Swordsmanship training

Swordsmanship is the art of wielding and fighting with a sword. The great swordsmaster Piandao once trained Sokka with a Chinese Straight Sword. And he most likely cultivated to others the way of the sword.

Creativeness
One of the most important parts of swordsmanship is being creative, both on the battlefield and in everyday life. Piandao told Sokka that in order to master the sword, he had to be creative, because on the battlefield, you need to find every advantage you can possible find. Sokka showed much creativeness when dueling Piandao, using his superior agility and fighting on the high ground to have an advantage against the master.

Versatility
To be an excellent sword-wielder, versatility is another essential part of swordsmanship. Using the sword means that you have to constantly shift from offensive move to a defensive move with ease. It is shown mostly when, for example, a sword-wielder uses versatility by attempting to strike an opponent with the sword, while also remaining on the defensive by using the sword to block any attack.

Calligraphy
Piandao states that when one fights on the battle field, he/she stamps their identity on the battlefield, while to practice that, they must learn to stamp their identity on paper too. He usually practices Calligraphy to further perfect his technique. Sokka utilized creativity by literally stamping his identity on paper by smearing ink on his face and printing his face onto it.

Landscaping


Landscaping, according to Piandao, can help heighten a warrior's senses while fighting. He said that in battle, you have only an instant to see every single detail of the battlefield. He made Sokka practice this by looking at a beautiful waterfall for only five seconds, then he turned him around and made him paint it. This practice is meant to improve a warrior's memory, as it will let them take in many details at one instant.

Sword Duels


In many cases, warriors duel each other for practice in order to test each other's skill and strength in swordplay. It also lets both of the contestants look back on their improvement and also let them know on what to improve on. The sparring usually end when one of the contestants is immobilized or defeated, depending on the duel that takes place.

Sokka participated in at least three duels against Piandao's butler, Fat, in order to help him learn about utilizing the sword in combat. He lost very quickly the first two times, but he managed to defeat him the third time, showing that he has improved greatly. He also even dueled Piandao himself after he told him he was from the Southern Water Tribe, sparring evenly against him for a while, but then was in turn defeated, but was spared.

Rock Gardening


As quoted by Piandao himself, Rock gardening teaches the warrior to manipulate his surroundings and use them at his advantage. By using the various elements found in nature, one can easily alternate the battlefield ambiance to gain the upper hand, or to handicap their opponents. Sokka applied this teaching by putting together a huge boulder and a sheet of moss to form a comfortable easy chair under a shade to rest. He further demonstrated his knowledge by slicing bamboos along his escape route, causing them to tumble onto a chasing Piandao and delaying him from catching up to Sokka.