[Kendoka Sasaran] Hard Knocks

by **Jorin Ertihan** on August 17th, 2013, 7:24 am

Season of Summer, Day 47, 513 AV

Sixth Bell

It was not that imposing from the outside, the Kendoka Sasaran. Merely a stone edifice, with glass windows and two large, almost inviting doors. Jorin grabbed one of them, and swung it open. As soon as he did he heard the yells and grunts of the students inside, as a veritable jungle of dark blues, greens, reds, and violets filled his view.

There were dozens of students all about him, practicing with every kind of weapon he could imagine. All wooden practice weapons, of course; nonetheless he caught sight of swords, and spears, and many, many wooden Lakans. Most of the students, of course, were Akalak. But there were a smattering of humans as well. Jorin imagined there may even have been a few Kelvics here, though he was not yet skilled in picking out a Kelvic from a normal human.

Before he could even get his bearings, an enormous, eight-foot-tall Akalak was looking before him, looking down at Jorin with a passive, yet imposing stare.

"What weapon are you here to learn?" he asked, without preamble. Jorin gulped. For some reason, he felt very intimidated by this thickly muscular man, who clearly was skilled enough to break Jorin in half if he so wished.

Jorin cleared his throat and croaked out, "I would like to learn the quarterstaff, if that is possible."

The Grand Master nodded once, and with his arm indicated the weapon rack on the opposite side of the room. Jorin delicately navigated across the room, doing his best to avoid the many students circling each other, and approached the rack. He scanned down the line of wooden practice weapons until he came to the selection of wooden staffs of various lengths and thickness.

He chose one around seven feet in length, a bit taller than he was, with a width about half that of his wrist. Not too thin to be useless, not too thick to be unwieldy. As he turned to show the Grand Master his pick, he nearly jumped out of his skin as another Akalak looming over him.

"My name is Sohryn Nurhahj," the Akalak announced without preamble. "I will be your instructor for today, and the foreseeable future. Before we begin your instruction, I would like to observe your basic knowledge of stances. Show me the ones you know."

Jorin nodded, and dropped into what he hoped was a good approximation of the stand he had seen Silnas use with her two-headed spear. Knees bent, with his right foot pointed at Sohryn, right hand about a quarter the way up the staff, left hand at the butt-end of the staff, and the weapon pointed at a 45 degree angle. Sorhyn just grunted.

"Sloppy," was all he said, as he walked around.

"Your back should be straight," he explained, slapping the small of Jorin's back to straighten it out, "Otherwise you negate the benefit of bending the knees. Also never point your left toe inward like that," here Sohryn kicked Jorin's left foot out a bit, "It disrupts your balance and makes you easier to knock over. Don't hold the staff with a death-grip. Hold it gently, but firmly. If you grip it so hard, you lose all fine motor control over the weapon."

Jorin nodded, filing all these lessons into his mind.

"All in all, a poor, but acceptable facsimile of a forward stance. Do you know any others?"

Jorin hesitated, then bent his knees even lower, and then bringing the staff almost parallel to his chest, his right hand almost a third the way down the staff, his left hand still at the butt end. Despite the burning in his thighs, Jorin maintained this stance, glancing down momentarily to ensure that his left toe was not pointed inward like it was when he used SIlnas' forward. Sohryn merely grunted again.

"The Strider Stance. Also known as the Horse Stance, of the Drykas. Intended purpose is for a spear, not a staff. Low to the ground to prevent leg sweeps. Very stable stance, well-balanced between offensive and defensive options, meant for someone with strong legs." Sohryn kicked Jorin in the shin, which was still smarting from when Uleru hit him with his stick two days ago. Jorin gave a shout and almost fell over.

"You do not yet have the leg strength to utilize this stance," Sohryn noted mildly, as Jorin struggled back to his feet, grumbling a bit as he rubbed his shin. "What else do you have?"

by **Jorin Ertihan** on August 27th, 2013, 4:46 am

Season of Summer, Day 47, 513 AV

Sixth Bell

Jorin shrugged helplessly. "I ... I'm afraid that's all I know," he admitted, throwing Sohryn Nurhahj a sheepish grin. Sohryn just stared at him in silence.

