Battlefield Terminology

I always find myself talking about communication and its important role on the battlefield.  However, due to the widespread nature of the sport and general lack of formal training on the matter, I thought it might be a good idea to go over some of the terms I hear and use on the field.  There will likely be a large difference in terms from realm to realm and unit to unit, but the core principles are of each phrase probably has an equivalent in your area.

"HOLD" --  Yeah, I know, everyone should know it, but it never hurts to remind everyone that the call of a hold is a very important safety measure.  When someone is possibly injured, someone calls a hold and everyone within earshot on the field stops fighting and takes a knee, and then repeats "HOLD".

"HOLD KEEP THE LINE" --  Never say "hold the line", see above.  This is a call for a section of the line to stop falling back and close up any gaps. 

"MIND THE GAP" -- You'll hear this call usually from someone in the middle or next to a spacing gap.  They are trying to get reinforcements to spread out to cover the distance.

"LEFT SIDE IS FOLDING" -- The left side of your line is getting crushed and rolled around.  See this post all about the subject.

"HURRY UP RIGHT SIDE" -- The left side is in trouble and is forced into fighting defensive, they need the opposite end of the line to push (see below) and make something happen.

"PUSH" -- Contrary to some views, this doesn't mean rush in with reckless abandon. Pushing is stepping up into range and swinging, with a slow, determined pace.  You need to force action by moving the whole section into the fight, rather than maintaining the stalemate.

"PUSH THROUGH" -- Rather than just pushing up to the line, they see an opportunity to force some fighters through a gap. A couple of people may not make it, but you may be able to cause a minor/major breakthrough.

"CHARGE!!!" -- Still, not quite recklessly, but force your way through their lines and try to take a bunch of them with you.  If you survive, you'll be in their backfield or have all of them dead.  See this post for a little more info.

"ROLL RIGHT" -- This is a flanking maneuver.  They want you to circle around the flank and try to fold it back, ie. rolling the flank.

"SLIDE/SHIFT RIGHT" -- Often used to fix spacing gaps, they just want you to shift down the line without changing the distance to the enemy.

"GAP LEFT" -- This is more likely letting you know there is a gap in the enemy line that can be exploited.  If the person yelling this is engaged with a target, they might be suggesting you go through while they keep the gap open.

"SPEAR RIGHT" -- There is a spear moving in from your right, prepare to block about 5 seconds ago.

"STAB/LOOK LEFT" --  This is a common phrase I use to let my support know there are open targets on my side that they may not be able to see around me.  This is usually a vision gap or staggered gap they could exploit in the enemy line.

"WATCH RIGHT" --  An enemy has stepped into a good position a step or two out of range to your right.  They could possibly kill you in a matter of a few seconds...or less.

"BEHIND" -- Enemies are in your backfield, might want to look behind you or even block your back.

"[your name here], BEHIND" -- Someone doesn't like you and is about to backstab you, definitely back block and hope for the best.

"ARROW UP" -- An archer has their bow up and at least partially drawn an arrow.

"ARROW/JAVELIN" -- Projectile is airborne. Look to block or cover. Stupid archers...

"I CALL YOU OUT" -- They want an honor duel, one on one without interference. Squires are generally obliged to accept when called out by a knight.

"RED, DOUBLE,REDREDRED" -- I have a glaive and I'm still alive! Read this post to see what you can do to help.