The End of Civilization – Melee Weapons

In the apocalypse world where dog eats dog and survival of the fittest is the constitutional law. It is necessary for every individual to be armed with a particular weapon at all times. Even among cooperative communities betrayal and infighting may occur due to disagreements and petty rivalries.

Firearms are only good while parts and ammunition lasts, Bow and Arrow requires considerable training and practice to become effective, Explosives also last as long as raw materials allow, eventually we will have to regress to pre-industrial period technology.

If the apocalypse is bad enough to regress our civilization to that era or is located in a country where firearms are not normally available then we will have to assume that the weapons the survivors or people in that generation will be using melee weapons again.

I do not have extensive experience on martial arts melee weapons as I do in firearms, However; I have seen, touched, and used a lot of these weapons, but never in a combat scenario. Controlled sparring may give a bit of insight on the kind of weapon that will fit your style of fighting or you can fit your style of fighting to the weapon of your choice. If you have neither, and there is no one with significant training and experience to instruct you, then it is suggested to choose a weapon first then fit your fighting style to adapt to that weapon.

We will classify these weapons into five different groups, short blunt, long blunt, short sharp, and long sharp, and shields. I understand that shield is a shield, and not a weapon, but since I do not want to create another post just for shields, plus they are normally used in tandem with a melee weapon, and CAN be used as a weapon, we will consider it as such for purposes of this discussion. Furthermore tools and sporting equipment that were created with a different purpose in mind that can be used as a melee weapon will be added here. They will also fall in the any of those five categories.

To start with the choice of a melee weapon should again be dependent on the persons strength, the size of the weapon is not an issue, similar to firearms longer weapons are advantageous in open field and shorter weapons are advantageous in enclosed spaces. Smaller melee weapons can also be drawn and used more speedily than larger ones, however larger weapons are known to inflict more damage on flesh and armor.

Similar to firearms, if society has regressed to medieval type of warfare it is suggested to carry a primary weapon and a secondary weapon. Short blades however, can be used as a third option both for firearms and melee weapons if there is enough equipment to go around. Do not carry more than three. Anymore will drastically reduce your agility and speed which are prime essentials in winning a melee fight.

However unlike firearms, short melee weapons can be used as primary for they can be double wielded or used in tandem with a shield. Heavier and longer weapons maybe too heavy for an average adult to use effectively without employing both hands. The Greeks and the Romans have proven that shield formations are advantageous in melee combat. Battle formations over weapon selection are known to have won or lost battles for at least 4000 years and remained in use until late into the 1800′s even with the invention of accurate firearms, resulting in some of the bloodiest battles in history in terms of the ratio of casualties over time.

To continue further let us discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each class of melee weapon. The first weapon is a short blunt weapon. Blunt weapons are known to create massive body and nerve trauma causing paralysis or instant death. The transfer of kinetic energy in blunt weapons are better absorbed by the body upon impact is comparatively larger to a sharp weapon, where the muscular tissues create a “breaking/stopping” effect. Armor however does a lot to reduce the kinetic energy damage done by blunt weapons as the energy is dissipated by the armor as opposed by the body itself. Examples of a short or single handed blunt weapons are metal pipe, crowbar, mace, batons, gauntlets, and flail. They can be double wielded and with the exception of chained blunt weapons such as nunchucks and morning stars they are very easy to use. Short blunt weapons such as night sticks, expandable batons, and brass knuckles are fairly easy to carry and conceal. They will however exponentially increase the damage done to an opponent as compared to fighting bare handed. If you do not have the proficiency to use chained blunt weapons do not use them, they are known to inflict damage to an untrained user.

Long Blunt weapons however are harder to use but inflict massive kinetic energy damage both to shields, armor, and flesh. Examples are baseball bat, sledge Hammers, and war hammers. The weapon Bo or known to the west as staff is an expert weapon that can be used with speed and accuracy as a long double handed blunt weapon, however unless you have years of training with the use of this particular weapon it is rather suggested that you choose a simpler weapon that doesn’t require a lifetime of practice to inflict lethal injuries. The advantage of using large blunt weapons are the intimidation factor which is more psychological than practical, even at the hands of someone who knows how to use it. The Main advantage of blunt weapons especially large blunt weapons is its ability to inflict damage and recoil with very little fear of the weapon getting stuck into the target shield, armor, or body. These types of weapons are an option, but not necessarily recommended only for people who have the strength to swing these weapons at speeds that does not put them at a disadvantage over comparable length sharp weapons. Blunt weapons, since it does not need a thin cutting edge has the major advantage of sheer mass and in effect; drastically reducing the possibility breakage especially during combat.

