He pauses his routine and ponders for a moment.
"There's four main schools in Bartitsu, which borrowed liberally from Canne de Combat, Jujitsu, Savate and Boxing. Canne de Combat is of minimal application for you since..." He raises the walking stick "you don't need one. My savate and jujitsu are likewise shoddy since kicking with the right is painful... I need to tighten those up as well, but I'd like to find a professional to train with. Which leaves boxing, which is as good a point as any to start."
"Nathan. You're about average height for your age... correct? That means you've still got a couple of years of growing left." He walks over to his backpack and fishes out a pair of black fingerless gloves which he tosses over to Nathan. "Keep them. It's a new pair. That unfortunately means you're losing in size and reach against most aggressors. Worrying but not insurmountable."
He balls a fist and slowly goes through the motion of an overhand punch before gently tapping his knuckles against the side of Nathan's face.
"Notice that while I have a bit of reach over you, it's a more awkward swing since I'm aiming down. The better fighters can compensate for that, but most people, ironically are used to picking on someone their own size." He grabs Nathan's left arm and pushes it against his chin before letting go. "You on the other hand are either aiming up, or for center of mass. Perversely, that means my vulnerabilities are actually more accessible. I'll talk you through in general terms, but remember that."
He waves Nathan over to one side and settles back down into a guard position.
"This is a jab. It's one of the most basic strikes people need to learn, but most don't. It's not pretty, it's not memorable, but it's fast."
He snaps a series of short punches, rapidly snapping out his arm before returning to guard position. "I forgot to mention that I lead with my right hand. Adapt as necessary. You want to work on your jab before moving on to anything else. It really is basically the most basic punch. You use if offensively as a probe, trying to shake your opponent or at least gauge his defenses. Defensively, a sharp jab can stagger a windup to a big punch, plus the basic position with it's hands near your face means you're already covering half your head."
"You try it. Once you're confident, lets try it again in slow motion. Always good to get a look at the way your own muscles move."
He steps back and glances at his own Pokemon who have sort of gathered round to watch. As Nathan settles into stance, he walks around, making a few adjustments to pose, or prodding limbs into position with his cane.
"I didn't say stop, you slackers."
"There's four main schools in Bartitsu, which borrowed liberally from Canne de Combat, Jujitsu, Savate and Boxing. Canne de Combat is of minimal application for you since..." He raises the walking stick "you don't need one. My savate and jujitsu are likewise shoddy since kicking with the right is painful... I need to tighten those up as well, but I'd like to find a professional to train with. Which leaves boxing, which is as good a point as any to start."
"Nathan. You're about average height for your age... correct? That means you've still got a couple of years of growing left." He walks over to his backpack and fishes out a pair of black fingerless gloves which he tosses over to Nathan. "Keep them. It's a new pair. That unfortunately means you're losing in size and reach against most aggressors. Worrying but not insurmountable."
He balls a fist and slowly goes through the motion of an overhand punch before gently tapping his knuckles against the side of Nathan's face.
"Notice that while I have a bit of reach over you, it's a more awkward swing since I'm aiming down. The better fighters can compensate for that, but most people, ironically are used to picking on someone their own size." He grabs Nathan's left arm and pushes it against his chin before letting go. "You on the other hand are either aiming up, or for center of mass. Perversely, that means my vulnerabilities are actually more accessible. I'll talk you through in general terms, but remember that."
He waves Nathan over to one side and settles back down into a guard position.
"This is a jab. It's one of the most basic strikes people need to learn, but most don't. It's not pretty, it's not memorable, but it's fast."
He snaps a series of short punches, rapidly snapping out his arm before returning to guard position. "I forgot to mention that I lead with my right hand. Adapt as necessary. You want to work on your jab before moving on to anything else. It really is basically the most basic punch. You use if offensively as a probe, trying to shake your opponent or at least gauge his defenses. Defensively, a sharp jab can stagger a windup to a big punch, plus the basic position with it's hands near your face means you're already covering half your head."
"You try it. Once you're confident, lets try it again in slow motion. Always good to get a look at the way your own muscles move."
He steps back and glances at his own Pokemon who have sort of gathered round to watch. As Nathan settles into stance, he walks around, making a few adjustments to pose, or prodding limbs into position with his cane.
"I didn't say stop, you slackers."
