>The SCA's success in sword charge vs. shield wall relies, unless I'm
>mistaken, upon "Sure, what the hell, I'll charge flat out." You know
>beforehand that it's going to happen, you know beforehand that you're not
>going to get seriously hurt (let alone die), you get yourself psyched up to
>do it beforehand, there are no surprises, you know beforehand that in a
>couple of hours you'll be yapping about it to a buddy over a beer, and
>there's no reason for you not to do this thing which, were those actual
>spears, would seem appropriate for a kamikaze pilot.
>
I doubt it that lack of a spear psychosis is the underlying cause for the SCA scorn of spear and shield combo. Believe it or not, in an SCA melee a unit of spear and shield would not cause any significant casualties to the opposition. The combination is too awkward and the targets too small. No face thrusts is an integral part of that problem.
Besides, what is more scary, charging into a wall of spears, or charging into a teeming mass of sword wielders? No sane man would consider either.
Joe
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