Solo [Tuvya Sasaran] A Good Defense (Training)

Elem learns about blocking and footwork.

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Built into the cliffs overlooking the Suvan Sea, Riverfall resides on the edge of grasslands of Cyphrus where the Bluevein River plunges off the plain and cascades down to the inland sea below. Home of the Akalak, Riverfall is a self-supporting city populated by devoted warriors. [Riverfall Codex]

[Tuvya Sasaran] A Good Defense (Training)

Postby Elem Bree on October 30th, 2012, 5:44 am

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37th of Fall, AV 512

Elem stepped into the Tuvya ready for training. Over the past few weeks, his whole demeanor was changing. Confidence was beginning to brim from the young man as his body and mind were beginning to find themselves on the same page. He had spent the morning tending to the animals of Sanctuary alongside Aweston, learning about their behaviors and names. Such a big family beyond the humanoids that populated the Within. Soon he would buy his own animal to spend time with. He wasn't sure what he would get just yet, though.

Shoeless, he presented his fee to the man at the desk. He was told that Morkal was busy but another could help him. Elem chose to wait, preferring to work with the same trainer. He found himself a spot near the wall and began to stretch as he had with Vanator the day previous. Next it was the three sets of pushups, his body hungry for the exercise. Elem tried to keep his mind clear, focusing on his posture and position as his thoughts melted away like fat was in the process of doing. Usually it might seem strange to exercise in a lobby, but the Tuvya almost encouraged it.

After the pushups were fisnished, Elem rolled over on his back, beginning the crunches. His focus was on an imagined spot on the ceiling, the shouts and sychronized grunts of the other fighters another focal point for his ears. he could feel the burn again in his abdomen. It felt good. He was mildly concerned about other regions, but suspected that proper exercises would come in time and for now, the core would be the focal point. Just as he was nearing the end of twenty five crunches, Morkal's large blue head occupied the spot previously held by the point in the ceiling. He was smiling down on Elem.

"Working hard before we begin? I might be mistaken about humans, Elem Bree. Are you ready to begin? Or should I wait for your next set to commence?" Elem smiled, no longer taking the jabs personally that Morkal threw verbally. His physical ones were plenty. Quickly standing alongside his trainer, he simply nodded, his breath not prepared to allow for conversation. Following into the usual room, Elem went ahead and removed his tunic. It was hot and needless anyway, especially since he was growing less ashamed of his body. Standing before Morkal, he bowed to him, receiving one in kind from the stout Akalak.

"What did you mean about humans, Morkal?", Elem asked, rolling his neck and stretching and extending his fingers before curling them into fists. Morkal was busy tying his hair into a braid. "Well, Elem Bree, many of your kind seem to lack the discipline that we Akalak rely and thrive on. Maybe it is your short lifespan. I am not sure, really. Anyway, you seem to be more like us in that respect, so I thank you for that." Elem smiled. He couldn't believe Morkal just complimented him.

"Don't wet your trousers, Elem Bree. Find your center."

Just as quickly the smile vanished. Not because Elem was sad, but he knew that it was a brief interlude before Morkal lashed out at him for training. His braid tied and flipped behind his right shoulder, the Akalak stepped forward, his hands on his hips. He was also shirtless and Elem could admire the definition that he was going for. In fact, the younger man was just beginning to see it in his own body. But enough of that, that kind of selfish thinking gets you punched in the face.

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Elem Bree
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[Tuvya Sasaran] A Good Defense (Training)

Postby Elem Bree on November 7th, 2012, 5:58 am

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Expecting a flurry of jabs, Elem put his hands up. However, he was surprised when Morkal turned his back to him. Was it a test? Did the old man want him to attack? Elem also noticed a strange tattoo on the back of his trainer's neck. Some kind of flame? All of those questions were answered when the Akalak turned around with two long strips of cloth in his hands. Seeming to guess at the Zeltivan's intentions, he approached with his hands out, palms up.

"First things first, Bree. We are going to learn how to wrap the hands. They are your weapons and just as a swordsman would not wish his blade to be broken, so would you not wish to lose your hands, no? Besides, a singular mark of Rak'keli won't heal a break. Even I know that." A smug look was painted deeper than the blue of Morkal's skin as he took Elem's forearm. "I shall wrap it the first time, explaining the process. Then you shall do it." No question there. tests came in all shapes and sizes in the Tuvya. Bree also knew that he was right about the gnosis.

