicInNocal and there is a lot of stabbing
I wonder if him comparing the weapons with fictional characters matters.
That's why the romans had short swords :V
1:59 "If you've got a sharp point, use the sharp point"
He makes a sharp point
It's great to see so much love for the movie Troy, it's incredibly under-rated by critics. I think it's a very realistic interpretation of the battle, not delving to much in to the mythology, but respecting it enough to include it in a plausible setting. Extremely emotive story, backed by a compelling soundtrack, and undoubtedly the most realistic on-screen combat in any movie. The fighting is very methodical and fatigue inducing which you don't often see nowadays, everyone swings tirelessly for like 5 minutes without landing a single strike until the very end.
I mean the whole war took 7 years, and they were supposedly besieging that city for 7 years.
In the movie they did it in like 2 days.
@@Cryogenius333 The pacing of a film is usually fast as you don't have time to drag it out like a TV series, the war went on for 10 years in the illiad, in the movie I believe they showed all the important events making it feel like it was all in the space of a few days, when in actuality it was a decade
@@Cryogenius333 Troy is a great movie, but a poor documentary.
@@playr7599 lol no they didnt show all the important events, not even half... Have you even read homerus?
@@henkhenkste6076 You sound like one of those bores that dunk on war movies for being inaccurate. I'm a history buff but a movie is a movie. You have to accept liberties will be taken and try to understand what kind of film they were trying to create. For what the movie Troy is, it's a great movie. History wise, like most movies, it gets some things right and other things wrong.
The spear is the greatest weapon of antiquity by a long mile. The 2nd would likely be the sling, but the spear allowed empires to rise and fall.
Indeed. The spear was very versatile. It's a great weapon. That's why it was used for thousands of years. The Caroleans were still using them in their formations until the 1700s!!
@@nasis18 Not only that! But I wager bayonets count as modern day spears too! Maybe not as elegant, but if your spear fires bullets, you won't have to make it throwable.
Just a friendly reminder that you're probably referring to slings and not slingshots as one of the great weapons of antiquity. Slingshots refer to the football goalpost style of projectile launcher, slings are the projectile launcher that rely on violent spinning motion prior to release.
@@dissolution9843 correct, although I’m 100% certain you knew what I meant :)
spears were the main weapons in ancient wars. swords were secondary
I wish he had included 300 in his review. The Spartans used both the spear and shield with great effectiveness against the Persians. They used their spears as they were meant to be used. No wasted motion. Just a wall of spears and shields. Nearly impossible for the enemy to counter. I thought that was a notable omission.
You're so right. That is an iconic spear movie. Surprised they did the five sconds in Suicide Squad rather than any part of that movie
Matt Easton is a gent who truly knows his stuff. Love seeing him being featured here.
Oh man, Where's the GoT 's Battle of the Bastards scene, Kung Fu Hustle, Matrix scene, 36th Chamber of Shaolin, and many more ???? Definitely a Part 2 Insider !!!
Matt Easton did review Battle of the Bastard if I recall, go to his channel. Though I can spare you some time : it's terrible all the way through.
@@oneoranota 🤦, then I'm not watching, thanks for the tip
@@oneoranota Did he do the Mountain vs. Oberyn as well?
Damn, I was really hoping he'd cover the Oberyn vs Mountain fight scene from GoT.
Also important to remember Achilles was a demigod in this story, not a mortal man.
Another point, Macedonian Phalanx wasn't simply a pike phalanx. The changes to the Phalanx made by Phillip The II were world breaking. The Hypaspist and rank changes can not be overstated when comparing to the phalanx before it.
Yeah, mixing the Macedonian phalanx and traditional Greek phalanx made of hoplites doesn't sound good. It's like putting a musketeer against modern soldier. Both of them have guns but that's where the comparison ends. Also, phalangites did have a way to protect themselves from arrows. This was done by waving the sarissas in hopes of blocking or deflecting the incoming projectiles. How effective this was I don't know but they certainly did that.
@@crashoveryu yes I have also heard that about them using the spears to block arrows. At first it sounds odd although several ranks with 10ft spears all pointing them in the right direction in unision, perhaps that could well provide some bonus defence against a volley of arrows. One things for sure, the Macedonian army had incredible success on campaign against multiple large armies so in that respect it is hard to imagine them not having good resilience to ranged attack.
@@swan5446A slight correction, several ranks didn't all point their spears in the same direction. If we think of angles, the front ranks would hold their spears at zero degrees, and as you get deeper into the ranks they would hold the spears at higher angles until the back ranks are almost at 90 degrees. It gave more coverage against arrows by presenting something akin to a hedgehog
i am addicted to these videos! the people you get for them just ooze passion for their craft! you can really tell this guy is OVER how staves are portrayed in film ahahahaa!!! i love it! and i learned a ton too!
He's an OG youtube HEMA dawg, you can get more from his channel.
