Flashback Taking A Punch (Part 1)

An Akalak Trainer takes Matthew and Kavala under his wing.

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Home of the Konti people, this ivory city is built of native konti stone half in and half out of the sea. Its borders touch the Silverwood, and stretch upwards towards Silver Lake, home of the infamous konti vision water. [Lore]

Taking A Punch (Part 1)

Postby Kavala on May 24th, 2014, 3:52 am

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30th of Summer, 508 AV


Kavala had dug up the trainer from somewhere. If there was one thing that Matthew couldn't fault her for was resourcefulness. The young Drykas-Konti had all the ingenuity of the people she hailed from, bartering this, trading that, and in this case giving riding lessons to a set of young Konti girls in exchange for their father teaching both her and Matthew a bit of unarmed combat. They were meeting every third day, and it was taking its toll. Kavala had been introduced to the man by her herbalism teacher Drae Sommers, who had become something of a close friend to Kavala. Hailed as brutal but harmless, Drae had recommended Seth and his family for Kavala's needs.

The Konti in turn had met the two little girls, knew immediately she could teach them to ride, and in turn rather than exchange coin had hit their father up for unarmed combat lessons. He was eager to make the exchange. So they traded lesson for lesson, and in this case Matthew got to tag along since Kavala was training two girls to ride and not just one.

The Akalak's name was Seth though they had both noticed that sometimes his family called him Kakkyn. He'd taken one look at them, declared both of them soft, and had extended the practice from a bell to two bells every third day. The first bell consisted of a run which basically entailed Kavala and Matthew trailing after Seth as he jogged the beaches, through the city, across some of the woods on Mura, and occasionally around Silver Lake. His pace was brutal, but all in all the exercise was doing its job. Kavala knew she was getting stronger in terms of the ability to run longer and Matthew seemed to be gaining some endurance as well. They trailed after their trainer who pushed them far past where they thought they could go.

Seth emphasized endurance, stamina, and insisted that battles were not won on strength or skill alone, but often times on staying power and the ability of one opponent to wear another opponent down. The odd pair of friends were quick to agree. After all, Seth's training helped them in more ways than one. Their bodies hardened and their minds in turn sharpened. They could study longer, focus more intently, and were no longer crippled up after hours in the library of the Opal Temple if research required it of them.

At first, Kavala was miserable and hated the training. It had been her idea because all in all she felt it was virtually impossible to go through life without knowing some basic self defense. And the best defense, was a quick offense. Her hope was that when she returned to her brothers and father, she'd be able to throw a punch with the best of them and hold her own when they sometimes rough-housed or brawled.

Seth's first day of class, after their run, consisted of some basic information. They were going to learn punching, it seemed, as a first step in unarmed combat. Seth's lectures were usually brief, to the point, but his message was always clear.

"Punches are attacks you make without weapons. They consist of a closed first used mostly in a linear or upwards fashion. One's fist may be held horizontally or vertically. One contacts one's target with the first two knuckles of the hand, closed and tucked under, though further follow through might result in the entire front of the fist making contact. There are two types of punches which determine contact. The first punch is the snapped punch, where you throw your fist out and back very quickly. The second type of punch is a pushed through punch where upon contact the fist pushes into the target rather than retreats." Seth said, standing before them in typical teaching fashion, walking back and forth, demonstrating.

"When talking about punches, your power never comes from your upper body or your arm. That will get you virtually no force at all. Your power comes from the hip snap and the force that comes from driving off the ball of your trailing foot. To punch, you should always stand with your feet a shoulder width apart, one foot slightly forward, one slightly trailing. All your power comes from that step forward, the hip snap, and the push off."
Seth demonstrated, using what looked like a snap punch that was to Kavala more like a lightening fast jab than anything else.

"Now, take the stance.... make a fist, and follow through with this motion. I don't care about technique right now. I care about you focusing on the power that your body generations in stepping forward, pushing off, and channeling that power upwards to your fist. If done right... you can break through wood, bone, even snap armor if its the right type."
The big Akalak said, looking fairly confident in his words.

Kavala did as he asked, taking the stance he'd demonstrated, and then moved through the motion, snapping her hip, pushing off with her trailing foot's ball, and thrusting her arm forward. She did two sets of ten... first trying a generic snap punch. The second set consisted of ten repeated push through punches. When she was done trying out the unfamiliar feeling of striking, she slipped into a natural 'at rest' position and waited for what else Seth would say.

"I'm going to demonstrate a number of punches to you. All of these punches start from your hands and arms being in a guard position."
He raised his hands and demonstrated. His fists were held just below his cheekbones, closed, with his palms towards his face. He arranged his forearms almost vertical to his body.

Kavala nodded and practiced the basic guard position. She moved into it, out of it, and then tried a couple of snap punches to see how it worked. It felt awkward holding her fists up to her cheekbones, but then she realized how protective it was of her eyes, nose, and skull in general. Seth nodded at her progress, then continued speaking.

"From here on out I'm going to teach you named punches. The first of which is going to be a fore fist punch. Ready?"
He said, glancing at Matthew to see if the young human was keeping up.
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Last edited by Kavala on June 23rd, 2014, 6:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
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The Sanctuary The Sanctuary Forum Riverfall The Cytali
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Please Note:
  • This pc is maxed out in Animal Husbandry, Medicine, Observation, Rhetoric, and Socialization.
  • Kavala a Master Teacher. Students she is teaching in thread can earn more than the maxium 5 XP per thread.
  • This pc has a Konti Gift of Animal Empathy. She has a superpower from a Riverfall city event that allows animals of all sorts and Kelvics (in kelvic form) to speak clear understandable Common around her.
  • Kavala is a Konti but was raised in the Drykas culture so her accent is entirely Pavi though she can speak Common, Pavi, and Tukant well. She's only conversational in Kontinese.
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Taking A Punch

Postby Matthew on May 28th, 2014, 11:40 am

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He was soft and it wasn't hard for the young Matthew to admit it. He knew that his body had been designed for mere appeal to the eye, leaving it without much value when it came to practical use. He had lived a soft lifestyle that demanded only the minimum of physical fitness. When Matthew had been told to run though, he had ran. He had understood that endurance was one of the many things that he was missing, so Matthew had readily ran. He had pushed after Seth and Kavala until his legs burned and the air he breathed tasted like blood and sweat. There had been some point where he had lost track of exactly where he was and what he was doing, but he had kept going. He had ran and ran, constantly keeping a check on his state. He drank water from a little leather bag when needed, made sure his breathing was steady, and had simply ran. It was certainly hard, but the fact that Seth did not accept any excuses ended up with Matthew pushing himself harder than he thought possible.

Matthew had made a habit of taking a nightly jog as well, all on his own. Kavala and Seth were both in better shape than him and he didn't want to be a handicap for Kavala's own training. He had tried to make up for his total and complete lack of endurance with double the training on his part, half of it done in total private. He understood the importance of all of this. The body would be the weapon when it came to unarmed combat. It was ideal that the weapon be as sharp as possible.