"Well. At least you would make a passible target dummy," he replied at last, and Jorin couldn't decide whether the Akalak was joking or not. He finally concluded he didn't really want to know.

Leading Jorin to another corner of the room, Sohryn picked one of the quarterstaffs off the racks, comparing its height to Jorin's.

"If this is your chosen weapon, you need to understand weapon height," Sohryn was saying. "A quarterstaff should not be much taller than the wielder, if it is to be used properly."

The Akalak grunted as he found one that was somewhat shorter than Jorin's. Jorin swallowed his surprise. He'd been under the impression that the longer the quarterstaff, the better if would be since you would have longer range.

"You might have more reach with a longer staff, but you would have far less control," Sohryn said, as though reading Jorin's mind. "Now get into the basic stance. The first one that you showed me."

Jorin complied, once again settling into the forward stance. His eyes widened in surprise. The staff no longer felt unwieldy in his hands, the end too heavy, as though it was threatening to bend over like a wet noodle. Instead, the staff felt ... right, as though it'd always belonged. Sohryn nodded.

"Good. I will show you some basic maneuvers in that stance. You will copy. Then you will perform those maneuvers one thousand times each. Every day. For twenty days. When you are done, come see me."

Jorin gulped. A thousand times? Was he serious?

"Uh, Sohryn..." he tried, but the big Akalak cut him off.

"I did not tell you that you were allowed to complain," he admonished. "Two thousand times."

Jorin realized every word he said would double the number, so instead he wisely shut his mouth, and put an invisible clamp on it. Sohryn merely grunted his approval of Jorin's tacit acknowledgement and picked up a very tall staff that was commiserate with his height.

"Observe, then duplicate," was all Sohryn said.

From the basic stance, Sohryn did a simplistic forward jab with the staff, the rear hand curving forward, sending the end of the staff into an imaginary opponent's head. then he sent the rear end of the staff into the man's solar plexus with a downward thrust, smoothly transitioning into the move from the forward jab, using his elbow to increase the momentum of the strike. He finished with a horizontal block, the staff parallel with the floor, both hands wide, the center of the staff absorbing the blow of and imaginary weapon.

Sohryn then smoothly transitioned back to forward stance, and it was as though the moves never happened at all. Nodding silently to Jorin, Sohryn watched silently as he tried to replicate what the master had done.

by **Jorin Ertihan** on August 31st, 2013, 9:01 am

Season of Summer, Day 47, 513 AV

Sixth Bell

Jorin did his best to repeat what the master had done. Starting from his base stance, he shot the staff out straight, but before he could even continue Sohryn stopped him. "Stop," he barked.

"You never send your staff straight in that fashion," he admonished. "That makes it far too easy to block. Always come in at an angle. Use your leading hand to bend the staff's trajectory."

Jorin tried again. Starting from the basic stance he lowered the staff to chest level and shot it forward, using his right hand, twisting his wrist to send the staff coming toward the imaginary enemy at a shallow angle. Sohryn grunted once.

"At some point you will understand why that curve is so important. It's not just because it's harder to block," he said. Jorin wondered what he meant.

"Practice that particular thrust a hundred times first," Sohryn ordered as he began to wander off. "If you collide with another student it will be your only means of offense, so I suggest you get it right."

Jorin could never tell if Sohryn was kidding or not. Deciding that the big Akalak most likely was not, he began practicing the thrust, over and over. He experimented with different wrist angles, but really there was only one angle that made any sense. Any shallower and it wouldn't be much of an angle at all, any more and at full speed, against a real opponent, his wrist would break.

As Jorin continued to thrust the staff forward, than returning to the stance, he wondered how this would ever have application in a real fight. But the thoughts were distracting and he dropped his weapon, it clattering to the ground. Almost like magic, Sohryn was standing over him, dark eyes like storm clouds.

"In battle, dropping your weapon tantamounts to death," he growled. Jorin gulped. "Don't ever do that again." Jorin nodded, as he quietly picked up his staff and continued to practice. Thrust, return, Thrust, return.