Morkal closed Elem's thumb and forefinger over the end of the cloth as he wrapped the strip around in a serpentine motion over the wrist and under the forearm. He then wrapped the forearm below the wristcleanly and evenly. No snags in the fold at all, the Akalak strung the cloth back under Elem's palm, covering the held piece and encircling the thumb. Then back across and around the wrist. Two wraps of the forearm and wrist and then he threaded it between Elem's pinky and ring finger, the wrap becoming firmer.

"Keep your hand open when you wrap, Elem Bree. If you close it, you may cut off circulation of blood, which you know is not a good thing." Morkal remained quiet after that, repeating the two wrap pattern and then threading between the ring and middle finger. Two wraps and then between the middle and index. Finally he wrapped the knucles until his fingers were the only thing revealed. "Good. Now throw a few jabs with a hook." Elem backed up and raised his hands. He threw a trio of jabs from his left hand and then the hook, which came in a clean angle parallel to the chest. Elem seemed to pick up on what had happened. "Keeps your wrist straight. I don't have to worry about pulling in like I was doing." He threw a second and third hook to accentuate the discovery.

Morkal nodded. "Yes, this should make you more aware of the structure of the punches as well as keep your wrist and hand in good shape. Now undo it and try it yourself." Elem nodded and paid attention to the folds and twists of the thin strip of cloth as he unraveled it. Soon he was doing it and undoing it as his wrap was loose the first time. The second time too tight. The third was good but there were snags in it. the fourth and final time he had the wrap down. "What about the other one? How do I wrap it with a wrapped wrist?" Morkal smiled.

"Practice. Just like everything else."

"I'll go get the water."

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Elem Bree
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[Tuvya Sasaran] A Good Defense (Training)

Postby Elem Bree on November 7th, 2012, 6:23 am

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It took a good bit of time for Elem to work out the kinks, not only in the manner of wrapping but the cloth itself. Before long, Morkal returned with the bucket and ladle, placing it near the wall and stepping on the mat across from his charge. "Hands up." Elem heard the direction and his hands snapped up in response. "Today we are going to work on defense. I think you are coming along alright with the basics of punching. Keep that up. However, you know that you will be punched back. Best to avoid that as much as possible." Elem thought this was pretty obvious, but then he saw something he didn't want to see so much.

Morkal raised his hands and dropped into the stance.

After the initial apprehension, Elem noticed the stance was different from his own. "Copy me, Elem Bree." the Zeltivan did so, putting his hands up close to his head, his arms tight against his sides. "This will be the best position to pull into when you notice punches coming back at you. Hands up to protect the head, chin down to protect from uppercuts. Arms ot the sides to stop hooks, though some will get through. Keep up your conditioning to tighten your core, as it will be a second defense against this." Morkal then stepped in and threw some jabs at Elem, who naturally stepped back.

"Good, Bree. But this time don't step away. Sometimes you may find yourself in a ring or near a wall with nowhere to step back to." The Akalak stepped in again, throwing jabs out. Elem pulled his wrapped wrists in front of his face, feeling the recoil of Morkal's fists against them. "Good, here come the hooks." Elem saw the elbow turning and pulled his arms in tight, the blue fists hitting them. With a slight turn, though, Morkal soon found purchase, striking Elem in the ribs. It smarted, for sure.

"Good, good. You will have to take some punches to know how to block them. No one will know how to avoid getting hit until they have been. But I won't abuse you today. Let's work on how to dodge. Step forward to the center of the mat, Bree." Elem dropped his guard and walked to the center, quickly pulling back up. "Now,first we will try slipping. This is simply turning and rotating the hips and shoulders when a punch comes your way. I'll start slow and speed up. I want you to slip left and right. Don't be there for the punch or take it, your choice." Elem thought this was also a clear choice.

Morkal threw a straight punch, though it was so slow and telegraphed that Elem almost suspected a ruse. However, this wasn't a real fight, so he had to just put those fears aside and stick to the program. He moved his shoulders and hips to the left, his chin turning as he watched the meaty, cerulean fist slide by. Or slip by. Back to the center. the next punch came a little faster and Elem slipped to the right, his feet moving a bit too. Morkal noticed this and nodded. "Feel free to move. Keep a bounce in your step and stay on the balls of your feet. This will aid you in turning quicker."

