A low guard with the sword held at the side and the point back, inviting an attack and ready to cut upward.
In the Nebenhut the hilt sits beside the hip and the blade points backward and down. The whole front looks open, so the opponent is tempted to attack; the fencer answers with a rising cut or a from below.
Your familiarity
Sources and interpretation
- Joachim Meyer (1570) well-attested Meyer treats the Nebenhut as one of his secondary guards and uses it frequently in his devices. Gründtliche Beschreibung der Kunst des Fechtens (1570), Wiktenauer page