Depictions of Underarm Phalanxes

[PMBardunias]

As a kid who played any manner of ball games including Kerby - we most definitely threw overarm as much as we did under

I may well be in need of correcting, but I didn't say that Prisoners and Escapees of Mother England don't throw overhand, just that they don't do so to the same extent as Americans. There is no american sport that men play wherein we commonly throw underhand, and the big 3 american sports all have a throwing component. Not being able to throw overhand, accurately as well as far, can make you a pariah who faces the dreaded experience of "being picked last" for teams.

My son just started playing baseball, so I thought I'd pitch to him underhand like in softball to make it easier for him. After hitting him a few times I realized my lack of accuracy.

If the artwork shows men fighting both overarm or underarm it doesn't it mean that it most likely just had a lot to do with personal preference?

Uniformity may have been imposed on the men if those behind them faced a sauroter in gut- as we see on a number of vases like that above. Once one side broke, then underhand could probably have been used, and it might be the type of sweeping, underhand strikes that many modern reenactors use, that were part of the "moves" taught by hoplomachoi which we are told were most useful after victory or defear of the phalanx.

Underarm fighting while in phalanx would aim at the enemy legs and feet, so you would keep your spear well under your shield too.

I'd be wary about lowering my spear beneath my shield. If the phalanx presses in you might find it stuck down there. Up top you can use it to ward your face.