Receiving Gioco Stretto with Longsword

Prerequisite: This course assumes the knowledge of the three Longsword Fundamentals courses.

Blade pressure is a key topic of the course, and we’ll learn to be sensitive to the kinds of pressure and cues our opponent gives as they approach. Finally, we'll examine the tactical and strategic implications of being the one who receives.

Exchanging the thrust: Here you'll learn how to make effective exchanges from all four quadrants.

Stringere: Here you'll learn how to apply tactical constraint (stringere) as the opponent approaches, how to respond to pressures and changes of line all while both maintaining control and luring your opponent into your plans.

Recovering control: What happens when the opponent gets control? In this lesson you'll learn how to recover control and retake the initiative from various measures and against various approaches.

The True Fight: In this final lesson you'll learn how to strategically take control of the fight and the actions of the True Fight starting from positions of recovery. Here you'll understand the tactical implications of letting your opponent have control at first and how to effectively use that to your advantage and to take it back and strike.

Each topic contains a short video, retention quiz and practice notes.