Search: “HEMA Guard”
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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...
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 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 ...
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 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 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.
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...
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...
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...
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 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...
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 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 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 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 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 Standard Halberd Technique executes the core pollaxe actions: the overhead strike (delivering the axe head or hammer to the opponent's head or shoulders), the thrust (driving the top spike at the ...
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...
Absetzen (Setting Aside) is a HEMA longsword counter-technique where the fighter simultaneously parries an incoming cut and delivers a thrust in a single motion. [1] Rather than blocking first and the...
The Standard Halberd-Pollaxe subfamily covers the fundamental techniques of European hafted polearm combat as described in the historical fight books: guards (posta), strikes with both the axe head an...