British Medieval Martial Art

Was watching a programme on the history channel last night called something like weapons that changed Britain. Anyway the presenter was an older guy who is an expert in the fighting techniques of medieval knights. The programme explained how arms/armour particularly Italian armour changed the way battles were fought and increased the "arms race" in new hand weapons and fighting techniques.
 
What impressed me was the full contact fighting this presenter was having with his sparring partner using replica weapons and Italian armour. He explained that these knights were true experts and would have trained for up to 20-30 years in what was an English martial art. Many of the techniques with the weapons used were very impressive. It seems that we love concentrating on far eastern systems but imo due to the UK/Europes advancements in technology i.e. reliance on firearms etc... we have lost potentially a superior fighting system which would have died out many centuries ago.
 
One weapon in particular was 4 weapons in one (produced to counter better armour) and from its design would have required immense skill to use in a battle context.

This guy, right? Linky

Blasphemousfish

This guy, right? Linky

Yes mate thats him, he's a nut case lol, to prove wrong the belief that medieval full armour was both heavy and clumsy and if a Knight fell off his horse he couldn't get up he mounted a horse with full armour and chainmail and proceeded to jump off the horse whilst it was moving at a canter, and got up (obviously).
 
It just made me think watching the progamme how skilful some of these knights would have been and that their mastery of weapons would have been the equal of any system or army using weapons since. I would have guessed that in many cases it would have been superior as the practice was more often than not based on technique that had to work as in real fighting situations,much like the earlier gladiators etc.
 
He put it across that the techniques used by English knights was practiced and recognised as in a martial system too, which explained why they won battles when often against great odds/superior numbers. 
It was more like a pollaxe BF but only about 4 foot long, axe on one side, hammer on opposite side and a point both at the top and bottom.

British Martial Art you say ?

do any of you watch the deadliest warrior???

Europeans have always been ahead in warfare, thru practice at constantly waging war i guess.

Thats what I'm trying to get at Indie the arts have predominantly been forgotten and this documentary gave a glimpse as to how effective they might have been, by assessing what was needed to combat the advances in armour and weaponry, this guy gave some indication and imo it was very impressive.

The Italian armour was heavy where it needed to be (helmet and breast plate) but very light elsewhere to allow for speed and movement such as arms and legs (although still imperverous to sword strikes) which hassened the development of better weapons and also a much more structured fighting system.

But also agree with Dan in that we see Eastern MA's in this instance weapons as exotic but our own systems were practiced methodically evolved and were it could be argued put into practice over many hundreds of years but have now been forgotten.