Pflug

Plough

A low guard with the point online. The left plough (pflug links) is performed with the right leg forward in a forward posture & the sword held with uncrossed hands to the left of the right leg, the pommel approximately in line with the left hip. The “right plow” (pflug rechts) has the left leg forward, hands crossed, pommel on the right.

The blade may be angled with the long edge down and away from the body at 45 degrees, or with the thumb on the blade/crossguard angling downward toward the body at 45 degrees. The choice depends on the needs of the fencer; a 45 degree up position, for example, is useful when winding through pflug as it affords better hand protection.

This can be an on point final position for a cut from above after it has transitioned through langenort and pulled back toward the body.

Pflug is also used to parry strikes to the lower openings which keeping the point online.

The pflug is one of the four principal guards.