Also recommend Lloyd from Lindybeige, he has more varied stuff than only historic combat, and a lot of energy.
Alternatively, stoic Jason, the horse guy from Modern History, or an even more energetic and passionate Shad the aussie writer, castle enthusiast, from Shadiversity.
@@Halo_Legend Agreed. I would also recommend Metatron, who's specialised in Roman and Japanese history (but he talks about more than just that)
@@Halo_Legend
Iwould recommend everyone BUT Lindybeuge. One of the worst history channels on TH-cam.
And the list is not complete without Skallagrim, who focusses more on reproductions and design.
I'm glad to see Matt in this series, he has a lot of knowleldge, but also an abundance of practical experience, which is extremely valuable!
Practical experience lol
@@Helios601 you do know that HEMA practicioners actually spar and partake in combat contests very similar to what MMA fighters do right?
Maybe not practical experience in terms of fighting in a medieval war with swords or spears, because I mean come on.....but if he's a HEMA instructor he's definitely competed in Sparring matches or contests
Just a point, Donnie Yen was portraying the character of Guan Yu who is traditionally depicted with a special glaive called the Guan Dao. It is traditionally considered to have weighed around the 30kg mark, which is a monstrously heavy weapon to be waving around. Guan Yu is generally depicted as an incredibly large and powerful warrior perfectly capable of wielding this massive weapon, but much of this comes from the Romance of the 3 kingdoms, which tends to be quite fanciful.
Swordsmen trained in Chinese styles were/are trained to close with polearm users.
Similar in power like go go yuri's weapon in kill bill,but also uses the bulk tip of its weight for momentum.
30 kg? He'd literally have to be a giant to wield anything that heavy in any useful way. And I don't mean a giant human, I mean a Giant giant..............lol.
Guan Yu was given so much backstory in Romance of the 3 Kingdoms, there isn't much documentation of his life from when he was alive, except for the military battles he participated in and his opinion of the more important political figures of the day. The guandao as a weapon didn't have widespread usage until the same century Romance of 3 Kingdoms was published either, and it may not have existed at all during Guan Yu's lifetime. All we do know is he was a loyal and capable general with a thick beard. Despite all this, I still love Romance of 3 Kingdoms, it's an icon of Chinese culture. Lionising people into becoming saints and heroes capable of inhuman feats is something we all do (Joan of Arc, John Henry, Jesus, etc)
30kg is like swinging around a little person
Loving his instruction on how the weapon is to be used, not only what is done inaccurately in the movies!
Matt Easton is a legend.
Lord of Context and Penetration.
Troy is just an all round great movie, and well deserves a good rating for how close to the realism it is
Ye nah it wasn’t realistic tho
@@thomasmanana2958 I believe you may of misread my comment to argue something that I didn't say, I didn't say it was realistic ... in regard to the video and what I said, I stated how "close" to the realism, as in the movie and fighting .... your taking it too literal and are just spouting a baseless argument for the sake of it
Fair, but the rewriting of the mythology frustrates me. Achilles and Patrocles were certainly not cousins, and the gods play such a vital role in the story that removing them completely removes it from its original context.
@@auroraourania7161 that is true, tho most if not all movies do that
@@auroraourania7161 let tell you a secret, the movie is much more realistic than the original poem. Troy war probably existed and the poem is just bullshit.
Troy is superbly choreographed, but you also need to understand, not only is it set around the time of exodus, so 1100BC, but Achilles is obviously meant to be mythologically good at fighting. So him breaking Hectors spear isn't supposed to be all that crazy.
It's a nice but unlikely theory considering in the same fight Hector also broke Achillle's spear quite easily. And if we want to be be realistic and pedantic about it, even if Achilles had slight super strength or godly fighting skills the spear would've been knocked off Hector's hand instead of snapping like a twig.
Either way Troy's duel is unique, original, and one of the best in cinema thanks to the use of spears instead of swords.
@@bryanclarke8107 Yeah the spear would have moved with the blow and take the punch out of it. Hector breaking it was a bit more realistic since the spear was against the ground so it had nowhere to go.
Troy is an awesome movie. And btw, the Exodus more likely happened around 1450 BC during the reign of Pharoah Tutmose III
@@bryanclarke8107but hector was also considered slightly more than human. So it absolutely could work out. Youre thinking in very one dimensional terms
@@skeletorlikespotatoes7846 What are you talking about? Thinking in very one dimensional terms?
You seem to be conflating "more strength" = "can break spear like that more easily", but the issue here is not that they wouldn't be strong enough or "skilled enough", but that the physics just wouldn't play out as portrayed in Troy. If you hit the spears with demigodly superhuman strength in the positions they were in, held in the way they were, the spears would get ripped out from the wielders' hands, unless you also want to say the two fighters had demigodly superhuman "grip" strength with their fingers and hands enough to hold the spears in place for the spears to snap the way they did
Go ahead and try to snap a pencil's top portion off like it did in the movie by holding it with two fingers and trying swinging something fast and heavy across the top and see if it doesn't just whip out of your fingers. Try to hold a pencil by pinching from above and slamming down the bottom portion with something akin to a small foot and see if it doesn't just fall from your fingers.
