We begin our Primary Lessons with the introduction of the First Ward, Ersteläger, along with the various defenses and attacks which can be deployed from it. In this first section serves as a brief introduction to the guard.
In general First Ward refers to a posture that places your weapon low to your left side:
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| Example of First Ward with a weapon as seen in Talhoffer, Cod.icon. 394a 113r. |
The posture of First Ward begins with assuming a basic Fechtstellung, engaging posture: knees slightly bent, hips and shoulders heavy towards the ground, chin turned slightly up, and head held aloft to create tension in the spine. For simplicity's sake we'll have you begin with the right foot forward. As stated before, the sword is held comfortably low, and to your left side. Your hand should be in the Ellenläge or Underhand position: palm facing the body, thumb down.
In terms of active engagement, you may have arrived to the First Ward from any number of starting points. The most obvious reason to begin on this stance is the drawing of the sword from the scabbard, demonstrated here in Talhoffer's personal manuscript, as "Der nott stand im messer." or "The emergency/ready stance with a messer."
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| MS Thott.290.2º 079r. "Der nott stand im messer." |
Descending and horizontal strikes can be smoothly transitioned into the First Ward, allowing for a thoughtful flow between various techniques.
First Ward is an advantageous and sneaky guard to place yourself in. You benefit from the fact that your hand is safely held away from you opponent, preventing laming attacks. Keeping the weapon to your side or directly behind you disguises the length of your blade as well as obscuring any intended actions.
Like most guards, First Ward enables you to both easily defend yourself while offending your opponent as cuts, thrusts, and strong parries can be easily deployed from this posture. First Ward offers an additional tactical advantage by giving the appearance of weakness. As you'll see in later lessons, this impression of vulnerability is an important aspect of how the corresponding techniques operate.
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| a. Dürer b. Kal |
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| c. Lecküchner d. I.33 e. MS Ludwig XV 13 |
In our next Lesson we will begin our exploration of techniques that utilize the First Ward to create a covering/displacement against incoming attacks. Later, we will continue with a consideration of offensive techniques that exploit Mensur (timing and distance) to either lame or incapacitate our opponents.
Since Kunst des Fechtens builds upon a holistic skill-set, emphasis will be placed on interlocking the mechanics of techniques with their underlying concepts and applications. We will demonstrate how Lessons of the First Ward can be utilized across various dueling methods including wrestling, sticks, and bladed weapons.
Until then, keep up the good practice!