Work is now 3/4 done on my new striking target for my sword training. After intense frustration that a goodly portion of the training gear out there is, not to put too fine a point on it, expensive as fuck, I talked to my friends about the issue. And finally realized I could just cut a log down to the appropriate height, bury it standing up in the ground with the dirt tamped down tight to hold it up, and wrap it in rope to at least have something solid to hit. Just gotta find the right rope now and wrap it up. Then we'll see if it works as well as I hope.
Also, taking breaks after hours of physical labor makes my day. Digging a three foot deep hole in Ozark ground (which seems to be about 7/8 rock) is quite the workout.