A high guard with the sword held above the head or at the right shoulder, from which descending cuts are delivered.
Vom Tag is one of the four principal guards. The sword is held up, either above the head with the point back, or at the right shoulder. It is the natural start of every and signals that the fencer intends to cut.
In the master-cut pairings the is said to break Vom Tag, because it reaches the head horizontally while covering against the descending cut.
Your familiarity
Sources and interpretation
- Joachim Meyer (1570) well-attested Meyer keeps Vom Tag as a primary guard and adds several related high positions, among them the Zornhut. Gründtliche Beschreibung der Kunst des Fechtens (1570), Wiktenauer page