Pike Postures - Advance sp

This is the posture used when moving short distances or when close to the enemy and about to go to charge. The pike is held vertically and it can be quite a strain if there is any wind. You can keep the posture for a while, but not for that long, maybe 10 minutes at the maximum. If you were going to be moving for a while you would move to shoulder as soon as you had opened enough space between the ranks.

Again the pike is vertical, but this time the pikeman is holding it in his right hand. You'll see from the photo that his arm is slightly wrapped around the pike with the back of his hand facing forward. This allows him to control the pike as he has two points of contact (upper arm and hand) rather than attempting to balance it. The rest of the posture is the same as order (except that his left foot is forward) and his left hand is resting on the pommel of his sword.

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last update 22:53 20/12/2002