When it came to the lecture, he used the precious amount of down time to refocus and recenter his thoughts. He called upon what beginner meditation techniques that he knew, using them to help try and steady his ragged gasps for air while also keeping his focus on Seth. He formed a fist like Seth had mentioned, noticing how the first two knuckles were the ones that jutted out the most. A snapping punch and a punch that followed through, was it? Then there was the stance, a way to transfer energy and momentum. He hummed to himself, blue eyes studying Seth closely and then glancing down at his own body with a critical eye. When told to make a stance, he readily obeyed. His feet were spread and the stance that Seth showed was taken, the young student snapping out with a fist. He pushed off of his heel, feeling the power ripple through his calf and up to his hip, though the focused young man found it hard to flow the motion into a hip snap. The individual pieces were easy enough to understand, it was just chaining them all into one single flowing motion that he struggled with.

Matthew did have one advantage even in such foreign territory, and that was a seemingly infinite well of patience. When he failed, he just tried again. Over and over again, a few more sets than Kavala had to go through, but eventually finding the flow required to step forward, push, and snap the hip. The snapping punches came easier to him than the follow-through punches, oddly enough. Noticing the glance that Seth shot at him, Matthew gave a sharp nod, assuming the same guard position that Seth had just shown.
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Taking A Punch

Postby Kavala on June 5th, 2014, 7:26 pm

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Kavala had dressed for the part. She wore skin tight white leather pants that had an extra in-seam patch throughout the crotch and thigh area Drykas-styl. The special cut allowed her to move in the pants, for riding mainly, without being hindered by the second skin that protected her like light armor. Her torso was mainly bare. She wore a matching leather Vinati that she’d picked up from Inarta traders in the market. In the case of her vinati, it was decorated with abalone shell pieces. It wrapped around her breasts secured by two straps over her shoulder in a tight torso piece that supported her breasts and kept them pressed close. The outfit kept her arms, midriff, and most of her back bare. Her hands were glove-less, but her wrists up to the back of her hand were wrapped in tight leather as well leaving only her fingers and thumb bare. Seth had done this stating that if they were going to be punching they were going to be protecting their fists until they learned good technique. Matthew sported similar wraps, though his were black. Kavala felt unequal to him, standing beside him listening to Seth speak.

Matthew was taller, stronger, and male. She didn’t know if she could learn to punch in a way that would equalize her smaller height, lighter weight, and lesser power. She thought perhaps she was a bit faster than he was, though he was calculating where she was reactive. Kavala knew from their runs she had more stamina, but it was something she wrote off as him having more weight to pack around and thus fatiguing earlier.

Regardless, they stood listening, taking in the instruction, in hopes it would be enough self defense to laugh a lifetime.

Seth was enjoying himself. Mainly the Konti were peaceful women, uninterested in fighting. So when Kavala had approached him in her need, the trade for riding lessons was a good one. That he had too astute and carefully attentive students delighted him. He just wasn’t sure how well they’d do. To him, Matthew looked soft and Kavala delicate. He could change that, over time, but it would take devotion on their part. The will to change and improve was something only time reveal if they had.

“Alright. Pay attention. Fore fist punches.” Seth said, taking a fighting stance and lifting up one of his fists – his left – to extend out in front of him. “The non-punching fist is always held out, knuckles up, elbow bent… out straight in front of the body like thus.” Seth demonstrated, and Kavala took up the same stance and mimicked his action. She tried to inhale slowly, exhale firmly, and watch without missing anything as she did so.


"The punching fist is pulled to the hip that is on the same side as your punching fist.. the corresponding one… knuckles down. You want the elbow directly behind the fist, not swinging outward. You punch the fist straight ahead to the full extension of the arm with a slight bend in the elbow.”
Seth demonstrated.

Kavala wouldn’t have understood his words if she hadn’t been watching him. He wanted her left arm out, her right arm tucked in, her fists roughtly at shoulder level, with the one actually doing the punching tucked into her hip and the one not punching extended out. She tried this, threw a few punches, and realized the fists changed places neatly as she threw a punch, meaning the off hand could then become the punching hand as she threw a punch. That meant with the punch there was no reset in between.. no rest period. One could flail on an opponent with a snap snap snap of their hips and arms if necessary. She smiled at the thought.

“Now, pay attention… As you throw the punch, your fist moves first with the elbow driving directly behind it. You keep yoru fist in the knuckles down position until a split second before impact when the fist and forearm snap inward until the knuckles are facing upwards. You want your fist to connect at the base of the knuckles of the first two fingers. This is called the point of impact.” Their teacher barked.

Kavala nodded, following Seth’s instructions as he barked them. She hadn’t twisted her fist when she’d tried her first few punches. Now she did and was surprised at how much sheer kinetic energy she could feel coursing down her arm as she last minute twisted her fist. The Konti smiled a knowing smile and caught Matthew’s eyes a moment. Did he note the difference too?

“You want all the power in the arm and body concentrated at the moment of impact. And when that moment happens your fist is immediately retracted back to the hip. The elbow pulls directly backward and the fist and forearm rotate outward so the fist ends up in its original starting position at the hip with your knuckles down.”
Seth said, demonstrating again.

“I don’t understand….” Kavala asked suddenly, wondering why Seth was starting with his non-punching arm out and then finishing with his non punching arm still extended knuckles down. She got that the twisting of the hand moving the knuckles up and then down gained power, but she was stumped at why one would warn one’s opponent of a fore fist coming by the off hand extension. She elaborated on her question. “Why use the other arm at all. Doesn’t it forewarn your opponent that a fist is coming?” She asked.

Seth chuckled. He nodded. “Good question.” And then he turned and walked over to his pile of gear. He picked up what looked like a padded piece of leather with a hand holder on its back… a shield of sorts and handed it to Kavala. “Put that on. Hold it up. It’s a punching target. I’m going to show you why.” He said, knowing that seeing was far better in terms of believing than simply having things explained.

He stood loose legged in front of her, left his off hand hanging awkwardly at his side, and then when Kavala was ready with the punching target, he let his fist fly. She had her leg braced and her weight leaned into the punching target to take his punch. The konti barely flinched as Seth’s fist landed. But then, Seth took another stance, the one he’d just explained to her, and started with his non-punching hand out. Kavala braced, expecting the same force, and was knocked on her ass abruptly when Seth’s punch struck the target. The power behind the punch was redoubled if not tripled by the use of the other arm gathering energy and snapping back.

Kavala blinked, climbed to her feet, and brushed off her rear. She nodded, tossed the target aside, and took up the fighting stance again. “I see.” She said meekly, a little startled at the difference.

“Now.. where was I? Oh yes… as the punching arm is punching its target, at the very same time in an opposite manner, the non-punching elbow pulls directly backwards to its corresponding hip. The fist and forearm rotate outwards and retract as the punching arm extends. The powerful retraction of the non-punching fist adds a ton of reaction force of the retraction to the force of the punching arm. Your at very least doubling your power. We use this action/reaction motion in all our hand techniques.” Seth explained, then demonstrated a few more times having Matthew and Kavala follow through.

“I want you to always practice with action/reaction motions because it trains your body to use your full range of motion, giving each side of your body equal time even though you are dominant in only one hand. It is incredibly effective as a job or reverse punch that starts from an on-guard position with the knuckles facing the enemy. But we can talk more about that later. For now… practice practice practice.”
He said, reaching out to grab Matthew and spin him so he faced Kavala. Then they could throw punches at each other without hitting each other but keeping their action/reaction motions in synch with each other.

