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UNDERSTANDING THE SPEAR (and the overarm grip).

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  It's been 12 years of training with a one handed spear for me (Arttu). Mostly I have trained weekly in summer time, but few years around the year. I started, and still continue, training with soft headed weapons in Finnish boffering scene. Also trained two handed pole weapons in HEMA context and one handed spear in Finnish reenactment scene. It took me 10 years before I became comfortable using a spear in the grip that is known as the overarm grip.    Underarm grip (left) and overarm grip Bef ore this I became ok with using the underarm grip. Here is a video of an accuracy drill. During my 10 year training I learned the sliding strike and to hold a long spear from the end of the shaft. I did not become comfortable in the overarm grip before I trained to throw the spear. (Here is an old, worst quality, training montage video .) There is a forever ongoing discussion about the grips that goes on in the armchair generals discussions of one handed spear fighting. To me the last thin