In the hands of a skilled warrior, the flat, round shield is as much a weapon as the sword, axe or spear in the opposing hand - the two together form a joint offensive and defensive combat style. A skilled warrior not only uses a centre-grip shield to deflect projectiles and absorb hits; with the rim pointed outward toward the foe and thrust closely to him, the shield can be used to deny entire avenues of attack from his weapon - he will be unable to strike with the shield in the way of main striking angles.
