And About Time Too!

[Jaret Sha'Co]

Jaret nodded and quickly walked around to face his Master. "Are you ready? Here I go."

Jaret stepped forward with his right foot. He swung the saber towards Kei, demonstrating what Kei had just shown him. All the while he kept his knees bent slight, but as he swung he tighten his grip on the handle.

[member="Kei Amadis"]

 

[Kei Amadis]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4gf2Gtrovw
​

Keeping his balance low and firm, Kei inverted his saber blocking it across the full length of his body, a rotation from the front of him, all the way around his body to his back, he brought it over his shoulder while stepping but not hitting his apprentice at this early stage, “Cho strikes, covering all the target zones on the body at the same time, gives you a shield of plasma with your saber.” Which he’d demonstrated by circling his body with his saber and then stepping to attack.

“You can swing to block, or hold, there is no weight in the beam, it’ll do the work for you if your stance and grip is firm, your arms locked, the main thing is to keep your cool“ he demonstrated how easy it was to block something when you were just focused on defense, and this was why he'd been so adamant his apprentice practice finding that calm earlier, because it would serve him through all of his training or life from here on out.

“Practice defending first, two types, strong simple blocks swinging blocks, and then moving the saber around yourself in a rotation to cover your body, tell me which one feels more comfortable.” This was where his apprentice started to pick what he was more comfortable with, and where he wanted to develop his saber skills, what forms he'd ultimately choose if at all.

Kei did two simple overhead strikes against Jaret, and this time he'd get stung lightly if he didn't block the saber, simple strikes slow and steady, but they were easy to see and easy to block for his student at this stage.

[member="Jaret Sha'Co"]​

 

[Jaret Sha'Co]

Jaret recovered from his Master's defense and then listened intently. This was all very important information that could one day mean the life or death of him.

Jaret began to calm himself, thinking and seeing the trees. He let the force flow through him and around him, letting it guide his movements. As the first blow came down Jaret swung the saber in a arc around his legs and brought it up to catch Kei's saber and then attempted to flick it off. As the next attack came, Jaret simply lifted his blade to hold Kei's where it was. Once this was done, he stepped back and began to practice his swinging blocks.

"I think I prefer to swing and block." Jaret continued to practice, begining to understand the way it works. "Yes definitely more comfortable." He looked to his Master hoping that he had done everything correctly.

[member="Kei Amadis"]

 

[Kei Amadis]

Kei gave a nod, Jaret was beginning to choose and show what type of Jedi he would eventually mature into, naturally everyone had their strengths only enhanced by the force, “Strong and direct styles, are Djem So for heavier swings, and Shii-Cho what I am showing you. Have a go at this.” Kei was a novice at Makashi but he could at least demonstrate it for his apprentice, it did not rely on rotations either.

Kei made basic double step and a lunge, the Epicanthix then retreated back a step, light footwork, which for Kei came off as clumsy, because his Master was not a graceful duelist like a Makashi user would be. He then made two more quick half steps, parrying like a fencer with the center of his weapon, not swinging, not blocking or rotating his saber.

“Makashi is a trim form with little wasted energy, it picks a center point in the middle of your saber, and focuses on it, using it as a point of parrying and focus, so judging the distance to your opponent and yourself is critical,” A focus Kei could not demonstrate well, but there were Masters on hand he could call if Jaret preferred a more graceful style.

One by one they could eliminate the styles to see which fitted Jaret best, and he'd have a small run down of a few to practice on his own.

Spoiler

If you’d like Makaski, Ataru etc I can bring an NPC in to instruct both of them and NPC him so pick any form you like.

[member="Jaret Sha'Co"]​

 

[Jaret Sha'Co]

As Jaret practiced what his Master had shown him, he was more clumsy than his Master. Jaret again stepped to the side and practiced once more, but he began to shake his head, this didn't feel natural to him. "I don't think this one works for me." He looked down and gave it some more attempts, but he shook his head.

