Combat Training, pt. 1 [Open to Outsiders and masochists]

[j-y-d.livejournal.com]

Chase stands at one end of the room, left fairly blank for the moment, looking over those who've chosen to respond to the open invitation to get in some more training, watching for reactions as much as anything while he speaks.

"For those who don't know, I am Adam Chase, Chases-Parked-Cars. You can call me Chase. In fact, you will call me Chase. And regardless of ability, you will call each other by name while here. We are all soldiers in the same war. I am just a soldier with knowledge that can and will save some of your lives. I will teach it, and in the process, I will find out what you can do and learn from you too.

You can and will use whatever the hell kind of language you fucking want with me, and with each other. I do not like people censoring themselves without need. If you have something to say, say it, and say it quick. If you are offended by my fucking mouth, this is not going to work well.

While in here, I am teaching, you are learning. You will do what I say, or you will leave. However, if you have questions, any questions, or wish to question my methods, say so, godsdamnit. Always question authority - it is the only weapon soldiers have against stupid fucking orders. Be warned - if you question me, I will make you run, I will make you do painful but productive drills, and I may kick your ass - because any authority will do that or worse if you open your mouth when they think you shouldn't. This is not punishment, this is a lesson. Question authority, face the fucking consequences of pissing off authority, and do not stop out of fear of punishment. It may hurt, but unlike some authority, I will answer your questions, even if you piss me off.

That does not mean I brook disobedience. If you're going to learn, you'll do as you're told. Sometimes you have to suck it up, and believe me, I will not be doing anything for no reason. You just get to ask questions along the way.

This is not mandatory. Anyone may leave any time they wish. If you choose to leave because you're bored, or its too hard, good riddance. But I promise you, you make it through all of my classes, I will fight beside you, I will go to hell and back for you, and if necessary, I will die for you, the same way I would for any of the people I trained with back home.

Everyone is going to learn some basics, and everyone is going to learn some small unit tactics, some infiltration and some wetworks. After you know the basics, I will start working with each of you on individual combat styles. I know at least parts of a dozen fighting styles, armed and unarmed, plus long range weapons - but there are some things we'll be getting to first.

I will warn you. This will often not be fun. You will leave my training tired and bruised, and wake up with sore muscles in places you didn't know you had muscles. I do not go easy. There will be days where you hate me, to which I say, good. As long as you know there is a reason for it, and keep coming back.

Any questions?"

Comments

[ternaui.livejournal.com]

The Chancellor, having heard about this, stands in a corner. Having spent a few centuries as a bodyguard and a few helping run the war effort, he doesn't feel in the need for much training, but it doesn't hurt to see what everyone can do. Communication is, as ever, key to any military effort.

Even if he believes just as much effort may be needed against the Daligig as the Ohm.

[i-died-twice.livejournal.com]

Buffy was already a well-trained warrior. One had to be to fight back the forces of darkness on a nightly basis. Especially now, that she had found herself in a full fledged war - one in which she had even less of an upper hand than she usually found herself with.

She wasn't here to train, though. She was here to watch. To see.

She was curious. And, if she was being honest, she was just the slightest bit bored, and one could only hunt fake vampires in the Sensorium for so long.

[hit-girl-mindy.livejournal.com]

"So in other words, we'll be doing what anyone who's trained before has had to do," said a voice in the back. chase would recognize it: its the voice of the twelve year old in the costume, the one that had explicitly come to this meeting to see Chase in action. Now that he was on the Outsider's roster, she was more likely to come to these things. Training was definitely priority for her.

"I'm pumped," she said. "When do we start?"

[kaya-waterwave.livejournal.com]

Kaya said she would be here and she was, dressed in her plant suit, her hair tied back. She had no idea how intensive training was going to be, so she had done some stretches before arriving here, looking energetic.

And the speech. A little rougher than she would have liked, but to the point, deliberate, brash. It worked with him.

[drowpaladin.livejournal.com]

In truth, Maydril hadn't much to actually say after Chase had said his piece. She had come armed and armored--though perhaps, in retrospect, that was a little advanced for all of them.

Well, she had the plantsuit underneath, she could divest herself of the extras.

She just made a noise of assent and bowed, eyes never leaving Chase's form.

[j-y-d.livejournal.com]

"No questions? That's ok, you'll learn. We'll get started right now then.

