Obviously you can’t just have hundreds to thousands of people from both sides swinging at each other aimlessly, the massacre would be ridiculous and plus that just seems dumb. Movies always show it as massive groups running across a field and falling on each other’s swords. The front line is guaranteed to die and the back can’t do anything, and I’m sure trampling your own men would be an issue. How did armies actually engage each other?
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Formations were very important and battles rarely devolved into free-for-alls except possibly towards the end. The goal was maintain your own defensive formations while causing the enemy’s to break due to being out-maneuvered, losses or lack of discipline or morale.
As an example, try looking up shield walls and the role they played in battle at various points throughout history.
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