Liechtenauer: Four Primary Guards Quick Review

 Vier Leger

Four guards alone hold
and disdain the common
Ochs, Pflug, Alber,
vom Tag should not be unknown to you.
-Johannes Liechtenauer

    Sword fighting has a lot more to do with guarding than one would think. The four primary guards of Liechtenauer's Kunst des Fechtens fighting system are a key expression and are intertwined with the vier versetzen (four attacks). Guards are both starting and end points of cuts. If you pay close enough attention, you'll realize that the guards are a mirror of another guard. The technique of guard changing is to cut into the guard rather than simply move to it. This article contains a brief summary (and personal notes) on the four primary guards. 

Vom Tag[From the Day]: The most common of the Liechtenauer guards. Your sword arms are aligned with your strong side (the direction your chest points towards). Hold the sword with the cross-guard parallel to your pectoral region. Relax the muscles and face your knuckles forward (check by seeing if your index finger on both hands can be pointed forward). Your long edge faces your opponent or to the sky to enter a "high vom tag" guard. 

transitions: 

cut downward with a passing step to change into alber.

perform a zwerchau with a passing step to change into ochs.

cut downward and stop a hip area and raise point to change into pflug.

Alber[Fool]: The mirror of vom tag. Lures opponents to strike the head. Excellent option for lunging attacks. A useful guard when performing disengages. Masters recommend you have the left foot. Chamber the sword at your right hip. Point your sword to the ground to make the short edge face the sky. 

transitions: 

cut upwards with the short edge to arrive at vom tag.

raise knuckles to face the sky to reach ochs (left), or cross wrists, passing step, and cup upwards with the long edge to reach ochs (right). 

raise point to reach pflug. 

(see: Fencing from the Sweeps) 

Pflug[Plough]: Works best against thrusts and lunges. Chamber pommel to the right hip and raise point. Thrusting position. Holds center line. 

transitions:

raise knuckles to face the sky and point short edge downwards to transition to ochs. 

lower point to transition into alber. 

raise point to the sky to transition into vom tag. 

Ochs[Ox]: Works great to deflect downward cuts from the opponent. Very useful in winding. Easily countered by krumphau. Chambers a downward thrust. Cross wrists and face your long edge to the sky and point downward at the opponent's face. 

transitions:

face long edge to the opponent to change into vom tag.

lower knuckles to face the ground to transition into pflug

cut fully downwards with long edge. 

    Keep in mind while training that the guards are merely one half of a more whole coin. The primary cuts are the movement between guards. Through performing the cuts, you will naturally find yourself switching guards as a result. It is never recommended to excessively change guards out of measure as that allows the opponent to target openings.