No matter how different every style of martial arts in the world, every one ever created in fact, are, there is one thing all of them have in common. Every single damned one teaches you hot to fall. And that's what we're going to get started with. There is no more helpless feeling in the world than being stunned and in pain, on the ground in front of an enemy. Well, unless you know Brazilian jiu-jitsu or capoeria, in which case you have your enemy right where you want them - we will get to those much later.

Most of you are combatants of some stripe, therefore, you've had some basic training, and have some idea of this. For most of you, we're going a step beyond. I'm going to teach you three techniques and two exercises. You will not like them. They will hurt. You will practice them inside and outside of training, because I guarantee them, they will save your life as much or more than anything you will learn in advanced training.

If you do this, within a week, you will be back on your feet with a moment's thought. Within a month, it will become reflex, even when badly hurt, and you won't have to experience that feeling.

The techniques are - the falling roll. This allows you to not only end up on your feet again, but gain some distance from your enemy. If your enemy is bigger and stronger than you, or you know gun kata, this is to your advantage.
The second, when the roll is not possible, is spreading out impact to reduce damage taken from a fall. When you do it wrong, it will suck, you will bruise, it takes work. Especially in week two when we do it pro wrestling style, and you learn to fall from the top rope. Eventually, you'll learn to do it right, and falling won't hurt near as much.
The third technique is the instant stand. From your back, this is a kip-up, from your front, this involves more upper body work. This is also what you'll be working on at the start of all training until you're doing it by reflex, no matter how hurt you are when you go down.

The two associated exercises, I will demonstrate right now. Watch carefully and get used to them, as you will be doing them a lot. They will be warm-ups before most training.
The first..." he lays on his back, demonstrating first crunches, then the rolls, and finally a kip-up. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2Xz9WyugU0] "Crunches... and practicing the rolling motion increases your core..." he pats his stomach muscles, "...body strength. This will help with kip-ups, and a lot of other things. We'll do some crunches in here, I recommend a lot more, and if you see a theme here... do them til they hurt. It will pay off in the end."

He shifts posture again, demonstrating first army push ups, [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihvdd0rPTiU&feature=fvwrel] then push ups with a clap [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wC-0tvn9sE4], and finally, muay thai push ups, doing ten of the latter. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvsunVcE1Q4]

"Army push ups build strength, and let you work up to the others. Army push ups are for reps, and you will also get used to those. The others build explosive strength and speed, and build the strength and reflex used in the instant stand. Once again, odds are you will hate them. Most of you also will not be able to do the latter well right away. That's ok... you'll be doing them til you can, over time.

Once again, any questions?"

[ronnae.livejournal.com]

Ronnae arrived a bit later than the others, she had several projects to work on at Engineering and she couldn't find anyone to keep watch over the place while she was gone. With the recent pop a lot were still helping the new crew members. Finally she just decided to close shop, it was almost time for her lunch and she thought she might as well work up an appetite (Not that she wasn't hungry already considering how much she needs to eat.).

She had run home to grab a change of clothes, donning a long sleeved red shirt and long black shorts. Her hair done into a single much longer ponytail reaching below her rear.

[j-y-d.livejournal.com]

Unlike your average drill instructor or stern teacher, there's no rebuke for being late. Not to the first, non-mandatory meeting. Instead, a lot of the introduction gets repeated, profanity included, for Ronnae's benefit.

Shit happens, people are busy, and if he's going to alienate people or make them feel out of place, its going to be because they aren't up for hard work and dealing with the pain of masochistic workouts - not because he wants to make them feel bad for having shit to do before showing up for a voluntary exercise.

[ronnae.livejournal.com]

Ronnae nodded and took her spot where she'd be doing the exercises. She was more than used to this sort of treatment from the Horde officers, and she was way past this type of exercise, which she now welcomed. It would feel nice to get back to basics.

She didn't wait to be shown, or carried through the routine, instead she began doing it all in an easy stride, doing three times what was asked without really breaking a sweat.

She did always feel at ease in a battlefield or the rough training exercises of a hard Horde regimen.

