Jebadiah: the sword of the time isnt good for thrusting, because it has badly designed point, is that simple.
Saex is off course for thrusting, but the idea that it was used primarily edge up is nonsense.
Axe is effective and brutal and cheap - this is the weapon of choice of poor man.I havent heard or experienced about disarming with spear. This is the time in which disarming apart of cutting the hand off is unknown.If you are fighting somebody who wields spear, you want to have spear also, otherwise youre dead.
It is also good idea to have a buddy at your side and both with shields. The idea is to spear a opponent one man to right of you, since you are thrusting under his shield. The man just in front of you is the attacked by your companion at your left side and so on.
Stop thinking in terms of technique. The fight was very simple and good fighters were natural fighters and those with basic knowledge of principe. They knew their stuff well, but they didnt learned it as process. It evolved empirically with each warrior. The bad ones just died.
If you check our pictures (Skjaldborg and Wothanburg), youll see almost real thing, we are not lousy SCA.WE do check the safety, but that doesnt mean we will cripple our equipment because of to.
Weapons are steel, moderatelly blunted and the fight is rather raw and brutal.
E.G. If you want to cut with all the force you have, you can just leave your shield hanging and help your sword with the other hand.
http://foto.wothanburg.cz/cas_vlku2/dscn1680?full=1
Remember we are spaking about time from 800 A.D. to 1200 A.D. lets say that serious fencing manuals should have not to existed for another 550 years from beginn of this timespan.
(The first recorded is Manuscript 33.I sword and buckler (1340 or something)- which is very complex and very good manual for sword and buckler fighting fabulosly translated from old german and latin by one of my kinsmen and tought today in Prag)