Posta di Bastarda Croce

Posta di Bastarda Croce, or the Guard of the Bastard Cross in English, is a guard in Fiorean poleaxe and halfsword. With the longsword, it is held horizontally with the hilt leading and pointed at the opponent along the left side, as though the combatant were about to draw the sword from a sheath. With the poleaxe, it is held in a similar fashion, but with the butt of the haft facing toward the enemy and the axe head in a ready position for full-power overhand blows. Sottani are also possible from this position, as are thrusts with the haft-butt. Some poleaxes of the period had a sharpened spike at the end of the haft[1], which made thrusts with the butt especially effective in this instance.