Schielhau / Squinting Strike
Schielhau
A deceptive master strike that at first looks like a straight cut but at the last instant turns the blade into a thrust or a cut with the short edge, typically as the answer to the Pflug guard.
Quick Facts
Definition
Schielhau, literally the squinting or squint strike, is named for how the fencer performing it seemingly looks or aims elsewhere than where the blow actually lands, thereby deceiving the opponent about the true target and angle of attack. Technically it is executed as a cut from the right side that, at the moment the blades meet, rotates around its axis so that instead of the long edge it strikes with the sword's short edge, or transitions directly into a thrust to the opponent's face. Schielhau is classically taught as the answer to the Pflug guard, since its rotating motion can bypass the point aimed from that position and strike the opponent before he can thrust. Executing schielhau requires considerable sensitivity in the wrist and precise perception of the pressure between the blades, since the decision to complete the cut or transition into the thrust is made only based on how the opponent's blade responds to that pressure. In surviving fencing manuals, schielhau is often compared to a kind of inverted zornhau, since it shares a similar entry line but relies on deception and variable endings rather than straightforward power.
Related Terms
One of the four basic guards (Vier Leger) in historical German longsword fencing, resembling the position of holding a plow.
Zornhau / Wrath StrikeZornhauOne of the five master strikes of the German school of fencing, a direct diagonal cut delivered from the right shoulder that typically overrides and defeats the Vom Tag guard.
Krumphau / Crooked StrikeKrumphauOne of the five German master strikes, delivered with crossed hands to the side of the opponent's wrists, used chiefly as the counter to the Ochs guard.
Scheitelhau / Parting StrikeScheitelhauThe last of the five master strikes, a long, straight downward cut delivered with extended arms to the opponent's head or hands, traditionally aimed at defeating the Alber guard.