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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 Grappling at the Sword (Ringen am Schwert) subfamily covers the close-quarters wrestling techniques performed while both combatants retain their longswords, a distinctive feature of German HEMA th...

The Standard Ringen am Schwert technique encompasses the fundamental grappling actions at sword range: the pommel strike (Mordschlag), crossguard hooks, half-swording transitions, and disarms executed...

The Weapon class encompasses all fighting techniques that employ an external implement — whether bladed, blunt, flexible, or projectile — as the primary means of offence and defence. [1] Weapon-based ...

The Kenjutsu Cut subfamily encompasses the primary cutting techniques of classical Japanese swordsmanship, classified by their trajectory and target. [1] The major cuts include shōmen-uchi (straight d...

The Winding (Winden) subfamily covers the blade manipulation techniques performed when two longswords are crossed in the bind (Binden), one of the most distinctive and sophisticated aspects of the Ger...

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...

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 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 Kendō Waza subfamily covers the competitive techniques of kendō — the four valid target strikes (men, kote, dō, tsuki), the footwork that delivers them, and the tactical categories of shikake-waza...

The Tsuki Thrust targets the throat protector (tsuki-dare) of the men with a straight forward thrust of the shinai tip, making it the only non-cutting technique among kendō's four scoring actions. [1]...

The Iaidō Draw Cut subfamily covers the techniques of drawing the Japanese sword from its scabbard and delivering an immediate cutting strike in a single fluid motion — the defining action of iaidō an...

The Liechtenauer Cut subfamily covers the primary cutting techniques of HEMA longsword fencing, anchored in the German tradition's five master cuts (Fünf Meisterhäue) — Zornhau, Krumphau, Zwerchhau, S...

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 Zornhau (wrath cut) is the first and most important of Liechtenauer's five master cuts — a powerful diagonal descending cut from the dominant shoulder to the opponent's opposite side, delivered wi...

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 ...

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...

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 ...

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...

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

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 Rising Draw Cut is an iaidō nukitsuke variant in which the blade is drawn upward in a rising arc rather than horizontally, cutting from the opponent's lower body toward the upper body or face. [1]...

The Horizontal Draw Cut (nukitsuke) is the standard opening action of iaidō: from seiza or standing, the right hand draws the blade while the left hand pulls the saya rearward (sayabiki), and the blad...

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 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...

Diagonal cut targeting the side of the head, angled approximately 45 degrees from vertical.

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...

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 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 Kote Cut targets the opponent's wrist or forearm, striking the area just above the hand to disable the opponent's ability to wield the sword. [1] In kendō, the kote strike targets the right kote w...

The Men Cut is a descending vertical or slightly diagonal cut to the top of the opponent's head, the most fundamental and frequently practised technique in Japanese swordsmanship. [1] A correct men cu...

Straight vertical cut descending along the centerline to strike the top of the head.

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...

Ōji Waza (counter techniques) are defensive-offensive tactics in kendō where the defender responds to the opponent's attack with a parry, block, or evasion followed by an immediate counter-strike, inc...

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...

Standard Winding (Winden) is the fundamental blade-rotation technique of the German longsword tradition: from the bind, the fencer turns the sword by rotating the short edge toward the opponent and dr...

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...

The Standard Military Sabre Cut delivers the curved blade's edge in a powerful slashing arc, typically targeting the opponent's head, shoulder, or sword arm, generated by a combination of arm extensio...

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...

The Counter Thrust is a defensive-offensive action in rapier fencing where the fencer parries or evades an incoming attack and delivers an immediate thrust in response, embodying the principle of a si...

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 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...

The Direct Thrust (stoccata) drives the rapier point straight forward along the centreline toward the opponent's chest, throat, or face, initiated by extending the sword arm and followed by the body a...

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...

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 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 Rapier Thrust subfamily covers the thrusting techniques that form the core offensive repertoire of rapier fencing, the rapier being designed primarily as a thrusting weapon. [1] Italian rapier mas...