Elements of Fencing

Meyer suggests that all fencing is composed of 3 elements.

First are the strikes; these are the type of attacks that can be made with the different parts of the weapon, chiefly cuts, thrusts, and slices (for more on this see the Types of Attack.

Second there are the parries; Versetzen (parrying) is used to drive off attacks, and they come in two basic forms, parries which provide no special advantage, and parries which defend and attack (or set-up an attack) in a single action (as we see in the Zwerch).

Third comes the handworks. These are the intervening techniques between strikes and parries.

Together these come together and when used in the correct way and at the correct time form what Meyer calls the "Craft" of fencing.