Got a Real World Weapons or Armour Question? Mk XII

[Rhynn]

Also, professionals like Swiss mercenary pikemen probably did drill together while on the job but not marching or fighting. (Although, of course, such professionals were usually part-time professionals, signing up for a tour of duty of a year or a few years in length, AFAIK.) I have a hard time imagining them not doing this.

Also, it's not that such intensive training wouldn't have been useful: warrior elites probably did receive more formalized training. It's that it requires centralized infrastructures and control of the military. For most of the ancient and medieval period, a military force was not the state's military, it was composed of the militaries of separate nobles. And most nobles couldn't afford to take out peasants for several months straight to go train at some central camp; they could arrange a day of training every month or the like.

Also, I've read some indications that ancient/medieval Chinese armies did provide basic training; possibly because they did not have the decentralized militia training much of Europe did?