Having seen that subtle differences can change the compass of cuts one can throw from a guard, it is time to look at Ochs again.

Notice how Meyer’s ochs doesn’t sit with the flat upwards. Rather, it has the long edge angled upwards. Using this variant I can throw any cut from A thru D from the right guard with what feels to me as a more fluid action. (Your results may vary.)

It also gives me the ability to catch the enemies blade with the edge rather than the flat. This has three advantages:

The bade is wider edge-to-edge than flat-to-flat, which means it pushes his blade further away from my knuckles.

It offers me the ability to trap the opponent’s blade between my strong and my quillon.

If I had a shield (the part of the blade that looks like an inverted triangle) this would bring it into play as well, keeping his blade even further away from my hands.

Further Research

My current interpretation of this guard still only encompasses four lines of attack using the long edge. With further refinement is it possible to add more?

What does this variant do the number of quality of short edge cuts?