Acrobatic Bladework (Ball)

by **Samuel Longwell** on July 24th, 2016, 5:31 pm

Acrobatic Bladework

Date: 37th Summer, Year 516
Location:Training Grounds

Samuel Thoughts Others

Samuel looked around the dimly lit training grounds, Syna's golden light had nearly disappeared completely and was being replaced by the cold, silver light of Leth. Samuel had come to the training grounds in the late evening, just as the sun had begun to set so that his training would go relatively unobserved. He had some new training planned and he felt that doing it while the training grounds were busy would be embarrassing. He stripped off his armour as quietly as he could as his eyes scanned the nearby area. There didn't appear to be anyone nearby so Samuel felt more at ease with what he was about to do. He had recently been caught without his armour on, which had been an unpleasant experience, so he had decided that he needed to be able to take advantage of the benefits of not wearing armour. Namely, the fact that you are much more manoeuvrable. Samuel had never really been a particularly agile person, but that was something he wished to change.

Samuel picked up a wooden training longsword he had procured for this training. With what he was about to try, he didn't feel comfortable carrying a sharp blade. Samuel stepped up to a training dummy and held his sword in front of his body ready to strike. But instead of striking with his blade, Samuel tried to roll past the dummy. His view of the world twisted as he tucked his head in and threw his legs over. However he miscalculated the roll and landed hard on his back, winded. Though he believed that no-one was nearby, which incidentally was not the case, Samuel went slightly red as he pulled himself up and brushed himself down. Grimacing slightly, Samuel again stood facing the dummy. His next attempt at a roll was more successful, he rolled forward into a kneeling position and turned to stab at the training dummy with his sword. His feeling of pride was faint, eclipsed by the pain in his stomach. “I must have struck myself with the training blade as I rolled.” Samuel thought, “It's just not good enough.” He frowned, slashing at the training dummy in annoyance, as he walked back to his start position to try again. At that moment, Samuel heard a noise from nearby. He quickly turned to the direction the noise had come from, the glorified club held out in front of him.

by **Ball** on August 13th, 2016, 12:34 am

"My Speaking"

My Thoughts

“If you are trying to learn how to roll before the dummy you are starting off wrong. Lose the weapon and try again.” Ball spoke as he stopped forward and nodded, “Trust me it will be easier to start without the sword. And plant your feet a little wider than your shoulders. With one of your feet slightly forward as your lead. I suggest the foot away from the dummy. So...” Ball looked forward instead of up, as the man's feet were more his eye level. “Your left foot. When you go to roll, lean in the direction of your leading foot with both hands out with elbows bent and tuck your head into your chest.”

The pycon wasn't a master yet at acrobatics but he was good enough to give someone the pointers. “When you hands meet the ground do not keep your arms rigid, let them buckle as your body sails forward and your feet leave the ground. As your elbows touch the ground push forward off your arms hard and come back to your feet.” It was hard to explain it to someone, but Ball had a feeling if he tried to show what he was saying it just wouldn't make any sense to the poor guy. “Apparently when one of you taller Pycons fall hard or land on your head it hurts.” Ball shrugged as if to say he wasn't entirely sure of the validity in that, but it was what he had witnessed.

“I guess it is because you guys have a structure within. Anyway, show me your roll again, and put the sword by me. “

Credit :

by **Samuel Longwell** on August 23rd, 2016, 11:58 am

Samuel Thoughts Others

Samuel's brow creased as he lowered the training weapon, it appeared the pycon had been watching him. His face flushed red as he remembered the clumsy efforts he had made to roll, he was certainly glad the pycon had made no mention of his previous attempts. Samuel had very little experience with dealing with pycons, but he knew that there were a few in the knighthood. The diminutive race appeared to be made of clay, and Samuel decided this pycon was trying to help. The knight considered the newcomer's words, unsure of whether to obey, then decided that it sounded like the pycon knew what he was talking about. He nodded and stepped over to place the practice blade next to his teacher. Samuel stared down intently as he listened to the instructions, nodding occasionally to show that he understood. “Aye” Samuel agreed, slightly confused that the pycon didn't understand the importance of the head. “The head is very important, I would die if it got hit too hard.” Samuel didn't know how to explain the concept any better, so just shrugged and said “Perhaps it is different for pycons.”

The knight stepped into position, ready to begin his roll. He widened his stance slightly, moving his left foot slightly forward and to his left. Pushing his weight towards his left foot he reached out with his arms as instructed. However his momentum was slightly in the wrong direction and he rolled awkwardly, rolling sideways as well as forwards. The result was his weight came down on his left shoulder hard. Samuel tried to use his arms to propel himself forward, with some success. The roll ended with the tall knight on one knee, a bruise forming on his shoulder. He grimaced, rubbing his arm to try and relieve the pain. “This does not come easily to me” he said, shuffling his feet, “Thank you for stepping in to help me. The name's Samuel.” The knight considered his roll, trying to work out what he did wrong. “Perhaps my stance was slightly off?” Samuel suggested, turning expectantly to the pycon.

by **Ball** on January 15th, 2017, 2:15 pm

"My Speaking"

My Thoughts

From Ball's advantage point he could see the issue just as it happened. The man was twisting his body in the opposite direction as he went from the roll which sent his body going both forward and sideways. The knight's stance was good, must be the years of sword practice. Ball frowned, he could see the issues but to explain them Ball wasn't sure how to. He wasn't normally a teacher so this was new to him entirely.

