[This text presumes a basic knowledge on combat mechanics, i.e. how to wield a weapon, engage an opponent, use an attack, etc.]
It has been several years since I have last taken up the quill. A great deal has past since the last I wrote on the subject of fighting and weaponry, one which I thought I would have been done with at the conclusion of the Serpent Competition of the colosseum. Certainly, that old contest of warrior prowess (which has already vanished from the memories of many) was meant to be my final spotlight before I could vanish silently back into the forests and live a life in peace.
However, the paths I have taken have somehow twisted back to the city of Iridine, whether by some guiding hand of divine powers or simply carelessness on my part, and I find myself not completely forgotten. Older works that I have made on the subjects of shields and armed combat maneuvers haunt me still, and many have pestered me on writing more and updating my past texts.
Because of their persistent requests, I have decided to put to parchment some of what I know of fighting before the entirety of my knowledge passes on with me on my trip beyond the veil.
BASIC PRINCIPLES
The subject of combat that I will deal with is that of single combat or fighting in small groups. I know little of military formations and handling an army on the march, so do not look to this as a text on war-making.
Nor is this a manual on hunting animals. The beasts which roam midlight are beyond counting in variety, and will require an entire book to themselves.
This text is a discussion of tactics and techniques for keeping yourself alive when facing an armed and intelligent foe.
When entering a real fight, a battle in which your life is on the line, all thoughts vanish except for two goals: survival and victory. Survival is foremost, that is keeping yourself alive and concious to see another day. Victory depends upon your situation, but usually entails the defeat of your opponent. More on this later.
Keep in mind that many of the conclusions I draw here are from experience and personal opinion. They are not law and I encourage you to disagree if you have good reason to.
In Midlight there are some concepts which one needs to be familiar with before going into combat.
RANGE
There are three classes of range: short, long, and missile. Be sure to know which of your attacks can be used at which range.
Short refers to having actually engaged your opponent. Imagine this as being close enough to someone to punch that person. Most one-handed weapons and u narmed combat can only be used effectively at this range: knives, gladii, maces and clubs, axes, cestii, etc. Important to remember that many long range weapons, such as spears and staves, are less effective at short range.
Long refers to being in the same area as your opponent. While not engaged, you are in the same general area and can strike at them with a pole weapon. At this range, long-range weapons are the most effective and most deadly: spears, tridents, and staves. Whips are also effectively used at long range though many of the whip entangles are short-ranged.
Missile refers to the range at which you can throw or shoot a missile weapon at your opponent. This may be in the same area as the target, if the area is large enough, or being in another area close enough that you have a clear line of sight to your target. Axes, spears, and tridents have missile capability. Archers have the most effective missile capability and should take advantage of that fact. Note that some missile weapons have longer range than others.
ENVIRONMENT
This refers to the setting of the battle. Weather factors can be important and archers are most affected by them. The size of the area can also determine whether the missile capability of some weapons can be used at all [type 'sizeup' to find out how large the room is]. Lighting is the most significant factor for many warriors, as poor lighting reduces the chances to hit for all involved depending on the level of the lighting. However, those with high perception are less affected by poor light and have an advantage in dark areas. Beware of creatures or beings that can see in the dark.
HEALTH
Always keep track of your health and fatigue. Crippling injuries will severely disadvantage one in battle. Low fatigue means that the lucky shots of your opponents will do more, perhaps fatal damage. [In Midlight, there is something known as the critical hit, wherein the attack was considered solid enough or lucky enough to cause some added injury. Some critical hits end in death for the target, but these can only occur if the target is below %50 fatigue]
OTHER FACTORS
Position affects how easy one is to hit. Targets that are prone (sitting, kneeling, or laying down) are easier to hit than standing targets.
If a target is outnumbered, that target is easier to hit. The more people engaged against one person, the easier that person is to strike.
Aiming affects the difficulty of attacks. One can aim at specific body parts (right hand, neck, chest, face, etc.) or at general regions of the body (high, mid, low). Aiming for a specific body part is harder than aiming for a region of the body. Both are more difficult than an attack which is not aimed.
Injuries and load affect how easy or hard one's attacks are. If you are injured, then your attacks become more difficult. If you are overburdened, your attacks are also more difficult. If the target is overburdened, then the target is easier to hit.
Illness, magicks, herbalist potions, and other unknowns also have a hand in battle. Always be fully aware in a fight.
