How exactly did the Roman war machine it learn from its mistakes if it never made any (ie was never stopped)?
GJC himself observed a Germanic phalanx. The phalanx, or anything resembling it, required plenty of discipline to use. As far as emphasising individual combat, that was actually pretty smart as they were superior individual combattants, as well as it being equally applicable in heavily-forested terrain.
And despite the barbarians "just throwing themselves at the [superior] Roman shield wall", they managed to sack Rome herself three times.
-Glee
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