I’ve never used a spear, but I have done sword arts. From what I can tell about “swinging” the spear around, like in the first video and in Troy, the spear is used more for distance. So by “swinging” the spear towards the enemy’s eyes will force the enemy back to gain a better fighting distance. This is my opinion and it seems right. If anyone has another idea or has a reason why this idea is bad, then I would love to hear about it.
if you swing it around like that there is a huge timing in which you can rush past the spear and get in close at which point the spear user loses their advantage
Spear swinging was used but not in the way Hollywood typically portrays. I remember a documentary that showcased Gaelic spearmen and it said they would use short swings followed immediately by thrusts. It controlled distance and made it more difficult to anticipate the angle of the thrusts. It could be effective when outnumbered and nearly surrounded. So the swing is used to set up a thrust, whereas in Hollywood they usually portray the swing as the primary attack.
would love to see a part 2 on this with Matt talking about the Red Viper vs The Mountain from Game of thrones and Sky vs Nameless from Hero
I was hoping that Hero fight would be in this the whole time i was watching it, got kinda sad it wasn't. I think he already talked about that GoT fight on his channel though.
can't believe they didn't include this iconic fight
Yeah, what's with that! The Hero battle is like the most iconic spear fight in modern cinema. It really showcases the whole scary flexible whip-like attacks that many (like me) hadn't ever considered in spear combat before seeing it.
And 300 ??
I was hoping for the spear fight with the German in Jet Li's Fearless.
I keep a 9ft spear as my melee home defense weapon, great length and reach. The weapon of farmers, common folk & peasants. A underrated home defense weapon 💯
Cold steel has some good ones
Only if you plan on wielding it OUTSIDE of your home.
Or is your home One Giant Open Space Without Furnishing/Appliances?
Making me think of Seinfeld episode where billiards is played in a tiny room 🤣
@@yeahnaaa292 You don't need a big open space to effectively use a spear and take advantage of its superior reach.
Seems a bit too long for most homes.
@@zoltankorossy2957 bottom line: Pole-Arms -- one of the worst possible choices for indoor home defense.
The problem with eastern glave is that it's actually a ceremonial weapon.
Most well known as 偃月刀 , used by Guan Yu in fictions. (and surly not historical)
It was meant to be scary and huge , thus the weight of the blade part is ridiculously HIGH (a eastern glave is often estimate around 10~20 kg , KG! meanwhile spear is like 5 pound!)
It is way too heavy causing it nearly impossible for it to work as a long weapon , but it plays a great part in the culture , so the martial artist design those moves make it possible in practice and performance , by holding the central part and use it like a heavy stick with one end edge.
So it might be weird and silly for a warrior to use such a huge "dao" in close combat with all those fancy moves , but gota keep in mind that it's not meant to be historical in the first place.
Chinese martial art movies is sometimes like eastern version of Harry Potter , it's just part of the culture.
Were guandaos not used historically?
中肯XD
@@koraegi "Guan Yu using guandao(關刀or偃月刀)" is from the novel "Romance of the Three Kingdom"(三國演義)
@@koraegi It's got more usage in ceremony than battle field. (and can assume that they probly never used in actual battle field)
And so was 方天戟 (fang halberd , well known because used by Lu Bu in fiction).
@@i82426 Does "ceremony" also include things like a martial arts exhibition, where someone would show off forms and moves? Is that at thing?
That spear/sword fight in Troy is one of my favorite fights of all time.
I love how when Matt explains something, he would point out the reason why he thinks so, like historical treatise, vase and "we tested it"
Id say his house parties are nuts gambison not provided please bring your own buckler and shortsword. Sandwiches provided. Bring your own wine.
Schola Gladiatoria is really good at what he's doing! Ive been watching his videos for years and theres always something new to learn. Couldnt have thought of a better person to do this episode.
The Bible is truth. Please read at least Genesis Mathew and one book you chose yourself. The important part is combining the reading with the inner work Jesus Christ taught. Forgiveness is the thing that makes it all click. To be forgiven we must forgive. The key is our parents. They’ve loved us to some degree, feeding raising clothing, etc. we all build up grievances there. Actually dealing with those issues, and genuinely forgiving from within is what makes it all click. Seriously,
8:01 not a melee combatant in the Star Wars mythos. So it's 100% plausible he wildly inefficiently uses a weapon.
I agree I think it is great to show that din jaren really has no experience with melee weapons, (quickly looking back with not perfect memory) it is more weird that he didn't use his blaster because in most of his fights he did use his blaster close range.