THE WARRIOR
Most of the factors just mentioned are beyond your control. The key to winning many battles, however, is preparation. Your skills, your equipment, and your physical and mental state contribute a great deal to the outcome of the fight.
SKILLS
Important to every warrior is knowing their abilities and their limits. As important as any decision you can make in battle are the decisions as to which skills to train in long before battle even starts.
If you are a hunter, and intend on making a living solely on killing animals or beasts, then you can get by with specializing in one or two basic attacks. If you find yourself fighting an intelligent human foe, whether by choice or not, its a completely different matter altogether. Good fighters are well-rounded fighters.
In the beginning of your training, you should know the skills available to your weapon and a general idea of what they do. By planning what you want to learn and when, you can save a lot of time and effort. Whatever your weapon, know the range of its attacks, the number of hands required to wield it (single-handed or two-handed weapons), and the skills, actions, and fighting styles available for use with it. In the end, after familiarizing yourself with the skill set, you can consider the actions of your weapon in three major groups.
First of all are defensive actions. These include the blocks that will eventually save your hide more often than not. If your weapon can block, find out what the blocking skills are, what they block, and which part of the body they block.
Second are the offensive actions. These include knowledge on how to jab, stab, slash, and impale. Find out how difficult they are, where they target by default (some attacks naturally hit high or low without aiming), and if they have any 'special' effects other than doing damage. Generally, the more difficult the attack, the more damage it does.
Lastly are all the skills that don't fall under offense or defense. These are highly specialized skills often unique to each weapon. Examples of these are staves sweep (which knocks down your opponent) and knives pushaside (which attempts to disarm your opponent).
As a novice, your priority is training in one or two *basic* offensive actions. By basic I mean attacks that are easy in difficulty and don't have prerequisites to perform as some skills require knowledge in other skills before you can use them.
The second priority would be learning some of the simpler defensive moves, if your weapon has any, and expanding the array of attacks that you can use effectively in battle.
Beyond that, your training depends upon your personal preference and what type of personal strategy to pursue in battle. The best advice you can find in training is from fellow warriors who have pursued the same weapon you wish to train in.
BASIC TACTICS
First of all, know when to retreat.
Some may wonder why I put retreating first when discussing combat tactics. Proud warriors die fast. You are, in the end, mortal (if not, I can only wonder as to why you need to read this text in the first place). There will be inevitably someone better than you, or something beyond your skills. Do not be afraid to swallow your pride and turn tail. If it eases your ego, consider it withdrawing until you return with better equipment and with better knowledge of fighting.
Do not retreat when you are on the verge of collapsing. If it is clear you are losing the battle, then run. Unless there are other considerations, such as a wounded comrade or trying to bide time for reinforcements, then there's no use staying around for one or two more sharp blows to convince you to make use of your feet.
Second of all, learn how to aim.
Do not bother testing the sharpness of your wooden fangstave against the burnished iron of a cuirass. Its been tried. Iron is harder. Your goal is victory, not testing the established expertise of a blacksmith. Take the time in battle to look at your enemy, see where he is armored, and aim for where he is not. If you're unsure of your abilities and aiming for specific parts would make it impossible to hit, then aiming high or low is still preferable to dulling your blade. Attacks which aim for certain areas of the body naturally may be useful at this point. You do know where each of your attacks hit, right?
Third, stand up.
If at one point you find yourself facing the sky instead of your opponent's banded club, then you know you're facing the wrong direction. Keep on your feet and stay on your feet. Do not take the time to change weapons or shift stances or ponder the meaning of existence when on the ground. Warriors die on the ground. They fight on their feet.
Fourth, check your stance.
Get out of practice stance. Also, get out of practice stance. Don't forget to get out of practice stance. Your opponent will smile when you throw the most vicious of whirling slashes, landing both blows only to hold back last minute.
Beyond practice stance there's your combat stance. There are four: defensive, wary, normal, aggressive, and berserk. In a normal stance, your skills are balanced. Your offensive skills increase on aggressive and your defensive skills decrease. When you're on berserk your offensive skills are doubled but your defensive skills are nonexistent. Wary and defensive stances favor your defensive skills. Be aware of them and what stance you're in. [You switch between your stances by typing them in. Type in 'berserk' and you're in a berserk stance. Typing in 'practice' toggles practice mode on and off.]
