Full contact Hoplite fighting

[hoplite14gr]

The problem in full contact hoplite fighting is not so much the harm that blows can inflict to the body but the inherent danger of accidental stampeding when one group overpowers another.

In our Association we have done the following experiments:

Inside a training ground we drew the outlines of fallen people. Som eof them knew the "die-safely" that is practiced in many events. When we marched over the designate space and we halted there. We discovered that there is no guarantee that some leg will not land accidentally on a human joint to say the least. Those who might have fallen down would have been incapacitated Lacking the ability to perform a "danger-less" othismos we stopped the effort.

During filming for a documentary. Six professional athletes (wrestlers)tried to visually demonstrate the amount of pressure in the effort to contain 6 hoplites with full contact. We had to blow the "panic whistle" quite frequently to "put the brakes" on the phalanx for reasons of safety.

Even in one to one close combat weird things can happen
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6162/61856...1ab0_b.jpg

Unless a professional stunt co-ordinator create a safe process to do full contact hoplite fighting -especially for the phalanx, I personally do not consider it safe.