Back in Action: Training the Brawn for Brains

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Tiki saw Ivy starting to pull back Annie's leg, undoing the progress that the Lightweight had made despite the immense effort that she was clearly putting in, and knew this drill was over. She'd have called it even if she hadn't seen Annie's face starting to change colors around the same time. "Stop, stop," said Tiki. Ivy in turn released her hold before the instructor had to say anymore.

"Annie. . . Annie," Tiki put a hand to her head, knowing that this probably wasn't going to go over well with the hardheaded powerhouse, but also knowing that this needed to be said. "You need to learn when to recognize when a situation is over, acknowledge it, and surrender before you pass out. I don't even like it when people do that in a real match. I'm known for being someone who will try to stick out an awful situation, and I still will submit before I go black when it's clear I'm not breaking out. But, Annie, this is training, sparring! Things should never go to a KO in training. Getting knocked out is bad your short and long-term health!" Tiki crouched down, getting eye level with Annie and grabbing her shoulders, "Listen to me: You are allowed to submit without being a quitter."

"As for the technical aspect of the matter," Tiki continued as she took a couple steps back. "I'd say it's about using your muscles more intelligently. Your legs muscles are your strongest muscles, basic human biology. No matter how strong your arms or your chest are, your legs are stronger. So if there's a possible path to escaping something that involves using your legs, it's likely that path will be one of your better options. Then if that doesn't work, you can try using other parts of your body to try other ways of getting out of something."

[Epicsnivy]

Annie tried to last outr as much as she could, feeling herself losing more and more energy and even starting to faint before Tiki forced Ivy to cut off the submission hold and let go of Annie. Annie would then roll onto her stomach, her face returning to a normal color, and her taking extremely deep breaths.

After a few, she would slam her fists on the mat before getting up to her feet and listening to Tiki. “I know Tiki.” Annie said, a small amount of tears coming out of her eyes. “But I’ve always gone through submissions with the idea that I would rather die than tap out.

“Maybe I’m just not built to be a championship wrestler. Heck, maybe I should just go back to my mom’s farm and just work on it for the rest of my life partner. Maybe I’m just not cut out to be a wrestler.” Annie said, it was clear that being in that hold for so long definitely messed with her usual confidence and bravado.

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"That's ridiculous." "Nonsense!" Ivy and Tiki both responded immediately to Annie's thoughts of unworthiness and leaving LAW to go back to being a farmhand. "Think about it, if you stopped wrestling and did go back to your family's farm because you didn't think you were good enough, that would make you a quitter."

"That's not even the important part. At least not to me," said Tiki, picking up where Ivy had left off. "You've been in LAW for 2 years? Less? And you're already good enough to nearly beat me. How could you possibly not be champion caliber? But even if you don't become a champion in your next fight, even if you lose to Rose Gold, that's far from the end. You have so many good years ahead of you, your entire prime, in fact. The heights that you could climb are still so great that the only thing that could possibly stop you from becoming a champion somewhere, someday, is you."

The mention of Rose Gold made it so that Ivy couldn't help but mentally add on the possibility of career ruining injury or mental trauma sustained at her hands, or another wrestler like her. Though the younger Englishwoman refrained from putting that thought to words, of course. Instead she backed the words of her mentor, "listen to Tiki. A woman wiser in the ways of wrestling than her, I've never met."

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Annie was not expecting such a fierce response from both Tiki and Ivy. Being in that hold for so long as well as Tiki’s following speech did a number on her confidence. Was she really built for this, maybe she was better off packing up her gear and heading home to Missouri.

Luckily Tiki and Ivy got some sense back into her, to which Annie got back on her feet and responded. “I’m sorry about that partner. Maybe just all this pressure is getting to me. And I just got worried that if I could not escape a hold like the Grasping Void, then Rose Gold would be free to turn me into her plaything. I think I just need some way to restore my confidence and make me feel like I can do it.”

