Being an expert with the bow, and a Blademaster with sword were massive accomplishments for anyone in the Yards, and while Riahana would not deny the significance of either achievement, she was not satisfied. Her unarmed skills left a great deal to be desired. While she could likely fend off any street thugs, she would struggle with any who had any real skill or experience in unarmed.
Yes, Ria could have approached Garren Gaidn, or even perhaps Dax, and maybe once she was more skilled, she would. For now, the Mistress of Arms was at the Citadel, walking alongside a fellow Saldaean, Malina Gaidar. “I thought you came out here for a routine check-in to see how our newest round of Ji’ we're getting along,” the younger Gaidar said as the pair were heading for a semi-private courtyard.
Casting a side-long look towards Malina, Ria smirked, “I did, yes, but that's not to say the trip can’t serve two purposes, no? To be honest, I should not have left it so long for me to continue my unarmed training.”
Malina guided Ria, having them take an abrupt right through an archway that led to a small courtyard filled with sand. “Welcome to my little refuge in the madness that is the Citadel,” Malina replied. “Well, Mistress of Arms, I am happy to help you build your skill, but we do it my way.” She nodded to Ria’s black leather riding boots, “Remove your boots, and your sword belt, of course. You wear your hair pulled back and in a braid, which is good, though, the tail of the braid can be yanked by an opponent. It may seem a childish thing to do, but it is effective. Consider tying the braid up, or putting in a bun. . .though, I can't for the life of me picture you in a bun.”
Ria laughed softly as she lifted her left leg up, resting it on the right as she slid off the first boot, “I have yet to put my hair in a bun, though I am sure I can find a way to wear it so that it doesn't pose such a risk.” She took her left sock before removing her right boot and sock. After stuffing her socks into her boots, she set the pair off to the side. Finally, she removed her sword belt, wrapping the belt around the sheath of her sword before setting it aside. “Now what?” She asked as she faced Malina.
The sand felt cool on her bare feet, and subconsciously, Ria wiggled her toes deeper into the cool red sand. Malina faced her, now also barefoot, “Now we start with you showing me what you do know. A simple spar, if you will. I want you to initiate the attack, and keep advancing until I either pin you, or say break.”
“Why do I suspect I will be on my back in mere seconds?” Ria asked with a smirk.
Malina laughed, “My goal is not to embarrass you, Ria, but to asses what your skill is so I can come up with the best plan to help you improve. Now,” she nodded towards the main training yards, “if you were one of my pups? Entirely different story.” She then gave a quick nod, “Alright, whenever you are ready.”
Ria nodded as she took in a deep breath and let the Void settle over her. It was like an old friend to the Gaidar, sharpening her senses, making her almost hyper-aware of everything around her. Colors seemed sharper, sounds crisper, and movement seemed to slow down. She studied Malina, recognizing the basic unarmed stance she was taught when she first trained in unarmed all those many years ago.
With two quick steps, Riahana advanced on Malina and did a quick jab with her right hand, followed by a left hook. Malina blocked both punches effortlessly, and then advanced on Ria, grabbing the fellow Saldaean by the collar. A split second later, Malina was leaning back, pulling Ria with her. As her bum hit the ground, Malina used her legs and tossed Ria over her head.
Landing flat on her back, Ria laughed softly and pushed herself to her feet, “I thought your goal wasn’t to embarrass me?”
Malina flashed a smirk to her superior, “It isn’t. What happened there was you had two quick punches, but you didn’t think beyond them. I saw an opening, and took advantage of it. You know as well as I do that your opponents will use an leverage they have to get the upper hand. The opening salvo wasn’t bad, but not well thought out. You could have pressed advantage and closed distance to grapple with me, swept my legs from me, or any other number of options.
“Let me show you,” Malia nodded for Ria to get into the centered stance. She came at the Gaidar in slow motion, jabbing with her right before following up with a left hook. Ria blocked both just as Malina had done, but that was where the similarities ended. Malina didn’t hesitate as she stepped in, took Ria by the shoulders, and put her left hip behind Ria’s. She then pushed the other Gaidar back, “See? With my leg where it is, I can use it to put you on your back. You can avoid this move by shuffling back as I advance, or taking a step in to get a hold and then it becomes a wrestling match. If you maintain your feet and your opponent goes down, you have the advantage.”
Both women took a step back from each other, and both settled into the guard stance. Ria moved forward quickly, starting with the jab, following with the hook before continuing her advance as she grabbed Malina by the collar as her leg went behind the other Gaidar’s, and pushed. Malina went down, her arms slapping the ground to absorb the impact, and she rewarded Ria with a smile, “Better. No hesitation, and you were quick. If you want to take full advantage of the move, use your own momentum to follow me down, and deliver a fist or elbow to the face. If you are lucky, it could knock your opponent out cold.”