Kavala began to sweat, feeling her body heat up and her muscles limber up. She watched how Matthew did his motions and knew enough not to comment until he did or to try and help him work on his technique. He was incredibly cerebral whereas she was physical. But he would pick it up quickly, as quickly as he was subtly teaching her to be a better critical thinker.

A bell passed… or at least it felt like one did before Seth called a halt to the practice and added more to the training. Kavala and Matthew both “Now… here’s a couple more things to add to your skillset. Inverted fore fist punches are when a fore fist punch is rotated clockwise until the knuckles face downward. You’d be safe to use this in rare occasions. You just have to remember you need to remember where your pressure needs to strike and where the force is best spread. You’ll know when an inverted fore fist punch is needed when you see it… if I’ve trained you correctly.” Kavala smiled, nodded, and attempted to learn the new move with her fists opposite. It worked but after all the hard practice, the inversion felt awkward.

“Now… one more…” Seth said, not quite ready to move on to jabs yet.

“Reverse punches. A straight fore fist punch using the trailing had is the most powerful punch because of the maximum duration of force, hip twist, and weight transfer. If you strike with both fists in a volley, and you’ve been practicing and don’t burn through your energy reserves quickly, that’s a lethal set. But move in, fire the punches, and move out… because you can’t sustain the energy burn and last overall in a fight.”
Seth said, demonstrating throwing punches with both hands and having them both reverse and reset as he did so.

Kavala nodded, and went back to practicing. Her hair was damp with sweat now and her body felt the burn. But she was determined to master the first punch and its variants and hopefully impress her instructor… or Matthew. She’d settle for either or.

Seth set them up again, face to face, and they began their practice all over again, this time concentrating on throwing punches with both hands. They had to really watch the timing, making sure punches corresponded with each other, because if they didn’t’ they were liable to run out of punching pace and nail each other accidentally. Seth called a halt after fifteen chimes, pronouncing himself satisfied.

“Now.. lets talk about the Jab.”
He said, rubbing his hands together as he watched his sweaty students pant.


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The Sanctuary The Sanctuary Forum Riverfall The Cytali
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Please Note:
  • This pc is maxed out in Animal Husbandry, Medicine, Observation, Rhetoric, and Socialization.
  • Kavala a Master Teacher. Students she is teaching in thread can earn more than the maxium 5 XP per thread.
  • This pc has a Konti Gift of Animal Empathy. She has a superpower from a Riverfall city event that allows animals of all sorts and Kelvics (in kelvic form) to speak clear understandable Common around her.
  • Kavala is a Konti but was raised in the Drykas culture so her accent is entirely Pavi though she can speak Common, Pavi, and Tukant well. She's only conversational in Kontinese.
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Kavala
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Taking A Punch

Postby Matthew on June 6th, 2014, 3:08 am

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Matthew found an odd sort of fascination when it came to the outfits Kavala wore. While there was an attractiveness to many of her simple but varied outfits, there was also a noticeable practicality to them that she themed towards each day-to-day adventure. He wasn't sure he had ever seen her in the same outfit twice, something that Matthew wished he could say about himself. While his clothing was practical, he had found that there wasn't that wide of a variety for him to really choose from. Perhaps he simply hadn't explored his options enough. Most young men his age weren't interested in style and fashion, so he wasn't really exposed to any new knowledge on a day-to-day basis back in Zeltiva. Perhaps he would be able to hunt down someone who could help him with ideas once he got back. He knew of a few businesses that specialized in quite the nice pairs of clothing.

He pushed the invasive thoughts from his mind, calling upon what little mediation techniques he knew once more. He steadied his breathing and focused, stripping away outside thought and compacting his sphere of existence to one where only Kavala, Matthew and Seth existed. He furrowed his brow with intense concentration as he watched, finding it somewhat difficult to take everything Seth was showing and apply it to his own body. A certain level of OCD would shine through as he took the fore fist punching stance, making little minor adjustments to his stance over and over again until Seth came over and adjusted the young student himself. Matthew then struck out as instructed, finding that the blow was oddly natural once he was in the correct stance. The weight of one arm lunging forward caused his hips to turn and his other arm to pull neatly back, leading him to the same discovery that Kavala stumbled across about alternating fore fist punches.

Point of impact. The term seemed important and was underlined various times within the Unarmed Combat tome that he was creating in his mental library. Twisting the fist as instructed allowed Matthew to feel the flow of motion ripple in directed momentum, a concept exactly like that of the previous punch taught, just one that used different technique. He found it a bit hard to precisely aim the point of impact upon turning his wrist, but he decided that would come with practice. As Seth had drilled into them countless times already, form was extremely important. He caught Kavala's eyes as she glanced at him, his stare turning curious for a brief second. Where most people could eventually come to communicate with simple glances and pointed stares, Matthew had always been oblivious to such things. While his eyes had a certain level of expression to them, they also continued to lack a certain amount of understanding. While Kavala was beginning to get an indepth idea of what Matthew seemed to be like and who he was, Matthew was not that far along in the development of their relationship quite yet. To be truthful, a friend was something he hadn't had in awhile. Not that he minded. He just knew the concept was a bit distant to him and he was okay with that.

A new piece was added to the puzzle, Matthew mimicking the demonstration that Seth gave when it came to the retraction of the fist. It proved a bit difficult to combine everything into one motion like Seth had so easily done.

Kavala presented a good question and Matthew watched the explanation, as quiet and intense in his learning process as he ever was. He appreciated that Kavala was comfortable with the large amount of silence that he could sometimes produce. It made their interaction much easier on him.

The demonstration was an effective one, Matthew slowly nodding in understanding as it was both shown and then verbally explained. Then, in a motion that was surprisingly hard to see from such a big man, Matthew found that he had been spun to face Kavala. He obeyed the orders of the teacher, practicing what they had been shown. Matthew had the impression that Kavala had a certain amount of physical instinct and talent that he did not. His practice blows were slow and precise, quite sluggish really, Seth often encouraging him to speed up. Kavala could use natural inbred skill, perhaps. He was a cerebral learner who learned by endless repetition. They had a lot to learn from each other and would no doubt thrive because of their two very different styles of learning and thinking.

More punches were shown and Matthew patiently tried them out as well. His body gleamed and dripped with sweat as he eventually found something of a rhythm, practicing an specific number of each blow, one after the other. The exercise was something he could incorporate into his bodybuilding routines. He could feel the burning reaching muscles that he wasn't sure that he had managed to touch before. When it came time to face Kavala once again, he found that having an opponent to time his blows against helped him immensely. Repetition only became easier when there was a methodical beat added to it. When Seth finally called for a halt Matthew let his arms drop to his sides, giving the aching muscle some desperately-needed rest. Matthew glanced at Kavala again, holding his tongue though he wished to express his respect for her skill. Even if Kavala felt she was struggling, Matthew thought she picked up on it in a natural sort of way that he couldn't hope to replicate.

