Swordplay (Solo/Training)

The weather was clear and perfect for training during the early afternoon hours. Tatsuo had made his way out to the training grounds bent on improving his sword style. His own unique style of sword play would focus heavily on quick and deadly accurate strikes. He hoped to increase his skills with a blade to the point he can make every slash and every attack a potentially fatal blow to whomever his opponent was. However, he did hope his style would provide more than this. He hoped his intended style would also be mesmerizing to the opponent, making it difficult to follow and counter his attacks. To do so he intended to learn a reverse style where he would hold his sword facing behind him rather than in front of him. He hoped in turn that this would allow him to utilize strikes that his opponents may not have experience in dealing with. If so, he may be able to catch them off guard successfully and make his attacks much harder to read and counter.

It would take much practice before the style would be perfected which Tatsuo knew very well. However the common saying  that practice makes perfect was very true. Tatsuo now found himself standing at the middle of the training grounds. His eyes closed as he slowly drew his katana, placing it in his right hand facing away from him in the intended reverse style. "Well, its about time to get started." He thought to himself as he opened his eyes taking in the light, sounds, and world around him. He could hear birds off in the distance singing their signature songs and communicating with each other. A couple of squirrels also enjoyed wandering around their homes high up in the trees as Tatsuo was ready to begin his training session.

His first slash was quick, aimed low towards a would be opponents mid-section just below the ribs.The attack, if it had been used on an actual target, would have left a nasty and deep gash.Though his only target today would be the air around him. He continued on with his training, swinging his sharp sword in multiple directions at a blinding speed. To most normal people it would appear Tatsuo was just flailing violently with a dangerous weapon. This was not the case in this instance though as each slash was accurately and precisely placed exactly where he intended for it to go. With each swipe of his sword, the distinct whooshing sound it made was clearly heard. 

Taking a deep breath and re-sheathing his blade for the time being Tatsuo felt as if he was accustomed to the style already. It seemed natural to him, almost as if he had been using it all his life. Though this was clearly not the case, it was very possible that Tatsuo simply gravitated towards this style rather than the normal. Though he only owned a single katana at this time, he hoped to eventually get his hands on another, maybe slightly shorter blade, and begin focusing on a duel wield style of swordplay. He felt that using a smaller blade in his off hand would allow him to focus most of his attacks on utilizing the longer heavier sword while his defensive movements would more than often utilize the shorter sword. 

"Seems like i'm progressing quite well with this style of kenjutsu. Perhaps I should move over towards the forest a bit more and use one of the large trees as a practice doll. In doing so i'll actually be able to see each and every cut made into the wood rather than simply swinging at air." he thought to himself as he began walking from the center of the training grounds to one of the edges which was outlined by the forest. As he did so, he drew closer and closer to a large, wide tree which would make a perfect target for his blade. Standing at roughly the same distance he would picture himself at if he were facing off against another person, he drew his sword once again from it's resting place at his waist, placed it his right hand reverse style and entered his signature stance ready once again to begin training. 

His stance, the same as his earlier stance, focused on quick movements. His knees bent just slightly which would allow him to do side step quickly in a combat scenario, his body angled at forty-five degrees. His right hand, which was his dominant and held the sword tucked behind him while his left was stationed in front of him to cover his face, neck, and other vital areas. Pivoting with his front leg he swung his whole body around, bringing the sword in a full 360 degrees and placing a nice gash in the trunk of the tree. Continuing on with the combo immediately after a single second of hesitation, he placed two more precise and quick cuts in the tree overlapping the first horizontal slash in an "X" shaped pattern. 

Halting for a second to allow a moments rest, he decided to get more fancy with his new few maneuvers. He gashed the tree horizontally yet again, only this time just after his sword was no longer in contact with the wooden surface he would quickly toss the sword into the air above his head. As the sword sailed through the air slowly, he spun around one full time catching the sword in his right hand and slashing diagonally from the top right to the bottom left. Afterwards he would back flip away putting a couple meters distance between him and the tree. He pulled the sheath itself from his belt and held it behind his back, placing the sword inside of it once more. His last attack would be a dash and swift quick-draw of his sword placing one final cut in the tree trunk. Standing and regaining his composure, he would place both his blade and its sheath back on his belt in their rightful places. "I think that should just about do it for today's training. He thought to himself as he began his walk from the training grounds back to the village.

WC: 1041

Claiming multi-village sword style D-Rank (1041/1000)

Approved my good sir, that will be 500 ryo. Cash...
Also, remember to post what you learned/earned on your stay page, to keep as history. Thanks pal.