Jorin could feel his muscles protest from the constantly repeating action, but he ignored them. His muscles had ached after choreography as well, when his troupe needed him to swordfight another actor for a scene. The entire seen was pre-planned of course, each sword strike and block carefully designed for maximum visual impact. But maximum visual impact also meant maximum muscular strain.

Jorin's leg muscles were tense as well, after all that bent knee action from the forward stance. Jorin figured that, if he came here often enough, he'd get the "strong legs" Sohryn said were necessary for the Strider Stance to be effective. It seemed a much more balanced stance.

Jorin had lost count. Shyke! What was he to do? He'd been at ... seventy six? Or was it seventy five? He couldn't remember. Jorin decided to go with safe and went with seventy five. With a sigh, Jorin returned to the forward stance once more to do the requested thrusts.

by **Jorin Ertihan** on August 31st, 2013, 9:15 am

Season of Summer, Day 47, 513 AV

Seventh Bell

It was another thirty chimes before Jorin was done with his hundred staff strikes. Sohyrn just nodded in acknowledgement, indicating that Jorin was to continue to the next maneuver in the list.

"This one is called the buttstroke," Sohryn announced, face serious despite the snicker-worthy name.

"It is so named because it sends the butt of your weapon, or the part of the staff facing away from the target, into them using a maneuver known as the elbow strike."

Sohyrn demonstrated. There were, apparently, many different variations on the buttstroke. There was the forward buttstroke, where the butt comes nearly vertically up from a standing position. There was the diagonal buttstroke, which is where the butt of the staff was brought to the opponent's sternum from above, needling it in with the elbow. And there was the horizontal buttstroke. That was the one, apparently, that was to chain from the forward thrust.

"Done correctly, the horizontal buttstroke will send the butt end of your staff straight into the opponent's head or neck," Sorhyn said. "It is one of the most basic techniques that you will learn. Practice it."

Jorin was tempted to ask whether he was supposed to chain the two attacks during practice, or to just practice the buttstroke. Thinking better of it, he decided to just chain them. More practice, after all, couldn't be worse then less.

And so Jorin stood in the corner, and thrust the staff forward from the forward stance, right hand maneuvering it so it took a curved path to the opponent. As he saw the staff move, he wondered if, perhaps, the reason for the curve was not physical, but mental. The opponent, seeing a long, straight wooden staff, may well assume all attacks were either completely straight or completely circular. They might not expect a curved assault.

More to the point, it seemed to be outside most people's peripheral vision, so it may well surprise them by hitting at an unexpected angle. All things to conider, to be sure, but Jorin realized that now was not the right time or venue for such a consideration. Besides, he remembered with shame all the assumptions he'd made on Sanctuary's beach, none of which came true. Assumptions, it seemed, never panned out.

Jorin continued to chain the two attacks together. They actually worked very well, Jorin discovered. The thrust transitioned quite smoothly into the buttstroke, which made him wonder if perhaps the buttstroke wasn't invented to complement one another, but knew better than to ask. The last thing he needed was Sohryn doubling his practice rounds.

As Jorin drove the butt-end of the staff into yet another imaginary foe, he began to feel the tell-tale tingling of the upper forearm muscles getting a workout. Good. Before it was mostly waist and legs. It was about time the upper body got some practice too. Jorin went back into the practice with renewed vigor.

by **Jorin Ertihan** on August 31st, 2013, 3:50 pm

Season of Summer, Day 47, 513 AV

seventh Bell

Jorin's whole body felt sore. His legs felt sore, his arms felt sore. One thing was for certain, this practice was definitely going to keep him in shape. Not that he was necessarily out of shape before, but prancing on stage was one thing. Constantly swinging a staff over and over, and potentially getting bruised up in mock combat, was quite another.

The two skill combo he'd been practicing seemed simple enough, and after he'd finished his last set Sohyrn was already towering above him, as though the man had eyes in the back of his head. Jorin wondered how the man knew.