Seth quickly moved to the jab, not giving his students any time to let their muscles relax. He struck a fighting pose, expecting them to do the same. "A jab is a punch where the lead fist, usually your off-hand, is thrown straight ahead and almost completely extended. It is an overhand style of punch, the fist usually being held with the knuckles facing up from start to finish. Try it." Matthew was easily able to give an example of the relatively simple blow, the process quite basic when compared to all the previous variations of blows they had studied. Seth nodded and then smiled, phrasing a question that he hoped would help his students discover the unique potential and uses for a jab. "It is a simple blow, but various minor adjustments can be made. A jab is mainly used in defense, or for speed, to find range, or for power. What variations should be made to the blow to achieve these goals?"
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Taking A Punch

Postby Kavala on June 7th, 2014, 3:27 pm

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Kavala listened closely. She was the sharp one in her classes. And while Matthew was often the one furiously thinking and furiously taking notes, she was the one that usually leaned back and started asking the teacher theoretic questions or ‘what ifs’. So when Seth demonstrated the jab and then said they could be utilized in various ways.. .for defense, speed, to find range, or for power, she was intrigued. It got her mind working and as usual, while she practiced the jab, she thought it through.

She twisted, rose, and jabbed a few more times… turning towards Matthew to obviously use him as a model for her thinking. The Konti wasn’t winded as she kept enthusiastically practicing the jab. “Defense… if you keep at it, can’t you keep your opponent away and out of your personal space? Like your jabs define your lethal space and keep them from say bull rushing into it? I would think if you are just trying to defend you’d move back too.. like I’d back away from Matthew as I was throwing warning and keep away punches.” She speculated, not knowing if that was right or not.

To her, speed was easier. “For someone like me who’s small and quick, these jabs are invaluable for speed. It feels like to me that in contrast to the fore fist punch that this doesn’t commit my body to the action. See? I have full control of my lateral movement so that in a blink of an eye I can switch tactics in an instant. With the other punch, I commit my body fully and that kind of temporarily robs me of my mobility.” She said. Then she tilted her head and thought it through further.

“I can see how this gives you a good eye for how much distance is between you and your opponent. I imagine in the heat of a fight your brain doesn’t always make good judgments without an accurate visual marker like the length of your arm to fist. But if your using your full reach to find range, it…” Kavala threw a long jab, extending her arm all the way out and teetered on her feet. “… it robs me of balance somewhat. But what I’d do is throw a jab to establish range, then follow through if Matthew is in close enough proximity with something that fully commits me and has a lot of power behind it.” She admitted, not liking that situation, but being truthful about it.

“A better option would be just to train your eye to establish range in battle with a lot of practice to eliminate the vulnerability all together.”
She admitted, then shook her head.

Kavala thought about power for a moment, gave Matthew a chance to answer knowing she was hogging the discourse, and then added her own thoughts. “To add power to anything, you add motion. So I would assume instead of throwing flat footed jabs, you add power to them by just adding a firm step forward… one where you leave one foot planted and the other one propels your body forward to exponentially increase the force of your punch.” Her father, Eachann, was always talking about mathematics so Kavala knew a bit about them, at least enough to talk the talk with Seth. She glanced at Matthew’s eyes then and realized she wanted to make a good showing for her friend and lover.

He was beautiful stripped down and sparring. He looked beautiful doing everything he did, but like this he was superb. Kavala noted that he’d lost a bit of his city softness since they’d been together here on Mura. She knew the running they did in the mornings had a lot to do with it. But she also knew he was doing a lot of tumbling, swimming, and of course exercise with her. It was giving him a lean toned look that was particularly appealing to her now that his skin was a sun touched bronze. Konti never acutely felt the passage of time because of their long lives, but Kavala had started to dread the seasons passing as fast as they had for her before. She would miss him when it was time to go home. She would miss his incredible mind, his incredible touch, and the fact that he was the best of companions… never filling up their time together with senseless banter. He was quickly teaching her how to be a woman – something her future husband would owe Matthew for greatly – and she was teaching him how to live in the wilds without walls and rules. The Drykas were terrible at rules anyhow. And between the two of them rules were few and far between. She knew she couldn’t love him, not in the way young girls dreamed of love, but Kavala cared for him deeply and had started to see him like a glove that fit incredibly well and was incredibly useful… one with its own mind and its own needs. And those things she was incredibly grateful to help fulfill.

She pulled her mind off Matthew and back to Seth’s words.

He was talking. She had to listen hard to follow. Her mind had dragged her body elsewhere and that had lowered her fists and had her on the move closer to Matthew. He was, in her mind, a bastion of security and pleasure.

“Kavala, I want you to particularly pay attention to this. In a fight – a true fight –you want to establish dominance quickly. Continuous jabs will help establish you as the aggressor. If you keep throwing them the opposition must either back off or step up to the place and take them. Its hard to block block block block because if you do you just gave away your advantage. Now… that means jabs are useful for other things too. You can interrupt an attack. When an opponent attacks with a combination, a quick jab to the nose will disrupt the planned combination and leave the person vulnerable. Jabs can also ruin the opponents timing. Just throw a few well placed jabs and watch what happens. You are establishing dominance and ruining his ability to keep in his own rhythm.” Seth said, then glanced at Matthew. He smiled at the man and nodded, getting between Kavala and Matthew to demonstrate.

Within moments of throwing a few jabs, it was obvious how much pressure he put on Matthew to react rather than be proactive. Matthew had to take steps back or take the jabs. ”See what else it does? It keeps up the pressure… the more pressure you put on an opponent, the less time they have to think strategy or identify your weaknesses.” Seth pointed out.

Kavala interrupted, excited, as something came to her. She’d kept moving, dancing from one foot to another to keep her muscles warmed as they talked. “You can use a jab to distract and set up other moves, right? So if I was fast enough, I could jab for the nose, put my opponent on the defensive, and then set him or her up for further attacks immediately without giving them time to plan. So like.. jab to the stomach to bring your opponents guard down lower to cover the area and then say hit for the chin or head or even eyes! So a jab is good to move your opponents guard around to where you want it to be to set up for your next move. Basically… you have to think one or two moves ahead always when you are fighting like this and really plan it… really want it… and keep on the aggressor on the defensive.” She said, happy at her thought process on it.

Kavala was tall for a Konti, but came no where near Matthew’s bulk and was downright slim and delicate compared to humans. She had to take all the advantages she could get when it came to fighting. And one of those advantages was speed and utilizing her mind.

"It seems to me that jabs also conserve energy because I think I could throw a lot more jabs than say other more complicated punches that require more of my bodies action involved. And if what you are saying is true, then you can adjust all sorts of things about your opponent using jabs. I mean… you could adjust their stance, timing, all sorts of things. But then the flip side is if your jab is predictable they can see it coming and avoid it and avoid what you want to do with it. So… we need to … change it up a lot…. Be unpredictable…” Kavala said, throwing a few jabs as she worked through her thought process.

Seth moved behind her. “You are doing this wrong.” He said, disengaging part of her body by laying his hands on her hips and manipulating her from behind. Kavala felt suddenly small, her eyes glancing over to Matthew almost as if she compared the two men tat close range.

Their trainer continued. ”Never practice a jab flatfooted and without moving. I won’t let you develop bad habits. Always move while you jab. Never stay stationary. Learn to jab while moving forward because you can set up combinations which I will teach you in a few minutes. Learn to jab while backing up as in a defensive situation. You can jab while moving sideways, which acts as a counter. Practice using a series of two quick jabs with no body movement then with body movement and see the difference.” Seth said as he guided Kavala through the moves, showing her how much more she could get out of her jabs by moving.

