[ Daisuke was really grateful that Kashuu took the time to clear out the dojo for his lesson. To show his gratitude, he planned on taking the lessons very seriously and pay attention whenever he could so that the time invested in the lessons feel worth it. Daisuke is swordless for the time being as he stands there. ]
I learned basic footwork from watching videos... And a little bit about how to swing one. I practiced with a thick tree branch, so holding an actual wooden sword might get some time to get used to... That's okay, right?
Totally okay, yeah. Everyone learns at their own pace, so just take your time to adjust and figure out how to make things work for you, okay?
[Though speaking of actual swords and all, it's probably best to match him up with one that suits him. Stepping away from the wall, he gestures to the side with bokuto.]
We're gonna start out with these guys. They're heavier than shinai, but they also match the weight of a real sword a little better. C'mere and try a few out, see how much weight you think feels comfortable.
[ Some of the designs look a bit different than the others, but Daisuke will hold one properly after some thinking. It does feel heavier than what he's used to, but he'll probably get used to it eventually. ]
Or do I just choose whichever one because that doesn't matter...?
Some do! Some have a little bit of difference in the length, though. Even a tiiiny bit can change the way it sits in your hands and how it feels when you swing it. See?
[He'll pluck one that's a little bit shorter from the wall, holding it out for Daisuke to measure and compare the weights and hand-feel.]
[ Daisuke takes the shorter one and tries to compare it with the one that he has in his other hand. It does feel a bit different when he thinks about it and he switches hands to test the other sword in his more dominant hand. After some more test swings, Daisuke picks the slightly shorter one. ]
[To him, after so many years of kendo and the returning memories of centuries and centuries of Being A Sword™, it's starting to become second nature to pick out things like that. Which type of sword fits who, how well any blade fits in someone's hand...
He nods toward the one in Daisuke's.]
We'll graduate to a live blade pretty quickly, but you'll always need to rely on your bokuto for training. It's a smart idea to develop a good working relationship with it, y'know? Know how it feels from every angle and how to move it around well, 'cause the last thing you want is someone knocking it out of your hands in the middle of a fight. That's what we're gonna start with today, okay? A little one-on-one, too.
[ He certainly didn't expect that already, but he's not going to refuse the offer. His past life might have been full of easily stealing stuff, but he hopes that will also translate well into having a firm grip on the bokuto. ]
Ah, but wait... How do we train a grip on a sword? Is there a secret method to it?
Mmhm. No point in waiting when we don't know how long of a break we'll have before you gotta put your skills to use, right?
[It's said in a lightly teasing tone, but he definitely means it... Under normal circumstances, actual sparring (even very mild training matches, which is what he has in mind) would wait for at least a few weeks. Time isn't really a luxury they have a surplus of, though.]
No secrets here, either. To train your grip, you just gotta practice your strikes. If you do 'em often enough, your muscle memory will kick in and your body will know where to go and how to hold your blade automatically. Pretty neat, right? Here, we can start off with this--
[At which point he'll move to stand next to Daisuke, dropping into a simple stance and raising his own bokuto for a straightforward strike.]
[ He watches Kashuu carefully and takes note on his form. He's been getting better at observing people and noticing things lately (when he tries), so when Kashuu finishes, Daisuke also mimics the stance and does the same thing he did. It's no perfect copy and it's a bit clumsy, but he does it again and again until he feels like it's a bit better than how it was when he first started. He pauses for a short break though. ]
Is this why they recommended that we do 100 strikes every day?
[Kashuu isn't much of a helicopter instructor, but he does watch carefully even if he only steps in to correct a small handful of times. There's something nice about watching the amount of improvement that can happen even over just one lesson, honestly.
As for the question, he laughs a little.]
You got it. You basically wanna get to the point where everything's muscle memory, so you don't really have to spend time thinking about that when you're in a fight. You need to use your brain to figure out other things, y'know? Like where your opponent might strike, or how you can get the upper hand on 'em.
Oh, that's so cool... I'm used to thinking about things too much, so I guess I should let that go a bit. I found out that I have really good reflexes, but I always had to think first before using them. Not because of restrictions, but I think I'm... [ He doesn't want to admit it, but. ] ... not that quick on my feet.
[rip in rest, daisuke... He laughs just a little, but it's in a good-natured sort of way.]
Yeah? Who knows, maybe it's better to think before you let your reflexes take over. At first, anyway... Better to ease into stuff, y'know? But now it's something you can work on and practice. Over-thinking can get you into some trouble in a fight, but you shouldn't just be relying on reflexes or instincts, either.
There should always be a healthy mix of both, right?
[ He practices his swings a bit more, trying to get used to the feel. He even moves a bit here and there to get a better feeling of how to move with a weapon. His movements would normally be perceived as well, since he's fast but to a trained eye, he seems pretty clumsy: too late on deciding which way he should go, how he should swing the sword after moving, and more. He pauses, letting the wooden sword down to his side. ]
Right. Your own fighting style will start to come out once you get a balance of both that you're comfortable with.
[And as far as he's concerned, the practice swings aren't too bad, either. Clumsy, but not in a way that he's particularly worried about. Practice alone - along with decent direction - should be more than enough to clean up the inconsistencies and indecisiveness.
He can't help but laugh at that, though...]
Aha, you're not wrong about it. People dedicate their whole lives to mastering swords, so don't be worried about the learning curve.
