Solo [Tuvya Sasaran] Form and Function (Training)

[Elem Bree]

15th of Fall, AV 512

It was a grey, cloudy day, rain drizzling down as he jogged to the Tuvya. Once he arrived, he stretched outside as he removed his sandals. The brisk air of the rain was invigorating and it made him even more ready to commence with training. As he entered, shoes in hand, he met with the attendant at the desk, paying his ten mizas and requesting Morkal once again. He had been punching often and running regularly, his body beginning to be more efficient. As he had left the last time, Morkal had advised him to eat more meat and drink plenty of water. Neither of these was an issue at the Sanctuary, thankfully.

Finding himself in the same room, the sandals placed neatly outside, Elem bowed to his teacher, the Akalak seeming quieter than last time. "Elem Bree, I have been considering your training and I believe that a fighting style callled boxing may be best for you. It is accompanied by rules, honor and your body is good for it. Of course, if you wish to train in other styles, that is acceptable. It is only my opinion."

Elem looked up at the large man. Somehow he had the feeling that questioning the warrior's motives was not the best idea. "You are much older and wiser than me, Morkal. Boxing will be fine." Morkal made a look like 'of course it will', making Elem feel like he made the right decision. Flattery is not what I was going for, but I will accept it, Elem Bree. Just don't make a habit of it. Now, I want you to stand with your left foot forward, arms up and even with your torso, like so."

He watched as Morkal leaned in a bit, his right hand up close to his chin, his left hand maybe six inches out from the other. Elem mimicked the stance, watching carefully as Morkal approached.

"Bend your knees, relax your shoulders and torso." Morkal corrected Elem's arms and put his large hands on the Zeltivan's hips, turning him inward a bit like a doll. "Loosen up, Elem Bree. You will become accustomed to this stance and whenever you train, you shall remain in it, though you will be moving about. We will approach that at another time, however. For now, let's keep this pose and we will cover the five basic punches."

[Elem Bree]

"Lower your chin and keep it behind your right hand. Forget you can heal for now, as it is a weakness for the moment. I want you to think like you will feel everything you receive." The Akalak stepped back and put his arms up in the same stance. "First, the jab. Snap your left arm forward, locking your elbow and wrist. Keep your palm facing down toward the floor. The jab is fast, it disorients and slowly weakens."

Elem watched as Morkal whipped his fist out in this jabbing motion, his breaths coming out in short pushes through his lips. He could see that he should reciprocate, so he did so, whipping his arm out and snapping out with these jabs. "Good, Elem Bree, keep your breathing and your center as before. Throw those jabs for a moment." Elem did so, feeling the burn in several parts of his arm, the sweat beginning to glisten immediately.

"Now, the next punch is the right cross. After five jabs, I want you to come up on your right toe. Pivot forward and put your right hand forward and straight out from your face. Lock it out straight and keep your elbow up. Palm still facing down. Push off and forward with it. This is not as fast, but it is a straight powerful punch, just like the ones you threw before." Elem tossed five and tried to throw this right cross, his body confused at first.

Morkal approached him again, standing alongside Elem. He called out the punches as Elem worked at a rhythm. "Jab, jab, jab, jab, jab and right cross. Push off the toe, raise it up." The circuit continued several times and then Morkal stopped him, having him move over to the training dummy. "I think that it will help if you can feel your fists making contact. Work on this for a while and I will return. If you need a break, take one, but keep your heart rate up." As he often did, Morkal then left the room, leaving Elem to work against the dummy on his own.

[Elem Bree]

Elem walked up to the dummy, its torso and arm stumps made of tightly bundled straw. Putting himself in the stance, he moved in and began throwing the jabs into it, feeling the recoil and resistance of the material as his hands found their mark. He still felt off with the right cross, so he chose to make it three jabs instead of five, increasing the frequency of the stronger punch. His breaths came out like steam escaping from the ground, his eyes stinging and his hair wet with sweat.

