Alber, the Fool's Guard #shorts

I was asked to give my opinions on Alber. This is a brief, and narrow, overview of the guard as I have observed it in use.

#sword #hema #martialarts #fencing #medieval

[Alex-yzuw]

Fool’s guard — it’s either being used by a fool, or against a fool, and you never want to find out which it is.

[neverseemstoAsh]

the "fuck around and find out" guard

[minacapella]

Not sure why I started getting an influx of your shorts lately but I'm here for it. Hearing a buff nerd tell me about sword techniques was something I really needed. Just the right amount of technical talk with a very human and empathetic way of discussion. Hope you're getting a huge influx of viewers.

...also I still want a greatsword.

[trcx]

As someone with only experience in Asian martial arts, imagine my surprise to see gedan no kamae in European fencing. Turns out that people who spent a really long time using swords ended up arriving at the same general ideas for stances and tactics after all (not to mention the eventual cultural exchange that arose from increased trade).

[ondank]

I love how logically this follows. I know nothing about fencing but the minute you said "they won't want to engage with it" my immediate reaction was "so the threat means you can use it to rest".

That's really good video construction

[leoprzytuac]

Yes! That's something I've noticed sparring polish saber. Even though a very high open guard might seem unsafe, I love using it cause it works as a passive threat. It's deceivingly effective. While my opponent is intimidated and second guessing himself, I have time to rest and think.
Plus, it's cool af.

[tc-channelhobby]

It is really wholesome to see Clark Kent teach us swordfighting

[jaketheasianguy]

There's a way to force a trained fencer to attack you while you're in Alber tho, even when they know what it could do. It's a bit risky but I managed to pull it off once, by standing in low guard and keep stepping forward. If they don't attack, a low thrust or an unterhaw will finish the fight, and the upper body is fully exposed, they have no choice but to attack that opening for you to do whatever you intended to do

[MansMan]

The novice doesn't see it as a threat and becomes the aggressor.
The adept is wary of the threat and becomes passive.

The dichotomy is very intriguing. Imagine if a novice dropped his guard out of ignorance and the adept sees it as a threat, despite the novice not actually intending to be in Alber but simply having bad form.

The adept is threatened by ineptitude 🤣

[SwordTune]

I also call it the "I'm tired but let's make them think I have a trap waiting" guard.

[hunteradkins]

My college epee teammate used a form similar to this in tournaments. He got so good at it that other competitors had no idea what to do. It escalated one match where he was warned if he kept doing it he would be awarded a red card.

[squid]

Im so happy i found your channel, this shits super interesting swords are awesome

[tarrker]

We do the exact, same thing in Japanese martial arts. Drop the point of your weapon to make it look like you're open. Then you block or parry their weapon while raising your own. If you do it right, you'll have a raised weapon, ready to strike while they're off balance and out of position.

I can never remember the names of anything but, there's a couple of Japanese styles that have a technique like that in them. :)

[bronsontolliver]

That cinder block next to your trampoline has me more anxious than approaching a man in Alber guard.

[patriclosjameson]

The problem becomes when neither wishes to test if it is a trap and neither thinks about the advantage in the other's hesitation. You are essentially stuck in a loop waiting to counter the opponent's move like two MTG Blue Mana users.

[polinaignatenkova]

I am a history enthusiast and I really really like that you use medieval images!

[exodusblack]

holy crap... from the first time i got these videos in my recommended, i always thought this guy was just some kind of normally built nerdy kid who majors in swordsmanship, something i fix the bill and can heavily respect.

then i see him without a jacket, and i see how he can wield those swords so well. the upper body strength on this man is... well, extremely fitting to say the least

[KingofRedSpace]

I love watching these videos of you're. Learning alot and I think I'm getting into swords and other kinds of weapons.

[jamesquinton]

I don't get to spar very often, so I love that I saw this after sparring with my friend just 4 days ago. This perfectly applied to exactly what happened between us. He knew not to press me when I used that guard, which was fairly often, and it was a great tool for recovering and countering when needed. Love your content, by the way.

[Peter-uiey]

I do not know why this is so satisfying to watch