A horizontal cut at head height with the hilt held high, which covers against a descending cut while striking.
Raise the hands to head height, thumb under the flat, and cut horizontally. On the right side the short edge hits; on the left, the long edge. The crossguard stays above your head, so an incoming lands on your strong while your reaches their head.
The Zwerch is said to break . It is also the natural way to cut around after a bind: Zwerch to one side, then Zwerch to the other.
Caution: a Zwerch thrown too early or from too far away just presents your arms. Timing it to the opponent's cut, with a step out to the side, is what makes it safe.
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, Zwerchhau verses and gloss.