Breaking away, he walked over to the bucket of water and helped himself to a ladle or two of it before returning. The dummy seemed so non threatening that it was akin to punching any inanimate object. He had to put a face on it. The first thing that came to mind was the fanged face of a Zith. they caused so much damage and destruction when they attacked the Sanctuary. The images that flooded his memory fueled his next salvo of attacks, the dummy reeling harder with the added emotion in the blows.

Elem was so lost in this that he had not heard Morkal come back in. When he heard his voice say "Elem Bree", he turned quickly, a solid right cross hammering out toward his face. This brought Elem back to the ground swiftly, as Morkal did not hesitate to put him there out of instinct. "I see you have found a target within the target. That is good, but do not forget to remain aware of your surroundings, Elem Bree." The large blue hand offered was taken and Elem was back on his feet. "Let's move on to the hook."

Elem nodded and stepped back, watching Morkal and wiping sweat from his face and chest with his tunic that was on the floor with him briefly.

[Elem Bree]

Morkal stood in the stance as Elem did, moving slowly and explaining the next move. "The hook comes with the left, but you shift your weight to the right." Elem watched as the akalak shifted and his left arm came aroundbent , the forearm parallel to his body. "Again, you keep your hand facing down, though if you are reaching out, it is okay to have it face your chest. you are pivoting on the left foot to swing the hook in. these body shots will hit the liver, lungs and kidneys, weakening and slowing your opponent greatly. But be careful, they can also leave you open. Boxing is strategy. Knowing when to strike and when not to strike. Knowing your opponent is key. You must watch him and know his body as you know your own."

That was a mouthful for Elem to digest. Mostly because his own attention to his body was so focused that he didn't understand how he could possibly know an opponent during a fight. "Stop thinking, Elem Bree. Do the hook." Elem's face turned into a half scowl as he felt Morkal might have some knti mind reading in him. He hoped not, due to the ramifications of that thought. Elem pivoted and turned, moving with a mirrorlike mimicry of Morkal's moves. "Good, but do it like you are going to hit someone, not dance with them." Elem threw the punch, Morkal's corrections piping in as he fine tuned it.

"Now add it to the combinations. Move to the dummy. Jab, jab, cross. Jab, jab hook. Hook, jab, cross." The combinations continued to pump out, elem's body rocking the dummy's frame in a steadily growing flurry of violence. Elem had passed the point of stopping as Morkal called out various combinations, his mind throwing his fists alongside of them.

"Okay, okay. Let's move right into the last two punches. Uppercuts. Right and left. Elem felt very vigorous, his heart pumping hard, his energy high. He found that he was hopping in place almost, a fact that seemed to equally invigorate Morkal. "Uppercuts are going to hit the target right in the jaw. These are bellringers, because they will leave the opponent dazed and a ringing in his ears. You want to move in from either side, say the right, dropping the shoulder, hands close to the body. Push the hip into the punch, bringing it up to about your forehead. Try both."

Elem didn't have to try to hard with these, for whatever reason. His mind was clear and he was moving and flowing naturally. He pushed off and punched up with his right, throwing a few jabs with a hook and then the left. No commands were heard as none were given. Morkal nodded, his hands on his hips. "Very good, Elem Bree. I want you to work on these punches until I see you again. Keep up with the running and your exercising as well. We will have you sparring with someone before long." Elem started to turn toward the dummy but saw Morkal's hands slap his hips and arms straighten. The Zeltivan stopped as well, bowing to his trainer before returning to the imagined Zith dummy. Flurries of combinations pounded out of the young man into the straw until he found himself thoroughly soaked and winded. He made his own way out some time later, a short jog and brisk walk returning him to the Sanctuary.

Ledger :

10 GM for boxing lesson

[Jackalope]

Elem

Award

Skill	XP Earned	Lore Earned
Boxing	+4	Boxing: Basic Stance
Observation	+2	Punches of Boxing: Jab, Hook, Cross, and Uppercut
		Visualizing Your Target

Ledger: Looks like you already accounted for it


Jackalope's Notes

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.