"We train in unarmed combat," she said quietly. "This kind of weapon-based fighting..." The two exchanged a helpless glance.
They knew a few combat techniques, but they'd never crossed over into fighting with weapons.
In the end, the Kendo Club advisor gave them the correct answer.
"It's about redirecting the force."
His voice was calm and assured as he traced an arc through the air with his hands.
"It's like cushioning the force when you catch a ball by drawing your hands back. A true sword master can deflect an attack at the moment of contact, neutralize it, or even turn the opponent's force against them."
But when he saw the girls' still-bewildered expressions, he shook his head helplessly and added, "Basically, Tanaka-kun didn't meet force with force."
According to Newton's third law of motion, discovered by the physicist Isaac Newton,
the common, simplified way to express the reciprocity of forces is this:
Interaction forces are equal in magnitude, opposite in direction, and act along the same straight line.
The two forces arise and disappear at the same time.
But in battles with bladed weapons or bare fists, this law usually can't be represented by a simple equation.
Because people are living creatures with intelligence.
Reality isn't an action movie where you take turns throwing punches.
With skill or other techniques,
you can weaken or even nullify an opponent's attack. It's even possible to borrow their force and use it against them.
But to ordinary girls, who were amateurs, these ideas were obviously hard to understand.
Even though the Kendo Club advisor had explained the principles as plainly as he could,
they still didn't get it.
Karuizawa Kei and Sakura Airi exchanged another glance and stuck out their tongues in unison.
By then, Tanaka Yukishin had walked over. He casually