In the dojo

Jason pulled his gym shirt on over his head, having to pull it down over his abs as it folded and rolled over them. He pushed his hair back and out of his eyes before sitting down and beginning the process of wrapping his fists in tape. The threat of bruising and tearing the skin on his knuckles as he trained was severe, and he was willing to lose a little bit of finger mobility for safety.

He walked out onto the floor and picked up the chain that he was going to be training with. He connected one end of it to a barrel filled with water, weighing about fifty pounds, and tied the other end around his hand. With that done, he heaved the barrel up with both hands and carried it into the training ring. His partner was already waiting, katana in hand and already drawn, and shifted into a defensive stance as Jason set down his barrel.

The two bowed to each other before Jason stepped back, letting the chain reach its end and draw taut. His partner stared at Jason's chest, watching the movements as Jason prepared to heave. He yanked as hard as he could, and the barrel launched up and towards himself. As it soared into the end, he whipped his arms around, pulling the barrel through the air and giving it the centrifugal force to stay airborne and begin to spin above Jason.

His partner never took his eyes off of Jason's chest. It was through his chest that every action he was going to take could be seen. He could see the way Jason's muscles reacted to the way the barrel was swinging above him. They had practiced this a number of times, and the length of Jason's chain had been long since determined. It was simply a matter of timing.

Jason whipped his arms forward, hurling the barrel in his partner's direction. The katana flashed forward, slicing through the air. But it was too early. The whip through the chain had taken a moment to fully process in order to divert the direction of the barrel. It struck Jason's partner with full force, knocking him hard to the ground. The barrel smashed uselessly into the ground, and Jason was tugged forward several steps by its powerful momentum.

He dropped the chain from around his hands and went quickly to his partner's side. He was holding his head, already starting to swell. They had been practicing this for weeks. It wasn't going very well.