When fighting with spear, what we in Gadgeddlar are now using is what is basically the same type of drill as used in ECW, due to their being little about actual drill published for Scots armies of our periods. However, we don't do the 'wigwam' or 'push-of-pike' that the large ECW societies in the UK like to use, instead we go in at the point.

Our schiltron formation works like this: The front and second ranks have their spears at the charge (held at wist level) with the spears of the second rank coming between the sides of the people in front of them, usually going through the right side although I do allow left-handers to either go through from the other side or take position at either end of the end of schiltron. The front and second ranks will be the only ones fighting when we close in on an enemy: when someone in one of these ranks is hit, then the person in the rank behind them comes forward and replaces them, thus allowing me to keep the schiltron fighting even when we take casualties. There are usually only four ranks (I work it four ranks deep by about six to eight ranks across) and the spearmen are all stood sideways on and so close the the person next to them that they're practically breathing down their neck! What is important is that they don't move from this formation: each spearman stays in rank and doesn't try to push through to fight, they only come through when someone takes a hit. I've seen groups do this pushing through to fight malarkey and it turns a well-ordered schiltron into a rabble in seconds and I ensure that everyone gets a fight, either by rotating the schiltron or by putting the newbies in the front rank (more likely to get killed) and my veterans behind them.

For actualy use of the spear, I recommed going in at waist level with the spearman holding the weapon around a foot from the base - a good spear is nine to twelve foot long and the extra length is good protection, so why give that up by holding it in the middle? I also get my guys to hold onto the shaft and never put their hands on the base of the shaft - if someone runs onto the front of the spear (you'd be surprised how often this happens!), then by gripping the shaft the spear simply gets pushed back.

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Thanks very much for posting this. What are you using for spears, and what are the safety regs concerning their construction?

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All spears must be able to take the punishment of being used, but not be too unbreakable - if a schiltron collapses I want the spears to be able to take the combined weight of those piling onto them.

If you got the group website, scroll down onto the 14th century area and take a look at the picture gallery, you can see a pic of a schiltron waiting to to be deployed, but it does show you how close I get the guys together.

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