The range of short bladed weapons are vast, they can vary from short fan blades and switch blades to very lethal daggers, survival knives, dirks, kukris, gladius, cleavers, tantos,machetes, tomahawks, etc… A lot of these weapons can be thrown accurately with practice but it is not recommended to spend your time learning this skill if you do not have it prior to the apocalypse. It takes a lot of practice and it effectively incapacitate or kill a single opponent while leaving you weaponless (or at the very least carrying one less weapon that you have). Single handed bladed weapons are fast and always choose a weapon that can inflict damage BOTH by slashing and by piercing. There are weapons that specialize on either slashing or piercing only. like most melee weapons unless you are proficient in these weapons already, do not put yourself at a disadvantage by selecting a weapon that has very specific attack strikes thereby limiting your offensive options.

Two handed long sharp weapons are the most recommended weapon for any amateur fighter. Any idiot can cut up any opponent with a good slash of a well made katana, bastard sword, long sword. The rule wherein you choose both a slashing and piercing weapon for a short bladed weapon does NOT apply to long bladed weapons. The most basic weapon of any army prior to the widespread use of firearms is the spear. The spear is easy to use and its range allows it to be work perfectly in tandem with tight formations as demonstrated by Greek Phalanxes. Large Battle Axes are similarly specialized as a slashing only weapon but it is the most effective weapon against shielded or armored opponents. If you select a large sharp weapon as your melee weapon of choice remember that slashing or piercing using these weapons have a tendency to get stuck especially against wooden shields. A Friend of mine who teaches a particular sword technique of oriental origin says that with proper training and a good sword, their cutting exercises always clear the weapon through the intended target such as tatami mats, wooden logs, ballistic gels, etc. I believe that in the advent of an actual melee combat situation certain factors such as angle of attack, clothing, armor, fatigue will not create the optimal conditions to ALWAYS result in a clear cut slash. Since neither of us seen or experienced a force on force engagement to the death, where someone is cut in half,both our opinions are purely hypothetical. Furthermore, Large sharp weapons are best employed using both hands to increase the kinetic energy applied to create a clean slash hereby preventing the user to use a shield. It is important to know that certain blades differ in shape and metallurgy. These are designed to create a balance for ease of use and reliability in combat. Since Melee weapons especially sharp weapons take tremendous amount of punishment during use its important to know that the composition of the weapon itself is important when hitting a similarly hard target. Double edged swords have increased lethality and speed while sacrificing the blades ability to withstand damage. Single edge swords increase weight and tenacity at the sacrifice of lethality. A Groove within the sword known as a fuller also reduces the swords tenacity to reduce weight to increase speed.

Shields are the mainstay of most armies for thousands of years, with the small exception of eastern warfare in China and Japan most civilizations from the Zulus in Africa, the Huns of Asia, to the Saxons and Norsemen of Northern Europe, use shields as an integral part of melee combat. Some large weapons such as Spears and double bladed long swords can be used in tandem with a shield. The Roman Legions defeated all of the known world at one time or another using a comparatively short gladius, two short spears known as pilium and a shield. Roman Shield formation have become the textbook of Sword warfare for thousands of centuries even after the fall of the Roman Empire/Republic. Even upon integration of Gallic, Gothic and other eastern tribes to the legion, the Roman Shield remains exclusive to Citizen Legionnaires. Foreign Units serving in the Roman army known as Auxillia or Auxilliaries were not allowed to use Roman Type Shields. Thousands of years later, Modern Ballistic/Riot/EOD Shields are still based on the Roman Design. So if you plan to use a shield the Roman Shield is vastly superior to all types, Modern advances in armor changed only the composition of the Roman Designed Shield but not the shape and minimal changes in size. (If your curious as to why its superior the curvature of the shield provides the second best geometric shape to absorb AND deflect any sharp or blunt attack while providing the maximum angle of protection to the bearer without sacrificing space.)

Melee weapons like firearms are a personal choice, it maybe necessary however for a community to choose a particular type or types of melee weapons to specialize to simplify formations, training, and weapon production. There is no “best” melee weapon that would perform advantageously in any scenario in the hands of any user. Sharp weapons also have the disadvantage of damaging the cutting edge either by time or use and require much more maintenance than blunt weapons. Limiting yourself and your community to the use of a few types of melee weapons will however increase the odds of standardized training and mastery.

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