Step 1 of 4Liechtenauer tradition, 15th c.
High hands-by-the-ear guard.
Talhoffer, Alte Armatur und Ringkunst, 1459 — Ms.Thott.290.2º, fol. 7r. Wikimedia Commons ↗
Folio 1rGerman (Liechtenauer)

Vier Versetzen

— the four settings-aside

Liechtenauer's pairing of the four master cuts to the four guards. Each cut is a key; each guard is a lock it opens.

The principle is one sentence: break the four guards with the four cuts. Ochs is broken by the Krumphau, Pflug by the Schielhau, Vom Tag by the Zwerchhau, Alber by the Scheitelhau. Walked as a script, the play becomes a circular drill in which each cut answers its opposite guard.

The play, step by step

1 / 4

Ⅰ

Ochs ↔ Krumphau

— ox broken by the crook

Against a high point from Ochs, step offline and answer with the Krumphau — crossed hands across their line.

Next → Now read Pflug · step 2: Pflug ↔ Schielhau

Or deviate from the script

Guards you may transition to

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