[j-y-d.livejournal.com]

Before long, she ought to feel right at home then. He takes people at their own paces, and the quicker they pick the other stuff up, the sooner he moves to teaching them muay thai push-ups - typically pretty sadistic for even the experienced, and working on falling drills, and learning how to minimize impact.
If he's surprised Ronnae is learning so fast, or seems more comfortable in the marine boot camp quality drills than she does just trying to talk, it doesn't show.

"Not bad. You ever do any stealth ops or small unit work?"

[ronnae.livejournal.com]

"I had my own unit in the war I took part in." She said simply as she just repeated the routine once she was done. He'd soon learn that her stamina and resilience was everything but infinite.

[j-y-d.livejournal.com]

The regenerator/semi-human energizer bunny will both figure this out, and relate pretty quickly. "What was your unit's specialty?"

[ronnae.livejournal.com]

"Heavy assault unit and siege breakers." Guess they'll get along a lot better than previously thought!

[j-y-d.livejournal.com]

They may well get on just fine. They share engineering in common already, and its quickly becoming obvious they both take this war thing seriously. Ahhh, expendables. Excellent. How big was your unit?"

[ronnae.livejournal.com]

"Thirty strong when we started..." It was fairly clear by her expression that there had been considerable losses however.

[j-y-d.livejournal.com]

"So by the end, you had some small units work. Good." By his tone, obviously not putting down her unit or their losses - his own group had plenty of those. Just good that she's got a head start on whatever this program is.
"How do you feel about taking up a spot as a unit leader again? You've obviously got a head start, and I need some people with command experience and previous small units work when we hit awareness drills."

[drowpaladin.livejournal.com]

"Ah...Chase? Sir? Do you mind if I am in my armor for these exercises?"

After all, the Warmaster had made them do no less--and often, much more.

[j-y-d.livejournal.com]

"One, do not sir me. I called my teaches 'Jack' and 'Kain'. I have no fucking official rank. We are both soldiers in a war, recruited to the same place for the same reason, to save the world. If you have things to teach me that will help me kill the motherfucking Ohm, I will learn them - but I will not call you ma'am. I want to teach you all to fight beside me, not become little tin soldiers." Despite the profanity and insistence of his words, they're not spoken like a rebuke, with at least some respect for anyone putting themselves through this obvious in his tone.

"Two, if you're going to fight in your armor, you can drill in your armor. In fact, you should. Learning how to fall down and instant stand when you're buck naked - while entertaining to watch possibly, will not help when you strap the metal on. Train the way you plan to fight."

[ronnae.livejournal.com]

"I do as I'm asked, and am more than willing to take up the role." It was clear from her short concise answers that she was truthful about her role. Keeping things short and clear were part of her training.

[j-y-d.livejournal.com]

"Then we're off to a good start. You're the first unit leader. I expect you to keep practicing the muay thai push ups and kipups until they become habit whenever you fall down... but beyond that, I think the rest of this is just exercise for you. As soon as someone else demonstrates they can handle ten muay thai push ups, we'll start with you and them on the next exercise... and, as unit leader, you're going to help me. Think, when I'm not around, you can handle grabbing trainees and putting them through falling and instant-stand drills on a semi-regular basis?"

[ronnae.livejournal.com]

"Can do, and don't worry about me, I can handle this and much much more." She said with a proud grin, "I'm happy assisting as well."

[j-y-d.livejournal.com]

"If I was worried about you, I wouldn't be giving you more responsibility. Alright, when I'm not here, you teach the class. Right now, keep it to falling and instand stand drills. I'll show you the more advanced ones shortly here so you can lever it up if I get busy. I'll trust you to be as hard on them as I would be - but I want everyone in this room who sticks with it to do this by reflex before I start training people in combined styles."

[drowpaladin.livejournal.com]

She opened her mouth, closed it, and then nodded. "Well. I think nothing I do will surprise you much, as you have probably seen stranger."

Maydril smiled, then. "I will not apologize for calling you sir, Chase, because I was raised to do so as a term of respect. But I think I do understand where you are coming from." Not necessarily because of rank, but because, perhaps, it offended him to get respect where none was earned.

Maybe. She could be wrong.

[ronnae.livejournal.com]

"Sounds good." You won't hear complaints from her that's for sure.

[j-y-d.livejournal.com]

"Ok, so we're off to a damned good start. I'm not going to count on you knowing clock drills... but do you know your clock coordinates? 12 is dead ahead, six is watch your ass, all of that?"