Elem started to bounce with his hands up, slipping in shorter and shorter increments. He could feel the muscles along the sides of his body flexing with torsion as he did so, finding a new exercise for this muscle group. Then a hook came all of a sudden, following a right slip. It was a left hook, so that when Elem slipped left, he slipped right into it, taking some wind from him as he almost fell the other way. Still bouncing, his eyebrows scrunched up as Morkal snickered. "Just testing your instincts. The better you get, the better I must get to match you. Never expect anything. Keep your instincts as sharp as a blade."

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Elem Bree
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[Tuvya Sasaran] A Good Defense (Training)

Postby Elem Bree on November 7th, 2012, 7:29 am

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Elem kept his hands up, turning the situation into a positive before his ego could taint it. "At least you think enough of me to mess me up." Morkal laughed while he threw jabs at the young man. "Very true, Elem Bree. Think of when you first came and disrobed. Think of that boy when you throw a punch now." Elem cocked an eyebrow and retaliated with a cross of his own at Morkal, hoping to surprise him. As usual, it wasn't going to happen as the Akalak easily avoided it and threw a hook again. This time, though, Elem slipped away from it and jumped sideways, his body naturally turning to face Morkal. he thought of the day before when Vanator swung that stick at his head. Had it been tomorrow, it might have been different. He would definitely use his new tricks on the Drykas next time they faced each other.

"Good, good. Now, let's step to the center again. Have some water." Elem walked over to the bucket, dousing himself in a ladle before taking a mouthful. Once cool drink and he returned, his hands up. Morkal gently pushed his hands back down and looked at Elem's legs. Elem did not want to also look, thinking it was a trap. "I have you on edge? Good! Stay there, Bree. Combat is never a place to relax. I want you to bend your knees a bit and go into the defensive posture." Elem did so, crouching with his hands up.

"With your height, you will most likely see others doing this more than you, but it is good to be ready to duck and crouch when necessary. In fact, I wanted to bring up bobbing and weaving. You had bobbers in Zeltiva, yes? Fishermen use them. A piece of wood that floats in the water and drops when the line is hooked." Elem vaguely knew what Morkal was speaking of and nodded. "Yeah, what does that have to do with boxing?" he sort of expected some kind of slap with that kind of tone, making an apologetic 'Oops' face when he did so.

The Akalak seemed to overlook it, continuing. " Besides slipping, you can bend your knees when turning, which makes you bob like that. You are ducking beneath the punch, but the catch is, you come up where you want to. You could slip the same direction while bobbing and then rise, or weave, back up so that you find yourself inside the opponent's reach and their own space. This leaves you with an unexpected and vulnerable torso to damage. Let's try it."

Elem started the exercise, slipping at first and then bobbing, finding his body rising up on either side of Morkal's extended cross. His eyes traveled to the holes this left in a defense. Maybe not the Akalak's but someone unschooled who threw a punch wildly could easily open himself up to pain. Elem stopped and nodded. "So there is as much strategy in knowing when not to punch." Morkal stopped and backed up. "Yes, very true, Bree."

The Akalak put his hand up, palm out, signalling Elem to stop. Doing so and backing up, he noticed that Morkal seemed to size him up with his eyes. "That will do for today, Elem Bree. Make sure you keep your training up, but also make sure you rest yourself when necessary." Elem found this sudden stoppage odd, but perhaps the Akalak saw something the Zeltivan could not. With the usual bow, he gathered his things and returned home to Sanctuary.

Ledger :
10 GM for training

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Elem Bree
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Posts: 390
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[Tuvya Sasaran] A Good Defense (Training)

Postby Jackalope on December 6th, 2012, 4:34 am

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Elem

Award
Skill XP Earned Lore Earned
Bodybuilding +1 Earning the Respect of Your Trainer...Sort Of
Observation +3 How to Properly Wrap Your Hand
Boxing +3 Defensive Boxing Stance
Defensive Technique: Slipping Punches
Defensive Technique: Bobbing



Witty Remark Here
Good training thread, Elem! If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade, please send me a PM and we can figure it out. :)

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