@@megamert2848 Probably because he doesn't know if it will be effective against the darksaber. He should have still tried because even if Moff Gideon had been as good as a Jedi (he is not) and bounced the shot, he has his armor. I also think that the weight of the spear argument is a bit covered by lore? I think the metal is lighter and has more special properties (his armor is made of the same, that's why he can still move properly). I think the most outrageous thing will remain the visor of the helmet. It's impossible to see much with it hehehe
@@Folfire I'm not 100% sure about the helmet but I believe some of the helmets in star wars basically have cameras and show that on the inside similar to like vr. That would also explain like zoom functionalities + other mandolorian helmets have the collapsable aim/rocket guidance stuff which would only really do something if they had some form of hud.
@@megamert2848 but in some scence you can see there is nothing in the helmet
On some is that what you describe outside on something like an antenna but on others who knows where it is because of the schots you get where you can see the inside of the helmet you can see that there is nothing in there
Also the helmets are sometimes to small for the actors and you can say helmets in Star Wars doesn't make sense in any way
@@Folfire Helmets in Star Wars have cameras and sensors so are giving an enhanced view. You can see this in a few Mandolorian episodes where he uses the sensors in his helmet to track people. The spear is of course made with some magical sci fi metal which is light and super strong. Gideon was probably not able to use the dark saber efficiently if its mechanics are similar to a light saber. The light saber in SW is a blade of pure energy with no mass that was as much of a danger to the wielder as to the target, per the lore only a force user could wield one effectively as they're using the force to track the movement of the blade so they don't hit themselves with it
Another thing about Troy I was curious about is if you watch the scene closely, It almost appears as of they were following some type of ancient dueling rules. For example:
1. You can't pull your sword out until your spear is broken. Each of them attempted to break the spear and as soon as they broke swords were drawn. Hector didn't even use his sword while fighting against the spear. Only a shield.
2. Picking up items from the ground. Was that a dishonorable thing in a duel like this? Or were there any rules at all?
There was definitely an honor code, at least in that particular duel. There is the moment where Hector trips over a stone and Achilles allows him to regain his footing rather than having a rock credited for his victory.
Stepping on a spear is less about breaking it and more about breaking the grip or even posture of the enemy. It's however hard to get into the position unless he's overswinging. It probably works best when he's a little exhausted and you deflect and knock down an attack that is already a downwards movement. That's how I scored it once and got scolded for damaging the spear...
Ok, but in the movie it completely snapped off... not realistic. Which is what he commented on.
It's mithology, Achilles and Ector probably have super strenght
@@celticnoble5650 I just wanted to expand on the practicality in real life...
You'd probably bend the blade, turning the spear into a quarterstaff.
I would say its more likely to break your ankle. Very risky.
So happy to see Matt doing these ! He's been my personal hero for a while!!!
I like the grip the glaiveman uses in the Lost Bladesman as a thing to resort to after you've lost your reach advantage and the swordsman has closed, but you probably want to try to get them away and regain the advantage rather than continuing to fight at their preferred distance.
In the last section, Guan-Dao, the weapon the guy is using, IS in fact wielded like that, and this is largely because matt eastern deals in western weapons. Its actually by far one of, if not the heaviest weapon wielded in history. Guan Dao could way as heavy as 10 kilograms. They were very heavy, and often had steel run through their cores and in some instances were full metal weapons. They were used by officers, literally as an exercise regime. So you have to keep them closer to your body.
@hewdelfewijfe feel free to look them up. They were in fact used, a full metal polearm that was heavy enough to break horses legs with the combat style close to the center of mass.
Performing your kata with a guan dao that weighed different weights was a method of officer grading and promotion. And plenty of instances in early Chinese warfare of them being used in war. ♡♡♡
@hewdelfewijfe I guess you are wilfully ignorant then. Plenty of guan dao found at the sites of famous battles weighed between 5 and 20 pounds. (2-10kilos)
The mythical variants of the weapon that were fabricated. Like the weapon supposedly weilded by Guan Yu weighed in at 82 Jin. Which is closer to 49 kilos. So, that's obviously a myth. There are plenty of articles revealing the guan dao was wielded on plenty of battles at weights of up to 10kg. ♡
The heaviest known "testing guandao" used for officer training and testing is in the museum of shanheiguan and it weighs about 83 kilos. ♡
10kg seems hardly fictitious after that. ;3
@hewdelfewijfe I didn't say 20kilo ones were used. And I thought you didn't want sources. ;3 if you're not going to believe what I give you then I'm not going to bother hunting them down unless you'll take them seriously. Lmao
Came looking for this comment 💯👍 dude is very biased in HEMA
@BBoyCobalt1 I wouldn't say biased. But eastern weapons amd combat styles are not his expertise, he admits as much whenever he talks about katanas etc ♡
There are two main issues with the way weapons are being depict in movies and games. First it's how much the weapons weigh, and second distancing!
