Atajo 3 is the same as Atajo 2 but made to the inside of the opponent's sword. In other words, we have formed a gain on the opponent's sword, from above, to their inside with a step to your right. Figure 1: Atajo 3 formed by orange fencer Figure 2: Atajo 3 Rada lists 7 first intention techniques from afar. 1 Narrowing From the Atajo, envelop the opponent's sword in a counter-clockwise motion so that their sword ends up on the outside of your sword, on top of your blade. Thr

Updated June 2026 This is a guide to what equipment you 'need' to get into HEMA, and the costs. I have tried to include links to as many retailers and manufacturers of equipment as I can, giving options for UK, EU and USA (and some elsewhere). Much of the guidance in this blog post is broadly applicable, but do check local competition rules, and with your club. Perhaps controversially, I have tried to set out what the current consensus is on steel swords. This is to help beg

Atajo 2 is a gain of the opponent's sword on the outside, with a step to the left (i.e. away from their sword). Figure 1: Atajo 2 Rada gives 8 first intention techniques from afar. His explanations of each are very hard to understand, so this is my best guess. Something you should start to appreciate, having learned technique from Atajo 1: in Atajo two, we are walking away from the opponent's sword, not into it. This means that we can't perform a thrust in opposition (witho

Atajo 1 is a bind over the opponent's sword with your sword in the Obtuse angle (hilt low, tip high), made from the inside, and with a step to the left. To gain the Atajo, at middle distance you angle your blade over theirs while simultaneously dropping your hilt a little but raising your tip. You get the 3rd of your blade over their 2nd (i.e. your mid-strong over their mid-weak). Rada says we should shift the weight onto our right foot, then drop the hilt even lower to loc

The Atajo (shortcut, or bind/gain) is one of the core techniques of Destreza, similar to the gain/find/stringer in Italian rapier. At its most basic is a bind of the opponent's sword, but it could also be a potential bind (a virtual Atajos). It is also your parry against both cuts and thrusts. Defense Actually, let's briefly start with how to defend against the opponent's attacks (thrust or cuts). It is commonly said that there are three ways to defend: With the right angle

Basic footwork Footwork in Destreza is fairly intuitive. There are: Advancing steps: fight foot goes forwards, left foot follows. Retreating steps: left goes backwards, right foot follows. Traversing steps: if going right, the right foot moves to the right and the left foot follows. If going to the left, either foot can go left and the other foot follows. Compass steps: like traversing steps but you pivot on your right foot a little to face the opponent. Diagonal steps forw

Introduction This is a practical guide to Destreza, the Spanish art of fencing. There are a lot of articles online about the history of Destreza so I won't go into any detail here, other than to say that the La Verdadera Destreza (the true skill) dates back to around 1569 with two primary authors Jerónimo Sánchez de Carranza and his student Luis Pacheco de Narváez. There were several other authors over the next 150-200 years. I am primarily working from the work of Francis

This is an interpretation of George Silver's “Brief instructions” work, incorporating aspects of his “paradoxes” work. 10 general lessons Lesson 1: be aware of the ground around you. Use the terrain to your advantage. Get the sun behind you and in the opponent's face. Lesson 1: use the environment Lesson 2: consider the guard your opponent is in and make sure you are guarded in whatever way you feel is appropriate. Make sure that no part of you - leg, arm, hand, head, etc. -

This is an interpretation of George Silver's “Brief instructions” work, incorporating aspects of his “paradoxes” work. Silver’s fencing theory The fight is to be conducted according to the 4 governors and the 4 grounds . The four grounds are: Through judgment you keep your distance . Through distance you take your time . Through time you win the place . The four governors are judgement , measure , and the twofold mind - to go forwards always with a mind to go backwards. Th

