ABSTRACT
In Chapter 5 you learned the guards of the rapier and the principle of closing lines of attack. The standard and cross body guard were used to establish walls of defense that the adversary had to pass their point around before launching an effective attack. The idea of the' 'guard" however, presented a further barrier that had to be thwarted before any attack could hit home. Although a changement could manipulate the weapon into an open line, the point of the guarding weapon still posed a threat to the opponent. Any attack launched without removing the point of the guarding blade could impale the aggressor. Thus, the point of the opponent's weapon needs to be "struck" or "borne" aside before one can effectively strike or thrust.