"Do not poke or paw like a cat or dog at play. Instead, be like the snake… fire it out and back as fast as you can like a snake striking to bite.” He said, nodding and releasing the Konti. Kavala nodded, understanding, and then went on to keep jabbing practice jabs forwards, back, and sideways.

”Now Matthew, can you tell me how to counter a jab? Seth asked, noting the male part of his trainees had already gotten the motion part that the Konti hadn’t understood.

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Last edited by Kavala on June 12th, 2014, 3:42 am, edited 1 time in total.
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The Sanctuary The Sanctuary Forum Riverfall The Cytali
Reverie Isle Wolf Creek Training Course
Please Note:
  • This pc is maxed out in Animal Husbandry, Medicine, Observation, Rhetoric, and Socialization.
  • Kavala a Master Teacher. Students she is teaching in thread can earn more than the maxium 5 XP per thread.
  • This pc has a Konti Gift of Animal Empathy. She has a superpower from a Riverfall city event that allows animals of all sorts and Kelvics (in kelvic form) to speak clear understandable Common around her.
  • Kavala is a Konti but was raised in the Drykas culture so her accent is entirely Pavi though she can speak Common, Pavi, and Tukant well. She's only conversational in Kontinese.
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Kavala
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Taking A Punch

Postby Matthew on June 9th, 2014, 5:51 pm

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Matthew gave a few more examples of the blow, making sure that he had it down pat. It was a fairly easy punch to use, feeling light and quick. If he really tried, he could throw out quite a few of them in a row, though he wasn't so sure how accurate they would be. He recalled the point of impact and attempted to mix it into his jabs, making sure he was aware of it at all times. The idea certainly helped aim his blows, letting him know where the force of the blow could be found each and every time he threw out another one of the jabs.

Kavala took the lead and started to explain, Matthew quietly watching her and mentally working through each of the suggestions she offered. Seth nodded with a pleased smile, giving examples for the two of them to draw from as the Konti walked her way through each of the variations that Seth had challenged them to puzzle out. The Konti herself would one day make a fantastic teacher, already being quite the excellent one. The young student split his attentions between the two of them, physically acting out what was said as he listened in. Speed was something that he had already stumbled upon, the ability to throw jab after jab in a blur. If he was skilled, he had no doubt that he could layer jab after jab over a single point of impact. He imagined a target in the air and threw a quick array of speedy jabs, still finding that it was oddly hard to add speed and maintain accuracy. Moving quickly broke his stance, so it would take some time before he could instinctively maintain his stance while moving quickly.

"You can also add power by twisting at the waist. It would dedicate you to the punch, but it can turn into a combination of blows. A jab that steps in and twists for power, then twists for another straight blow with the other arm." He added onto Kavala's own explaination, Seth nodding at the both of them and adding on the proper term. "A one-two punch, as some may call it." Matthew showed what he meant, striking out with a jab that he stepped into, thrusting one hip forward and then rotating the power back into the other hip to fire off another quick blow. He was slow and awkward with it, but it got across the general idea.

His Konti friend was looking at him and Matthew wasn't at all shy about returning the stare. Was she studying his movements as a part of the lesson or simply showing appreciation for the way he looked? He thought back to some of the men he knew, ones that were very much aware of how attractive they were to specific women. While such a trait was not really all that attractive in and of itself, it was still a handy skill to have. They knew how to read the signs and instantly act on them. It was something that he would have to focus on training, but at a later time. Him and Kavala already had quite a bit on their plate when they were together, no need to add something else that would only distract from shared studies. His stare flickered with some of that familiar thought again, then he slowly offered her a polite and hesitant smile, obviously trying out a reaction that he wasn't entirely sure was the correct one. The moment only lasted for a few ticks and then they both slid their stare back to Seth, knowing that it would be disrespectful to focus on anything but their teacher for too long. He tuned back in on the conversation, having split ears and eyes between Kavala and Seth, now focusing both on the mighty Akalak.

Dominance and rhythm. Both words were deemed important but the second word was underlined with his mental notes, the word pulling up a concept that he hadn't realized was so very crucial. Everything he had been taught so far had a silent rhythm. The flow of force through his body moved to a beat that was generated by thrusting limbs and firmly stepping feet. Interrupting that rhythm would prove deadly. How bad would it be to find yourself off balance and your combination of blows broken? In a live fight, the way he was now, Matthew had no doubt in his mind that he would lose right then and there. Seth threw a few jabs at Matthew, forcing the student to step back. There was plenty of room for Seth to advance before he actually hit Matthew, but Matthew could feel the air splitting from where he aimed the jabs. He had no interest in keeping anywhere close to them, so he most definitely backed up like a good student.

Kavala let loose a flood of words and Seth nodded and then shook his head, moving to adjust her. Kavala threw another glance and Matthew matched it, quite puzzled as to the purpose of this particular one. He had no idea that he was getting compared to Seth, at least physically. Where Matthew was slim, Seth was thick. Where Matthew was an inch or two taller than most humans, Seth was even taller than that. Matthew had noticed it before so he didn't pay any mind to it now, but the difference between an Akalak male and a human male was impressive.

Always move. He realized his feet had stopped and he started bouncing from foot to foot, making sure that his muscles didn't ever relax. Like a snake. He fired out a jab, then another jab. Watching his muscles ripple and feeling the power pulse through from the shoulder to the elbow to the wrist, something in the back of his mind poked at his senses and demanded that he notice something important that he was missing. He ignored the voice, trusting Seth to teach them everything that needed to be learned when Matthew needed to learn it.

Seth had asked him a question. He paused his jabbing fist but kept hopping from foot to foot, biting his lower lip and turning his attention to Kavala as she practiced her jabs over and over. "If the jab isn't one designed for power, I would think it would be best to either catch it or knock it to the side. Since it is generally a snapping punch and not a weighted punch, if you can get the timing perfect, then I would think that would be one way. After blocking or parrying, your other fist could be used to push in a blow while they were off balance. Alternatively... Kavala, can you continue to throw jab after jab, straight ahead at my chin level?"

If Kavala complied, Matthew would step forward, eyes focused on her motions. He had realized something earlier and now he wanted to put it to use. His lips whispered and his feet bounced, foot to foot, foot to foot... Kavala perhaps quickly noticing that the movements of his feet were slowly matching to the movements of her jabs. Seth was watching cautiously at first but soon slowly nodded and offered a smile, seeing and approving of what was about to happen.

Matthew stepped forward, not even considering that his face was very much in Kavala's hands. She could change up her rhythm out of surprise or instinctively try to throw another blow. He was mindlessly trusting she would simply do as he said.

He stepped forward into the jab, and at the last moment his head slipped to the side. It remained there for a moment and then as the next jab came, it slipped back to the original position. His head bobbed back and forth to the rhythm of her jabs, staying for only a few ticks before he danced backwards and put himself out of range. "There is a timing to it all, and if you can get that timing down then you can effectively dodge. You can probably even throw in a blow soon afterwards." Seth nodded and motioned Matthew to face him, a smile on his lips. "Correct, almost completely. However, why wait until after the jab? Throw one at me now." Matthew didn't hesitate to comply, throwing out a straight quick jab, intending to turn it into a flurry of them.

