A long vertical cut to the top of the head with the arms fully extended, reaching over a low guard.
Extend the arms high and cut straight down at the crown. Because the cut is long and high it reaches over a low blade, which is why it is said to break . The expected reply is a high displacement with the crossguard, and the gloss continues from there.
The same principle appears as : whoever attacks low is reached from above.
Sources and interpretation
- 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, Scheitelhau verses and gloss.