Me and a training partner of mine are in the process of developing a new sword fighting style and we are having trouble naming the system. Does anyone know if there is a basis for naming styles, or how it has been done in the past? Any sugestions?

technically we created the art by accident; we were free-form sparring w/ bokken and I used a technique that she had never seen before. She asked me if I could do it again, and when I thought about it, we realized that there was not any current styles (that we are aware of) in which the practitioners used a sword in the manner I had executed the technique. So we sat down and we started with all of the eight direction cuts and modified them to work with the way I had been fighting in practice. We currently have 8 cuts and two thrust, with one complete form, and we're working on more forms.

If you've never recieved years of legitimate instruction under a qualified sensei, you're only play around no matter how serious you think you are swinging your sticks around.

I am 8 1/2 years into my training, and we have been practicing swordfighting since year 2. As far as a "qualified sensei", I think I'll just stick to my books and my own experiences. I have no desire to learn how someone else does fight, I want to know how I can fight. I don't benefit in any way from someone saying "watch me and do what I do" and presenting me with a fancy belt when he decides I'm a good enough mindless robot to go on to the next level.

Yep. Sounds like Uraniwa Ryu is a good name for what you're doing.

Search the forum for "Self teaching". There is a wealth of opinions on what you are doing. You should probably read up on what countless folks have said on the subject. You will probably find that you're made up style will get very little respect from anyone. Good luck.

Niseimono-ryu sounds about right

Well... Except that it isn't the second generation of anything. It's completely made up. Based on nothing except this guy's imagination by his own account.

He said it was accidental, so how about Guuhatsuteki Ryu? Guess that would make our original poster Zanshi-kaiso of Guuhatsuteki Ryu. Which I suppose translates to "Tragic Death founder of Accidental style."

Dude, its very cool that you are trying things out for yourself, however learning something like sword-fighting for yourself is a monumental task. Your new style could be very very good, it could in fact be revolutionary. Also, however, it could also be crap.

How about you describe this new move to us?
Don't worry, most people will be very discouraging and make fun of you, however a few people might provide useful commentary.
I still suggest you find some place that does teach some sword style and learn from them. Learning from someone with a lot of experience can help you correct your mistakes. (Trust me, we all make mistakes, even those who have been doing it for ages.)

"How about you describe this new move to us?"

Thanks for being open minded, i appreciate it.
The most distinguishing feature of the style is the gripping of the blade with the dominant hand. The handle of the sword is gripped with the weak hand while the dominant hand is used to guide and support the blade for cutting, blocking, and thrusts.
The gripping consists of placing the hand along the blade, pinching the blade between the thumb and index finger, the hand being curled into a fist behind the blade, in order to maintain a more presice control of the blade movements.