Spear course

Love goes, through the stomach - so does my spear!

Parts of this spear course were held at the fencing meeting on 15.10.2011 by Friedrich. Furthermore, the text is the handout of the eight-week spear course held at the Heydenwall fencing meeting from 10/17/2011 to 12/19/2011 by Friedrich.

By spear I mean here the two-handed spear as used in modern fencing: Limited to 3 m and with the obligation to wield it two-handed.\ The spear is a ranged weapon that allows individual combat.\ The spear allows more combatants to be used at the same time in the front of a line.\ The spear is the most cost-effective weapon.\ The spear was used as a weapon from the Stone Age (400,000 B.C.) until the 19th century. In the past, it had the advantage that it could be wielded even by untrained fighters.
Today, next to the one-handed spear, the spear is the weapon that requires the most concentration and weapon control and, accordingly, the most training.\ The most serious disadvantage of the spear today is the lack of protection in single combat.\

• High kill rate
• Fewer bruises
• Greater chance of survival in battles
• More overview
• Calmer leadership (In simple line combat, the spear is an „old man's weapon“, as experience is more relevant there than reflexes).
• cost effective (today about 50 € +)
• Peasant weapon, less costly equipment
• greater freedom in the choice of the place of action

• Greater danger to the opponent
• greater defenselessness in single situations
• unwieldy transport

Names are a dime a dozen, and so are definitions.

Essential for us are 4 categories:
throwing spear, one-hand spear, two-hand spear, riding spear

names for spears Ahlspieß Ango Assegai Bärenspieß Basi Aje Tado Contus Flügellanze Frame Ger Hasta Javelin Lanze Naginata Partisane Pike Pilum Rennspieß Sarissa Saufeder Speer Spieß Tawara Wurfspeer Yari

Slashing weapons adjacent to spear

Glefe Guan Dao Naginatadō

The lance shafts.

Von den Lanzenschäften aus dem Thorsberger Moor sind im Altmaterial meist nur die vorderen Teile vorhanden. Hier ist eine abgesetzte, kegelförmige Spitze ausgearbeitet, auf die die Tülle der Lanzen- oder Speerspitze aufgesetzt wurde. Die Befestigung erfolgte über Niete oder Nägel, was Löcher in den Spitzen andeuten (RADDATZ 1987, 64-69; Taf. 35-36).
Aus dem Moorfund von Nydam sind Schäfte von Lanzen oder Speeren mit einer Länge zwischen 2,36 und 3,14 m während der Altgrabungen entdeckt worden. Der größte Durchmesser der Schäfte liegt etwa in der Mitte; zur Spitze und zum Ende hin werden sie anscheinend dünner. Es wird davon berichtet, daß der Schwerpunkt der Schäfte möglicherweise durch eine Umwicklung markiert war (BEMMANN u. BEMMANN 1998, 171).
Die 85 neugeborgenen Lanzenschaftfragmente aus Thorsberg bestehen alle aus Eschenholz Dies ist auch bei den Schäften aus Nydam der Fall (ebd.). Der Querschnitt der Schäfte ist meist leicht oval, selten ganz rund (Abb. 5). Die Verteilung der Durchmesser zeigt ihre höchsten Werte zwischen 1,9 und 2,2 cm (Abb. 2).
Die Jahrringe verlaufen in Längsrichtung exakt parallel (Abb. 4). Die Oberfläche wurde sehr sorgfältig geglättet, man könnte sie fast als poliert bezeichnen. Bearbeitungsspuren finden sich an keinem der Fragmente. Nur an einem der Bruchstücke konnte der Ansatz eines kleinen Astes nachgewiesen werden. Alle anderen bestehen aus völlig astreinem Holz. Endstücke der Schäfte fehlen gänzlich.
Breite Jahrringe, wie sie an den Lanzenschaftfragmenten aus Thorsberg meist nachzuweisen sind4, mit hohem Spätholzanteil bewirken ein relativ hohes Raumgewicht und eine größere Stabilität (Abb. 3) (SCHWEINGRUBER 1991,237). Offensichtlich wurden auch diesbezüglich entsprechende Stämme ausgewählt.
Wenige breite Jahrringe bewirken bei den sich verjüngenden Lanzenschäften eine möglichst geringe Zahl an Jahrringaustritten. Auch dies wirkt sich positiv auf die Bruchfestigkeit aus (ebd.). Außerdem ist bei breitringigem Eschenholz die dynamische Festigkeit und Zähigkeit sehr hoch.