EQUIPMENT
At this point, we get to the nitty gritty of what one carries into battle. If all of us had the strength of Dre, then we coule pile layer upon layer of bronze and charge fearlessly into combat. However, most of us do not and a balance must be struck between what one wants to carry and what one can carry. Personally, I do not prepare for combat with more than a moderate load on my back.
ARMOR
In terms of armor, I'd refer you to Prion's text for a better and more detailed discussion of it. My personal philosophy is that armor is merely a stopgap from getting you killed. The most capable warrior I ever fought wore naught that can be considered armor but a sagum and a good pair of boots. His skill and speed with his dirk and buckler more than compensated.
A helmet is good protection, but better still is being able to duck under your opponent's attacks. Relying on armor more than blocks or dodges is a costly and time-consuming process as you have to pay for both healing and repairs as time passes. Not only that, lucky shots have a tendency to pass right through whatever bronze protection you have.
Of course, not all of us are skilled enough to rely completely on defensive techniques. The wise warrior will first consider his defensive skills when choosing what armor to wear. If there are holes in his defense, he will choose armor which protects the spots which are easily hit. For example, if someone is an expert at blocking high shots, but has a miserable low defense, that person is better off choosing greaves than a cuirass.
WEAPONRY
Unless you've mastered unarmed combat, you will need a weapon for what I am discussing in this text. Experienced warriors will carry more than one weapon. Its as simple as that. The best-crafted retalq gladius ever to come out of Remath can still be grappled and flung out of your grip by a whip or axe.
All warriors who can should have at least two weapons in their possesion, and in different containers.
Archers should always carry plenty of arrows. I am not a master of archery so I would leave that to your judgement.
If you have a weapon that is used to grapple, then carrying an extra one becomes more of a necessity than a precaution. If you use a missile weapon, carry several. Find out what all varieties of your weapon weigh and try to work out how to carry as many as possible without weighing yourself down uselessly.
If you are using a spear, and know impale well, then you would know that the damage that maneuver does is worth carrying an extra bronze-tipped spear to do it with.
WEAPON TYPES
Up to this point, I've been speaking in generalities, giving advice that could be applied to all warriors. From here I will talk about specific weapon types, and their given quirks. Note that of all these weapons, the only one I have truly fought with is the spear. The knowledge I have of the other weapons comes from what I have heard and what I have experienced in fighting against them. As such, my knowledge is second to those that have actually mastered them in combat.
The Archer
Archery is a deadly skill, let none tell you otherwise. Ironically, it is also the skill I have least knowledge of. What I do know is that the more skilled you are in it, the more damage you do with it. What can I say to archers other than what is already known? Keep your distance, stock plenty of arrows, and maintain your fire mercilessly. The archer is best off supporting another warrior or group of warriors who can pin the opponents in place.
The Gladius
Among the people of Iridine themselves, I daresay that the gladius is one of the most common and well-known weapons throughout the Republic. This does not necessarily detract from its effectiveness. It is one of the only weapons that can boast of the numerous individual styles of fighting dedicated to its use.
The gladius is a well-balanced weapon. It has numerous blocks and there are very few holes, if any in its defensive ability. While the powerful sidestrike requires two hands, it normally can be used one-handed and with a shield. In fact, I recommend using a shield with a gladius, not only to complement your blocks but to get the protection a shield offers against missile weapons.
The gladius is principally a short-ranged weapon. The only attacks that can truly be used from long range are lunge and Nelsor's fancy attacks, most of which are used to close the gap quickly with your opponent. Meanwhile the number of basic close-range attacks the gladius has are among the most varied to choose from: stab, jab, slash, chop, swat. Along with whatever new attacks the individual styles offer, there is little chance that an opponent can adapt to the techniques used against him. The gladius-wielder is best off closing with his opponent quickly and keeping him close.
The gladius' principle strength in single combat is its adaptability. No matter what weapon the opponent is using, chances are the gladius wielder has an attack that it is weak against. The sheer variety of easy-level attacks allows a skilled gladius wielder to consistently rain a barrage of techniques against an opponent, with little predictability. Also, there is no weapon the gladius is especially weak against.
When fighting a man wielding a gladius, you're better off relying on the strengths of your own weapon and fighting style than any weaknesses of the gladius, as it has no major weaknesses to exploit. If you are wielding a pole weapon, keep yourself at long range as much as possible.
The Knife
While many approach combat against knife-wielders the same way they do against gladius-wielders, there are some principle differences.