[Fortunately, he's not Yasusada, so poor Daisuke won't get bodyslammed with a tidal wave of factoids and gushing about living that samurai life. He is pretty enthusiastic about the idea of testing things out in a match, though.]
Sure, sure! Testing it out in battle is always the best thing to do. It's the number one way to hone your reflexes, too.
[While he's talking, he goes to pick up his own bokuto, returning to the mats in quick order.]
We'll start out with a small match, though. I'm thinking thirty second intervals. Sound good?
[Kashuu is a fair teacher, even if he can be a little hard on the people he teaches. He'll carefully monitor his own movements, making sure to keep any of those inhuman edges out of his speed as he takes a step forward, or his strikes as he moves in for the first attack. It's about form, after all, and perfecting those reactions - not necessarily wins or losses.]
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no subject
I learned basic footwork from watching videos... And a little bit about how to swing one. I practiced with a thick tree branch, so holding an actual wooden sword might get some time to get used to... That's okay, right?
no subject
[Though speaking of actual swords and all, it's probably best to match him up with one that suits him. Stepping away from the wall, he gestures to the side with bokuto.]
We're gonna start out with these guys. They're heavier than shinai, but they also match the weight of a real sword a little better. C'mere and try a few out, see how much weight you think feels comfortable.
no subject
[ Some of the designs look a bit different than the others, but Daisuke will hold one properly after some thinking. It does feel heavier than what he's used to, but he'll probably get used to it eventually. ]
Or do I just choose whichever one because that doesn't matter...?
no subject
[He'll pluck one that's a little bit shorter from the wall, holding it out for Daisuke to measure and compare the weights and hand-feel.]
no subject
This one feels a bit easier on me.
no subject
[To him, after so many years of kendo and the returning memories of centuries and centuries of Being A Sword™, it's starting to become second nature to pick out things like that. Which type of sword fits who, how well any blade fits in someone's hand...
He nods toward the one in Daisuke's.]
We'll graduate to a live blade pretty quickly, but you'll always need to rely on your bokuto for training. It's a smart idea to develop a good working relationship with it, y'know? Know how it feels from every angle and how to move it around well, 'cause the last thing you want is someone knocking it out of your hands in the middle of a fight. That's what we're gonna start with today, okay? A little one-on-one, too.
no subject
[ He certainly didn't expect that already, but he's not going to refuse the offer. His past life might have been full of easily stealing stuff, but he hopes that will also translate well into having a firm grip on the bokuto. ]
Ah, but wait... How do we train a grip on a sword? Is there a secret method to it?
no subject
[It's said in a lightly teasing tone, but he definitely means it... Under normal circumstances, actual sparring (even very mild training matches, which is what he has in mind) would wait for at least a few weeks. Time isn't really a luxury they have a surplus of, though.]
No secrets here, either. To train your grip, you just gotta practice your strikes. If you do 'em often enough, your muscle memory will kick in and your body will know where to go and how to hold your blade automatically. Pretty neat, right? Here, we can start off with this--
[At which point he'll move to stand next to Daisuke, dropping into a simple stance and raising his own bokuto for a straightforward strike.]
Just a downward slash, like this.
no subject
Is this why they recommended that we do 100 strikes every day?
no subject
As for the question, he laughs a little.]
You got it. You basically wanna get to the point where everything's muscle memory, so you don't really have to spend time thinking about that when you're in a fight. You need to use your brain to figure out other things, y'know? Like where your opponent might strike, or how you can get the upper hand on 'em.
no subject
no subject
Yeah? Who knows, maybe it's better to think before you let your reflexes take over. At first, anyway... Better to ease into stuff, y'know? But now it's something you can work on and practice. Over-thinking can get you into some trouble in a fight, but you shouldn't just be relying on reflexes or instincts, either.
no subject
[ He practices his swings a bit more, trying to get used to the feel. He even moves a bit here and there to get a better feeling of how to move with a weapon. His movements would normally be perceived as well, since he's fast but to a trained eye, he seems pretty clumsy: too late on deciding which way he should go, how he should swing the sword after moving, and more. He pauses, letting the wooden sword down to his side. ]
... This is a lot harder than I thought.
no subject
[And as far as he's concerned, the practice swings aren't too bad, either. Clumsy, but not in a way that he's particularly worried about. Practice alone - along with decent direction - should be more than enough to clean up the inconsistencies and indecisiveness.
He can't help but laugh at that, though...]
Aha, you're not wrong about it. People dedicate their whole lives to mastering swords, so don't be worried about the learning curve.
no subject
[ Like a way of life. An entire lifestyle. When thinking about it that way, Daisuke has all the more reason to take this very seriously. ]
Um, that sparring thing we were talking about earlier... Can we do it now? I want to try and see how it matches up when it's against someone.
no subject
Sure, sure! Testing it out in battle is always the best thing to do. It's the number one way to hone your reflexes, too.
[While he's talking, he goes to pick up his own bokuto, returning to the mats in quick order.]
We'll start out with a small match, though. I'm thinking thirty second intervals. Sound good?
no subject
Sounds good!
[ He gets in a ready stance and prepares himself. Daisuke is also super nervous about it, but trying to keep calm so that he has his head on right. ]
no subject
[Kashuu is a fair teacher, even if he can be a little hard on the people he teaches. He'll carefully monitor his own movements, making sure to keep any of those inhuman edges out of his speed as he takes a step forward, or his strikes as he moves in for the first attack. It's about form, after all, and perfecting those reactions - not necessarily wins or losses.]