Seth slipped past the jab and instantly stepped in. He was upon Matthew in an instant, his fist approaching Matthew's face as the human fully extended his arm into the jab. He wouldn't even have the chance to pull it back before he was out like a light. Instantly his mind began to brace, knowing that he was about to be completely laid out on the ground. Thankfully, Seth paused, a grin on his lips as he showed his sweating student some mercy. "A counter. A punch thrown at the same time as your opponent, usually angled to take advantage of the fact that they are throwing their force forward into their own punch. If done correctly, you will step in and throw a punch that they will run right into. If done incorrectly, you will run right into their blow."

The Akalak turned to Kavala and glanced at Matthew, motioning for him to begin practicing his jabs. Turning back to the Konti, he gestured toward Matthew again and raised an eyebrow. "Do you feel comfortable attempting to block, parry, dodge, or even counter his blows?" Matthew passively watched, throwing jab after jab over in and over in a neat and steady pattern.
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Taking A Punch

Postby Kavala on June 12th, 2014, 7:32 am

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Kavala loved the training. Matthew was smart and he excelled at most studies, but she felt on an intuitive level that she was better at this. She knew her advantages were from hard living on the Sea of Grass while he grew up in softer quarters among the city folk. Her body had been conditioned since birth to keep moving, ride hard, be fast, stay alive. He had other skills she did not have, but in this she felt strong. Seth didn’t let her head get too full though. Correcting her when she did something wrong happened swiftly, and he gave her virtually no credit when she did something right. All and all it reminded her of her family’s training and her father’s scrutiny. Eachann had wanted her to be a boy. She couldn’t be, not born to a Konti mother, so he did the very best he could do with her. He made her strong and sent her off for training. Kavala just wasn’t certain this was the kind of training he had in mind.

Nor did she have any idea that she’d never truly ever go home again.

Matthew added ideas to her own and she nodded, agreeing with him. Seth piped in, giving them correct terminology and demonstrating what Matthew had meant. They were good together, like this, training in combat. It wasn’t what they were used to, but it was better that they had expanded out rather than fill up their time with medical classes and lessons of the flesh. These lessons were of the soul, teaching them to live better with their bodies and become stronger in their fitness. Kavala enjoyed herself.

When Matthew smiled at her, instead of getting the reaction he had hoped, Kavala narrowed her eyes instantly suspicious. Was he plotting something? His eyes never gave much away and she never believed them anyhow. He orchestrated feelings for the sake of normalcy, but she never got the impression that he felt them legitimately. She instead thought he tried them on like she tried on different clothing styles. Did he enjoy happy like some people enjoyed the color red? Maybe. But she wasn’t sure he really understood happy. There was something broken about him… something she was acutely aware of, but that didn’t mean he was less of a person or dangerous. He simply was who he was and that didn’t seem to bother him, so she tried not to let it bother her.

Kavala stepped back as Seth schooled Matthew, throwing a few jabs at him and trying to move him off balance and determine his rhythm. Like Matthew, she got the point that dominance was important, but her take home less was that while a rhythm was good, letting an opponent know what that rhythm was opened one up for counters. Kavala watched as the two men sparred, working on her technique and throwing a few cross jabs herself. Her greatest gift was speed and changing up tactics so that another person couldn’t predict what she was going to do. The Konti was smart enough to know if someone landed a few jabs on her face, the fight would be all over. Konti weren’t frail, but they weren’t particularly built for fighting either. Matthew could take a lot more hits than she could.

Suddenly, she found herself pitted against Matthew again. She wondered if he’d regret hitting her if he landed blows, or if he would like it or be curiously detached from it. “I couldn’t catch a jab designed for power. The best I could do would be to redirect it.” She said, interrupting him but fundamentally knowing she was right. Diverting a powerful jab was going to be her best advantage. It took a lot less to divert or redirect than it did to catch a jab.

The Konti nodded at Matthew’s request, and began to step forward and jab at Matthew in a mixed rhythm with mixed techniques. She didn’t throw the same one twice, nor did she throw them in any particular rhythm. Kavala watched Matthew try and match her, understanding fundamentally what he was up too but instinctively trying to prevent him from catching her rhythm. Dominance. She reminded herself that having the edge and never giving it up might more quickly win a battle than being steady and reliable. But this was not a battle, this was a training spar, a lesson, so she slowed and picked up a rhythm he could easily follow. She did it, moreso because he asked, and less because it felt right. It didn’t feel right. It felt stupid and vulnerable. She didn’t want him to be able to grab the timing in his mind, or even effectively dodge or return a blow. Didn’t he understand that? He was thinking like everyone he fought would be a dull mindless jabber tapping to a circadian rhythm that everything followed. And maybe his opponents would be. Kavala, however, wasn’t going to be. Not now… not ever.

Seth stopped them finally, which was good for Kavala since she wanted to point out to Matthew that it wasn’t about learning from opponents. It was about beating them fast before they could hurt you. Maybe he understood and just wanted to be ready for those that wouldn’t have been trained as well. But Kavala wanted to assume all of them were smart, well trained, and better than her. If she went into a fight knowing that, then she’d be stoic in preventing the superior opponent any advantage.

She liked Seth’s idea of being able to know the opponent well enough to throw a punch they would run right into. Matthew had the right of it in his study of opponents in that regard. But in Kavala’s experience, fights came hard, fast, unexpectedly… and there was no time to study or get to know one’s enemy. It was fight and live or fight and die always on the Sea of Grass. Maybe city life was different.

Seth asked her a question. Kavala nodded. “Yes. I’m most comfortable blocking them. I think parry and dodging would be great. I’m uncertain about countering… .is that catching the blow?” She asked.

Seth shook his head. “It’s getting another attack in designed around their attack which negates the first attack.” He explained. Kavala nodded. “Okay… so he’s jabbing at me. How do I block it?” She said, turning to study Matthew carefully.

“Well, since jabs are quick offensive moves, your defense against them must be equally quick with very little movements. There are three main blocks for a jab. They consist of a slip, a brush, and an elbow.”
He said, touching body parts or mimicking actions.

Kavala interrupted. “Isn’t the slip what Matthew showed us a bit ago? Where the person jabs at another and the person being jabbed at quickly bends their knees slightly, bends to the side slightly, then lets the jab slip by their head while assuming a guard position. That lets you counter punch immediately right?” She asked. Seth nodded, pleased;

He faced off with Matthew and they went through the motions of a slip block first slowly then far faster. Kavala followed along with the lesson - bending, twisting and getting out of the way of any such swimming fist.

Then Seth faced her and began jabbing at her thus making it a necessity to slip his jabs. She laughed as she did so, finding the exercise fun despite the disturbing circumstances of the training. When both students seemed to have the slip down, Seth moved on.

