On the Mountaintop [Open]

[morganknight]

Since he'd offered to train people, and using the Three Mountain Dojo's image still hit much too close to home to ever be comfortable, Morgan had resummoned his already-holographic mountaintop dojo. The quiet wide-open building sat calmly atop a high mountain peak, the air crisp and thin as it whistled gently through. A stream from a natural spring flowed gently down the cliffside it sat on, forming a pool not far below, around which ran a path flanked by a series of tall, slender poles.

Morgan himself sat with his back against one of the dojo's support columns, idly plucking out some chords on his electric guitar. The complete lack of electricity up here didn't seem to stop his practice one bit.

Comments

[morganknight]

Just because she didn't show it openly didn't mean Morgan didn't pick up on it -- after all, she wasn't questioning him just to question him.

"I'm teaching you this because it's the first steps to learning the art, not because it's better or what you're doing doesn't work. I would be honestly surprised if, once you reached a level of mastery where the basic motions of aikido are so ingrained in you that they're second nature, you didn't develop a more mixed style."

[hit-girl-mindy.livejournal.com]

Oh. So there was a method to his madness. She should have guessed that anyway, him being the expert on martial arts, buts he wasn't going to be all beaten up about it now: she did intend to master what he was teaching, after all.

"That's what I'm aiming for," she said, but stopped talking. The whole point of being here was to learn this stuff, not to talk all the time. She started from the top, doing the breathing exercises he showed her, stumbling slightly but much better at it than her previous attempt.

[morganknight]

He stopped her for a moment, just to do a quick demonstration of motion, before stepping back again. "My own style isn't like this any more, but I'd be surprised if you could tell just watching me now. This IS so second-nature to me that I can return to it whenever I want to."

[hit-girl-mindy.livejournal.com]

"That's nice for you," Hit Girl muttered, who wasn't feeling particularly surly at all: she was just intent on getting this right so that it became second nature to her too. She demonstrated the move again, this time with no flaws, her eyes of Morgan.

"How was that?"

[morganknight]

"That was good, and that IS good," he said, folding his arms as he walked around her to observer her posture. "You're a quick learner, I'd guess in large part because you're used to controlling your body. One more time, please."

[hit-girl-mindy.livejournal.com]

Now that she was getting the hang of it, Hit Girls mood got a bit lighter, and she performed the move again, perfectly. She was definitely used to controlling her body, and wouldn't take a mess up like earlier again.

[morganknight]

"Good." Seeing that, Morgan was willing to trust her to repeat it on her own. "That form and the associated breathing is something I would like you to practice routinely and frequently, until it becomes second nature. The first step in training will always be to perform the motion properly; the second will be to internalize it fully."

[hit-girl-mindy.livejournal.com]

Hit Girl nodded. So in away, it was a lot like the kips she had to practice with Chase: it was repetition and repetition until you got it right, and once that happened she wouldn't even need to really think about it anymore.

"What happens after that?"

[morganknight]

"Well, that's hardly the only thing we're going to be working on, but it's a start. I'll teach you a couple of other forms, and in addition, since you did pretty well meditating the other day... so to speak... I'd like for you to continue practicing that." He moved one hand in a broad circle as he spoke. "What I want you to begin to understand is the concept of harmony. Aikido has nothing to do with strength or even speed, and everything to do with flow and harmonious movement."

[hit-girl-mindy.livejournal.com]

So to speak?! That was a breakthrough for her! Training was not supposed to including sitting and strengthening the mind unless she was some kind of karate warrior! Of course, that was precisely the type of teaching she was striving for now anyway, so she guessed she couldn't really object to that.

"Flow and harmonious movement," Hit girl repeated. "Got it. Well, I don't got it, but that's what training is for, right?"

[morganknight]

It had been the other day, so to speak! Who knew how long in time it had actually been on this stupid ship!

"I want you to answer a question," he said. "To move harmoniously, do you move with the flow, or against it?" He lifted a finger before she could respond. "It's a martial-arts-philosophy question, so don't answer now, but think about it."

[hit-girl-mindy.livejournal.com]

Man, now she had to think of an answer to a question like that. It sounded simple enough: one would think harmony meant moving in flow, not against it right? But then she had her own history of the ways she fought, where she knew her movements lacked harmony in a flowing sense, but still got the job done.

"Yeah, I'll think about that," she finally answered. Then again, there was her speed: was THAT moving in harmony?

[morganknight]

The question wasn't supposed to be easy to answer without understanding. Coming to understand the answer was far more important than being able to give it.

But rather than continue on about it, Morgan simply moved to demonstrate another form.

[hit-girl-mindy.livejournal.com]

Hit Girl shrugged all that thinking away for the moment, Once gain, Morgan was demonstrating another form for her to use. Once again, she stumbled on the first try, still trying to get her footing when it came to this kind of stuff.

Her balance, however, was improving, which was a good thing even though she couldn't see it right now.