Hand posture

The basic stance is well suited for cuts and slashes.

This common hand stance uses mainly the thumb, index finger and heel of the hand.

The sword is held with the index finger and the front ball of the hand. The thumb is used to secure it. The other fingers are hardly needed, but support the overall posture.

The pistol grip places the blade much further forward and makes it much easier to execute thrusts.

A variation of the thumb grip

The middle finger and the front heel of the hand are used to hold the sword. The index finger and thumb are used for further adjustment and locking. The remaining fingers support the stance.

With the thumb grip, the blade has a different orientation in relation to the arm; it is rotated 90° from the usual stance. This makes it easier to make cuts in the thigh area and stitches to the shoulder. The thumb is more vulnerable with a one-handed sword.

The thumb lies on the flat side of the blade. The sword is held with the fingers. The index finger lies with the second joint in the middle of the blade so that a triangle is formed.