The weight is critical by considering stamina consumption and the amount of force needed to leave an impact on an opponent.
Distancing, this even applies to modern warfares, a further distance gives you the advantage to safely control and manage the battle. In Hollywood movies, opponents get to grasp each other's weapons, probably to make it more cinematic!
Some of my friends were awarded athletes, at least on local level, and time to time they had me for fun and to be trained, frankly on certain levels I could not see their body movements, the only time that I could manage their strikes were moments that I was at safe distance from them.
The weight thing is for practical considerations. For one, a full-weight weapon in the hands of actors is just asking for an accident, and an injured actor or stunt performer can significantly delay a production, which is very expensive. Second, even if the actor or stunt person is in good shape, performing with a realistically-weighted weapon is tiring, and their performance will suffer if they have to go multiple takes.
Three things that absolutely bug me in movie combat:
- Shields are almost never used properly. It feels like shields spend less time between the two combatants - where they're actually useful - than they spend flying around as the characters are hopelessly flailing and spinning around - and exposing their backs to one another. Try fighting with a shield. That thing is damn heavy! It's not meant to be swung about in circles. Sure, a shield can and should be used dynamically to control opponents' weapons and vision, to obfuscate one's own movement, and even give the occasional push. But it's main function is to - can you guess? - SHIELD against blows towards you or your allies. Which leads me to:
- People's movements and tactical choices in combat. Matt speaks about the "taking turns" bit, which is certainly one example of this. Another is when people break formations for absolutely no good reason OR on the other hand cling to their formations so much no-one even tries to flank an opposing troop. It's common in films to see two lines of people standing in the middle of a field or beach in tightly packed shieldwalls pushing eachother's shields and shouting. Where are they even trying to push their opponents to? Why is no-one attempting to circle around and stab the opposing force's sides and backs? On the other hand, it's just as common to see troops split up like a flock of birds to each do their own thing. Also often people don't seem to spend any time trying to fortify positions, corral their opponents, choose battle locations or equip themselves. Which leads me to:
- Are these people allergic to helmets? Do we *really* think that audiences would consider a battle boring if people wore helmets? Dammit. I mean just look at that fairly modern english vs french young king movie with it's plate armor duels. Did helmets make that movie boring? No, I think it did the exact opposite.
these people were 200 times stronger than modern humans
Yeah but general audiences don't care about the physics, they like what is visually interesting.
With helmets it's presumably the case that if the studio paid for Brad Pitt they're damn well not gonna hide his face.
I've gone up against someone using a poleaxe like in the last scene, just swirling it around in a great motion, when doing live steel fighting. Managed to close, mainly due to having a shield. Wilfully let the poleaxe impact the shield, but the force of the impact massively bruised my arm where the top of the shield was pressed into my upper arm as the poleaxe hit.
I fought someone who was doing something similar, and can confirm that it was very intimidating.
Was there a time limit? I’d let him tire a bit first.
'just swirling it around in a great motion, when doing *live steel fighting* .'
Fighting with LIVE STEEL?
Is that even a thing? Where I come from, it would be called 'attempted murder'.....
@@Debbiebabe69 fighting with metal weapons is actually an international medieval sport. edges are dulled, but the weapons are real.
If it was a real one you wouldn't want to stick your arm out with only wood protecting it.
People can say whatever they want about that Troy duel. But it's a fact, not an opinion that it's one of the best and coolest duels put on screen, maybe ever
hahah~ I love the mandalorian review, I thought the same thing! Fighting like it's a broom handle!
To be fair, I think Mando had recently gotten the weapon for the first time, and he was accustomed to fighting with guns and rocket launchers - not martial weapons like spears or swords. This was like, one of the first times he used the spear properly in battle, so it makes sense he was absolutely awful with it.
Absolutely. If you compare it to how he uses his armor throughout the series, he's an expert. He knows how to use his armor to deflect, which blows he can just tank and which need to be avoided or blocked. He uses each weapon when it makes the most sense, and saves less useful weapons for when they will be more useful.
He's also more scrappy and resourceful than exceptionally well trained. Guy gets shot a lot lol.
The point you make at the end is what I was going to post, and I think it undercuts a lot of the criticism of the fight in this video. The Mandalorian is not at all versed in the use of a spear, and it can even be argued that he’s using it with fear of the weapon he’s facing foremost in his mind. That would make the choreography related to character and reasonable, not awful.
@@StamfordBridge Aren't Mandalorians supposed to be trained in hand to hand combat?
@@MrBottlecapBill
There is a difference between hand-to-hand combat vs close-combat weapons.
In the fantasy story, that huge GuanDao polearm protagonist used is like 18kg(40pound), so he didn't holding it like a standard spear is understandable.
But yeah GuanDao is just too heavy to be a practical weapon, they're mostly used for training and showing off.
