Search: “sword guard”

The HEMA Guard family encompasses the named sword guard positions (Huten or Leger) of the German and Italian longsword traditions. [1] Guards are specific positions in which the sword is held relative...

Waki-gamae (side guard) conceals the sword behind the body with the blade pointing rearward, hiding the weapon's length and the wielder's intent from the opponent. [1] This deceptive guard denies the ...

The Kamae subfamily encompasses the five standard sword guards (go-gyō-no-kamae) used across Japanese sword arts — chūdan, jōdan, gedan, hassō, and waki-gamae. [1] Each kamae positions the sword to de...

Gedan-no-kamae (low guard) positions the sword with the tip pointed downward toward the opponent's knees, the tsuka held at hip level. [1] Gedan is a defensive and inviting guard that conceals the wie...

Jōdan-no-kamae (high guard) raises the sword overhead with the arms extended, threatening an immediate downward cut to any target. [1] Jōdan is the most aggressive of the five standard kamae, projecti...

Schrankhut (Barrier Guard) is a HEMA longsword guard where the sword is held low with the blade crossed in front of the body, creating a barrier between the fighter and the opponent. [1] The sword is ...

The Esgrima Pass is a half guard passing technique where the passer uses a fencing-like leg threading motion — sliding the shin forward and through the opponent's half guard like a sword being drawn f...

Chūdan-no-kamae (middle guard) positions the sword with the tip (kissaki) pointed at the opponent's throat or eyes, the tsuka (handle) held at navel height, embodying the principle of centre-line domi...

The Hanging Guard (Hangetort) is a HEMA longsword guard position where the sword is held with the point hanging downward, typically with the hands above the head or at shoulder height and the blade an...

Vom Tag ('from the roof' or 'from the day') is the high guard that raises the longsword above or behind the head, poised to deliver powerful descending cuts. [1] Vom Tag is the most aggressive of the ...

Hassō-no-kamae (eight-direction guard) positions the sword vertically beside the right side of the head, with the tsuka at mouth height and the blade pointing upward. [1] This guard radiates threat in...

The Standard Espada Y Daga subfamily covers the fundamental techniques and drills of the sword-and-dagger combination, including the basic guard positions, coordination patterns between the long and s...

The Guard (Huten) subfamily covers the four principal guards (Vier Leger) of the German longsword tradition — Vom Tag, Ochs, Pflug, and Alber — which form the positional framework from which all attac...

The Standard Military Sabre Guard positions the sabre with the blade raised and angled to protect the head and dominant side, the arm slightly bent, and the point threatening the opponent's face — a b...

The Military Sabre Guard subfamily covers the defensive positions and parrying stances used with the military sabre, typically numbering between three and seven guards depending on the national tradit...

The Crooked Cut, delivered with crossed wrists to strike with the short edge, used to break the opponent's Ochs guard.

Ochs (the ox) is a high guard that positions the longsword beside the head with the point aimed at the opponent's face or upper chest, hilt at temple height. [1] Ochs threatens an immediate thrust to ...

Alber (the fool) is the low guard that positions the longsword with the point directed toward the ground in front of the fencer, arms extended downward. [1] Alber is considered a provocative or 'fooli...

Pflug (the plough) positions the longsword at hip level with the point aimed at the opponent's chest or throat, resembling the forward-pointing share of a plough. [1] Pflug is the mirror image of Ochs...

The Unterhau (rising cut) travels from below upward, targeting the opponent's arms, chin, or torso from a low guard (Alber or similar). [1] The Unterhau is the natural complement to the Oberhau, and a...

The Sword group encompasses all combat techniques employing bladed weapons of sword length, spanning both East Asian and European traditions. [1] This group unifies the Japanese sword arts (kenjutsu, ...

The Dō Cut targets the opponent's torso with a diagonal or horizontal cut to the midsection, one of the four primary target areas in both kenjutsu and kendō. [1] The dō cut requires precise blade angl...

The HEMA Longsword family covers the two-handed sword techniques of the German Kunst des Fechtens and the Italian school of Fiore dei Liberi, the most widely studied and competitively practised weapon...

The Rapier Guard subfamily covers the four primary guard positions of Italian rapier fencing — Prima, Seconda, Terza, and Quarta — each named for the hand position (first through fourth) and correspon...

Terza (third guard) positions the hand with the palm facing to the right (half-supinated), the blade extended along the centreline to threaten the opponent's chest or face. [1] Terza is the most neutr...

Quarta (fourth guard) positions the hand with the palm facing upward (supinated), the blade angled across the body to protect the inside low line and threaten a thrust to the opponent's flank or abdom...

Seconda (second guard) positions the hand with the palm facing outward (pronated), the blade angled to protect the outside low line and threaten a thrust beneath the opponent's arm. [1] Seconda is a p...

The Rapier Cut subfamily covers the cutting actions of rapier fencing, which, though secondary to thrusting, were an important component of the rapier's tactical repertoire. [1] Rapier cuts are delive...

The Standard Rapier Cut delivers the rapier's edge in a drawing or slashing motion against the opponent's exposed target, most commonly the hand, wrist, or forearm. [1] Unlike the heavy cuts of a long...

The Sabre (Military) family covers the techniques of the military sabre, the curved, single-edged cavalry sword used by European and colonial armies from the seventeenth through early twentieth centur...

The HEMA Strike family encompasses the offensive cutting techniques (Hauw/Hau) of the German longsword tradition. [1] The Liechtenauer system organizes sword strikes into a hierarchy: the five Meister...

The HEMA Counter family encompasses the defensive-offensive techniques of the German longsword tradition — actions that simultaneously defend against an incoming attack and deliver a counter-attack. [...

The Zwerchhau (cross cut or thwart cut) is a horizontal cut delivered with the short edge (false edge) by rotating the hands so the hilt rises and the blade travels horizontally across the opponent's ...

The Oberhau (descending cut) is the fundamental overhead cut of German longsword fencing, delivered from a high guard (Vom Tag or similar) downward to the opponent's head, shoulder, or arm. [1] The Ob...

The Disengage Thrust (cavazione) is a rapier attack that deceives the opponent's parry by passing the blade under or over the opponent's guard to thrust into the newly opened line. [1] The cavazione i...

The Rapier family covers the combat techniques of the rapier, the long, slender, thrusting-oriented sword that dominated European civilian swordsmanship from the mid-sixteenth through seventeenth cent...

Shikake Waza (initiating techniques) are the offensive tactics in kendō where the attacker creates an opening in the opponent's guard and strikes first, including debana-waza (striking as the opponent...

The Foot Blade Front Kick strikes with the outer edge of the foot (sokuto — literally 'sword foot') rather than the ball or heel, concentrating force along a narrow blade-like surface for penetrating ...