"Your final maneuver is a very simple block, known as the center block," he was saying. "Hold the staff outwards, with both hands far apart near the ends of the staff, about a quarter of the way for each."

Sohryn demonstrated, holding his staff above his head with both hands. He also did so at chest level and even at an angle. The purpose behind the block was obvious: to stop a strike by using the center of the staff to block it.

"Because of the nature of the center block, once a strike has been parried in this fashion you can often transition into some sort of buttstroke," Sohryn explained. Inside, Jorin exulted. He'd been right! That day on Sanctuary's beach, he remembered thinking that if he blocked an overhead swing he'd be able to maybe drive the staff into the opponent. Of course at the time he had no idea how to do that, but still ...!

"Wipe that grin off your face," Sohryn growled. "You won't be learning combos for a long time. Right now, your only concern should be learning the basic block."

Jorin nodded. Sohryn was right. He wasn't nearly advanced enough to start chaining attacks and blocks in that fashion. This was his first day at the Sasaran he'd be lucky just to get the basic moves right. So he added the center block to the routine. Thrust, strike, block, stance. Thrust strike, block, stance. Sohryn had moved on, but Jorin had the suspicion that he was watching him out the corner of his eye. Nonetheless it didn't matter if he was watching or not. Jorin tried again. Thrust, strike, block, stance.

Jorin was well-aware of the rule in the Sasaran that if he bumped into any student they would have to spar. It was supposed to simulate a real battlefield, where you could not always choose your opponent. But it was Jorin's first day, and he was very nervous about having to face someone in battle without anything more than a basic stance and a few very basic moves at his disposal. Nonetheless, by the end of the Bell, he hadn't bumped into anyone, and he'd managed to finish his set.

Sohryn strode over, eyeing Jorin's set critically. "You are slouching," he criticized, as Jorin returned to the stance. "What did I say about straight back? Also, that thrust was weak. Use your legs and abdomen to power the thrust, not your arms."

Jorin just nodded. He was so exhausted. And he still had to go to rehearsals later? This was going to be a long, long day. Still, it was well worth it. He'd learned quite a bit, despite the soreness in his limbs.

"You'll have to redo those thrusts. Another two hundred, so as to wipe out the memory your muscles had of the incorrect way," Sohryn said, without any hint of remorse. Jorin stifled a groan. Two hundred?!

With a heavy sigh, he got wearily back into the forward stance. Sohryn had said to use his abdomen and legs for the thrust. Trying to do that, he sprang forward, thrusting the staff while using his legs to propel him. The staff nearly jumped out of his hands, and his eyes grew wide as he scrambled to keep hold of his weapon. He really didn't want to know what Sohryn would do to him if he ever lost control of his weapon again. Thankfully, he finally regained control, the weapon settling back into his hands.

Jorin tried again, slower this time, feeling the power of his legs driving the thrust forward. He had no idea if he was doing it right, but Sohryn was watching him from a distance and didn't seem about to pounce on him, so that was an encouraging sign. Jorin continued, allowing his arms to carry the thrust but his legs to power it, going at it again and again, the thrust shooting the end of the staff forward into an imaginary opponent with the entire force of his body.

Two hundred repetitions later, Jorin was completely out of breath. Sohryn stood lorded over him, a slight frown on his face.

"You are not in shape, and do not know how to breathe," Sohryn said finally. "Come back tomorrow. You will learn combat breathing and a few other important things."

Jorin's butt hit the ground of the Sasaran as he collapsed. Finally, practice was over.

"Who said you could rest?" Sohyrn called from the other side of the room. "The lessons for today are over, but you still have your two thousand. I'd better see some swinging."

This time, Jorin couldn't suppress his groan. His muscles protested and creaked as he rose to his wobbly feet. Right, two thousand repetitions. Thrust. Strike. Block. Stance.

Only one thousand, nine hundred ninety nine left.

Fin

by **Magpie** on September 22nd, 2013, 9:03 pm

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Jorin :

Notes :

If you have any questions or concerns about what was awarded, please don't hesitate to PM me.
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Completed [Kendoka Sasaran] Hard Knocks