As both women got back up, Ria thought over the lesson thus far, and did her best to commit what Malina had said to memory. Malina was watching her with her almond shaped Saldaean eyes, and smirked, “One more thing. . . I know I said your opening salvo wasn’t well thought out, but you can over-think unarmed. The idea is to be adaptable. If you attempt a combination salvo, and your opponent side steps, be ready to move with them. If your opponent comes at you, you won’t have time to decide whether you should do A or B. You have to just make your counter move, and if it doesn’t work, try something else.
“If you start grappling with someone bigger than you, you are going to have to use their size against them, and get whatever leverage you can. Unarmed isn’t often graceful the way swords can be. The idea isn’t to be pretty, but to be effective so that you have the advantage over your opponent. Just as with swords, if you live to fight another day, you win,” Malina explained. “The difference is, we don’t have to be dancers to be effective. You have balance and grace down in spades, Ria, but if someone grabs you from behind, you need to be able to get out of their grip as quickly as you can. Your fancy footwork won’t hurt, but it will only get you so far.”
Ria laughed softly, “Don’t over think it, be ready to react, and adapt, in other words?”
Malina nodded, “Exactly. Stand ready.”
The unarmed instructor barely gave Ria a chance to settle into the guard stance as she closed distance, leading with a punch before bringing up her knee, and following it with a left hook. Ria managed to block the first punch, and the knee, but ducked the second punch as she grabbed Malina’s forearm and used the woman’s momentum to push her past. The Mistress of Arms turned around just in time to see a foot coming at her as Malina did a round-house kick, and found herself face down in the sand.
As she turned over, Malina offered her a hand up, “Not bad. . .not bad at all. You have quick reflexes, and the way you pushed me passed was perfect. . .except you were slow to turn around. As you push me by, turn your body with me so that you can’t get blindsided like that. I admit most people you face won’t be as quick as me, but you should expect them all to be better than me.
“That’s probably enough of that for now. We’ll wrap up by going through a series of moves I do each day. I typically use them as a warm up, but they work just as well to cool down and stretch. You are going to be nimble enough, I’m sure, but you’ll find you use different muscles with unarmed over sword,” Malina explained.
The two finished their session with Malina going through her forms. As Ria followed, she realized what Malina did was not so different to what she did with the sword. The movements were different of course, but the principle was the same. Muscle memory was critical in a fight. Malina was right: there was no time to choose between course of action A or B. You had to pick one and trust your skills to get you through. She hoped this session with unarmed, and many more practice sessions would help her shake off her unarmed cobwebs.
Yes, Ria could have approached Garren Gaidn, or even perhaps Dax, and maybe once she was more skilled, she would. For now, the Mistress of Arms was at the Citadel, walking alongside a fellow Saldaean, Malina Gaidar. “I thought you came out here for a routine check-in to see how our newest round of Ji’ we're getting along,” the younger Gaidar said as the pair were heading for a semi-private courtyard.
Casting a side-long look towards Malina, Ria smirked, “I did, yes, but that's not to say the trip can’t serve two purposes, no? To be honest, I should not have left it so long for me to continue my unarmed training.”
Malina guided Ria, having them take an abrupt right through an archway that led to a small courtyard filled with sand. “Welcome to my little refuge in the madness that is the Citadel,” Malina replied. “Well, Mistress of Arms, I am happy to help you build your skill, but we do it my way.” She nodded to Ria’s black leather riding boots, “Remove your boots, and your sword belt, of course. You wear your hair pulled back and in a braid, which is good, though, the tail of the braid can be yanked by an opponent. It may seem a childish thing to do, but it is effective. Consider tying the braid up, or putting in a bun. . .though, I can't for the life of me picture you in a bun.”
Ria laughed softly as she lifted her left leg up, resting it on the right as she slid off the first boot, “I have yet to put my hair in a bun, though I am sure I can find a way to wear it so that it doesn't pose such a risk.” She took her left sock before removing her right boot and sock. After stuffing her socks into her boots, she set the pair off to the side. Finally, she removed her sword belt, wrapping the belt around the sheath of her sword before setting it aside. “Now what?” She asked as she faced Malina.
The sand felt cool on her bare feet, and subconsciously, Ria wiggled her toes deeper into the cool red sand. Malina faced her, now also barefoot, “Now we start with you showing me what you do know. A simple spar, if you will. I want you to initiate the attack, and keep advancing until I either pin you, or say break.”
“Why do I suspect I will be on my back in mere seconds?” Ria asked with a smirk.
Malina laughed, “My goal is not to embarrass you, Ria, but to asses what your skill is so I can come up with the best plan to help you improve. Now,” she nodded towards the main training yards, “if you were one of my pups? Entirely different story.” She then gave a quick nod, “Alright, whenever you are ready.”
