Historial weapons videos and their use for GURPS

[Mike_H]

Originally Posted by jason taylor

Which would clearly attract the unfriendly attention of the law.

Actually, no, it hasn't. Full insurance, waivers and the like. There's only a hand full of very small groups doing it but one was featured on national tv.

[Dwarf99]

Originally Posted by Dangerious P. Cats

I'd be curious to see some videos of your group if there are any about.

I don't know if there's any videos, but it'd be nice if I can find some. If so I might throw them up here.

[Dangerious P. Cats]

Originally Posted by TheHengeProphet

Unfortunately, I find these two videos a terrible reference for viking spear fighting. Holding the spear in the underhand position tends to be awkward if you haven't the wrist and hand strength to maintain power and accuracy. The overhand technique was much more popular, and vikings tended to use much longer spears (not a rule, but a generality, as vikings used whatever they darn well pleased).

While there are almost no remaining shafts for Viking age spears (wood tends to rot) most of the depictions in art work send to suggest that spears were about the hight of a person if not a little taller. If you look at period art like this, or this, or alternatively this, and perhaps even this, and last but not least this (I kind of wanted a good cross section since I've met a lot of people who use one image to argue the dimensions and use of all weapons of that type) you'll note that most of the spears are around the length of the person (give or take). They aren't the eight foot long spears fancied by a great many re-enactors, or least those most commonly depicted aren't.

Likewise the underhand grip is particularly common in artistic depiction. You can see it in the bayeux tapestry on this, this and this pages (among others). Regardless of how comfortable modern people find it the underhanded grip was certainly done historically, presumably with good reason. One of the theories I've heard is that an underhand grip allows the spear to be used with the same physical motions as a sword or axe is from open ward (the sword held above the head guard depicted here, only one link this time) though I'd like to try this in a bouting situation before I trust it. One of the things the people in the videos did which I liked was that they used the underhand grip to close and invoke binds, which research suggests is pretty important to shield use.