Spears in Fightbooks

[Cooper Braun]

I am currently starting to study spear work, and would like to find as many medieval/Renaissance references as I can. What I am looking for is any reference to spear work in pretty much any book. Plates showing spear vs. spear, spear vs anything else, short and long versions, all would be of interest. I would hopefully like to put together a catologe of all known fightbooks (including multiple books by the same author) to have spear work shown in them.
Thanks much

[Greg Coffman]

What immediately jumps to mind is Talhoffer (1467), plates 68-71. Spear in full harness at the opening of what looks like to be a duel or judicial combat.

[Jaron Bernstein]

I am currently starting to study spear work, and would like to find as many medieval/Renaissance references as I can. What I am looking for is any reference to spear work in pretty much any book. Plates showing spear vs. spear, spear vs anything else, short and long versions, all would be of interest. I would hopefully like to put together a catologe of all known fightbooks (including multiple books by the same author) to have spear work shown in them.
Thanks much

Fiore and Vadi have it as well. Meyer says the staff is the basis of all pole weapons and has a great staff/pike/halbard chapter. Swetnam's staff with its emphasis on thrusting is readily applicable to spear.

[Alexander Pierre]

Cooper,

You also have 6 plays in Lovino's book (I do not know its current availability in English, however there is an Italian/French version available here: http://ardamhe.free.fr/biblio/Lovino.pdf).

Regards,
Alexander

ps: first post here

[Richard Strey]

Joachim Meyer (1570) has some stuff applicable to spear work, as well. Check out the polearm section.

[Mike Cartier]

yes meyer's staff work i think is clearly extremely useful for use with a spear.

[Jake_Norwood]

I would add that *any* source covering staff work will be highly useful for spears, since a spear is just a staff with a spike on one end.

Jake

[Rod-Thornton]

I would add that *any* source covering staff work will be highly useful for spears, since a spear is just a staff with a spike on one end.

Jake

Yep. Jake's comment is supported by at least one other expert in the field. If one were to go back and re-read some portion's of Sidney Anglo's treatise on the Martial Arts of Renn. Europe, he notes how a great many of the source authors/masters originally developed a limited explanation of polearms from staff work and he later cites their opinions that most of them felt once that was learned, it automatically transitioned much technique and core competency to other polearms.....with only one notable exception...the pole-axe. For that (as a weapon great in single man dueling within the lists, but horribly poor in melee combat on a battlefield), Talhoffer was a good source.

[david welch]

with only one notable exception...the pole-axe. For that (as a weapon great in single man dueling within the lists, but horribly poor in melee combat on a battlefield), Talhoffer was a good source.

What?

The historical artwork has them all over the battlefield.

It's really nothing more than a halberd adapted more for half-swording use.

[Matt Easton]

The various Bolognese treatises cover spear, spetum, bill, halberd, pike, long pollaxe etc.
IMO these treatises (Manciolino, Marozzo etc) contain some of the most in-depth polearm work.
Fiore specifically uses a short spear (about 6 foot). The techniques don't work exactly the same with a normal length spear (8 foot or more), or at least you have to modify the positions - like Vadi.

Matt

[Brian Hunt]

Paulus Hector Mair has some very indepth info on the use of polearms, both his short and long staff would translate very well to spear, plus his plates on halberd, pole axe are well written. Unfortunatly our translation of his works may not be out now till 2008. They had a change of the guard over at Paladin and so things are being reworked on the printing schedule.

all the best.

Brian Hunt
GFS

http://www.paulushectormair.com