Ria nodded as she took in a deep breath and let the Void settle over her. It was like an old friend to the Gaidar, sharpening her senses, making her almost hyper-aware of everything around her. Colors seemed sharper, sounds crisper, and movement seemed to slow down. She studied Malina, recognizing the basic unarmed stance she was taught when she first trained in unarmed all those many years ago.
With two quick steps, Riahana advanced on Malina and did a quick jab with her right hand, followed by a left hook. Malina blocked both punches effortlessly, and then advanced on Ria, grabbing the fellow Saldaean by the collar. A split second later, Malina was leaning back, pulling Ria with her. As her bum hit the ground, Malina used her legs and tossed Ria over her head.
Landing flat on her back, Ria laughed softly and pushed herself to her feet, “I thought your goal wasn’t to embarrass me?”
Malina flashed a smirk to her superior, “It isn’t. What happened there was you had two quick punches, but you didn’t think beyond them. I saw an opening, and took advantage of it. You know as well as I do that your opponents will use an leverage they have to get the upper hand. The opening salvo wasn’t bad, but not well thought out. You could have pressed advantage and closed distance to grapple with me, swept my legs from me, or any other number of options.
“Let me show you,” Malia nodded for Ria to get into the centered stance. She came at the Gaidar in slow motion, jabbing with her right before following up with a left hook. Ria blocked both just as Malina had done, but that was where the similarities ended. Malina didn’t hesitate as she stepped in, took Ria by the shoulders, and put her left hip behind Ria’s. She then pushed the other Gaidar back, “See? With my leg where it is, I can use it to put you on your back. You can avoid this move by shuffling back as I advance, or taking a step in to get a hold and then it becomes a wrestling match. If you maintain your feet and your opponent goes down, you have the advantage.”
Both women took a step back from each other, and both settled into the guard stance. Ria moved forward quickly, starting with the jab, following with the hook before continuing her advance as she grabbed Malina by the collar as her leg went behind the other Gaidar’s, and pushed. Malina went down, her arms slapping the ground to absorb the impact, and she rewarded Ria with a smile, “Better. No hesitation, and you were quick. If you want to take full advantage of the move, use your own momentum to follow me down, and deliver a fist or elbow to the face. If you are lucky, it could knock your opponent out cold.”
As both women got back up, Ria thought over the lesson thus far, and did her best to commit what Malina had said to memory. Malina was watching her with her almond shaped Saldaean eyes, and smirked, “One more thing. . . I know I said your opening salvo wasn’t well thought out, but you can over-think unarmed. The idea is to be adaptable. If you attempt a combination salvo, and your opponent side steps, be ready to move with them. If your opponent comes at you, you won’t have time to decide whether you should do A or B. You have to just make your counter move, and if it doesn’t work, try something else.
“If you start grappling with someone bigger than you, you are going to have to use their size against them, and get whatever leverage you can. Unarmed isn’t often graceful the way swords can be. The idea isn’t to be pretty, but to be effective so that you have the advantage over your opponent. Just as with swords, if you live to fight another day, you win,” Malina explained. “The difference is, we don’t have to be dancers to be effective. You have balance and grace down in spades, Ria, but if someone grabs you from behind, you need to be able to get out of their grip as quickly as you can. Your fancy footwork won’t hurt, but it will only get you so far.”
Ria laughed softly, “Don’t over think it, be ready to react, and adapt, in other words?”
Malina nodded, “Exactly. Stand ready.”
The unarmed instructor barely gave Ria a chance to settle into the guard stance as she closed distance, leading with a punch before bringing up her knee, and following it with a left hook. Ria managed to block the first punch, and the knee, but ducked the second punch as she grabbed Malina’s forearm and used the woman’s momentum to push her past. The Mistress of Arms turned around just in time to see a foot coming at her as Malina did a round-house kick, and found herself face down in the sand.
As she turned over, Malina offered her a hand up, “Not bad. . .not bad at all. You have quick reflexes, and the way you pushed me passed was perfect. . .except you were slow to turn around. As you push me by, turn your body with me so that you can’t get blindsided like that. I admit most people you face won’t be as quick as me, but you should expect them all to be better than me.
“That’s probably enough of that for now. We’ll wrap up by going through a series of moves I do each day. I typically use them as a warm up, but they work just as well to cool down and stretch. You are going to be nimble enough, I’m sure, but you’ll find you use different muscles with unarmed over sword,” Malina explained.
The two finished their session with Malina going through her forms. As Ria followed, she realized what Malina did was not so different to what she did with the sword. The movements were different of course, but the principle was the same. Muscle memory was critical in a fight. Malina was right: there was no time to choose between course of action A or B. You had to pick one and trust your skills to get you through. She hoped this session with unarmed, and many more practice sessions would help her shake off her unarmed cobwebs.
