driftfleet | May Mingle (Caprine)

That's right.

So-- this is going to be a little bit boring to start off with, but I need you to bear with me before we can get to the good stuff. You mentioned you had prior combat training, right? So maybe it won't be too bad.

Depends on how much I need to unlearn.

[Which honestly shouldn't be much - there are a lot of similarities between standard weapons training and lightsaber tactics, and Finn was always a quick study.

And he's pretty much immune to boredom, which helps immensely.]

All right. So what's the best way to start?

You're going to hate me for this, but Form One. Also called Shii-Cho. Back to basics-- it's the pillar on which all other lightsaber forms are built. You can't master any of the others until you learn it. Sorry, but that's just the way it goes. Good lightsaber technique is reliant on a good foundation.

[That said, she takes her main lightsaber off her belt and holds it in both hands in front of her, standard grip, legs planted firmly beneath her at a decent width-- one slightly in front, one slightly behind, to maximise balance, stability and movement. It's reminiscent of the one Luke first used on the Millennium Falcon when Obi-Wan was instructing him.]

This is the opening stance. Super basic. Both hands, weapon in front of you. I suspect you probably already know this one, or a variation of it.

[So she doesn't bother explaining it further than that-- just to see what Finn does naturally.]

Edited 2016-05-16 17:27 (UTC)

Shii-Cho. Got it.

[He doesn't seem impatient at all to be starting with the basics. Finn knows just enough to realize how much more there is to learn, especially after seeing Obi-Wan in action.

The stance is familiar, and he settles into it without difficulty. He even takes a moment to relax and focus until he feels comfortable.]

Like this, right?

Good. Your grip's good too. That's one less thing to worry about.

All right. Here's the strike pattern for Form One. Upper strike, mid strike, lower strike. [She demonstrates each one as she says it-- they're all super basic moves, as she promised. Front-on, no frills. She allows time enough between each one for Finn to follow along with her.]

Upper left. Mid left. Lower left. [This time with a diagonal cross-body strike, high, mid and low. Again, she demonstrates as she says them, then repeats again with the opposite side. It's clear she expects Finn to follow along pretty easily.]

That part's not too different from other weapons.

[He does follow along easily, though his movements are a little slow. This is important for two reasons. First, to get used to how the weapon moves, the odd balance of an energy blade rather than a physical one. And second, it's easier to spot mistakes in form and correct them if moving slowly. Better develop good habits while he can instead of being locked into bad ones.]

[Ahsoka nods, approving.]

Good, good. Now let's do another ten rounds of that, but this time, you're going to be doing them against me instead of the air. To get a feel of how different it is when your blade meets resistance.

Don't worry, you won't hit me. You can go faster if you want, but try to keep your pace even. It's important to build up muscle memory.

[Ahsoka repositions herself in front of him so she can block his strikes, and starts the whole drill over again from the top.]

All right. It should feel pretty different, yeah. I--remember a little about that with a real lightsaber.

[And even if she wasn't a Jedi, he wouldn't worry about hurting her with a hit. These are only practice blades - and she's not exactly in the shape Kylo Ren was when Finn got some hits in on him. Besides, the goal is blade against blade for testing, not hurting each other.

So he speeds up a little from his previous strikes but still keeps it slower than an actual fight would be.]

Let me know if the form looks right.

[And he pays just as much attention to her, because blocking a blade is as important as striking with one.]

Your form looks good. You've been well taught by someone, clearly.

[Then, almost as if she can read his mind:] Keep your focus on your strikes for now. We can cover blocks next.

[She happily passes the rotation settling into a rhythm of blocking Finn's strikes methodically, watching critically to notice any deviations in his form. Happily, there are few. She brings him up once or twice on minor things, but that's really all.]

I've done a lot of combat training. Principles are the same.

[Staff, mace, lightsaber - a longer swing puts more force behind the blow but is more obviously telegraphed, while a shorter thrust has speed but lacks power. Once he gets the hang of the longer swings, they can be done at speed and make up for their disadvantage.]

Okay. [He relaxes back into the flow of it, letting his instincts take over. Time always passes quickly for him like this, and it's much more satisfying than a round in the gym with weights.]

[Satisfied that Finn has that down, when they finish the round she moves on to basic blocks-- again, high, medium, low, both sides. It's dull but again, there's that rhythm to it. Once she's satisfied he has those down pat, she makes him do the round against her again, but with them in reverse positions-- Ahsoka taking the standard Form One striking position, and Finn blocking.