Practical ones that weighed very little were used in history.
At least not today they are. Back even during the late Qing dynasty, similar weapons were widely used to great effect. These versions though were far lighter than modern guandao .
@@durandal441 Yeah but assuming he would handle that weapon "the practical way" is wrong. It would be awkward and unbalanced to use a weapon like a traditional spear or halberd and something that should be noted to what he's saying about that stance.
I think the most unrealistic thing about that fight isn't just the way the polearm is used, but the level of deflection the sword maintains. Given the momentum of the polearm, there are multiple moments where it should either break the guard of the opponent, or disarm them completely.
The swordsman should have been relying more on dodging than on parrys and blocks.
I love the fact you mentioned the heavier the spear the easier to grab. Whenever I've sparred using weapons made of PVC Pipe, foam, and duct tape, I would always just grab the spear due to how heavy it was to get free hits.
It is not so easy against a real spear. First of all, you need to grab it bit further back as if you hold the spear tip, the enemy will just withdraw the spear quickly and you might get your hand cut a bit depending on the spear tip. Also as mentioned in the video, you can quickly use the leverage provided by your opponent holding your tip to strike with the other hand, and since the opponent has shield in one hand and your spear in the other, he cant attack you with his weapon, which is usually held in the hand with the shield for the "grabbing" part. Realistically, its a very risky move. And remember, than in real combat, if the spearman slashes your right hand of arm, the fight is usually nearly over for you, because you would be quite limited and spearman would pick you off. I dont have much experience with sword and shield myself, as i fought mostly with pike or spear or spear + shield and did some longsword (german school). But I would advise to very very very carefully approach the tip , cover with your shield as best as you can and try to deflect the tip to a side with your sword, if you do that, quickly close the distance and you have won. As the spearman, you have the initiative, you need to know this is the only way for the swordman to win, so you need to maintain the distance, have good footwork and stab his left foot or head or right arm/hand, as those parts are usually exposed, not behind the shield. I usually go for left foot while having the head as another option if the enemy focuses on defending his left foot too much.
The Bible is truth. Please read at least Genesis Mathew and one book you chose yourself. The important part is combining the reading with the inner work Jesus Christ taught. Forgiveness is the thing that makes it all click. To be forgiven we must forgive. The key is our parents. They’ve loved us to some degree, feeding raising clothing, etc. we all build up grievances there. Actually dealing with those issues, and genuinely forgiving from within is what makes it all click. Seriously,
Is this a serious comment?
Spears made of PVC, foam and duct tape does not function like an actual spear made for combat. The PVC is way more floppy and the entire thing gets balanced horribly. Also, a spear made of PVC actually weighs *more* than a real one. You can't take your experience dueling against a PVC spear as how a real one actually functions in combat.
Love seeing ANYTHING Matt Easton does!
Thank you, sir
Matt was really interesting, please bring him back for more.
Mate check out his TH-cam channel - scholagladiatoria.
There's a WHOLE lot more to see :)
He's got his own channel, too!
I see Matt Easton on a thumbnail and i click the video.
This is great and I love they are continuing with the series. The potential of this is endless. Just imagine.
"Plumbing expert rates 12 plumbing scenes in Movies and TV".
"Clumsy guy rates 19 scenes in movies and TV where actors do something clumsy".
"Serial killer rates 13 murder and planning for murder scenes in Movies and TV"
Jackass: Fake clumsiness 2/10
The killer one would actually be interesting
@@tom4od I mean, there were ones with bank robbers and mobsters...
Plumbing Expert: "The guy really did well clearing the drain, but there was a complete lack of plumber's crack so I'm going to have to dock it one point for that."
Or imagine pizza delivery driver rates porn scenes of delivery drivers
Troy hands down the best. They really did their homework in choreographing that one and actually used all the weapons efficiently. Showed how good of a fighter achilles is. Others just felt like they were flailing around to make it look flashy with minimal intent to actually kill.
Archilles really worked that spear well. Hector struggled a bit and used his shield a lot more. Best spear fight scene and Brad Pitt's best movie performance.
You must have not seen many of his movies
He's better in Inglorious Basterds.
Always a pleasure to get your insights on different weapon forms. Your passion for it is as entertaining as the fights themselves, and I actually implement your advice when I practice
Kudos to the editor! As much as I enjoy Matt Easton and his expertise, he likes packing in a lot of info when discussing something and can get kinda ramble-y sometimes.
thought so aswell :D
I've seen his analysis of some of the GoT fights. They are half an hour long, so the editor probably had to edit alot
thats how we love him! xD ♡
Your channel never disappoints! Thank you for all your hard work!
The first scene, where he criticized the swinging of the spear - the intent there was to create space rather than damage so she could focus on less enemies at a time. Can be seen/taught in manuals of eastern pole arm and staff styles
That was my impression too.
