We've spent the previous couple of weeks looking at attacking safely out of Porta di Ferro Stretta in sword and buckler and sword alone. Tonight (10 July 2016) we started looking at attacking safely out of Coda Lunga Alta. Where Porta di Ferro Stretta is our primary guardia with the sword foot forward, Coda Lunga Alta fills the same role when the buckler foot is forward.

A properly formed Coda Lunga Alta Guard should close the inside line with the buckler, and the outside line with the sword. As such it also has a very strong conterattacking potential, such that we have attack it with caution. Unlike Porta di Ferro Stretta, Coda Lunga Alta is already primed to deliver a strong cut and a strong thrust. For this reason the dominant attack out of Coda Lunga Alta is the thrust, which we use primarily as a provocation to draw a parry, allowing us to hit the now open line.

Offensive Combination Using Thrust And Riverso
From Coda Lunga Alta, pass right, throwing a thrust on the right step, and a riverso as the left foot comes behind.
(Libro 1, Capitolo 19)

This is the most obvious use of the thrust, which is to the inside line. This draws the parry to the inside, exposing the right side of the head and torso for the riverso. The thrust should be to the face, but don't allow the hand to drift too high (ie above the shoulder) otherwise the cut over action for the riverso has too much of the opponet's sword to avoid. Keeping the hand below the shoulder just requires the debole to avoid the opponent's parry, not the whole sword.

Offensive Combination Using Thrust And Mandritto
From Coda Lunga Alta, pass right, throwing a thrust on the right step, and a mandritto as the left foot comes behind.
(Libro 1, Capitolo 19)

The only real difference here is the line of the thrust, which is now to the outside of the opponent's sword. This draws a parry to the outside exposing the inside line to the redoubled attack. The mandritto typically is to the face or neck of the opponent.

Offensive Combination Using Slip, Thrust And Tramazzone
From Coda Lunga Alta, slip back the left foot, then pass right, throwing a thrust on the right step, and a tramazzone as the left foot comes behind.
(Libro 1, Capitolo 19)

The initial slip here creates an unstable position by bringing the feet into passo stretto. This instability allows us to accelerate the initial passing step, as well as lengthen the possible step we can make. It's useful for varying the speed and measure we use on our initial thrust. The thrust in this particular sequence can be to either the inside or outside of the opponent's sword. If it's to the outside the first part of the tramazzone allows us to pass under the opponent's sword using Guardia d'Alicorno as a transition position. If it's to the inside of the opponent's sword, the initial turn of the tramazzone clears the opponent's sword to out inside via the false edge beat.

In all of the three techniques above, it's vitally important that the provocation thrust is made close to the opponent's sword so that the only option they have is the parry. If we make our provocation thrust wide of their sword we typically won't provoke a parry, we will instead provoke a counterattack which at the very least will lead to a double hit, breaking rule one of any sensible fencing system! (Rule 1 = Don't Get Hit!) The idea of this provocation thrust is to move the opponent's sword of our choosing, removing their freedom of choice on where they should have their sword. This is the essence of rule 2 of any sensible fencing system, controlling the line or opponent's sword on the way in so that we can hit without being hit.