Ahsoka keeps her pace suited to Finn's, letting him set the speed, and though her blows aren't super strong, they have just enough weight behind them to make him take them seriously. It's no good practising blocking against a feather-light strike, after all.]

Your arms getting tired yet? [They have been at this for a while now, after all. Somehow, almost forty five minutes have passed since the beginning of the lesson.]

Edited 2016-05-16 18:51 (UTC)

I could use a short break.

[It's not his arms, actually, but his back--he deactivates the blade so he can do a couple of odd-looking stretches to try and get the kinks out.]

You want a drink?

[He has a couple bottles of blue-flavored drink from the kitchen that he's brought out here, and if she wants he'll toss one over to her.]

[Ahsoka nods.] Take a breather. You've earned it.

We'll do one last exercise to finish up after this, and then we can warm-down.

And I wouldn't mind a drink, if you're offering. [It's important to stay hydrated!]

Thanks.

[He does in fact toss her a bottle. The blue-flavored drink has electrolytes, at least, so it's good for a workout.

After he's chugged some of his, he stretches his shoulders one more time.]

All right. Do we go back to the blocks?

[He doesn't seem to find it at all boring, so there's that.]

[After taking a good long drink herself--]

Nope. Now we're going to combine what you've learned into a series of movements you might actually use. We call these "katas." They start off pretty simple. You can do them with another person, or on your own.

[She comes back to stand in front of Finn again.] We're going to go upper strike, cross body block, lower strike. [She demonstrates as she says it.] I'll do the opposing movements so you have someone to practice on.

Katas. Okay.

[Oh, interesting. He can immediately see how having a sequence to draw on would help in battle, especially if there are a lot of different ones to learn.] Do they all have a reverse? So you can practice them together, and how to defend against them?

[He stands ready to start on her mark.]

[Ahsoka smiles.] That's right!

We'll do this one a few times, and then we can switch.

All right. Let me know if I need to change anything.

[Yet as before, he picks up the kata with ease. It comes naturally to him, almost as if he's already been trained. He hasn't, but there's clearly more than aptitude at work here.]

Will do.

[They settle into the routine again-- five minutes for the first kata, switch sides, another five minutes for the second kata. Finally, Ahsoka calls them to a halt.]

Good work. Let's leave it there for today. [She bows to him, traditional Jedi style-- one hand curled into a fist, pressed into the other hand held palm flat, in front of her chest.]

You've done pretty well for your first lesson. I can give you homework though, if you want.

[He imitates her bow, although it's immediately obvious he's not nearly as good at that as he is at the fighting styles.] Thanks. This was real helpful.

[Homework? Finn grins at the idea.] Let me guess, run the whole routine once a day for the next week. Well, except the parts that need another person.

Oh. No, that's not homework. That's class.

Your homework is to meditate. You can join me in my guided meditation sessions in the morning on the Iskaulit if you want, or you can do it on your own if you feel self conscious. But if you ever want to master lightsaber combat-- it won't matter how much you practice, if you aren't connecting to the Force.

So-- just take fifteen minutes out of your day, morning and evening, to sit down somewhere quiet, and try to feel the energy of the universe around you. Don't worry if you can't feel anything right away, or if it's hard, or boring, or your mind keeps wandering off. That's all normal. The important part is to try.

[No matter what Master Yoda says.]

Meditate.

[Well, chalk that up to something Finn's never done before.]

I can try--I'll have to go to your classes, I don't know how to do that.

Is that what the Force feels like?

Hmmm. Personally? I think the Force feels different to everyone. The masters back at the temple used to always give us a bunch of academic definitions, but if you ask a hundred different Jedi what it feels like to them, you'll get a hundred different answers.

The way it feels to me, is... well.

Have you ever felt connected with another person? Really connected. Like you were in tune with their feelings, or you just somehow knew what they were going to do next. That's what the Force feels like to me. That sense of connection. But not with just one person-- with everyone.

[Finn nods along, concentrating on her words. He still doesn't really think the Force is something he can just learn, but if she wants him to meditate, he'll meditate.]

But--then, if everyone feels it different, how am I supposed to know?

Just-- trust me. You'll know.

It's like the difference between night and day.

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