Joachim Meyer called them the 'Master strikes' and this is how they are mostly known in modern parlance. However, in the LL glosses they are typically referred to as the 5 strikes that are fundamental to the art of longsword. They are also referred to as the secret strikes (although I believe they are only called this once), and four of the five are also called the vier versetzen (or four displacements/strikes/parries depending on your preferred translation).
On the topic of the secret strikes, this is my current understanding, and I believe it is probably the 'correct' understanding.
In short, the secret strikes/five strikes are many things, and are the foundation of a lot of the LL art.
Fundamental strikes
The five strikes may be the foundational attacks in the LL system. On one level, they represent most* of the ways that you can make an attack from your right shoulder:
Zornhau - a diagonal cut.
Zwerchau - a horizontal cut.
Krumphau - a cut to right Ox position, or into a left schrankut (barrier guard) position.
Scheilhau - a cut into a left Ox position, or into a left Plough position, but made from above and with the short edge.
Scheitelhau - a cut straight down the centre.
*There should really be sixth foundational cuts - the Unterhau, which is a diagonal rising cut. This can also be made from the right shoulder. However, it could be argued that this is represented by the Zwerchau, which can be made to a higher or lower opening.
SuperiorHEMA's channel has videos on the whole of the Zettel, meaning my blog is largely pointless. Anyway, here are the 5 strikes:
Are these strikes done with the true or false edge of the sword? While some are commonly done with the false edge (like the Zwerchau and Scheilhau), some are described differently in different plays or different sources. I'd argue it doesn't matter - sometimes you want to use the false edge (which can reduce your reach but provide better leverage) and sometimes the true edge.
However, something I have noticed is that these are the five strikes you can make using a thumb grip, i.e. with your thumb on the flat of the blade. The Zornhau is a little awkward, but you basically can make it by placing the thumb up and on the right side of the blade - I've not tried this one out for real, though! Most do the Zorn with an orthodox grip (but this does make your thumb a little vulnerable if their blade slides down towards the hilt). The Scheitelhau is more or less the same, but you use the offhand on the pommel to deliver the strike; however, this is typically done using the orthodox grip. The Zwerch, Scheilhau and Krumphau are mostly 'thumb grip' cuts.
Secret strikes
To call these 'secret strikes' seems strange, as at least two of these are obvious to anyone who picks up a sword for the first time. Some have theorized that they are secret because some are unknown or uncommon, or perhaps the LL system is using uncommon names to refer to them so as to keep the system secret - "Hey Ringeck! Throw a Zwerch, he'll never see it coming!". I'd also argue that, because all of these strikes can be made from the right shoulder, your opponent does not know which one you will do. Therefore, in my opinion, this makes them 'secret strikes'.
Parries
Four of the five strikes have parrying properties:
The Zornhau is only really described as being a diagonal cut to the incoming sword of opponent, however this ends with the point in front of the opponent's face, making a follow-up thrust ('shoot the point') easy.
The Krumphau is primarily(?) an attack made to the incoming sword of the opponent.
The Zwerchau 'takes away all attacks made from above' - it basically ends in a left Ox position, and therefore acts like an absetzen (thrust-parry).
The Scheilhau can stop a 'buffalo', usually taken to mean an aggressive fencer. It does this because it ends in a left Ox position, just like the Zwerchau. However, it can also end lower, so ends like a left Plough absetzen.
I've heard it argued that Krumphau and Scheilhau are the same cut but thrown on different sides of the body, and I agree with this.
Attacks
One of the more curious uses of the five strikes - or more accurately the 'four displacements' is that of 'breaking guards'. There has been much debate over what guard breaking means. Does this mean defending and attacking at the same time? Does this mean attacking in a way that prevents your opponent from counter-attacking? Does this mean encouraging your opponent to move out of his/her guard position into another position that allows you to attack?
I believe guard breaking is similar to the use of contraria (counter-wards) in i.33 in that they are ways to attack that block your opponent's 'flinch response' counter-attack.
Essentially, attacking is dangerous as your opponent can counter-attack you as you step into measure, as you prepare for the attack, and as you make the attack. The Vier Versetzen (four displacements) therefore help you attack in a way that keeps you a little safer.
If the opponent is right Vom Tag, you want to use a strike that ends with you in Left Ox, i.e. Zwerchau, Scheilhau or an Unterhau (which I'd class as a variation of a Zwerchau). This prevents the opponent from making their most likely attack from this position, i.e. an Oberhau, or catches their Oberhau in your cross guard if it is made while you are striking.
If the opponent is in Plough, you can use a Scheilhau. This will out-distance them, and can displace their thrust if they make it. Unfortunately, the glosses do not specific whether your opponent is in left Plough or right Plough so I've seen people use Scheilhau to the inside or outside of the opponent's sword.
If the opponent is in left Ox, then the canonical approach is to use a Krumphau, either to gain an overbind on their blade, or to strike their hands. Alternatively, you can Krump under their blade. The Krump is usually made with a large step to the right.
The Scheitelhau is based on the concept of 'Uberlaufen' (over running). This basically means that a high attack always beats a low attack due to superior reach. In this case, the Scheitelhau is supposed to beat someone who is standing in the Fools guard but attacking to their head. Most people theorise that this forces people to parry the strike out of fear, unless they are wearing HEMA gear and have no fear of death, therefore Scheitelhau doesn't seem to work in the modern day and results in your opponent attacking your hands instead of defending their head. However, others suggest that, with all of the Vier Versetzen, you attack as your opponent is moving into the guard, not when they are settled in it, which matches the advice of Dall'agocchi some 200 years later.
All of these can be used to attack the opponent with the edge, or if a little too far away to get the point online and thrust.
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