A theory on why the Gladius is designed with hilt preventing extended thrusts

[Arius]

That makes perfect sense (to me) and certainly accords with what we see in Roman military and gladiatorial sculpture. The "standard" guard position, with the sword held at hip height behind the shield (see the Mainz column base sculptures for a great example) seems to imply a tight close-range style too. On another note, the brutal simplicity but devastating effectiveness of the technique strikes me as typically "Roman". You should make a video reply to "Skallagrim".

Harry