20th of Fall, 513AV
The young acrobat took a deep breath as he stepped out of the school and into the open court yard. The crisp Fall air made Goosebumps raise on his skin but he didn’t care. It would be a welcome sensation once he started working up a sweat. In his hands he held his water bag, his favored wooden gladius, and a small wooden shield that attached to one’s arm.
He walked over to a corner and sat his things down onto the sandy ground. He needed to stretch first, to work on his flexibility. He moved to the center of the court yard so that there were no obstacles. At first he bent down and touched his toes before wrapping his arms around his legs to pull his upper body closer to his legs. He held his position for two chimes before standing straight. He then did the same thing in the other direction, bending his body almost completely in half. Such feats of flexibility were no longer so difficult, or painful. Long bells had ensured that.
Once he corrected his posture once again he lifted his right leg up behind him, pulling it up until the sole of his foot rested on the back of his head. Savio’s eyes were closed, completely focusing on the feeling of his muscles and his balance. This was like medication for him. It was in this moment that he felt centered with himself, embracing the natural motion and extension of his ligaments. He slowly lowered his legs, only to repeat the process with the other.
He then did more simple stretches, such as rolling his neck and shoulders both clockwise and counter clockwise. He then sat down onto the sand with his legs in the butterfly position and leaned forward until his chest lay on the ground between his legs. He then sat up to extend his right leg to his side. He reached out with both of his hands and gripped his bare foot and lowered himself into yet another stretch. The burn was a familiar and pleasant. He was sure to duplicate the maneuver with the other leg.
It took nearly a full bell for Savio to complete all of his stretches, so that he was completely limber for his practice. Plus, it also helped with his flexibility. Having a wider range of motion was a wonderful asset when both performing and fighting. Savio was still sitting on the ground when he attempted his first move. He opened his legs so that he could place his hands flat on the ground in front of him. He breathed in as he shifted his weight onto his arms and pushed, lifting his body from the ground, his legs still ridged above the ground. He then leaned forward, his arms bending slightly and his muscles bulging with the physical strain. He then slowly moved his legs around and up until they were behind him, being very careful to keep them from touching the ground. The weight was a strain on his arms, and they shook slightly but he kept his body up.
With a grunt, he lifted his legs up into the arm while extending his arms so that he was then in a perfect handstand, his toes pointing to the sky. Savio could feel the sweat start to drip from his forehead but he ignored the urge to swipe it from his eyes. Instead he focused on how his body felt. How his muscles straining against gravity while still maintaining near perfect balance. It was an amazing thing, that the human body was capable of such feats.
Savio then allowed his right leg to bend backward until his foot touched solid ground, his other leg following quickly behind until his was bent backward in a perfect arch. He then twisted his body until his front was facing the ground. He stood up and dusted off his hands and shook out his arms to ease some of the tension that had formed in his shoulders and biceps.
He needed to work on his flips as well. The first one he wanted to do was a back handspring. He lifted his arms into the arm, making sure his elbows were locked his body tight. He then moved his body into a slight squat/sitting position, lowering his locked arms slightly from above his head to just below his bent knees before flinging his arms back up and bending his body back, pushing off with his toes so that his back made a nice arch. He followed the motion until the palms of his hands hit the ground, almost like a handstand but he snapped his legs over, hitting the ground once more and bringing him back into a standing position.
The next was a front handspring. He once again lifted his arms above his head, locking his elbows. He then took a step forward with his right foot, toes pointed, and leaning into it. He brought his hands and upper body down like he would a regular hand stand but rather than holding his legs up, he snapped them down, flipping his body over until he was once again standing. He practiced his handsprings for several chimes until he was going them rapidly and smoothly. A good handspring could come in handy when avoiding attack or for creating distance.
Boxcode by Abstract