“You twisted your body to remain straight, so you rolled both sideways and forward. Imagine your left foot is like an anchor and your body wants to roll in that direction. Lift your right foot off the ground and lean straight over your left. Remember head tucked into chest and hands up, and elbows bent. I want to you practice that. Position, lift right foot up, lean straight over left leg. Hands up and elbows bent, and head tucked into chest. Repeat until I said done.” Ball nodded and waved a hand at the man. “Begin.”

Ball was not sure how the man was going to feel with him telling him what to do, but the three inch clay squire was the teacher, not the student... And he was given the right to command and demand by default, right?

Credit :

by **Samuel Longwell** on January 15th, 2017, 3:54 pm

Samuel Thoughts Others

Imagine your left foot is like an anchor. Samuel mused on the words, keeping a solid stance was important in swordsmanship so maybe it could be applied here too. The knight had slipped easily into his role as a student, following the instructions of the more knowledgeable pycon with no questions asked. Samuel planted his left foot, slowly leaned forwards and lifted his right leg. Tucking his chin in and reaching forwards with his arms, as he had been told. The roll possibly would have been perfect if it had been attempted with enough speed, but the knight had been so focused on the pycon's instructions he hadn't produced enough momentum for the roll. The result, in short, was a rather pathetic excuse for a roll that finished with the bald man flat on his back. Samuel's cheeks burned with embarrassment as he picked himself back up. That just wouldn't do. The knight brushed himself down roughly then prepared himself to try again.

Samuel frowned, there was just so much to remember. He rolled his neck and planted his left foot firmly, ready to go again. Gritting his teeth he tucked his head in and threw himself forward. His failed attempt had filled him with a burning desire to achieve a good roll. The enthusiasm of the motion meant it had much more energy than his previous attempt, but it compromised on technique. The knight was propelled forwards, his legs flipping over his body at great speed. Limbs flailing, Samuel managed to right himself into a crouching position. It wasn't polished, but it was more like what the knight had wanted to achieve. He smiled to himself, now all he needed to do was combine the speed and the technique and it would be perfect. Samuel spent the next few chimes rolling again and again as the pycon had instructed. He made a fair amount of mistakes, forgetting certain parts of what he'd been told, but he seemed to be improving. The constant impact on his shoulders and arms formed bruises that flared painfully with every subsequent roll, but the knight believed that repetition was an important part of learning. Therefore the knight was happy to continue until he was told to stop.

by **Ball** on January 28th, 2017, 7:43 pm

"My Speaking"

My Thoughts

Ball watched the bald knight stand up, crouch with legs as told, and flip himself over feet over head over and over again. It wasn't a pretty sight to behold, but the man was mostly limbs and those were apparently not designed for the most graceful of rolls without much training. After what felt like bells to the little clay man he motioned for the knight to stop. “You are doing well. Let's take a break and relax.”

Once the knight was settled and comfortable the Pycon looked at the man, “Tell me, what made you decide on becoming a knight?” This was not part of the training, but it was a question that Ball felt was needed to learn, this was something he was going to have to start asking squires and knights alike when he became an instructor – A Weaponsmaster. A question you will ask countless times I am sure. Ball grimaced at the thought, he was not one to speak words often, but when he did they usually were heavily weighted in his nexus.

“I was asked to join several winters ago... And so I stayed, even though my supposed friends, patrons, and comrades in arms fled in cowardice or they fell in the battlefield, or they did personal errands and have never returned – treason to their calling I suppose.” Or they make you believe that have fallen in battle and return seasons later.

Ball answered his own question as he waited for the knight to answer, “I grew to see the Order as a Family. A Family I swore to protect and remain loyal to.” Ball smiled a bit at those words, all of them true.

“Those that flee from family as cowards or take to personal errands and never return are fools and deserve justice brought to them swiftly. They are not members of a family... They are leeches and traitors.” The little man rumbled on, lost in his words for a few minutes.

Credit :

by **Samuel Longwell** on February 4th, 2017, 4:59 pm

Samuel Thoughts Others

OOCCongratulations on becoming a knight Ball!!

