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"Something else useful to remember: a sword fight is never just a swordfight. Grappling can be quite useful, so can knees and elbows, anything to distract and stagger your opponent. Gives you those few extra seconds to put the sword in its new sheath." [b][i]He said.[/i][/b] "Now, thinks to the simulations we can have you practice in dummies as much as you want without anyone dying." [b][i]A wooden humanoid figure appeared as Angelo stepped to the side.[/i][/b] "Let's see what you've got."
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Blake nodded, using his right hand to grip the blade towards the middle of its handle. He slashed diagnolly at the dummy.
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"Good. Another tip, don't wind up. You don't need to do that to get extra power. Instead, you can do a few things. One, is use your body when you slash instead of just your arm. Step into your swing, or twist your body with it." [b][i]He said, demonstrating with his own blade.[/i][/b] "You can also try something like a high guard if Rath guard. High guard is generally for blocking any overhead strikes as you would expect, and the extra distance makes it take longer but have more power." "Rath guard has the sword on the back shoulder like so." [b][i]He said, putting the sword on his back shoulder, the front one facing Blake.[/i][/b] "Same idea. More distance, more power. Plus ou can twist your body and really lay in with the damage. Only problem is is that it leaves you open." [b][i]As much as Angelo had the knowledge, Jt was strange in a way for him to know all of this. He was a soldier, though his swordsmanship was just as good as his marksmanship.[/i][/b]
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Blake stepped as he swung at another dummy, slicing horizontally.
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[b][i]Angelo laughed a bit.[/i][/b] "Well, you're pretty good at this already. Takes a good few people a long time to learn it." [b][i]Angelo said as he saw Blake striking. He did see that Blake was progressing quickly, though he may have been paying a little less attention than he should've looking at Blake's body[/i][/b]
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"Well, I lived and fought along side two swordsmen for years."
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"Yeah, seeing it does help you learn. Would've helped me a few times." [b][i]He said laughing a bit.[/i][/b] "Now, using the blade is only part of swordfighting. Remember, you can use the pommel as well to stagger your opponent. Sword fighting isn't about hitting your opponent a lot, it's about hitting the one strike that stops the opponent."
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Blake nodded, "Can we get to that main thing later? I have to be able to hold my own long enough to deal the stopping blow."
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"Then let's talk defence. Now, there's two kinds of defence: static and moving. Static is your blocking and reflecting, whereas moving is dodging out of the way. Now, blocking can work, but it's usually better to reflect someone's blow. You absorb less of the power, and it sets you up better for a counter attack. Dodging should be pretty self explanatory." [b][i]He said jokingly, holding his blade at the ready.[/i][/b] "Want me to demonstrate the idea of reflecting instead of blocking?"
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"Yes, please," Blake requested.
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"Alright. Blocking is all static. Hold up the blade and stop theirs." [b][i]He said as he readied his blade.[/i][/b] "Go ahead, swing at me and I'll show you. Don't worry about hitting me, you won't."
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Blake did a half-hearted, little force swing. He didn't put that much energy in it. The blow was a simple, one haned, horizontal strike.
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[b][i]Angelo raised his sword to block it, using his other hand to brace the blow as the sound of metal against metal was heard. The blade pushed back down towards Angelo a bit, as he shoved it back.[/i][/b] "Blocking absourbs more of the energy, meaning more damage to the weapon and more chance it can break, along with hurting you a bit more. Now, strike again." [b][i]He said. Angelo clearly knew what he was doing quite well.[/i][/b]
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He sliced more diagnolly, again, not as much force as he probably would.