Sheepdog Tip of the Day, Before Combat tip 66
After shattering an approaching enemy force from a distance with a series of spear volleys, the Romans closed with short swords designed and intended for stabbing. These swords were often qualitatively no different from those of their opponents, but the Romans were systematically trained to use their swords to stab and thrust in a highly effective way that was largely unprecedented prior to this. Like the post-World War II training that would be developed two millennia later to condition men to fire in combat, Roman training used repetition to an extent that could be accurately described as conditioning, to insure that their soldiers would thrust in combat rather than use the more natural hacking and slashing blows. This was a technique that would be used in later centuries to train some elite warriors in fencing and swordsmanship, but never before, nor probably since, has an entire army been trained to this degree of perfection.
Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, On Combat
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