[split] Phalanx warfare: use of the spear

[JaM]

Look at where the faces and eyes of the hoplite reenactor is. Take a straight edge and draw a line from the face to the pole on the left. Now tell me why a hoplite would use an overhand thrust to target what appears to be the belly region of a target? The low angle alone takes a good bit of distance away from the thrust. Of the three tests only the bottom one has the thrust being conducted on anything like a straight line. I bet if you had the underhand grip low thrust aim at the face it would be a shorter distance. That test was conducted poorly, to say the least.

that was actually his point.. with the overarm grip and holding the spear in the back, palm would force it to go down at the farthest trajectory position during the thrust. it would automatically go down due to anatomy of the hand.

The first picture has two faults. First, it is static. As long as I am static I can put my sauroter in the eyeslit of my buddy's helmet and take a picture, no problem. Things change when you have to move violently.

thats the rearrest position you would have. thrust forward (per Mathew) would be then like this (bottom one, screenshoted it as a whole):



and sorry, only have pictures.. that book doesnt include any videos (joke)