We've seen that a ward is a position from which you can launch one or two attacks from. We've also seen that a counter ward is basically a half-completed cut used as a parry or defence. Why do we therefore call them counter wards? I think it is time for the castle analogy...
5.1 The castle analogy
Imagine, if you will, that each fencer is really a knight in a castle. Each castle has four doors, and these represent the four openings at which we could attack an uncovered opponent: their top left, top right, bottom left and bottom right. These doors also denote the areas that we need to protect with the buckler and counter wards.
In order for my opponent to attack me, they need to leave their castle and try to enter one of my doors, or in other words they attack me to one of my openings. Using the counter wards and parries discussed in part 4, I can close one of these doors and so protect myself from their attack. When I attack my opponent, they can do the same thing.
If I leave myself completely uncovered I give my opponent four choices of where to attack. As they make their attack I cannot be sure which door they are aiming for, and by the time their attack reaches me it may be too late. I can try to make a parry but there is a good chance I will be deceived and go to the wrong door. To help me, I look at which ward they are in. This tells me what their most likely attack will be, and I get into a ward from which I know I can launch an appropriate parry. By doing this, I've already closed one of the doors (either with my buckler, or simply because I have moved the side that my sword is on further out of measure), and I've reduced the opponent's options to just one or two of the doors. When I do this, I usually close the door that is furthest from the opponent, and leave the door open that is closest (although this becomes more complicated when you are holding a buckler, as you buckler can partially close a door too). I need to manage my distance to ensure I have time to parry that incoming strike. Again, the opponent can do the same as me. In this case, the ward is presenting an opening to your opponent that you probably want them to attack.
Alternatively, I could perform a 'pre-parry', also known as a counter ward. In this case I see that the opponent is in a ward whose quickest attack is to one of my doors – let's say my top left opening. Before the opponent has a chance to strike, I move into or cut into the counter counter ward that defends that opening. So in this example, I could cut into Left Schutzen. I could also form a cover such as Fiddle bow, which serves the same purpose. Now if my opponent wants to cut at me he or she will need to attack a different opening, either requiring a change of ward (which I can exploit to attack them at that time), or requiring a larger motion (thus more time to perform), giving me more time to make my own parry or counter attack. Again, the opponent can do the same to me. In this case the counter ward is defending the opening that I don't want them attack.
So, to summarise:
A ward presents an opening that you want your opponent to attack (usually on the opposite side to which your sword is held, but not always). From the ward you can form certain counter wards and parries. This is like leaving a door open.
A counter ward closes the opening that you do not want your opponent to attack, and is made before the attack is made. It is often, but not always, made on the side the opponent's sword is currently on (or is threatening). This is like closing a door before your opponent comes knocking.
A parry is basically the forming of a counter ward (or making another parrying action), in response to the opponent's attack. This is like slamming the door in your opponent's face. If you do it too soon, the opponent can go to another door. If you do it too late then they manage to get through the door.
Using these three basic principles, you can have a 'conversation' with your opponent while fencing. The wards and counter wards will tell you where your opponent wants to attack, where they want or don't want you to attack. But remember, fencing is conversation between two liars. The goal is get your opponent to open themselves where they can't defend, or attack you where you can defend. It's like a game of cat and mouse, where you and your opponent both try to gain some sort of positional and time advantage that will give you space and time to perform your attacking, defending and counter attacking techniques.
The below table shows the ward and the counter wards that can be used to oppose it.
Table 1: Ward and counter ward that opposes it
Ward | Counter ward |
First (below buckler arm) | Halpschilt (covering outside line) Krucke |
Second (sword shoulder) | Left Schutzen Halpschilt (covering inside line) Fiddlebow Falling Under |
Third (buckler shoulder) | Halpschilt (outside line) Right Schutzen |
Fourth (above head) | Fiddlebow Right Schutzen Falling under |
Fifth (right hip) | Left Krucke, or Low Schutzen
Halpschilt (inside line)
|
Sixth (chest, point forwards) | Halpschilt Longpoint |
Seventh (longpoint) | Halpschilt Longpoint |
Exercise: Your training partner is in a ward. Go into the ward that you think would allow you to parry an attack from their ward. Now cut into the counter ward that corresponds to that parry. Your training partner will not attack you, and you will not attack them. They change ward and you move into the correct ward and cut into the counter ward.
Once you have done this, try moving straight into the counter ward without first moving into the ward. When they change ward, you change counter ward.
Check whether you are in the correct counter ward by having your opponent make their most obvious attack from their ward.
5.2 Attacks in opposition
It is worth noting that when I make an attack at one of my opponent's openings, my attack will leave some of my doors open, and the attack will close one of the doors.
If I was to attack my opponent's ward in such a way that, if they were to simultaneously launch their own counter attack, their counter attack would enter one of my open doors and hit me, then this is called an attack without opposition. In other words, my attack did not close the correct door.
On the other hand, if I was to attack my opponent's ward in such a way that, if they simultaneously launched their own attack, my attack would parry this (because my attack is closing the correct door), then this is called an attack with opposition. What this tells you is that, for any given ward, there is an optimal way to attack without risking a double hit, and this attack corresponds to the counter ward that also protects that same door.
The attack in opposition are covered in part 6.
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