Annie said all that before doing a couple of stretches.

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"Well now, is that what you think of my ability as a wrestler?" said Ivy with a huff as Annie apparently found her submissions lacking compared to Rose Gold.

"Ivy's right. You have to think about your opponents by more than just their prestige when comparing them," Tiki said, backing up her protege. "Rose is smaller and possesses less raw physical strength than Ivy. So while it's possible that Rose may possess more pure technical submission skill than Ivy, her submissions would also like be somewhat easier for you to escape via your preferred methods."

"But if you want something to boost your confidence, then how about a new weapon in your arsenal?" Tiki asked, before looking around and starting to run off a bit. "Let me grab a training dummy. I really shouldn't be doing this with my back, and I'm not going to subject Ivy to you trying to figure this out." Once Tiki got back, she set the dummy on her shoulder while on a knee, as if she had just hit a Muscle Buster.

"You even get to start this off of your Mizzou Buster," Tiki said. Ivy's eyes widened as she realized what move she was teaching Annie. "After you hit it, instead of letting them fall off, you keep hold of their legs, lean back, and let them slide down off you shoulder. Then you snap your legs around their neck. It should look just like this."

Dragon's Fire

Tiki then got up and handed the dummy to Annie. "I call it 'Dragon's Fire,'" she said. "Never has it failed to finish an opponent when I've hit it. Now you try it. From the top, do actually do the Muscle Buster part. I just started from the second part for the sake of my back."

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“Oh, I’m sorry Ivy partner.” Annie said, making clear her intention was not to offend Ivy or degrade her skill as a wrestler. Annie then listened to everything Tiki said, especially when she brought out the dummy.

Annie then grabbed the dummy with both her arms. “I got this, I know it.” Annie said to herself.

Annie then put the dummy upside down on her shoulders, before dropping to a seated position, executing a Mizzou Buster on the dummy, then she took a deep breath.

Annie then let the dummy slide, before quickly wrapping her thighs around the dummy’s neck, and tightening the hold as hard as she could. Annie smiled as she had the hold locked in, it looked as though her confidence was restored. “This kind of reminds me of all those chokeholds Mary Clairson loves doing, except with legs instead of arms.”

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"Nice work, speed and precision were both there," said Tiki as Annie successfully locked in her own version of the veteran's Dragon's Fire. "The main point of failure is missing the neck, and wrapping your legs around your opponent's head and shoulders instead. Sometimes you can salvage if you get their head, but you almost may as well let go if you get their shoulders. It's tricky enough that I would still make sure you can get it consistently before you try it in a match."

"Well Annie, Ivy, this certainly has been a productive training session. I think it's about time we call it a day," said Tiki. "I've been able to be up an about for an extended period without pain, even if I haven't done anything too athletic today. And the two of you was undoubtedly managed to sharpen yourselves against the other with your sparring. I'm sure your bodies are both eager for some rest and recovery."

"Well my body most certainly is at least," Ivy said before turning to Annie, hoping that the farmgirl would be able to understand her more dry brand of humor. Else the Snow Rose's parting words may end up sounding a bit more thorny than intended, "It was a pleasure meeting you. I won't say it was a pleasure sparring with you, though. It was actually rather painful. But I will agree with Tiki in saying that it was quite productive for growing stronger."

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Annie slowly let go of her own version of Tiki’s Dragon Fire Submission hold, before letting the dummy slowly fall, and Annie slowly made her way back up to her feet.

“Thank you so much Tiki for taking time to help train me while I get ready for my Lightweight Championshop match. I owe you partner. Hope you back gets well soon, especially since you also you have a match at the same event.” Annie said with a bright smile on her face.

“And same to you Ivy. I know your not a lightweight, but after I hopefully win the Lightweight title, I’ll be down for a one on one match between you and me. Hope your next match goes well, I have a championship to win and a massive jerk to take down.” Annie said, before deciding to head out.

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