It looked like Okoye was about to be flanked, so she twirled her spear around to blunt the opponents' advances, and maybe to create space or stun some of the opponent's, reducing the number of opponents she needs to deal with at the same time.
In Chinese martial arts there is a similar technique with 2 weapons
And he actually praised the same move on the last one
He seems to be biased against eastern weapons and tactics.
@@leozao5 tbf it was a different weapon in the last one
I didn’t have as much of a problem with the swings in Black Panther and Troy because they were defensive to open up space as much as anything. Another great Insider video, thanks Matt!
Also it looked like Hector was aiming the swing for the throat, and that *would* cause damage if it connected.
@@matthewbreytenbach4483 yep spear heads had edges, if they weren’t meant to be used they would just have a point
@@N2theBlue1
Aye.
Have been a long time subscriber to Matt's channel and more recently to Insider. Perfect combination!
6:30 Forget the spear shaft breaking; look at that spear head bending against the shield! 🤣🤣
Was about to comment just that😂
This was a really good breakdown. Would love to see more
He has a TH-cam channel, Scholagladatoria and he puts out videos like this all the time. Would recommend
I'm not surprised Matt rated Troy so high. I think the fight choreography on that movie is utterly amazing!
1:03 Swinging a spear like that makes perfect sense if all you're trying to do is clear some space around you. Which is pretty clearly what the intent is. After all, even if she doesn't actually cut anyway, she's still hitting them with a with a solid piece of metal moving at a fair bit of speed.
5:51 To be fair to Hector and his swinging his spear across Achilles' face... if it had connected, while it wouldn't cut very deep, it doesn't have to be a deep cut to blind Achilles, even if only temporarily. And, like the example in Black Panther, even if it doesn't draw blood, a solid whack to the head with a bit of sharp metal at the end of a heavy stick is gonna knock you around.
I know he's judging realism more than anything but presumably Mando has no clue how to effectively use a spear and hasn't had any training for it 🤷🏻♂️ then the last fight really? Swinging it in a circle at a consistent speed and the dude catches it on his run in anyway ‘8/10’ 🤯
I also thought the idea of a shield breaking a spear is more plausible than a sword cutting through a spear. The idea being that a shield, especially a fully metal one, has a lot more weight and inertia behind it, especially when the spear is dug into the ground. Granted, it would probably break at or near the ground instead of where the shield actually hit it, but it's still conceivably more likely.
@@christopherconnolly2854 and surely both the shield and sword are more plausible than kicking through it first time even with greaves on. Both the shield and sword should have finer points, although you can put more force through your legs Hector barely swings at it 🤷🏻♂️ allow it though it's Achilles and Hector, they'd snap spears with their teeth
@@christopherconnolly2854 Swords are sharp and shields are super blunt, also theres no such thing as a full metal shield because that would weigh way too much, so weight is out of the question and cutting ability aswell.
One, he's armored, a wack is probably not going to much, especially when adrenaline is pumping. Which it always will be pumping. Stabbing is what made the Roman's and the Greeks so effective. Most of their non greek or roman opponents used slashes more often than stabs. Spears are meant for stabbing not slicing, some have the ability to slice, but their over all function is for stabbing.
Good video with one exception. With the Mandalorian scene he couldn't be more wrong. 1) The spear used by the Mandalorian is made of beskar, Mandalorian Iron. Which means that spear would be lighter than a wood and steel spear. 2) Everything said about how he used it does not take into consideration that this is the first time Mando used it in combat.
When you critique something like this you MUST take all context into consideration. As someone who is also trained in the use of spears, staves and some swords I saw many more issues with the sword (lightsaber) combat in this scene.
Matt Easton 🙌 this is gonna be good.
Never thought I'd see him on Insider!
I hope I did okay!
I was very happy to hear this gentleman state at 8:50 that a "spear person can beat two sword wielders". I've seen other docs on precisely this (mind, we are talking about opposition of equal ability, of course). It's one of the reasons I've been a strong fan of spears as combat weapons. Considering they are no doubt the absolute oldest weapons man has been using and are still used today, they've got a lot going for them. :)
I still love swords of course. They are very beautiful weapons but you need to be VERY good with them also.
I think that is subjective, if you are skilled with a sword it will take 2 spear wielders to have a chance of bringing you down. he is right about keeping the distance tho, once you close that gap with a spear user they are toast.
@@davidvesey-brown7171 No, this has been tested, a skilled swordsman is about an equal match for an untrained spearman. A well trained spearman, and the swordsman doesn't stand a chance (unless he has a shield to negate the spears massive reach advantage)
There's a reason why swords were considered sidearms while spears where considered primary weapons. The main advantage of the sword was it's convenience, that you could just have it by your side, which is why they were the most preferred weapon for self-defense, you didn't have to worry about carrying this overly large weapon at all times, you can wear a sword at the hip much more easily than you can wear any other weapon (axes/maces have weird weight balancing to carry their and polearms are much too large). But if you had a choice before a combat of any weapon, all else equal you'd chose a polearm.