_{Quelle: Lars Fischer „Lanzen und Schilde aus dem Thorsberger Moor in Süderbrarup, Kr. Schleswig-Flensburg. Holzarchäologische und technische Aspekte“, Seite 75 ff.}

A spear consists of the shaft, the tip, an impact guard, and possibly a shoe.

The tip should not be too heavy, should not have sharp edges or hooks, should have a curve or a flattened ball for a point, should not bend or otherwise permanently deform, and should have a grommet appropriate to the shaft. If the tip has a length such that bending is necessary, this should always swing back.

A shank should not bend too much under pressure, should be straight, should not be too heavy, should not contain knots (knotless), should not have hooks, and should not break (oh yeah, that would be awesome).

The impact guard should not be too heavy, flexible and distribute pressure.

A lance shoe should not have sharp edges. There are rulebooks that do not allow lance shoes!

It makes sense to oil the shaft before first use and then treat it with beeswax to increase grip.

Spears should be protected in the front area with rawhide against blows. The area to be protected is the distance from the opponent's belly to the tip of his weapon. This is where the hardest hits are scored.

Since a spear should not bend / wobble too much, it must not be too thin, however, a heavy weight makes it harder to control and leads to injuries.

The grain must follow the shaft, primarily in the front area.

The shape of the overall shaft should be lenticular. So front and back a little thinner and in the middle a little thicker. I prefer the following course 24 mm - 27 mm - 24 mm.
The diameter should be oval, this increases the feeling for the position of the tip and increases the grip feeling.

A two-handed spear must not exceed 3 m in our country.
The weight of a thrusting spearhead should not exceed 300 g.\ The weight of a cutting spearhead should not exceed 400 g.
The diameter should not be less than 27 mm and not exceed 32.

A spear for forest use should not be longer than 2.5 m.

A one-hand spear should not be longer than 2.3 m.
The weight of the spearhead should not exceed 100 g.\ The diameter should not be less than 18 mm and not exceed 27 mm.

• stabs to the face
• Stabs on the feet (from above and flat above the ground)
• Striking with the shaft
• Cutting with the tip while pulling back
• Striking with the tip
• Single handed lead in wide extension with leg bent?
• Locking the joints / shoulder turned in?
• Cross grip?

• Always down (away from head)
• Always controlled
• Always secure stance

• Spears down, waiting position, feet side by side
• Firm stance
• Safe postures of the spear
  • Overhand grip and underhand grip
  • not locking the spear
  • Always keep the back end in mind
• The change of position from
  • spear in delivery / spear is in front in thrust position
  • spear shaft on top / securely in hand, with the tip against the body (more mobile)
• First movement - from standing to basic stance.
  • Change from shaft up to delivery stance
  • Change from delivery stance to shaft on top

• Change with change of direction
• Step out of stance, step out of stance
• steps
  • lunges
  • the fencing step (foot trailing)
  • cross step (feet across, hips parallel to the spear)
  • Normal walking (feet side by side, hips across the spear)

• Braking the masses I
• Thrust to the front
  • The step square
• Stitch to the side
  • The step triangle
• Stitch to the back
• Running (Braking the masses II)
  • How to hold the spear and how to execute thrusts safely.

• Shield - not the upper 1/4 - sliding off the shield
• Swords - retreat if upwards
• Spear - do not thrust over the shaft
• Dane axe - do not stab over the shaft
• Axe

• Defense with the shaft
• Back shield
• Front shield
• Cover others
• Use others as cover (back first)
• Nerve others to death (one handed spears)

• Deceive
• Pauses, resting
• Pivoting (not frantically)
• gliding hand
• Open shields - Ü
• block shield
• gliding over the shield
• the spear as a pivot

• Align the line
• Follow