“Brush defenses are easily explained. As the jab fires at you, move your trailing wrist inward to trab the jab and direct it downward. Do not reach for the jab, but wait for it to come to you and brush at the last moment. If you reach, you key the enemy in to what you are doing and that opens you up for a counter combination.”
He said, turning first this time to Kavala to see if she could brush. He struck once and she missed the brush. Seth grunted in disapproval. But on the second jab, she was ready and managed to see how easy it was to redirect the energy from the jab slightly to the side as it passed into her range. Seth nodded his approval and turned to Matthew to drill him on the brush for a few moments. When they were done and had finished nodding, Kavala braced herself for one last defensive move.

“Okay, now…. The final defense is the Elbow. As the jab fires tat you, bend the lead arm upwards, pointing the elbow at the jab so the jab will hit your elbow. Make this a quick movement so you do not leave your ribs exposed.”
Seth said, and this time turned to Matthew and began the drill. Kavala watched, practicing the motions along with Matthew. This was a powerhouse move, one that was gutsy and not something she thought a typical jabber would understand.

Soon enough it was her turn. Kavala was nervous, but when she started moving her body again, things calmed down for her. She listened to Seth, followed his directions, and put her elbow into play. It was awkward for her at first, and she stumbled through the defense. But Seth kept on her, getting her to repeat it over and over and over again until she had it perfectly correct. Then he nodded, and asked her to cycle through various counters and blocks while he was watching. He pitted Kavala against Matthew and they took turns jabbing and then blocking the jabks with the three types.

By the time the lesson was winding down, Kavala was sweating and a little more than overheated as Seth called a halt for the day. He dismissed the two, but not before asking them to return the next day. They would be learning a whole host of different punches then.

So Kavala withdrew with Matthew. They had a ton of study to do anyhow, most of it not of the fun variety. They were back in the morning, right after Kavala gave Seth’s daughters their riding lessons, and were lined up to meet the Akalak on his favorite training ground.

“Welcome back. Today I want to introduce you to the Cross, The Hook and the Uppercut. We’ll go over techniques and then defenses before moving forward.” Any questions? Seth studied them both. Kavala looked well rested and eager to get started. Matthew was in a similar state. Kavala shook her head. “No questions sir. I’m just eager to get started.” She said, then smiled at Seth and Matthew both.


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The Sanctuary The Sanctuary Forum Riverfall The Cytali
Reverie Isle Wolf Creek Training Course
Please Note:
  • This pc is maxed out in Animal Husbandry, Medicine, Observation, Rhetoric, and Socialization.
  • Kavala a Master Teacher. Students she is teaching in thread can earn more than the maxium 5 XP per thread.
  • This pc has a Konti Gift of Animal Empathy. She has a superpower from a Riverfall city event that allows animals of all sorts and Kelvics (in kelvic form) to speak clear understandable Common around her.
  • Kavala is a Konti but was raised in the Drykas culture so her accent is entirely Pavi though she can speak Common, Pavi, and Tukant well. She's only conversational in Kontinese.
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Kavala
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Taking A Punch

Postby Matthew on June 12th, 2014, 5:02 pm

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He struggled with the lessons, but that wasn't a bad thing. Certain parts of them he was good at, but other parts he was less than talented at. When they were shown how to do something and then instructed to practice it, he excelled during those times. He was excellent when it came to precise repetition. Every now and then though, Seth would mention something about instinct or combat senses, and that was when Matthew was lost. He had absolutely none of those things. He wasn't sure if he ever would. He didn't let himself get discouraged though, convinced that what he lacked in natural ability he could make up for with pure and simple hard work.

Matthew hadn't made the leap in logic that Kavala had when it came to timing and the fact that any simple-minded buffoon would make sure that they didn't throw out punches to a rhythm. It was almost funny how he ended up waiting for her off-tempo punches to change to a steady beat before he showed what he had meant when it came to using their own skill against them. He'd learn his mistake one day, no doubt. If Kavala didn't point it out to him by then.

Narrowing his eyes and re-centering his focus upon Seth, listening as even more new concepts were added. There were blocks and counters, each of which had various ways to be performed. He blinked at the revelation that the move he had used earlier actually had a name, then quickly assumed his stance when he was called upon to practice it some more. Recalling Kavala's words, he bent at the knee and bent just a bit to the side, slipping his head right out of the way of the oncoming blow. It was an accurately named technique. He was curious if it would even be possible to rotate his head backwards with the oncoming punch, dodging the force without actually moving his body. He imagined it possible, though he would have to be utterly perfect when it came to the timing. Otherwise he would just get nailed by the blow. The slip that Seth was showing him was much more practical in just about every single situation. Soon he was able to easily slip around Seth's blows, though he had no doubt that Seth was slowing his punches just to the point where Matthew had to struggle just a bit to keep from getting clipped by them.

The brush was a bit harder, but he coped with it like he coped with every other new technique. He practiced with patient repetition, making little adjustments here and there to his movements until he finally managed to awkwardly brush a few blows aside. The elbow was a bit easier for him to understand and it was also one that he could apply his medical knowledge to. If the bones in a clenched fist collided with the bone of the elbow, a hard enough punch would shatter the punching hand and leave the elbow relatively unharmed. It took quite a bit of practice to effectively aim the block, though. Matthew and Kavala were pitted against each other and he awkwardly went back through all of the blocks and counters, Kavala's natural skill obvious to him when they had to face off against the other. Perhaps he would make it a point to practice this in secret as well. He didn't want to slow the lesson and therefor slow her personal evolution in the skill. It left him with a lot to think about as Seth finally called for a halt, leaving the sweating human and konti to focus on the other studies that they had lined up.

They were back the next morning to learn a whole new array of things. Matthew had slightly shortened the length of his early morning workout, wanting to save some of his strength for the lesson. He took the basic stance he had been taught the day before and braced himself, returning Kavala's smile and then glancing to Seth.

Seth nodded, taking it as encouragement to continue on. "These are all considered power punches. They are thrown with power behind them, and are all usually thrown with the dominant hand. All are thrown from the basic guard stance that I've already shown you. A Cross is thrown from the chin, crossing the body and going at the target in a straight line. The shoulder thrusts forward as well and tucks against the chin, while the other hand retracts and tucks against the other side of the chin. An Uppercut starts with the fist at the belly, arcing up in a single motion, usually at the opponent's face. A Hook uses the core muscles and the back to swing the arm in a horizontal arc, once again usually aimed at the face, though sometimes aimed at the body." He explained the moves while showing them each in succession, moving slowly and repeating his motions so that his students were able to fully see everything that he was doing. "Note that each of these have a very specific range that they can be thrown from, and each have very unique motions. With that in mind, what would you think would be an appropriate defense for each punch? Practice what I've shown you while you think about an answer."

Matthew gave an obedient nod and began to slowly make his way through each punch, taking notice of how very different muscle groups were used for each and every different strike. Seth came over to adjust and critique his technique, reminding him on how to use his hips and other areas of his body to correctly transfer power into the punch. Matthew also made a point to glance at Kavala every now and then, learning to use her as something of an example for himself.
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Taking A Punch

Postby Kavala on June 23rd, 2014, 4:16 am

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Matthew might have struggled, but Kavala was enjoying them enormously. To her this was life and death and really IMPORTANT instead of wandering around a library looking for a book she’d never get to see again once she left the island. So she paid attention, listened carefully, and practiced noting details. She also didn’t point out to Matthew that she noted he liked a rhythm. She should have, to be fair, and probably would later. But there was a need in her to be better than him in some small way and this might be her chance. He could cook better than she could. He understood people far better than she did. He could make her body sing just by a touch. And navigating the city was no challenge to him.

