Here we list our interpretations of Hanko Doebringer’s swordfighting guards. All these guards are described for a right hander on their right. To perform them on the left, reverse the foot position and do them on the left, simple as that. In his fencing text, Sigmund Ringeck says that you shall only fight from four guards as well, however he (and later authors) changes alber and pflug around.
(1) Alber (the Fool):
Stand with your left foot forward, raise the tip of the sword to point at the face or throat of your opponent, the pommel should be above your right knee (not in the centre of your body, this is important). Maintain the threat.*
(2) Pflug (the plough)
Stand with your right foot forward, extend your arms forward and let the point, point towards the ground. Roughly speaking, there should be an almost straight line from your shoulder, down through your arms and sword, to the ground.
This is the only major ward that is performed with the same foot forward as your leading hand(the one closest to the cross guard). The rest will be performed with the left foot forward.
(3) Ochs (the Ox).
Again with your left foot forward, keep the point aimed at the face/throat of your opponent, raise your hands to the right side of your head. Maintain the threat.*
(4) Vom tag (from the roof).
Again with your left foot forward, either hold the sword by your right shoulder with the point toward the ceiling (sky if you are outside, pedant). Or hold the sword above your head, again with the point directed skywards. Maintain the threat.*
*Note maintaining the threat.*
When traveling through the wards, it is important that you should maintain a threat towards your opponent. In between the guards plough and ox this is done with the point, and the point should stay towards the opponent the whole time you are moving from one to the other. In the guard vom tag, the threat is maintained by keeping the true edge toward the opponent. In alber, the threat comes from the false edge.
The minor wards.
Master R also refers to other guards, these are more reactionary positions than those previously mentioned. They are as follows:
(1) The Schrankhut.
This position will tend to come out of a false edge(to the left) krump.It is easiest understood if you picture that you have struck from right to left with a false edge crooked strike, striking over your opponents blade and taking your point almost to the floor, cross your wrists so the left hand is under but higher than the right the right making sure the false edge is under and facing in towards you.
(2) The Nebenhut.
The position is as follows, the right foot should be forward, the blade in its lowest position should be slightly to the left and forward of your left foot, at its highest position in the left plough.
*Note on my definitions*
There is a reason I give this variance in position, and that is nebenhut techniques are performed with a strike from below, to your opponent or his blade, with the false edge traveling from your left to right. If you can perform the techniques as described from said position, they then contain the requisites of nebenhut and are therefore deserving of the name.
(3) The Crown.
We interpret this as being similar to Posta Frontale in Fiore’s style, with the point forward and high and the cross guard arms pointing left and right (as opposed to back and forwards). in order to catch a vertical strike.