@@Trepur349 as a martial artist of many years this has not been my experience. If this were the case armies would not have really used the sword at all. You wouldn't have roman formations of gladius and shield as the key army formations with spears being used on the cheap troops etc. When you break it down you can dismiss the spear myth. While the spear has these advantages...cheap, easy to produce, good vs cavalry, easy for beginners etc. A well trained swordsmen will win. In a duel scenario. But it takes time to be good with a sword. You can't just throw untrained farmers a sword.
@@davidvesey-brown4683 I mean for the most part armies didn't use swords, they were a side arm, they were if you lost your main weapon (or in the case of spearman got into to close with the enemy to use your spears effectively)
Swords were more a weapon of the gentleman then a weapon of battle, which is why they became so popular but only after all these other weapons became irrelvant thanks to gunpowder.
@@davidvesey-brown4683 The main battlefield weapon of the Romans was the spear, the Gladius was used after they got in close with their enemy. The Triarii their most elite soldiers, where equiped only with spears.
But also shields played a factor, as I said, shields lower the advantage of spear over sword, and the romans had bigger shields than most, so the gladius played a lot larger of a role for Romans then swords did for anyone else
That duel in Troy was and is one of my favorites from childhood. Glad to see it get a good review.
I follow Matt on his Schola Gladiatoria channel, there are a lot of good videos there.
Great to see you over here Matt. Just popped up on my feed.
Love the assessments on all of those scenes! This series is always fun to watch. Just got to add though, the reason the Mandalorian sucks with the spear is that he's never been trained in it and is more used to daggers and short blades. He even struggles with the Dark Saber initially, before it got heavier. I think it's fair to say that he's untrained in this scene. Other than that, great video!
Im not trained with a spear either and i still know to use it to stab and keep the opponent away. Lack of training doesnt mean you have to fight like a complete fool.
@@Likexner exactly!
it's so lovely to have some one do the editing and all that for you so you just commentate :)
Always a pleasure to learn from scholagladiatoria :)
My favourite thing about the Troy fight isn't actually the spear fight itself, it's how Hector doesn't immediately pull out his sword after his spear breaks. He sees that Achilles has the initiative, and waits for an opening to pull out his sword in an aggressive motion. It drives home that the spear is the primary weapon and the sword is a last resort.
The Spear. One of the greatest, most important inventions EVER invented by mankind, not just for fighting opponents or defending yourself, but also as a hunting tool. Even a wooden spear made with just a hunting knife is a deadly weapon.
basically a pointy stick. Changed the world lol
Anything with anything attached to anything can be a deadly weapon. You pulling out your small mini me would be deadly. She'd laugh to death.
Until the Japanese came up with a counter for it called the Nodachi.
As a person who is trained in Kung-Fu among other arts, I know how to use the Spear and it's great to see someone from the field ranking. Also I want to mention, the video before the last one it was a Kwan Dao and not just Dao. Dao is a broadsword which meant for slashing, and it differed from the Jian which is a thrust sword. Kwan Dao is designed mainly for slashing but also for thrusting, it is a prestiged weapon that not many would use in combat. Kwan Daos are usually longer, the length of the pole itself is more than the Javelin but less than the spear used in the phalanx formation, somewhere in the middle.
I can’t believe he didn’t take a look at the spear fight in Akira Kurosawa’s classic “The Hidden Fortress”. Probably the most realistic spear fight in cinema, and wielded by Toshiro Mifune no less.
Was thinking the exact same thing
How he chose his spear from several
Great scene.
The Bible is truth. Please read at least Genesis Mathew and one book you chose yourself. The important part is combining the reading with the inner work Jesus Christ taught. Forgiveness is the thing that makes it all click. To be forgiven we must forgive. The key is our parents. They’ve loved us to some degree, feeding raising clothing, etc. we all build up grievances there. Actually dealing with those issues, and genuinely forgiving from within is what makes it all click. Seriously,
@@jamesmayle3787 Take it somewhere else
Oh, no! Your comments about the Guan Dao are way off base! Yes, the neck spin, while even used in some forms to train dexterity with the weapon, is likely not a practical move. But the beauty of the Guan Dao, is that, while it is long, it can also be used in medium and close quarters.
To use the Guan Dao totally at full length would be tiring. Though it can extend, I'd call it a medium-to-long range weapon, because it's abilities rest within using it's center and how it is manipulated from that balance point.
In two-handed use, the dominant hand is usually closest to the blade on this weapon, almost like it is being used like a sword. (It is, after all, a Dao... a form of knife.)
Perhaps you should have excluded the Guan Dao/Kwan Dao (General Kwan's Big Knife) from your analysis of spear fights.