swiss guard

Discussion in 'Western Martial Arts' started by Kami_no_ken, Feb 11, 2005.

  1. Kami_no_ken

    Kami_no_ken Valued Member

    bit of an abstract question, but, if they did practice martial arts, it would have been western, unless my geogaphy is askew. The Vatican guard, do they still know how to fight with those spears/pikes? If so, are they actually expected to?
     
  2. nzric

    nzric on lookout for bad guys

    I think the media would have a field day if a Vatican guard ran some drunken yobbo through with a spear.
     
  3. aikiMac

    aikiMac aikido + boxing = very good Moderator Supporter

    A few years back I saw a show about the Vatican on Discovery or some such channel. Yes, they do train with those spears. How much they train with the spears and how good they are at fighting with those spears was, unfortunately, not explained. I'm curious about it too.
     
  4. Kami_no_ken

    Kami_no_ken Valued Member

    Yes, i asked because I was reading a book on armies, and the mighty Vatican guard is the standing army of the Holy See. I was wondering how they would actually fare if a riot broke out/ some random oppurtunist declared war on the Pope :D As a side question, is it true the Pope was a boxer?
     
  5. adouglasmhor

    adouglasmhor Not an Objectivist

    I know his Holiness was a proffesional goalkeeper, the Swiss gaurd get some of the best kit out, H&K, Steyr etc, the pole arms are cerremonial and public display thay are the vaticans police as well as the popes bodyguard.
     
  6. Ran Pleasant

    Ran Pleasant Valued Member

    You would see a well trained police force in action - using modern weapons!
     
  7. Kami_no_ken

    Kami_no_ken Valued Member

    good point hehehe
     
  8. Tony Wolf

    Tony Wolf New Member

    As far as I know, the Swiss Guard serves two functions. Ceremonially, members of the Guard do drill in halberd techniques that may well descend from antiquity; but their police and security functions rely on modern training and technology, and they are well-respected in both areas.

    Tony
     
  9. Kwajman

    Kwajman Penguin in paradise....

    Well, they could sure take the enemy by surprise with those big poofy outfits they wear. Of course when they pull out the machine guns that'd get my attention. I'll see what I can find on their training.

    EDIT:

    Heres an article I found.

    While much of the work of the present day guards is ceremonial, they are responsible for the security at the Apostolic Palace, the papal apartment and the four main entrances to the Vatican. They are also in charge of the pontiff's physical safety when he travels outside the city state.

    The Swiss Guard, the world's smallest and perhaps most colorful army, has been the chief protectors of the pontiff.
    The Swiss Guard currently consists of a total of 100 men: 4 officials, 1 chaplain, 23 noncommissioned officers, 70 halbardiers, and 2 drummers. The halbard is the traditional weapon carried by Swiss Guards. The members of the Swiss Guard reside in a barrack in Vatican City. They serve for two years, with the possibility of extending the period to a maximum of 25 years. During this period they receive training in self-defence, attend shooting practice, take course in Italian and study the organizational structure of the Vatican. At the end of the first year they must take a very thorough exam.

    Guard recruits must be Roman Catholic men of Swiss nationality who are single, under 30 years old and stand at least 5-feet, 8-inches tall. Guards need to have completed their initial military training in the Swiss Armed Forces.

    The Swiss Guard is all that is left of a pontifical military corps that medieval popes once fielded to exert temporal power on a part of the Italian peninsula - power that is now restricted to the 108 acres of Vatican City.
     
    Last edited: Feb 15, 2005
  10. Kami_no_ken

    Kami_no_ken Valued Member

    thanks

    hmmm, thanks very much for that, very interesting. Well thats my question out the way :)
     

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