This video is on the four fundamental guards of the longsword as they are shown in the works of Paulus Hector Mair. The vid is a simple study guide for the basic use of these guards, as there is no need for much of anything else if one hasnt got the guards down first.

Just a few notes. They are covered in the video, of course, but they are worth mentioning again. The first is the tendency to have the arms well-extended from the body during swordplay (for the guards that extend the sword, of course, as there are guards not covered in this particular video that hold the sword close to the body), a fact easily noted in the many illustrations throughout the tomes.

Secondly, and most interestingly, two of the guards have different names. The guard that is in parlance usually referred to as Alber, or the Guard of the Fool, in Mair is called quite clearly the Guard of the Poplar. And Vom Tag is consistently referred to as the Guard of the Day. I find these names much more poetic and appropriate, and feel that they fit in better with their counterparts, the Buffalo and the Plough. The meaning behind the names of these guards is still the same, although I would say that it is far clearer under the name of Poplar than it is under the name of Fool. All of other guard names reference what you do, so why on earth would you want to be a Fool? (yes, yes, I get the point of it all, but still I find that it is much more powerful in life to have positive associations instead of negative ones for what regards personal transformation).

The music is by the master, Inon Zur.

Enjoy and tell me what you think! (less info)