Sword Preference?

[Greg]

The most success I've had was with a hand and half in the half sword, but then you're using the sword like a small spear anyway. I usually try and parry the initial attack, move the pole arm over my head and clear the centerline using my cross for leverage and protection, and either thrusting or attempting a morteshlage (sp). Even if I miss I can still thrust with the pommel and maintain the vor. Once you close the gap its fairly easy to win as your now in Kreig and have effectively negated the reach advantage the weapon had. It sounds great in theory but to be honest in it isn't as easy as it sounds.

My experiences were similar. I always found it easiest to establish a bind and overrun the spearman. Get in quick with and go to ringen am schwert, etc.

The real trick is how many steps are required to not only go past the spear's tip, but to close within an effective striking distance of center-mass. That's a lot of ground to cover in a dead sprint, usually, and I've been impressed a few times by how quickly a spearman can choke up on the shaft and get point-on again.

[Duathen]

Oh, definitely, distance is a factor, but in my experience (and your experience certainly may vary) it hasn't been the most critical. It's a bit hard to illustrate just through text, but by establishing a bind on the spear with the sword through striking or warding, and then maintaining that bind as you close the distance you can control the spear as you move in to attack. The hard part is establishing that bind without getting spitted, but once past the point it's the spearman that's in real trouble.

It's also one of those paradoxical moments where I much prefer not to make the first attack, but would rather counter in order to create a strong binding, place the attack offline and close to strike.