Spartans were the baddest dudes in ancient Greece. Even the ancient Greeks knew this. But did it help them? Not really. A thread:

So, after the Peloponnesian war, Sparta was the hegemon of the Greek speaking peoples, basically the biggest dog on the block. They exerted their will over their rivals and allies alike. As you can imagine their foreign policy was... abrasive to say the least.

Other city- states got fed up, and lead by Thebes, a war broke out between the Thebans and the Spartans and their allies. Warfare in ancient Greece was centered around the phalanx, a block of men with round shields and spears.

Two phalanxes would slam into each other and here was where Sparta excelled. Their system was designed for discipline and pig-headed determination, something they had in spades. There is a problem however. It was Sparta itself.

Sparta, was so obsessed with perfecting themselves, they discarded the good in favor of the perfect. They experienced a low birthrate to begin with (I could do a whole thread on Spartan marriage rituals), and strained out anyone not meeting their exacting standards.

Cowards were purged without mercy. But who was a coward? Did you survive a battle when others died? Coward. Did you suggest a more cautious approach to a battle? Coward. This meant that the best Sparta had to offer became dead rather than fight the Thebans.

The other issue was that Spartan society was conservative. The Spartans always used the same strategy. Eight ranks deep, on the left wing of the army, the allies on the right. They did this every battle. Every. Single. One.

What did the Thebans do? They deepened the phalanx to fifty ranks deep to smash through the Spartans, used slingers and archers in ever increasing numbers to harass and break up the Spartan lines, and utilize cavalry more than not at all.

They also placed themselves on the right wing of the army, directly across from the Spartans, leaving their allies to fight the Spartan allies. Political win. The Spartans always were on the left to keep themselves protected. (The shield is on the left side of the body)

The right was the most vulnerable part of a formation, and Sparta didn't go a year without alienating an ally, by placing them in this precarious position.

So, with their allies melting away and the Thebans gaining the upper hand, what did they do? They deepened the phalanx depth from eight to ten and later twelve ranks. That's it. That was all the Spartan system would allow.

Eventually, the Thebans smashed the Spartans and were encamped within sight of Sparta itself, deep in the Peloponnese. Sparta, once hegemon of Greece was relegated to a third rate power overnight.

The lesson in this is that valor and strength are great, but one must also be adaptable. According to legend, a Spartan king once saw a catapult, a new invention at the time, and exclaimed "Alas! Valor is no more!" This may be the case,

But a large rock hurtling at someone's head doesn't care. An army of brave soldiers is no match for an army of effective ones.

Stay flexible. And do some pushups.