Narrow Play - Verse 74

This technique follows from a right-side cover (parry). Having deflected your opponent's attack with a cover from the right, you control their blade while simultaneously directing your sword point toward their face. The combination of blade control and a threat to the face forces them off balance and ultimately to the ground on their backs.

From the cover on the right side, thus have I caught you: My sword is in your face, and you'll be laid out on the ground. The powerful right's covering has taught you this lesson well. You'll go back to the earth while my point holds your face still.

This technique is used in narrow play (close range) when you successfully deflect an opponent's attack with a right-side cover. The immediate counter-threat to the face, combined with blade control, creates a dominant position that forces the opponent down. It demonstrates how a good defensive action can immediately transition into an offensive finish without disengaging.

• ✦ The cover must control the opponent's blade while simultaneously creating space for your thrust. This is not a pure parry followed by a thrust, but a unified action.
• ✦ The thrust to the face serves dual purposes: it threatens the target, forcing the opponent to react defensively, and it provides leverage for the takedown.
• ✦ The opponent should end up on their back, suggesting the technique involves either driving them backwards or using their defensive reaction to the face threat to create the imbalance.
• ✦ Practice maintaining blade control throughout; your sword must threaten the face while their blade is neutralised.
• ✦ The 'powerful right' language suggests this uses the strength of the dominant hand's mechanics, not just positioning.