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Guns, bombs, and nonlethal alternatives are the weapons of today, with melee weapons quickly becoming a thing of the past even in the poorest third world countries; where battles are fought now, it is at great range with weapons people couldn't have even imagined centuries ago. But let us not forget the mlee weapons that shaped the world for over a thousand years.
It is the weapon of duelists, the sword, that has maintained the greatest popularity in the public eye. Every fantasy hero, every cartoon warrior, has a sword. Using a sword against gun-wielding opponents is particularly popular.
The role of the sword as a duelists weapon has been cemented in the public perception...and it is for this reason that even in modern movies, it is not at all a surprise when the hero and the villain end everything with a sword fight, forgoing pistols and revolvers and opting instead for rapiers and katana.
The sword isn't the only melee weapon to talk about though. The spear in particular needs special mention; a weapon regarded by many to be superior to the sword in every way except for being easy to carry. There is an old saying: To defeat a spear user takes three times the skill it would take to defeat a similarly talented sword wielder.
For this reason, polearms have served as the primary weapons of the vast majority of armies since the dawn of human history. The relative ease of making simple spears, combined with their high efficiency, makes it hard to find a weapon more suitable for the armies of ages past.
Bludgeoning weapons make up the last of the big three of melee weapons. This includes things like maces, warhammers, clubs, flails, etc. Even axes can be considered part of this group of weapons. While they require a different kind of technique and are used in different situations from other weapons, you shouldn't underestimate the brutal efficiency of these weapons.
One key use of bludgeons is as a tool to defeat heavily armored foes. An enemy that a sword can barely scratch can be destroyed completely by a mace or warhammer. There were even several time periods where, because of how common heavy armor was, maces and flails overshadowed swords as knights preferred sidearms.
Finally, lets give a bit of recognition to shields. While not strictly speaking a weapon, a shield is almost unmatched for value in a melee fight, even if they aren't particularly popular in modern movies and culture.
A skilled fighter can defeat almost any attack with a good shield in his hands, and the best can use them as a brutally effective bludgeon. Dual-wielding may be popular in movies and games, but I'll take a shield for my off hand any day in real life.
That's all I have to say about melee weapons today. I hope you've learned a little about the weapons that defined our history for so many years, and that you give them at least a little respect even in a world with guns and bombs.
It is the weapon of duelists, the sword, that has maintained the greatest popularity in the public eye. Every fantasy hero, every cartoon warrior, has a sword. Using a sword against gun-wielding opponents is particularly popular.
The role of the sword as a duelists weapon has been cemented in the public perception...and it is for this reason that even in modern movies, it is not at all a surprise when the hero and the villain end everything with a sword fight, forgoing pistols and revolvers and opting instead for rapiers and katana.
The sword isn't the only melee weapon to talk about though. The spear in particular needs special mention; a weapon regarded by many to be superior to the sword in every way except for being easy to carry. There is an old saying: To defeat a spear user takes three times the skill it would take to defeat a similarly talented sword wielder.
For this reason, polearms have served as the primary weapons of the vast majority of armies since the dawn of human history. The relative ease of making simple spears, combined with their high efficiency, makes it hard to find a weapon more suitable for the armies of ages past.
Bludgeoning weapons make up the last of the big three of melee weapons. This includes things like maces, warhammers, clubs, flails, etc. Even axes can be considered part of this group of weapons. While they require a different kind of technique and are used in different situations from other weapons, you shouldn't underestimate the brutal efficiency of these weapons.
One key use of bludgeons is as a tool to defeat heavily armored foes. An enemy that a sword can barely scratch can be destroyed completely by a mace or warhammer. There were even several time periods where, because of how common heavy armor was, maces and flails overshadowed swords as knights preferred sidearms.
Finally, lets give a bit of recognition to shields. While not strictly speaking a weapon, a shield is almost unmatched for value in a melee fight, even if they aren't particularly popular in modern movies and culture.
A skilled fighter can defeat almost any attack with a good shield in his hands, and the best can use them as a brutally effective bludgeon. Dual-wielding may be popular in movies and games, but I'll take a shield for my off hand any day in real life.
That's all I have to say about melee weapons today. I hope you've learned a little about the weapons that defined our history for so many years, and that you give them at least a little respect even in a world with guns and bombs.
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If you still want to learn more about ancient weapons, you should to read my article about Roman Swords and other weapons of the legionnaires. Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service
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