The armor bearer

I watched some program on the History Channel about Johnathan and his armor bearer. The armor bearer was more than a mere servant, he was a battle buddy.

This show I saw described a fighting style pecular to Heberews. Warriors of those days were either armed with sword and shield or spear and shield. One arm on offence, one on defence.
This fighting style was a 2 man system.

You, with only a sword, and your shield bearer with only a shield, the 2 of you fought side by side. Your shield bearer concentrated only on protecting you and creating openings on the opponent for you to exploit. All you had to do is stick close and attack. A common tactic was to have the shield bearer charge in knocking the enemy to the ground, you would then pounce when he was helpless. This explains how Johnathan was able to get such an extrordinary kill rate.

These 2 man teams were few in number compared to the average Heberew soldiery. For one of these teams to be effective, it took a lot of practice, the guys had to work perfectly togeather. If your shield bearer was killed, it would take a long time to train a replacement.

So, next time you're reading Samuel, be sure to thank your armor bearer. Perhaps some of you have seen this program. If so, tell me what it was called.