Contrary to popular belief, there's more to using the pike than just standing with couple hundred or couple thousand other pikemen. In fact, some may find it downright surprising that fencing with the pike individually was sometimes taught.


Check Cap. 14 of George Silver's Brief Instructions Upon My Paradoxes of Defence, for info on the use of the pike in this manner:

Brief Instructions

Black Davy MacGregorWrote:
Contrary to popular belief, there's more to using the pike than just standing with couple hundred or couple thousand other pikemen. In fact, some may find it downright surprising that fencing with the pike individually was sometimes taught.





Check Cap. 14 of George Silver's Brief Instructions Upon My Paradoxes of Defence, for info on the use of the pike in this manner:



Brief Instructions

Theres pike fenceing!? Wow I'ma get into that.
your friend,
Evan

EvanWrote:

[t]Black Davy MacGregorWrote:
Contrary to popular belief, there's more to using the pike than just standing with couple hundred or couple thousand other pikemen. In fact, some may find it downright surprising that fencing with the pike individually was sometimes taught.





Check Cap. 14 of George Silver's Brief Instructions Upon My Paradoxes of Defence, for info on the use of the pike in this manner:



Brief Instructions[/t]


Theres pike fenceing!? Wow I'ma get into that.
your friend,
Evan

There was pike fencing, but I don't know of anyone doing it today. Everything I've seen these days relating to the pike concerns its use in formation.

Black Davy MacGregorWrote:

[t]EvanWrote:

[t]Black Davy MacGregorWrote:
Contrary to popular belief, there's more to using the pike than just standing with couple hundred or couple thousand other pikemen. In fact, some may find it downright surprising that fencing with the pike individually was sometimes taught.





Check Cap. 14 of George Silver's Brief Instructions Upon My Paradoxes of Defence, for info on the use of the pike in this manner:



Brief Instructions[/t]


Theres pike fenceing!? Wow I'ma get into that.
your friend,
Evan[/t]



There was pike fencing, but I don't know of anyone doing it today. Everything I've seen these days relating to the pike concerns its use in formation.

Awww, thats to bad, I would have loved to fence with a pike/spear.
Your friend,
Evan

While the pike is a beast at the lengths necessary to utilize them effectively in a pike square or formation fighting of any kind, all by itself against almost every other weapon is an exercise in futility IMO.

But make no mistake as to lump *all* pole-arms in with the same category as the pike! I have become "acquainted" with many different pole-arm weapon systems and each one does what it was designed to do rather effectively in teh right hands.

The pike is a relatively brainless weapon that could be put into the hands of just about anyone going to war, but veteran soldiers would most definately have preferred the shorter pole-arm (of any sort) or the larger 2-handed sword from which to unleash bloody carnage.

I am *HUGE* fan of the pole-arm! My personal preference for the partisan and while I may be able to handle my own in most forums, a finely trained formation of pike is nothing to mess with!!!

That look spretty fucking awesome, fencing with a pike? WHO KNEW!? I am a big fan of the pike.

For me, as a re-enactor, when we put on a battle pageant, we usually have at least one "Champion's Fight" where at least 2 opponents square off and usually this is done with a pole-arm of one sort or another.

While we've never done a one on one fight with pikes due to the sheer size of the weapon, every bout with various pole-arms has been AMAZING to watch and even moreso to participate in!

It's a much bigger fight than your regular sword on sword fight and since all aspects of the pole-arm (including the butt of the weapon) can be utilized... Well, I'm sure you get the idea...

Also, some friends of mine are putting together a short film regarding Landsknechten. (And seeking funding for a feature-film length version as well!)
Some of the footage in the main trailer show some of the "fencing" that I have done with my partisan. -The snippets go by quickly, but you can get an idea of what a pole-arm is capable of.

-And the pike work is fairly nice as well...

Just had to share with you all.

Check out the trailer for "Empire" at:

http://fourhorsemenproductions.com/Empire.htm

In the SCA there is a lot of spear dueling that takes place on the field, mostly during limited front battles (gates, bridges, etc...). Most of this is done with nine foot spears as the twelve foot ones are not legal in all areas. They are legal here in the midwest but as we can't expect to use them in the larger battles outside of our region not many are willing to get them.

StewartWrote:
For me, as a re-enactor, when we put on a battle pageant, we usually have at least one "Champion's Fight" where at least 2 opponents square off and usually this is done with a pole-arm of one sort or another.



While we've never done a one on one fight with pikes due to the sheer size of the weapon, every bout with various pole-arms has been AMAZING to watch and even moreso to participate in!



It's a much bigger fight than your regular sword on sword fight and since all aspects of the pole-arm (including the butt of the weapon) can be utilized... Well, I'm sure you get the idea...

Sounds really cool!


Owari Kan Ryu Sojutsu makes use of a yari (spear) nearly 12 feet long, which is within the lower end of the pike spectrum.


And let's not forget that Georg von Frundsberg used his pike to kill the Swiss captiain, Arnold Winkelried, at La Bicocca.

This forum makes me want to take a couple of 20 foot pine trees and go at it.

Yea in the SCA, Im in Atenveldt and every November at a war we call southern crusades theres a pike tourney. my ex husband wins just about every year. unless 19 year old kids cheat and dont take hits.

Is there a system of combat for the trident/military fork? Due to a recent fishing episode, my curiousity is peaked. I know that the Spanish and the Germans were well known for their use of the trident, especially during sieges and I know that these two countries were very fond of forming schools for their favorite weaponry of the period. Any clue?

æ wrote:
Is there a system of combat for the trident/military fork? Due to a recent fishing episode, my curiousity is peaked. I know that the Spanish and the Germans were well known for their use of the trident, especially during sieges and I know that these two countries were very fond of forming schools for their favorite weaponry of the period. Any clue?

Bro, I want to apologize for not getting back to this, when you first posted it.


Certainly, there were various types of tridents used by late Medieval & Renaissance European soldiers. Italian fighting men preferred a type which featured gracefully curved outer tines--this was referred to variously as a ronco, runka, ranseur, and spiedo. German soldiers had a version called the ahlforsch, where the outer tines were more angular, and not spaced so widely as in the Italian form.

As for a system of combat for the trident, Giacomo di Grassi included the spiedo among the various polearms that he taught (the others being the bill, partisan, and halberd). According the di Grassi, the main (central) blade of the spiedo had little or no cutting capacity, and thus it was considered purely a thrusting weapon. The outer tines apparently could be used to trap or otherwise engage an opponent’s weapon, and they also served to stop weapons from sliding down the shaft.

There is one famous painting of the Battle of Lepanto (1571), which shows the galleys of Don John of Austria and Sebastiano Venier of Venice, confronting the flagship of the Turkish fleet, under Ali Pasha. One can see Spanish and Venetian troops swarming over the deck of the Turkish galley, and there’s one soldier in three-quarter armor, shown with a spiedo, with which he lances a Turk (it’s not clear as to whether the soldier in question is Spanish or Venetian).