The Hop 'n' Chop: World's worst battle tactic.

Skip to 1:45 for an example of the Terrible Hop 'n' Chop. Watch the rest for an example of terrible sword-fighting.

The Terrible Hop 'n' Chop: a favorite move of the Seeker, and often seen in other movies or shows that care more about spectacle than effectiveness. It's far more likely to injure you than your enemy, especially if your enemy has more sense than to stare in awe at your fantabulous jumping skills. Allow me to demonstrate with the help of hastily-constructed stick figures:

The jump:

  Our hero scrambles up onto the nearest convenient log/staircase/tall rock. Then, with a mighty yell, he throws himself down upon his foe, sword raised on high for a single, terrible chop! With so much power behind it, surely this must be a brilliant move?

Unfortunately, no.

Even if your enemy is too slow-moving to get out of your way while you climb up on top of something and jump off, or too panicked to think of merely raising his sword a few feet, you'll come out of this jump with a lot of wasted energy and power. Sure, if you manage to hit him, you could probably chop him in half... But let me put it this way:

A simple chop on the noggin, without climbing up on things and throwing yourself around, would kill a man as easily as cleaving him in twain. It's a little harder for him to dodge, and you're not giving him nearly as many opportunities to kill you in the meantime. How many enemies are going to wait politely for you to climb up on top of the nearest thing, then position themselves within easy reach and wait for death to descend?
Would you?
I didn't think so.

Probable outcome: