spearwork

Spearwork is the discipline centered on using a spear or similar shafted weapon in combat, sport, and performance. It encompasses techniques for offense and defense, including thrusting, parrying, distance management, and body mechanics, applied across historical and modern contexts. Practitioners train to develop reach, speed, timing, and control while prioritizing safety.

Core elements include grip, stance, and footwork, as well as range management. A typical grip places the hands along the shaft to permit two-handed thrusting and leverage for defense. Footwork emphasizes advancing, retreating, and changing angles to maintain line and balance. Off-hand actions, such as shield work or body displacement, support the weapon and create openings for attack.

Techniques cover thrusts as primary offensive actions, feints and tempo changes to disrupt a guard, and parries that may use the shaft, tip, or redirected motions. Counters, disengages, and entries follow, with training often organized around partner drills, forms or sequences, and pad work to refine timing and distance. Safety protocols and protective equipment are standard in practice settings.

History and contexts: The spear is among the oldest battlefield weapons, appearing in many cultures, including classical Greek hoplites, Chinese qiang users, Japanese yari specialists, and European soldiers in pike formations. In the modern era, spearwork persists in military-adjacent training, historical European martial arts (HEMA), and stage or screen combat. Some schools treat spear as a distinct discipline within polearm curricula, while others integrate it into broader weapon arts.

Variations and design: Spear configurations vary in length, tip type, and balance, affecting reach and handling. In sport and reconstruction contexts, lighter or blunt-tipped versions are common to emphasize safe practice while preserving technique fidelity.

Spearwork emphasizes control, precision, and the coordination of body, weapon, and rhythm.