Reading the opponent's guard
Seen from behind your right shoulder: left and right, off-line steps and blade lines are visible. Drag the scene to orbit.
- You
- Opponent
- Attack line
- Exposed opening
- Blade contact
- Blow landed
- Weight: you neutral · opponent neutral
Schematic diagram: it shows position, guard, blade angle, hip and shoulder rotation and the line of attack, not exact body mechanics.
Your path
0 decisions- Choosing a guard to read now
Scenario map 1/12 states explored · 12 transitions · 8 complete paths
- Choosing a guard to read
- Against Alber (not yet explored)
- Against Ochs (not yet explored)
- Against Pflug (not yet explored)
- Against Vom Tag (not yet explored)
- Alber broken by the Scheitel you hit (not yet explored)
- Ochs broken by the Krump advantage (not yet explored)
- Onto the point you're hit (not yet explored)
- Overrun from above you're hit (not yet explored)
- Pflug broken by the Schiel you hit (not yet explored)
- Two cuts, one moment double hit (not yet explored)
- Vom Tag broken by the Zwerch you hit (not yet explored)
Choosing a guard to read
You stand in at long distance. The opponent settles into a guard. Before you step in, look at it: what does it cover, what does it threaten, and which opening is it offering you?
Pick which guard the opponent takes.
Opponent's intent: Wait in a guard and respond to your attack.
What do you notice?
0/2 revealedLook at the diagram first. Decide what you see for each cue, then reveal the note.
- Cue: Distance. Can either of you reach the other without stepping?
- Cue: Openings. How do the sources divide the target?
What does the opponent do?
An exchange is not a script. Pick a reaction to see where it leads, then come back and try the others.
Timing chips: , , .
Your path
0 decisions- Choosing a guard to read now
Scenario map 1/12 states explored · 12 transitions · 8 complete paths
- Choosing a guard to read
- Against Alber (not yet explored)
- Against Ochs (not yet explored)
- Against Pflug (not yet explored)
- Against Vom Tag (not yet explored)
- Alber broken by the Scheitel you hit (not yet explored)
- Ochs broken by the Krump advantage (not yet explored)
- Onto the point you're hit (not yet explored)
- Overrun from above you're hit (not yet explored)
- Pflug broken by the Schiel you hit (not yet explored)
- Two cuts, one moment double hit (not yet explored)
- Vom Tag broken by the Zwerch you hit (not yet explored)
About this scenario
In the the opponent's guard tells you what they are prepared to do and what they are not. The Liechtenauer glosses pair each of the four principal guards with a that "breaks" it: against , against , against and against .
This scenario is about preparation and observation rather than a long exchange. Choose a guard for the opponent, read its openings, and compare the recommended cut with a less suitable approach.
Learning goals
- Name the four principal guards and what each covers.
- Recall the traditional pairing of master cut to guard.
- See why a plain Oberhau into a point-forward guard is a poor opening.
Related learning
Click a term to see its definition without leaving the page.
Sources and interpretation
- Liechtenauer tradition well-attested The verses on the "four displacements" are usually read as pairing each master cut with the guard it breaks. Treat this as a teaching mnemonic, not a guarantee. Johannes Liechtenauer (Wiktenauer article, with the Zettel and its glosses)
- Joachim Meyer (1570) interpretive Meyer keeps the four principal guards and adds many secondary ones, and his approach to breaking guards relies more on sequences of cuts to draw the opponent out than on a single matched cut. Gründtliche Beschreibung der Kunst des Fechtens (1570), Wiktenauer page
- Johannes Liechtenauer (Wiktenauer article, with the Zettel and its glosses) Article text CC BY-SA 4.0; hosted translations generally CC BY-NC-SA 4.0; the historical text is public domain Zettel and gloss on the four guards and the four displacements.
- LearnHEMA original educational content CC BY-SA 4.0