First of all, the knife is not as adept at defense as the gladius. Unless the wielder is skilled in armed combat or shields (which I also recommend knivesmen to learn), there is a gaping hole in the low defense. Beyond that, the blocking techniques of knives are fewer and harder to learn.
Secondly, knives, daggers, and dirks do not tend to have the power to penetrate armor and must be aimed, more so than other weapons, towards undefended areas of the opponent's body.
These weaknesses are somewhat compensated by the knife's speed. Basic attacks tend to be faster with less recovery time than those of other weapons. During one match of the Serpent competition, I witnessed one knivesman best warriors who many believed to be better in skill simply due to the sheer speed by which he executed his attacks.
This strength is made even greater by those skilled enough to perform some of the combination maneuvers which a knivesman is capable of performing. In less time than it takes for a gladius to perform one slash, a skilled knivesman can do two slashes (whirling slash), or a stab and slash. How easy these attacks are depends upon how skilled you are in the required skills, so if one intends to learn stab and slash well, one must continue to train in both stab and slash to a high level.
The knife is further advantaged by some of its unique skills. It is the only weapon that can be drawn in stealth, and its showy intimidation move, 'wrist-dancing', is very effective as a prelude to a strong attack. It also has the easiest round strike available to any weapon, and its underhanded stab is capable of a great deal of damage. Its disarm also seems to be very potent if learned well.
Do not underestimate a knivesman if facing one. If you're wielding a long-range weapon, keep your distance or busy the knivesman with sweeping maneuvers. The time he takes to recover and stand up can cost him several attacks. If you have to fight in close quarters, take advantage of the lack of low defense of knivesmen. Try not to fight on berserk since the knife has the potential to do a great deal of damage [through numerous critical hits] in a short period of time.
One-handed Club
This particular weapon is very offense-oriented. Its defensive capability is about on par with the knife and, like the knife, relies on a strong offensive strategy for victory.
Unlike the knife, however, a club or mace is slow and the power of its attacks depends on the sheer power of its blows. Ugly to major bruises, even fractures, are not uncommon to Iridine short maces or Blackroot war clubs. Blow for blow, the damage done is comparable to that done of two-handed weapons.
Two of the most potent attacks that the club possesses are legstrike and knock aside. The first is capable of doing solid damage even when knocking a target over, and the second can stun an opponent and force them to unwield the weapon, in addition to doing significant damage to their weapon hand.
A good mace or club is also much more capable of dealing damage through armor than the knife or the gladius, and can generally ignore leather or thin metal armor. A clubsman's key to victory is dealing damage early on and consistently throughout the fight. If the target shifts to a more defensive stance to recover, a legstrike, knock aside, or even round strike can be very useful in carrying the battle to victory.
When facing a clubsman, try to use either speed or distance to your advantage. Either maintain your distance (as is always good advice if you're using a pole-weapon against a short-range weapon), or use your speed to upset the clubsman's attacks. Against slower weapons like the club, timing is useful. Timing your retreat just as the clubsman swings lets you move out of close range long enough to either flee or unleash a long-range attack before he can recover and approach you again. If you sweep a clubsman just after he strikes, you will probably get in a free hit before he can recover and stand.
One-handed Axe
Another offense-oriented weapon somewhat similar to clubs in strategy and philosophy. Again it relies upon the sheer power of its attacks and has a disadvantage in terms of speed and recovery time. Its defensive capabilities, however, are even worse than the club's and must rely almost completely on its offensive power.
The axe does devastating damage. Most of this damage potential is in its more difficult attacks which can be learned only after one learns the basic moves. Though learning the basic maneuvers are always very useful, a good axesman will not be satisfied with basic attacks alone. Maneuvers such as longarm strike, overhead strike, pivoting longarm, etc. can do some of the gravest damage any known weapon can do. Since they all require other more basic skills as a prerequisite, an axeman would be wise to be more balanced than other warriors in general.
Beyond some highly damaging attacks, an axeman has two other aces in his sleeve. First of all, his weapon has missile capability. While other one-handed weapons are, for the most part, close-range weapons, the axe is capable of distance fighting if one has one or two spare to throw. Secondly, he is able to grapple with his weapon. The ability to 'hook' another warrior's weapons is somewhat risky, but has great potential if used well and wisely (more on grappling later). Also, the axe has a specialized maneuver, loosening toss, which can free one's axe from a hooked situation and put the opponent off balance and vulnerable at the same time.
