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Would they have griped the trident that closely to the fork? The whole point of the trident and net was to keep distance, trap the opponent, and poke them to death. This match up was almost always won by the trident bearer because they out ranged the sword and shield by a lot.
Ever use a broom one handed?
Leverage vs. reach. It is easier to control your opponents weapon if you manipulate the leaver point thats farthest away from the wrist. Given that he's facing a gladus and buckler (equivailant to a sidearm when compared to a lance or javelin), he does not need to worry about reach, and given that he can't two-hand the weapon without disusing the net, his best option is to give his opponent a shorter fulcrum while still retaining enough length to control the distance.
He seems to be prioiritizing the trident right now over the net. I would have thought the net to be the prioirty then you can stand back a bit and poke them as they struggle to escape.
It's also worth noting that they're not like... Just trying to kill each other. They're putting on a show. Sure he could probably just impale his opponent, but this was less deathmatch and more WWE. They had sponsors, insurance, and lived long lives under the less bloodthirsty emperors, becoming celebrities throughout the empire.