Why don't we train and equip modern soldiers with swords?

@Keraunos

Swords were the go to close combat weapon for centuries.
What would you consider to be superior close combat weapons now?

@Pikachu I wouldn't say they were the go-to for close combat. Spears were always more commonly used, and if probably were heavy-hitters like maces, too.

But either way, their effectiveness in the past was predicated on the contexts of those eras. Having used the things a bit myself, I can't imagine things going well if you're fighting house-to-house in urban warfare and darting through doorways with a big scabbard hanging off your side. They also tend to be quite heavy, and drain even a fairly strong man's stamina pretty quickly when actually wielded. They also can't really be concealed (at least without seriously hindering movement) and require a fair amount of distance between you and the other person to successfully unsheathe. Owning a few of the things myself, I would take my rusty old machete over any of them in a home invasion scenario every time.

@Keraunos

But there's a great deal of variety in swords, right? You don't have to have along sword with huge space to wield it.
And they're not that heavy. I've trained with swords. I'm even a fairly competent broad sword fighter lol. I know, nerd alert.

@Pikachu I mean, if you're just talking about short swords, I guess that would be a bit better. But what could one do that say, a machete, which are still pretty widely-used in war, already couldn't? Even something that size is probably not really great for use in tight spaces with many other people around you, though.

@Keraunos

Well i'm not very knowledgeable about machete combat lol.
How are they for fighting when the other guy has one too? Can you reasonably attack and defend or is it just a hack fest?

@Pikachu Not really sure. I've actually performed a choreographed machete fight for an independent film, too, I should probably know the answer to that.

@Keraunos

Cool! Well next time you choreograph one, look into it lol

@Pikachu I think like most on-screen blade-fights, the choreography was more determined by "what would look neat" than "what would people actually do in real life with these weapons".

@Keraunos

Well yeah, it's got to be that way. As someone who actually knows some basic sword technique, i can confirm that real fights are not nearly as visually interesting.
I suppose that actually goes for most fighting

@Keraunos Well, actually, as far as defending goes, you definitely can. The flats are extremely broad and absorb impact well.