When facing an axe, much of the strategy of facing a clubsman still applies. Only you have to be even more wary of the damage your opponent can do. Do not put faith in your armor alone to save your skin. Never try to match an axe or a club blow for blow.
The Stave
The most basic design of pole weapons is also the most common and well-known weapons in Midlight. The stave is the most defensive weapons, in my opinion, of all those available in Iridine. The damage it can do is sometimes laughable. However, through three blocks (all of which are easy or average in difficulty) a stave wielder can acquire virtually complete protection for his whole body.
The stave has a couple of significant advantages to it. Beyond its extraordinary defensive capability, most of the stave's attacks can be used either short range or long range, unlike other polearm weapons. Because of that, a stavesman could keep his distance against principally short-range weapons or close in quickly against other long-range weapons and still fight effectively. Secondly, the stave has the easiest sweep maneuver available. The usefulness of sweeping maneuvers cannot be underestimated, especially when fighting in a group.
As a side-note, the stave seems to have, unlike most other weapons, potent attacks not taught by the trainers in Iridine. These techniques, such as snapstrike or sweepstrike and perhaps others, are known only by master warriors who wander the world of Midlight who must be persuaded to divulge their secrets.
When facing a stavesman, techniques to counter their defenses, or attacks which can only be blocked by a shield or avoided through dodges, are the most effective. Round strike can be very useful against a stavesman on defensive and any disarming move is worth attempting. If you are using a more powerful weapon, try to turn the fight into a sheer contest of blows.
The Spear
Those who know me will know that this is the weapon I grew up using. This was more due to my background than a conscious choice on my part, but over time I have grown very fond of the spear's style of fighting.
First of all, the wielder of the spear must be balanced. Its most potent attacks are either solely long-range or purely short-range. One must be adept at both in order to fight effectively.
This is especially true when one considers that the spear has only two basic attacks: stab and jab. This puts it at a disadvantage against other weapons which have a wider array of basic attacks to use throughout the battle. The spear-wielder is often hard-pressed for attacks to use when his opponent has adapted to his strongest moves.
However, the spear is not without its easily visible advantages. The first is power. Spear attacks are among the most effective at penetrating armor and doing tremendous amounts of damage. A spear wielder can match and surpass all but the strongest of axemen in a contest of blows.
Secondly, though to a much less extent than staves are, the spear is capable of fighting in long range or short range. Choosing which range to fight from is an option not many other weapons have. Adding to this advantage is the easiest approach-attack combination available: spear charge. Not only is it easy in difficulty, but it does a significant amount of damage.
Third, the spear has decent defensive capability. Its far from matching the defensive ability of a skilled stavesperson or wielder of a gladius, but for a weapon of its strength it has good overall blocks.
The specialized attacks of the spear are also formidable. The spear has a disarming strike which does damage at the same time, as well as a sweeping move of its own, albeit harder than that of staves. The spear has a powerful missile capability, making it deadly on all three range levels. Lastly the spear has a highly damaging impale maneuver. While being in a prone position is dangerous when facing any weapon, a skilled spearman can make it fatal.
When facing a spear, I suggest closing the range fast and keeping close. The options a spear has at close range are very limited while it is most deadly at its longer ranges. Two of the attacks it can use at short range, the basic moves jab and stab, both do less damage at short range than at long range. There are more potent ways of dealing with a spear-wielder, but for my own sake I am not putting those down on parchment.
The Gladiatoral Weapons
Having not truly faced the gladiatoral weapons myself, I can only make conjectures as to their strengths and how to deal with them. As anyone can speculate for themselves, I will keep this section short.
All of them have the ability to grapple with an opponent's weapon. This is useful in several ways.
First, if you grapple with an opponent's weapon, they cannot directly attack you until they free themselves. This gives you some breathing space if you need time to recover or think.
Second, if you suceed in disarming them or throwing them off balance, you can usually get in a free strike or two before they recover. All the gladiatoral weapons can do some cruel amounts of damage, so this can be very valuable.
Third, if you grapple with an opponent's weapon, they cannot retreat unless they drop the weapon nor can they block with it. The second fact is not very useful on its own, but if you're fighting in a group, your companions can then attack your opponent with impunity.
The whip has, obviously, the most potent moves for grappling both an opponent and his weapon. It is very hard to escape from a skilled wielder of the whip. The whip can also intimidate and cause many cuts very quickly.
