Yahiko - without Kaoru

Ready for some new moves.

Yahiko's hero in the series is obviously Kenshin,  and day after day he trains,  hoping to one day be as strong.  However,  how is he supposed to do this when he has a lousy trainer?  Kaoru,  throughout the entire series,  has taught this hardworking student only ONE move.  Hold the stick above your head,  and swing it down until it is perpendicular to your body.  Repeat over and over again 1 million times.  How is Yahiko supposed to gain strength like this?  Sometimes when he battles,  Yahiko shows off some amazing moves.  Obviously he learned these skills from watching Kenshin and Sano in action,  and not from Kaoru's "training".  If Kaoru had been eliminated early on in the series,  it is obvious that either Sano or Kenshin would volunteer to be his new trainer.  Kenshin has denied Yahiko numerous times before,  so it would probably be Sano.  Still,  a major improvement over Kaoru.  Sano would actually teach Yahiko how to fight,  instead of swinging a stick up and down over and over.  Yet Kaoru stands in the way,  and Yahiko's skills stay at a standstill.