scarredantihero (scarredantihero) wrote in thearenas, @ 2013-10-23 19:14:00 |
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Entry tags: | ⊗ katniss everdeen, ⊗ luke castellan |
WHO: Katniss & Luke.
WHERE: The Center.
WHEN: 10/23
WHAT: Katniss and Luke practice their swordfighting.
RATING: PG-13 at most for violence.
STATUS: log; in progress
thesymbol Once upon a time, back before the Quarter Quell, Katniss had taken it upon herself to really train for the games. She wanted to be stronger and faster so she could keep Peeta alive. This place was no different. After the war, Katniss had to build up her strength again, which she had. But she still wasn’t in fighting shape anymore. And if she and Peeta and Finnick were all stuck here, forced to participate in these monthly arenas, then she was going to make sure she could help protect them. She knew and trusted her bow, but she also understood it was time to branch out and try other weapons as well. Which was how she ended up in one of the training rooms at the Center facing Luke Castellan with a sword in her hand. scarredantihero Luke knew how to use a sword when he was six years old. And it was less learning and more trying not to die. Fighting was natural to demigods, they learned quickly. He could pick up nearly any weapon and do fairly good at it, without any real training. Since he started out young, by the time he got to the camp he was already very experienced, and at the end of his life there were few people on par with him in terms of skill. So he was a good person to ask for training. He was baffled at first when it came up, but eventually warmed to the idea. Luke knew he had to make some connections outside of Thalia and Annabeth. It was difficult for him to maintain relationships, which was funny considering how he used to be the most popular guy in the camp. Before he caused many of his former comrades to die and tried to destroy all of it. But that was a past problem. Now, he was thinking about making new friends. If it involved a sword, that was even better, since he knew he was good at that. He nodded at Katniss. "You're used to the bow. How often did you use a sword or knife?" thesymbol “I’m okay with a hunting knife,” she answered. “But I’ve never tried a sword before.” They’d had them in the training room at the Capitol for the tributes to practice with. Swords made for an exciting show, after all. But Katniss had never tried them out. “They’re heavier than I expected.” She tightened her grip on the sword’s hilt and raised it up to examine. scarredantihero "Make sure not to use two hands on that, it's a single hand blade. You have strong arms so it shouldn't be that hard, but sometimes people have trouble holding it at first." Luke preferred a sword and shield, like the one he used in the arenas or at capture the flag. He knew how to use broadswords and other types of weapons. "The other arm is usually for balance or to carry a shield." With more weight on one side, it was just about keeping it together and easy on their feet. "Sword fighting is in general about balance. You need to be fast but precise, strong but not heavy." Swords were natural to demigods, most of the time. They each had a weapon better suited for whoever their parent was, but Luke used his sword in a way that mixed well with Hermes. Quick, dirty, and always searching for a weakness. With Katniss he was going to be more relaxed. She needed to get the basics down first. "Defense is the most important part, because a good offense wouldn't matter much when the other person already stabbed you." thesymbol Her bow required her to use both hands, so Katniss felt a little odd and slightly unbalanced with the weapon. But as he said, she had strong arms, and though the sword was heavy, she knew with a little practice, it would cause her no trouble. She let out a short laugh at his comment about offense not mattering when you’ve already been stabbed. “I’m good with defense,” she answered. Despite the arenas and the war, Katniss didn’t like fighting. She hated it, in fact. Most of her attacks were strictly defense and in reaction to what was going on around her. She rarely attacked first. “I don’t know what to do with my feet.” scarredantihero "That's where some of the balance comes in. Physically." Luke sheathed his own sword for now and moved over to her instead. "Sorry, I'm going to have to adjust your stance once you start, so don't punch me when we start." He knew some people had personal boundary issues, especially around here, but hoped the warning would be enough. He wasn't approaching her in a weird way. It was purely professional. He showed her first. "Feet shoulder width apart, bend your knees, be ready to move side to side or backward and forward. Put the same foot forward you're using as your dominant hand with the sword." It made the blade closer to the other person, although it felt at first like the other side was too vulnerable. Still in that stance she could probably already start feeling like some of the weight was leaning on her back leg. "In this situation, it's not too difficult to retreat quickly, you can take a full step back, or you can shuffle quickly." thesymbol It was true Katniss had a lot of personal boundary issues and really didn’t like being touched. But she knew it was impossible to avoid in this situation, so she pushed them aside and tried to keep her face from inadvertently scowling. “It’s fine. I won’t punch you.” She followed his instructions and moved her feet accordingly. She felt slightly less awkward when she did so. She looked over to him for confirmation. scarredantihero "Spread your legs a little more." He tapped his foot against hers, the lightest touch he could honestly do, but he could tell she was defensive. Luke understood that and he knew a few other people who were the same way. He wasn't going to go out of bounds. "Never have your feet too close together, it'll be easy to knock you over that way. The idea is if you're in a proper stance, if I tried to push you over, you'd be able to tense just a little and stay still. If the stance is off, it'll be easy." He went over to her side and gestured for her to lift the sword, tapping her elbow to make sure she bent it. "On the opposite end, you want to keep it close in your torso. If you're a little too wide and open up here, it'll be easy to get around your blade. You want to keep it close to your body so you can block from any point, which is hard to do if your hand is loose or the sword too far from you." [More to be added] |