The Good, the Bad and the Ugly - Samurai Training

[Inch]

Booker DeWitt leans up against a tree in a snowy clearing. It was snowing. It was always snowing. Mr. DeWitt was waiting for his fellow Samurai. Both of the men were younger than he, but that was the way of things. The young shogun had taken time out of his busy schedule to train the two recent recruits to the samurai, and Booker supposed he should be thankful for that. But then again, they were both late. With a sigh, Booker drew his jacket closer to him, protecting him from the cold, and rested his chin against his chest, waiting in the snow.

 

[Vexion]

Kumori walkin through a beautiful field finally makes it to the tree where his sensai awaits him. *kumori bows* good morning sensai, kumori respectively says to his sensai

 

[Gin-San]

Gin wakes up from his nap in the field as he waited for both recruits. Due the constant amount of snow falling, his entire body was covered, making it hard for anyone to even notice him. As he hears voices, he awakens, brushing all the snow from him, carrying three bokken.

*Yawn*

"Sup guys? Before we start, let me ask you some questions: Any previous experience with kenjutsu before? (real life and/or RP wise), What is kenjutsu? (Real life and Narutoverse wise) Why are you interested in kenjutsu?

 

[Vexion]

I was taught the basics of kenjutsu already sensai. Kenjutsu is the art of one and his blade working together in battle to strike down enemies sensai. I am interested in the art of the sword because my father was a great samurai who commited sepeku in front of me. Ever since then I vowed to pick up sword and fight for my fathers death

 

[Inch]

Mr. DeWitt's eyes flick from the young man who had just arrived, to the young man who had risen from the snow, as if he were some sort of snow zombie. Shaking his head, he straightened himself from the tree, listening to the question of his instructor.

"When I worked with the samurai before, I only trained in basic kenjutsu. The guy who taught me had me do some exercises to make me get used to gripping a sword... Didn't get to much out of that. After that he gave me access to the basic kenjutsu technique. That did come in handy later on."

Booker lifted his eyes upward, trying to come up with a convincing answer for the other questions. "For me, kenjutsu is a means to an end. Blood is my business. Kenjutsu has become my tool. Some people say that kenjutsu is an art.. Painting is an art. Kenjutsu is for fighting. To each his own, I guess."

With that, Booker looked back at the silver haired man. "I'm interested in kenjutsu because blood is my business. I need to do what I'm paid to do, and I need to protect what I want to protect. And that's what kenjutsu is for to me."

 

[Gin-San]

I see, lads. Everyone has a reason why to pick up the sword. To protect thyself, to protect others, to protect one's soul and existence. Whatever your reason is, it must be strong enough to overwhelm others wills and overcome a fight. Now, that you have answered such questions, let's begin.

I first want to go through the basics, just a couple more questions:

1. Do you know the difference between a one handed attack and a two handed attack [Holding the sword with one hand vs holding it with two].
2. Do you know the difference between an upward slash and a downward slash? What about sideways?
3. Is body position important?

 

[Inch]

Booker considered the questions. He had never really thought about such things. He had learned how to wield his blade in certain ways and that was simply the way he did them. He drew his sword, and lightly tossed it back and forth between his hands as he considered the question.

"Well, a two handed sword style obviously carries more power than a one handed sword style. A one handed sword has the advantage of more free movement, though. If both hands are gripping the sword, I guess you can't reach as far to either side without turning your body. Oh, and if it's one sword style, you could have a shield or something in your other hand, if you wanted.

I guess a downward slash typically has more weight behind the swing than an upward slash, but that depends a bit on body positioning. Hm. Obviously the direction the attack coming from is a big difference and that changes the way your opponent would block the slash. I guess I've never thought about it too much."

Booker once again sheathes his sword as he addresses the final question. "Yeah, body positioning is important."

 

[Gin-San]

Booker considered the questions. He had never really thought about such things. He had learned how to wield his blade in certain ways and that was simply the way he did them. He drew his sword, and lightly tossed it back and forth between his hands as he considered the question.

"Well, a two handed sword style obviously carries more power than a one handed sword style. A one handed sword has the advantage of more free movement, though. If both hands are gripping the sword, I guess you can't reach as far to either side without turning your body. Oh, and if it's one sword style, you could have a shield or something in your other hand, if you wanted.

I guess a downward slash typically has more weight behind the swing than an upward slash, but that depends a bit on body positioning. Hm. Obviously the direction the attack coming from is a big difference and that changes the way your opponent would block the slash. I guess I've never thought about it too much."

Booker once again sheathes his sword as he addresses the final question. "Yeah, body positioning is important."

Well you are correct, to a degree. You hit the nail explaining the concept behind the one handed vs two handed.

Now, the difference between the direction of a vertical attack, being downward or upward, is very important. When you are slashing downward, you are increasing the amount of power behind your strike, but your body elevates slightly upward due newton's law, making you less "heavier" and making you prone to lose your balance quicker. At the contrary, an upward slash, though it holds less power than the downward slash, it actually helps the wielder obtain a much more greater balance and precision due the sword movement pushing your body downward. If two swordsmen of equal strength were to clash with a downward and an upward slash, they would arrive at a stalemate.

A sideways strike is also called the "neutral strike". The attack is not supported nor defied by the law of gravity as much as it would with a downward/upward slash. These are excellent when opting for a greater amount of agility and precision. Your body is able to move and react much quicker.

So, in summary:

Downward: +Strength/+Speed/-Balance/-Agility/=Precision
Upward: +Strength/-Speed/+Balance/-Agility/=Precision
Sideways: =Strength/=Speed/=Balance/+Agility/+Precision

Then there are diagonal slashes too, which are a combination of the three main categories. It is up to you to understand which would be the most appropriate in different situations.
Another important factor, is the speed and force that your swing has; which is highly relative of the amount of hands you are using, stance, and direction.

Finally, deepness. This will determinate if you are only scratching a person's nose or actually cutting him in half. Remember to be highly detailed in this, as it not only put the enemy under pressure, but also explain better were your body position and distance is compared to the enemy's.

Now, before continuing with the concept of body position, do you have any questions?

 

[Vexion]

no sensai i understand to this point.

 

[Inch]

Oh, look at me, completely forgetting about this. Do blocking positions have similar properties? (differences between vertical, horizontal, etc.)