[member="Kei Amadis"]

 

[Kei Amadis]

“One last look at another, take two hands and I want you to swing the saber as if it’s going past me, aim behind me and use all of your body, I want you to drive your feet forward, with a heavy two handed hit,” this was Djem So, Kei had the feeling Djem So or Shi-Cho would suit Jaret best but Ataru was another option if they didn’t. Kei rolled his saber in a basic orbit of Soresu around in his hand, to show how the power of Djem So was countered by the form of Soresu moving with it, to deflect and turn it aside.

Afterwards Kei demonstrated a strong overhead strike, one two, three times, like he was exerting a lot of pressure, he moved his saber down into a low guard and swept the saber up, strong strikes, simple but powerful. A lot of energy was used in Djem So, it was made to overwhelm your opponent, but by its nature it encouraged offense not defense. “Offense is your defense in Djem So, but not aggression”, Kei added as he moved, that was “the fine balance for a Jedi to remember in any of these forms”.

This form Kei seemed to excel at given his size at 6ft 2, and he moved confidently a veteran now of several duels and battles using it. “There are others such as more acrobatic Ataru, and you can pick whatever you like in your training, looking at those options, which do you prefer to practice?” He’d skipped Soresu because Jaret hadn’t been as comfortable rotating the saber as straight blocking, and Ataru because it wasn’t simple blocking it was more acrobatic.

All this so Jaret was ready to take his first mission, and steps into the world, to begin his trials and prepare him for his life ahead, Kei was already proud with his progress, no doubt. He’d already come a long way from when he first walked onto the training ground.

[member="Jaret Sha'Co"]​

 

[Jaret Sha'Co]

Jaret switched his grip on his saber, wielding it in the two handed style. He began to copy his Master's strikes, using up some of his energy, a small film of sweat bubbled up on his nose.

A smile grew upon Jaret's face as he stopped, he could feel it, or he though he could, but this was going to be the form for him.

"I like this one the most." As his Master spoke about Ataru, Jaret subconsciously rubbed rubbed his elbow remembering his group training session in it and how he somewhat failed to perform the air manouvers.

"Could you maybe teach me Djem So?" Jaret felt most comfortable with this form.

[member="Kei Amadis"]

 

[Kei Amadis]

"Yes." Well there was a grin from his Master if he Kei honest because that was the form Kei knew well, and rather than have to take a backseat to another Master while Jaret practiced, Amadis could instruct him directly.

“There are two key parts to Djem so, using your momentum, and taking the momentum back. You’ve got to pressure, like this, put your guard up and block what I do.” Kei raised his hands into a two handed guard over his head, basic but leaving him ready to bring it down, one of a few Djem So opening stances.

“Krayts horn.” He said with the blade over his head, Kei stepped forward, and thrust the tip of the beam formward, “Krayt’s eye,” these were two common techniques to use in an “accelerations, where you push your advantage, you’ve got to pressure.”

Kei began fanning attacks on his student, not trying to hit him, trying to push Jaret back and show Jaret what Djem so was all about. High inverted his beam would hit one side of his padawan’s block, then come up and over, to hit the other side, fast fanning attacks while he stepped forward into Jaret, always moving.

“Now you.” Kei said readying a high guard again, his stance deepening, only this time the beam was angled out, over the Epicanthix's shoulder and down. Twisting his body to be forty five degrees on with his apprentice, and ready to crash his saber against his student's own technique, hard as Kei blocked.

[member="Jaret Sha'Co"]​

 

[Jaret Sha'Co]

Jaret quickly practice the stances of Krayts horn and Krayt's eye before his Master attacked. "Ready." He gave a small nod as he readied his defensive stance.

Jaret was pushed back by his Master's attacks, and he was only just managing to block each attack using the techniques his Master just showed him. Luckily Kei stopped his attack after force Jaret back a few meters.

Now it was Jaret's turn to attack, he raised his saber, and wielded it with both hands. He held it over his head, and then when his Master told him too, Jaret began his barrage of attacks, steppding forwards with each attack. His attack's were no way as strong as Kei's nor as fast, but he continued to attack, remembering to remain calm but he found it somewhat frustrating as he was unable to break his Master's defense.

[member="Kei Amadis"]