This is an interpretation of George Silver's “Brief instructions” work, incorporating aspects of his “paradoxes” work. The sword A single or double-edged one-handed sword, with a decent hand guard providing protection from cuts from most angles. This is basically a basket hilt, but not quite as protective as a later Scottish basket hilted broadsword. Perfect length is basically a blade from just above your hip to your outstretched off-hand, somewhere between 33 and 37 inches

Variations of this question pop up on Reddit all the time: can I learn fencing by myself? Can I learn sabre or rapier from a book? There aren't any clubs near me… etc. Let's pick this question apart as it could have several meanings: Someone wants to learn fencing from scratch, by themselves, with no other people, and no one teaching them other than videos and books. Someone already has a base in fencing (perhaps longsword or sabre) but wants to independently learn a new syst

The hierarchy of control is - as I've been informed by a professor who has been involved in safety research for the last 35+ years - one of the few safety models that has actually, demonstrably, improved safety. In short, it simply states that actions taken to control risk are more effective at the top of the hierarchy than those at the bottom. It doesn't mean that actions should not be taken at the bottom of the hierarchy, just that those at the top should be considered fir

If you keep eating thrusts when you are in Plough and don't know why, then read on. "Your Pflug is open!" Huh? If someone says this to you, no, the Velcro on your breeches hasn't come undone - again... It means your plough (plow for my American friends) is crappy. Plough - Posta Breva, whatever you want to call it - is one of the best guards in Longsword. When your hands are safely tucked in, it is one of the few guards that doesn't expose your hands to a hand snipe, gets yo

"[This] Is actually allocated to the high guards. It is only used in the bind after you have come under your opponent’s sword. You should refrain from moving into this guard for as long as you see your opponent’s point and blade still in front of you, as you will not be safe from anything [in front of you] in this [guard]. However, as soon as you come under their sword, then this is one of the most exemplary guards, and you use it thusly:" Play 1 "When you have now come under

Everything fenced from this guard can more readily be fenced form other guards, but Meyer wanted to illustrate a few tricks... Play 1 # You Opponent 1 Right change guard Longpoint 2 Strike up from change guard with false edge 3 times 3 Hit from the right side with the flat to their left ear Move steeply upward, i.e. to parry 4 Release your left hand from the pommel and let your blade snap around in one hand upward from below toward their right. Set the front point on their ch

Mittelhut Meyer says he wasn't going to include this guard in the longsword section, but he has included it because no other guard can teach the roses. He doesn't explicitly say what the 'roses' are, but the best explanation I've seen is that it is basically the act of circling your opponent's blade, either below or sometimes above. Often this seems to be done as a sort of Krumphau from one side then a krumphau from the other back to your starting position, but it could pro

Hanging point In the onset, make three upward strikes with the short edge from the left, and on the third, from longpoint turn into a...

Ochs From the previous taught sequences, you should now understand how to build your attacks and sequences against the opponent’s four openings, using techniques like winding, slicing, dropping, circling, or disengaging. These moves aren’t limited to specific guards—they apply to most stances. Since the Ox guard is especially strong for attacking, here’s a short guide on how to strike first (the Before ) and pressure your opponent into reacting. You have four main attack line

Play 1: You take the vor # You Opponent 1 Move into right wrath guard 2 Do nothing 3 Step and cut Zorn from right to left ear 4 Parry left 5 Cut unterhau from left 6 Parry right, not lift arms to strike 7 Slice their arms, then give them a good shove backwards, then cut at the closest opening 8 Parry and recover, attempt to cut back at opponent 9 Set aside, slice off, or slice their arms. Shove them off and cut at their body again... 10 Etc.* *Basically, alternate between sli

The stances (or guards) in fencing aren’t meant to be held for long. They exist mainly to help you understand how to respond when you're preparing to strike. When you lift your sword for a High Cut, you reach a position called the Day—the highest point in your sword’s path. If your opponent attacks you while you're lifting your sword, you should immediately redirect your sword from that high point to counter them. If they don’t attack, you can go ahead and finish your High Cu