User blog comment:Undead RVD/Battle of the Bronze Armies: Spartans vs Easterlings/@comment-110.55.0.248-20130731120216

Spartans are not poor one on one combat. Even if they carry heavy armor, A spartan can still produce full sprint and make fighting maneuvers. They are trained to fight each other using pankriaton when they are unarmed. In fact they are so deadly fighters that in the Greek Olympics, Spartans were forbiden to participate in one on one combat sports because of their physicality. In the Deadliest Warrior show a Spartan defeated a ninja singlehandedldy and did so with the samurai. It was even stated that in the ancient world that "one Spartan was worth several men of any other state."

But you are right that a Spartan is more dangerous when in a phalanx.