Cestii have some advantages of the knife. That is, speed and the ability to do multiple blows in one maneuver. It also has a potentially good defense.
The trident seems to be an overgrown spear, even more powerful and somewhat slower. I would not trust any amount of armor against a skilled warrior with a Tuchean trident.
One of the significant advantage of all the gladiatoral weapons is that they are relatively uncommon. I have faced many fights, and witnessed many more, but I have yet to see a true master of cestii or the trident in action. Few know the specific strengths and weaknesses of those weapons, which places the gladiator at an advantage.
INDIVIDUAL COMBAT STRATEGIES
I have catalogued here some of the most common and effective individual strategies I have encountered. A warrior's fighting style is, of course, up to his own judgement and he may often adopt an in-between or shift strategies in the middle of battle. Nor do these styles below cover every warrior's fighting philosophy.
The Spiked Turtle
Some warriors are thinkers. They do not like to charge into battle with a new opponent with their best moves. The stance they are most often on is defensive or wary and it is on one of those stances that they begin a fight with another warrior.
It is only after they observe their opponent attack several times and see what their preferred attacks are that they make a move. Some warriors also do this to intimidate their opponent with impenetrable defensive blocks. A common tactic they use is to lure their opponent into an aggressive or berserk stance in an attempt to get past their defenses, only to shift stances themselves and strike while their opponent's guard is down. If they themselves get stung, they retreat immediately into their shell and resume a defensive posture. Many stave users are spiked turtles.
One weakness of this type of fighters is that they are mentally offset if the opponent easily breaks past their defenses. They revert to the instinctive choice of fleeing or fighting, and if they do fight they usually adopt a berserk stance and hack away madly, thinking their defense useless. Both of these choices tend to be self-destructive and not as helpful as staying calm and fighting intelligently.
The Blind Shark Some fighters rely upon their own strength and surprise when launching an attack. Sniffing a battle, they open their jaws and charge right into the midst of things. Often not even taking the time to look at their opponent, they immediately engage or charge and unleash their most powerful attacks and combinations. The stance they are usually on is aggressive and berserk.
These types of warriors often win their battles through sheer audacity and courage. Fate awards the aggressive and their mad attacks often catch the unwary by surprise or do too much damage for their opponent to truly recover and fight back. Even if their opponent recovers, they still have the advantage of initiative and continue blow after blow until the match is decided.
One of the most common mistakes these fighters make is to break off the attack too early. They are naturally impulsive and if their opponent recovers and then counters with several sharp blows, they often decide that they are no match and begin a retreat when they were on the verge of victory. Most often, however, the main fault of the blind shark is overestimation of their own abilities. Putting great faith in their own strength, they lack a cohesive strategy if it fails to best their opponent in the initial attack. Most of those in the profession of banditry and taking the possesions of others by force use the blind shark strategy. Ironically, constables are also often blind sharks, often initiating fights against criminals they know little about before giving them the chance to escape.
The Prone Tiger
These fighters are like the spiked turtles in that they tend to begin a fight in a defensive stance. During this period they wait for their opponent's initial attacks, closely examining their opponent's equipment and techniques used before going on the offensive.
They also use the tactic of overawing their opponent with their defense, waiting for them to get careless or to stop and hesitate. At this point, however, they immediately switch to a highly aggressive stance and spend the rest of the fight on the offensive, rarely returning to a defensive state. This type of fighting is most popular with offense-minded warriors who prefer to have a general idea of their opponent's abilities before committing themselves to a fight. If they believe themselves outmatched, they often retreat while in a defensive posture without going on the offense at all.
Prone tigers are cautious by nature, and if they initiate a fight they do so having at least some knowledge of their opponent's capabilities. They also have a tendency to dislike the unkown in a fight, and would prefer to retreat if unexpected aid appears for their opponent, or if they discover that they've miscalculated the odds. Most prone tigers will flee rather than be seriously injured.
The above styles are extremes that I have seen, and are common fighting styles of the most effective warriors. Of course, they do not cover all warriors. Remember that sparring and real fighting are different. Warriors tend to experiment more while sparring, switching their stances often to test their skills. In a real battle, warriors act more instinctively, and are less inclined to use tactics they are unsure of. Some can be fatally predictable. If you find yourself in a combat situation, the worse thing you can lose is your calm. The second is your head.