Round shield techniques

[Inigo]

While Giacomo Di Grissi's was probably a very talented man, he lived hundreds of years after the Vikings and I doubt he ever taught any of them how to fight.

A center gripped round shield is very different to one that is strapped to the forearm. The video shows the attacker able to "fold" his shield to the right flank and reach over his own shield arm to attack, which is easy with a center grip shield but difficult / different when using a shield that is strapped to the forearm.

It's still interesting stuff, and supports how I tend to use a round shield or small heater that's strapped to the arm, but it's about as historically appropriate to show techniques from Giacomo Di Grissi's when discussing Viking round shields as it is to show pictures of modern riot police when discussing Renaissance combat. In both cases they're about 500 years later than the period being discussed.

[Vorschlag]

I think his point may have been that Digrassi continues the use of the shield ward where Talhoffer etc had previously suggested it (and no doubt they picked it up from someone before them).
Either this or he was using Digrassi to explain how the ward can be used i.e the benefits and limitations there of.

I33 which allows us to look back a little further doesn't hold the ward but that may well be because they're using sword and buckler, where holding a round shield in some of the I33 wards would largely retard your offensive capabilities.

[Stuart]

I agree with Inigo. You can`t retrospectively apply a 14th century ( or later ) technique to 10th century viking combat.
In the real world, holding a shield high up and to the left is going to get you dead really quickly.

[Bogue]

Inigo did say

[Stuart]

Good point Bogue,

Your posting reminds me that the British police did not find that information by study of old historical books. The knowledge came about through some unusual practical experiences.

A bunch of viking re-enactors took on a squad of the riot cops during one of the free festivals at Stonehenge in the mid 80`s. An efficient shield wall stopped the police advance, and a boar`s snout shield-ram attack dispersed the cops. I should point out that prior to this, the UK`s finest had been clubbing down unarmed women and kids...

In more peaceful circumstances, we encountered another police riot team who were running demos at a county fair. It was they who insisted that the local vikings stage a charge against their plastic shields. The result was carnage. We took five cops off their feet. They did not expect ( or train ) for the possibility of a shield-ram.

BTW, our shields were strapped to the forearm. Shield size was mostly 30 inch rounds, with some kites in the shield wall. We always advanced with shields held to the front.

-Hope this is of interest.

[stephan]

it is just a couple of moves and trys to be nothing more these moves seem to be ble to work they migt be a bit differnt when they are in open sparing rather than a demo but it is still just one move

[BigMac]

The thread is round shield techniques no one mentioned a specific period in regaurds to what could be posted and given that so little survives from the dark ages and the fact that there are only so many ways a body can manouver with a round shield I think looking at all sources is a good idea.

As to riot police they are seldom if ever in the position of faceing an equally armed/outfitted opponent so they have naturally never needed to develop what we would consider proper technique.

TTFN
Bigmac