Guard for projectile attacks

This is a defensive stance effective both in armour and without armour. It is specifically designed to counter threats from spears and thrown weapons, including hand-thrown swords. The guard allows you to deflect (beat aside) and evade these projectile attacks. The practitioner should be confident in this position's protective capabilities against such ranged threats.

I am a good guard, armoured or bare, against the spear and sword thrown through the air. I beat them aside and slip from their way. No harm can reach me, come what may. Against the grip and missile's flight, with this guard I ward them right.

This guard is used when facing opponents who may throw their weapons as a desperate or tactical measure, or when defending against spearmen who might cast their spears. It was relevant in both armoured and unarmoured combat contexts. The guard's utility suggests scenarios in which maintaining distance and defending against sudden projectile attacks were paramount.

• ✦ Practice deflecting thrown objects (use safe training implements) with quick lateral sword movements.
• ✦ The beating motion should redirect the projectile's momentum rather than stop it.
• ✦ Footwork is implied. Evasion requires body displacement, not just blade work.
• ✦ Train confidence in timing: the guard position must allow quick reaction to incoming throws.
• ✦ Consider the biomechanics of deflecting different thrown weapons (spear versus sword) as their trajectories differ.
• ✦ This guard should feel secure enough to encourage the bold confidence Fiore describes.