Repetitious Zanjutsu

This article, Repetitious Zanjutsu, is property of Kenji-Taichō. Permission is required to alter its content. Use of this page's contents is determined by the author of this page, unless otherwise specified.

This article, Repetitious Zanjutsu, can be used freely on this wiki without the creators explicit permission.

"You want to know how Ryōta taught me? Repetition, repetition, repetition... with yet more -- you guessed it! -- repetition.
That seems... well, counter-productive, right? Shouldn't I be learning as much as possible to broaden my horizons?
No, because without having the basics firmly in-hand, how do you expect to master the intermediate or the advanced?"

—Kenji to Kazuma.

Repetitious Zanjutsu was a concept practiced by many Shinigami, which was designed to build highly choreographed sequences of strikes, blocks and parries so that the very idea of combat became an almost instinctual practice bolstered by the practitioners skill and chosen form. Kenji Hiroshi described it as "basic practices", and taught many classes where the same sequences were taught over and over again for many hours. Even though Kusaka admitted that the concept was meant for Zanjutsu, he also noted that it could be applied to Hakuda as well, with Kazuma citing its effectiveness in any martial art form.

Applications

Repetitious Zanjutsu was characterized by its focus on highly developed choreographed sequences, which the practitioner would repeat over and over again over many hours of training, often with the aid of a fellow practitioner. This practice developed reflexes, instinctual movement during combat and served to build ones skill. When employed competitively the results were often positive, as fellow practitioners attempted to best their contemporaries during sparring sessions, thus encouraging them to learn and improve.

Meian acknowledged the need for repeated sequences of blade work and martial ability for both Zanjutsu and Hakuda, describing the practice as "the basics of the basics", yet he also understood that these basics needed to be taught and learned before more advanced forms could be learned. Without that fundamental knowledge he said practitioners of Zanjutsu often degraded to self-taught and highly erratic blade work, as was the case with Rosuto, who went mostly self taught. Maki ultimately agreed with Meian's views, stating that "skilled swordsman could often pick apart the style of self-taught swordsman".