Kavala didn’t see herself the way Matthew did. To her, she was an outcast to the people she desperately wanted to belong too. She had no hope for rank when Kavala had been born to leaders and trained alongside her brother with the same lessons. It never occurred to her father that her lessons would end in heartbreak for sharing Vanator’s Ankal lessons with Kavala. He never thought it wouldn’t do her any good to know how to solve disputes when it would never and could never be her job to do so. She didn’t see beauty. She saw inhumanity. She didn’t see strength, she saw gills and scales and a foreign need to want to suddenly swim a great deal.

But in this she was strong. She had Denusk blood, which was a line that could trace their origins back to the Drykas valley and to warrior mages there. So the fighter in her blood called to the fight Seth was teaching them and embraced it like an old friend. The power punches were welcome friends, ones that she mentally wrapped her awareness around and adored.

She saw instantly that the cross could be set up easily by the jab. Their starting positions were the same and the motion was the same except the trailing hand and hip were used instead of the leading hand and hip. It felt natural to switch over from leading to trailing and make the Cross work. She practiced punching, leading out with the hip and then as her first traveled towards its target, her shoulder followed through. She kept her elbows tucked in and didn’t let them lift to the side.

Seth reached out and tapped Matthew once, calling his flapping lifting elbows chicken wings. She could see how it weakened the power of the punches and exposed his ribs to blows. She tried not to telegraph the punch by cocking the arm or tightening her fist in a tell to her opponent. She realized early on that the only hint her opposition should have was that her fist was getting bigger, increasing, because it was drawing nearer, not for any other reason.

“The defense for the Cross is the same as the jab.” Kavala said suddenly. It was true too because the cross was virtually the jab with just a different leading technique. “But the defense for the Hook is different. You’d need to tuck your chin into your shoulder and touch your hand to your ear to block a hook on that side.” Kavala demonstrated, having Matthew throw a hook at her. “You can’t say… block by putting up your arm or sticking it out. If someone hits you with a power punch like a hook, you could get your arm knocked into you or broken. You need to evade a hook. Keep your hands up, bend your knees, and roll your body under the hook so you can come up fighting.” Kavala said, demonstrating her duck and roll followed by a jab.

Then, when Seth nodded, but corrected her footwork during the demonstration sternly, she went back to practicing the hook. To Kavala it seemed the hook was just a forefist punch executed in a slightly different manner. It lead with a tight arch from the outside of the body to the inside with a hooking motion. She could tuck her body and really step into it, making the punch deceptively powerful. The Konti realized in short order that if she lead with a fake or a feint, it was practically shocking. It looked like it could be combined with jabs, crosses, and even uppercuts with ease to break rhythm and keep her body in motion and thus in dominance. Kavala found she could throw the hook with either hand and perhaps maybe even end a fight if she could sneak it in there with enough power.

“It’s almost as if you can use this as an opponent is approaching, like as a counter.” She added, hooking again to an invisible foe. Most of the power behind the punch, she soon realized, was due to the footwork involved. Her fist started at her hip, knuckles down, or from the guard position with her knuckles outward. Then the whole motion moved outward, hooking as her fist snapped into the target. She realized quickly it could be used to the side of the head or body. Again, she kept her elbows in as much as possible, when she wasn’t throwing the punch. She recognized almost immediately that when she punched from the hip, if the target was lower such as around the stomach or ribs, then the path of the punch would be fairly level with the ground. If the target was higher, the punch must go over and around the arm or shoulder of the enemy.

“Stop dropping your shoulder, Kavala. You are cocking the punching fist… both are bad habits. Stop it…”
Seth advised, and then turned to make some corrections on Matthew. Kavala gritted her teeth, recognized what she was doing wrong, and started again. It was then that she realized her swinging fist would most likely move slightly out of her opponent’s line of sight and should go around the guard if swung right.

“Never straighten your arm when throwing the hook. During the strike, your fist will dance back towards your body as if you were doing a biceps curl.”
Seth coached, walking around between them now, correcting their techniques.

Kavala continued learning. She began her hook with a simple step of turning slightly on the ball of her lead foot, rotating her lead hip, then rotating her lead shoulder, which all of that seemed to gather enough energy to fire the punch. The hook ended as her fist reached the vertical centerline of her body. At that point, Kavala realized she needed to pull the fist back to the guard position. Seth clearly stated why the fist didn’t’ travel past the centerline.

“If you do so, overextending, you expose yourself to a counterattack and loose the advantage. Remember, power comes from the rotation of the body not from the arm itself. To rotate your body, your lead foot must twist inward on the ball as if you were crushing a bug on the floor.”
He said, showing the motion multiple times until Kavala had it down. Then she practiced setting up for the hook by using jabs and crosses until she grew tired. She knew she still had to talk about uppercuts, but Seth called a short water break and rest before she needed to get into them. The hook had taken a lot of time but was a valuable part of her unarmed arsenal.

Count: 1,250
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The Sanctuary The Sanctuary Forum Riverfall The Cytali
Reverie Isle Wolf Creek Training Course
Please Note:
  • This pc is maxed out in Animal Husbandry, Medicine, Observation, Rhetoric, and Socialization.
  • Kavala a Master Teacher. Students she is teaching in thread can earn more than the maxium 5 XP per thread.
  • This pc has a Konti Gift of Animal Empathy. She has a superpower from a Riverfall city event that allows animals of all sorts and Kelvics (in kelvic form) to speak clear understandable Common around her.
  • Kavala is a Konti but was raised in the Drykas culture so her accent is entirely Pavi though she can speak Common, Pavi, and Tukant well. She's only conversational in Kontinese.
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Kavala
I am more than the sum of my parts.
 
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Taking A Punch (Part 1)

Postby Traverse on July 27th, 2014, 9:17 pm

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Kavala

Experience:

  • Acrobatics 2
  • Bartering 1
  • Endurance 4
  • Running 1
  • Tactics 2
  • Unarmed Combat 5

Matthew

Experience:

  • Acroabtics 2
  • Endurance 3
  • Meditation 1
  • Running 1
  • Tactics 2
  • Unarmed Combat 5

Shared Lores:

  • Seth: A Demanding Tutor
  • Snap Punch vs. Pushed Through Punch
  • The Power of a Punch Comes Through the Hip and Motion
  • Basic Guard Position
  • Forefist Punches & Inverted Forefirst Punches
  • The Utility and Versatility of Jabs

Additional Notes :
Alright this was a heavily technical thread, but still enjoyable to read! You'll notice I sort of dropped off the lore train, so if you wanted stuff on uppercuts and what not let me know, but I'm sure the both of you have enough lores to choke a large horse with. I gave acrobatics for the fluidity of movements and because both of you are pretty novice in that, the tactics just seemed to fit how you guys puzzled through problems in a combat setting...and Matthew got 5 in unarmed combat because of his relative level to the intensity of this training, and... yeah if there was anything I missed let me know, I look forward to the continuation of this, perhaps we get to see Seth's other soul pop up? :D
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Traverse
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