Swordsmanship,+Tool+of+the+Master

=Tools of a Master= (Return to Swordsmanship)

The nature of a weapon... Is it to destroy? To impose one's will? To defend? To Attack?

Or perhaps it is simply a tool to gain leverage over the wills of others.

The truth of this lies between these many half-truths. Remember that a sword or any other weapon for that matter is still just a thing. Made of wood, or steel, or something else. It was not made for one purpose alone either. Rather, a weapon is a tool. It should be thought of as a tool. A very useful one in fact. In the hands of a clever person a toothpick can be made to do wonderful things. Pick locks, clean hard-to-reach places, or even kill others. A sword is a bigger, sharper toothpick. And because it is the person behind it that determines what it can do, it takes a real and discaplined person to make the best use of it.

The difference between a student and a swordsman: A Student is learning how to cut and kill, block and defend. A Swordsman is learning how to do a better Job at it than the student. A Master is learning how to do everything. The sword in his hands can do everything.

Let us look at the difference in luke skywalker as he works his way to mastery:



On the millenium Falcon in 'A New Hope' Luke was learning how to use his new lightsaber from Obi-Wan. He was a student, training to block, defend, cut, and kill. You will notice he was also not very good. So bad in fact that he preffered a Rifle on the Death Star and never really got a cance to use his lightsaber for anything but practice in the very first movie.



On cloud city in 'The empire strikes back' Luke unknowingly faced his father in a lightsaber duel to save his friends. He had had time to learn all of the basics. He had them down. Now he became a swordsman because he was using them with a real purpose. That is the first step into becoming a swordsman. Translating the basic skills into a purpose that is real and solid.



Finally in 'Return of the Jedi' Luke faced his father once more. He had become a great swordsman carving his way through many, many encounters from Jabba the hutt to storm-troopers and every other conceivable obstacle. But now he became a master. Both Luke and Vader had their saber, though both were turned on and flahing through the weaves of killing and saving each other and themselves Luke wasn't aiming to kill or to defend. Luke became a master because he was using his lightsaber to turn Darth Vader back into his Father. To save him.

A Student can win, A Swordsman can kill, But only a Master can Save with an instument of death in his hands.

//A Student is trying to succeed, A Swordsman is trying to save himself, A Master is trying to save someone else.// -Sam)(ael-

(Return to Swordsmanship)