The Guards/Huten

Johannes Liechtenauer gives the advice to only fight from four guards: Ochs (ox), Pflug (plough), Alber (fool) and vom Tag (from the day). There is another guard one comes into in certain techniques which is called Schrankhut (barrier guard). We have added Langort (longpoint) here, too.

One shall not look at the guards as being static positions but as reference points one passes through in a fight and from which attacks can be delivered while being protected by the blade at the same time. One does not remain motionless in a guard and waits for the opponent to do something, instead one has to take the initiative and attack. A constant change between the guards may tempt the opponent to open a weak spot one can exploit.

The guards can be held on both sides. The right Ochs for instance has the sword on the right side with a leading left foot; the left Ochs has the sword on the left side, right foot forward. For a better overview both versions are shown here.

Ochs When holding Ochs, the flat of the blade faces down. The thumb on the blade allows for a better control of the sword. On the left side, the short edge shows to one's head, on the right side it's the long edge. The arms have to be held over and in front of the head in order to be able to execute powerful actions. Pflug Like in Ochs the tip of the blade, the point, threatens the opponent's face. Again the thumb supports the blade. On the left side the short edge shows up, on the right side the long edge. It is necessary to grip the sword with the left hand only loosely in order not to cramp. Alber Left and right Alber differ only in the position of the legs. The point of the sword is directed to the floor with stretched arms centrically in front of the body. vom Tag This guard is a good starting position for both Oberhaue (upper strokes) and Unterhaue (lower strokes). The blade rests at the shoulder and the point shows a little backwards. The long edge faces forward on both sides. This leads to a somewhat bent wrist on the left side which results in weaker strokes from this side. vom Tag, upper version An alternative to vom Tag which is good for particularly forceful Oberhaue. The pommel is on about forehead-level, the point shows a little backwards. As in Alber, right and left position differ only in the leading leg. Schrankhut The blade faces the opponent frontally. The hands are on the level of the sternum and the point goes downwards. On the left side the short edge shows up, on the right side the long one. Langort The longpoint which is also called Sprechfenster (speaking window) is the spot the sword passes automatically through when it crosses the opponent's target area in either an Oberhau or an Unterhau, or, alternatively, when delivering a thrust. The left picture shows the version with the flat towards the floor, in the right picture the edge shows down.