As the repetitive rolling continued, Samuel began to feel ill. The world rushed by as he threw himself over his arms once more. The knight was sweating profusely, his body was not conditioned for such exertions and they were taking their toll on the tall man. Samuel had no doubt that a few years ago he would have been able to complete the exercise with relative ease, but his time recuperating from his loss had made him soft. He had made a good attempt to rebuild his strength over the last year but he still had a way to go before he regained his former fitness. When the Pycon finally called a halt, Samuel sank to his knees gasping for breath. Once his breathing was under control he pulled himself to his feet and tottered over to where the clay man stood. The knight thumped down into the dust beside his teacher and smiled weakly, exhaustion plain on his face.

As the Pycon spoke of his reasons for joining the order, Samuel considered his own answer to the question as he listened. There were similarities between the pair's reasons for staying, a sense of duty and loyalty. The knight noted the anger in his companion's voice as the Pycon spoke of those who abandoned the order. Samuel nodded in agreement, but could not help thinking back to the time that he himself had almost left the order. After Dan had died, he had felt lost and alone, even among his fellow knights. A sad expression touched his face for a moment, but the knight pushed the thoughts away and answered the Pycon. “My parents were knights, and their parents before them” Samuel said, “I suppose I always assumed this is where I would end up. Ever since I was little I looked up to the knights. A force for peace and safety, protecting the weak while vanquishing evil.” Samuel paused for a moment, thinking about how to word his sentiments. “But the reason I stay,” he continued, “is that what we do is important. Serving the people of the city, keeping them safe. It just feels right.” The knight shrugged, not sure if he had expressed himself properly but unsure of how to explain how he felt any better.

by **Ball** on April 29th, 2017, 1:34 am

OOCThanks! Sorry for the late post.

"My Speaking"

My Thoughts

Ball smiled hearing the stories of others has been something he just decided to start today. Others spoke of why they joined. This one knight it felt good to hear why. Family bred and therefore tradition. But he doesn't do it because of family. He does it for the people. Ball nodded. “We need to teach the civilians how to defend themselves. Even if it is just a little. Don't want to work ourselves out of a job. But they do need to learn. There maybe a time when we are going to be busy defending everyone that someone is going to be defenseless.”

Ball stood and motioned for Samuel to stand again, “Enough blathering though. Back to rolling. You were doing well, but let's try again. This time I want to see you use the same technique but I want you to jump forward before you roll. Like this.” Ball placed his feet and arms in the placements that he had the knight take and then pushed forward with his feet.

As his body moved forward the positioning of his body forced it to move forward. It was a graceful tuck in as his knees pulled forward on instinct and his hands paused gently on the ground, cushioning his forward momentum and providing a pivotal point for his body's mass to roll forward still with the momentum that still remained. That momentum was quickly dissipating as his mass overtook his pivot point and Ball rolled into into a ball before he came to his feet. “Do not try to trouble yourself with the roll forward and tucking your knees. Your body will try to do that naturally, or it should. Okay.. Your turn.”

Credit :

by **Samuel Longwell** on April 30th, 2017, 5:12 pm

Samuel Others

Samuel nodded, there was lot of sense in what the small pycon was suggesting. An organised effort to teach the general public to defend themselves would only be good for the city. The knight knew that there weren't really enough knights to protect the citizens adequately. The order's members were extremely well trained, but the sheer amount of civilians meant that policing them all was a logistical nightmare.

“Aye, I agree.” Samuel said. “There aren't enough of us for my liking.” The statement was simple, the knight didn't have a solution. He wished the order was larger, but he was also strongly against relaxing the requirements for people joining. Perhaps training civilians was the best way to solve some of the issues of being a small force in a large city.

At his teacher's instruction, Samuel dragged himself to his feet. He managed to hold in a groan as he felt his tired muscles twinge in protest. They had been enjoying the rest, but his movement set them aching again. He shook his legs out and bounced slightly on the spot. The break had helped him get his breath back, but he knew that he would tire more quickly than he had at the beginning of his training session.

As the Pycon threw himself forward into a roll, Samuel couldn't help admiring the grace with which the tiny warrior performed the manoeuvre. The knight could now see why the pycons were accepted into the knighthood. The motion seemed so relaxed, and yet the clay figure had propelled himself a long way for his height. An enemy that moved like that would be incredibly difficult to hit, and would have no trouble clambering up your body to deliver blows to vital points.

The knight was considering the best way to deal with such a threat when the Pycon told him that it was now his turn. Samuel winced, he hadn't been paying attention to what his teacher had been saying. The knight moved to try rolling again, but he had completely forgotten that he had been asked to jump forward as he did so.

The knight propelled himself towards the ground, legs flipping over his head messily. He'd managed to roll with the correct impetus, as he landed in a decent crouch. Pulling himself to his feet, he rolled once more. This attempt however, was far too rushed. As he hit the ground, most of the force from the roll went downwards. The knight winced as his already sore shoulders struck the earth hard. Samuel ended on his back, not managing to complete the roll as he lacked the necessary momentum. He grimaced. That was no good. Little did he know that he had failed the task in more ways than one.

Closed Acrobatic Bladework (Ball)