Exchange Students

[GoingBananas]

Spoiler

“Porreiro, porreiro…just like that.”

He still hadn’t overcome the habit of using his mother tongue. It was hard to get that out of his system. Considering he’s now in Japan for the foreseeable future, the Portuguese Pugilist should focus on learning the native tongue here. To his credit, he had gotten down a few basic sayings, enough to ask and answer some rudimentary stuff. For the most part, it was something he did solo. There weren’t many that offered him help. Either because they know of his reputation in LAW or they know of his reputation somewhere else…

However, Português was something he didn’t want to lose. Sure, his exile meant that going back would be impossible, but it was a part of him that he took to the land of the rising sun. If he stopped speaking his native tongue, then he wouldn’t be Tomás Ferrería.

Nevertheless, Japan kept bringing all sorts of challenges, ones that forced him to evolve and adapt, otherwise, his career here would be considered extinct. The ashen-haired man has suffered numerous losses in his matches due to his lack of wrestling experience, and it has become impossible to ignore the extent of this issue. Not when there are promises to keep. So he doubled his efforts, finding himself taking advantage of the exclusive entry into the developmental facility. A sprawling gym, equipped with top-of-the-line gear and professionals on hand to provide training and dietary guidance.

It’s a wonder that with all these choices, Valerie picked Tomás, of all people. Admittedly, his gear did look a bit too similar to the other workers, and almost refused. But he soon realized that there was something of worth that he could offer. Although Muay Thai alone wasn’t enough to carry him in matches, he did notice that a lot of the newer signings and even current talents were adopting any type of martial arts to their repertoire. And while martial arts and wrestling remained two different worlds, it’s not so hard to acquire new skills. They’d already have a feel for how much to put into their offense and what would keep the other person safe. Students here were easier to teach compared to the average person who was just starting.

This meant that showing Valerie the ropes wasn’t going to be too much of an issue for Tomás. Then again, when you have an impressive specimen like her, it’s easy to mold. In exchange, Valerie was kind enough to show him what she knows best. Wrestling. The very thing that he is completely new to.

A fair trade.

“So there, you got the clinch. Thumbs interlaced with each other, holding like a triangle, just like what I am doing.” He tensed the grip against the back of Valerie’s head, just to show what he meant. Hopefully, his accent wasn’t too thick that Valley Doll couldn’t understand. “Keep the head right on your chest, elbows as close to each other as possible. If your opponent is upright, like so…” Tomás would push her head away from his chest to show as an example. “…then this is not a clinch. The purpose of the clinch is to break your opponent’s posture so that from there…” Pulling Valerie’s head back in again. “…you can unbalance them or throw those knees like I showed you. There are many variances of the clinch, but let’s keep it simple for now. Since you don’t fight with boxing gloves, as far as I know, I will demonstrate the best application for you."

Releasing his grip on Valerie, Tomás would straighten up, hands on his hips. “So. Questions?”

[BlackAkuma]

Valerie did have a good question: How did she end up here in the first place?

It had started when she came into the gym, a place she’d frequented since she came to LAW. It was her home away from home in Japan, the closest thing she had to a happy place. As difficult as it was to adjust to the wrestling life she’d chosen, everything made sense in here. She’d always been a gym bunny, even as a little kid, often tagging along with her mothers when they went on their routines, and everything clicked into place. The smell of sweat, the sounds of clinking metal, the light wafting of air from the overhead fans, all of it bred familiarity in a way that she couldn't quite describe.

This was her zone, and usually, she could make magic. Not so today, though.

While she’d learned a lot from her predecessor, she still felt inadequate when it came to thing that the last Valley Doll was so well-known for: strikes. Her mother’s kicks were the stuff of legend, and while Valerie had the power to create some devastating force, she lacked speed and finesse. Her legs were good for explosive bursts of speed, but against a dedicated striker, she often felt short. With more and more wrestlers coming in from MMA, she knew it was a bridge she would have to cross one day.

When that day came, she wanted to be ready, and that was what she had in mind when she flagged down Tomás. She’d seen one of his matches before, a match against this towering Frenchwoman with blue hair. While he hadn't won that about, he’d shown off his skills well enough for her to realize that he was no slouch when it came to muy thai, a dangerous fighter. So, when she spotted him in the gym, the gears began to turn, she went over to introduce herself, and…

Viola. Funny how life works out sometimes.

She was doing her best to pick up what he was putting down so far, absorbing his lecture about the clinch. While she didn’t expect to turn into a first-class striker in one day, he was excellently acclimating her with the basic, holding her hand through it. She could already see a few ways to apply this with her moveset.

”I think I get the basic gist.” She stepped back and tapped toe on the mat, nodding. ”It’s a good way to shut things down. If I’m caught in it, though, what’s a good way to break out?” She shrugged. ”I mean, I’d probably just pick them up and slam them, but assuming that’s not an option. How would you do it?”

[GoingBananas]

Quality over quantity. Tomás followed that way of thinking when creating something holistic and structured, like teaching someone his discipline. While most gyms have come a long way since the early days, some run the risk of showing too much and overwhelming the student. Tomás wasn’t in any rush, letting Valerie get enough time to acclimate to the basics. Precision is key. Learning how to do one proper kick is better than throwing many with poor form. Something, something Bruce Lee and repeating one technique.

What made learning the clinch better was it’s considered a grappling technique, meaning that getting the very basics wouldn’t be so hard for Valerie to comprehend. Although there are different lockups and grips that a wrestler can use, a clinch is still an effective tool. One that can aid the blonde in her future bouts, should she take to it well enough.

Of course, the question of an escape would eventually come after a few tries. It’s not so much knowing how to apply the clinch, it’s how to defend or even break out of it.

“Well, there are a few options that I can think of...hmm…okay, lemme put it like this.” Tomás cleared his throat before continuing. “Assuming you’re facing another grappler. What if you’re in the clinch and someone tries to grab your leg? Or a…double leg, I believe that’s what’s called?” Still a few gaps to work on. Tomás approached Valerie, giving a nod to show he was attempting another demonstration. “It’s a good option, but you can keep control of them with your forearms. Remember, with the elbows being tight and all. Keep them away, shoot your hips back…” Once he walked through the motions, he would slowly raise a knee as if mimicking a knee strike to the face. Not reaching the target, but just to show what the Portuguese man meant.

“…Just like that. The main thing that the person performing the clinch is to break your posture. So, one of the ways to counter it is to stay upright.” Tomás would guide Valerie’s hands, leading her to perform the clinch. “So from here, I’d posture up, my hand would press right here…” His hand placed on the jaw of the blonde, his arm coming from the outer side of her arm. “…and then I’d push that jaw away, dropping the same side shoulder down. Which would put pressure on the elbow and break the grip.” The ashen-haired man slowly simulates the movement, while being gentle enough with the technique.

“What you’d maybe find is that people would scoot down and push away. It does work, but you’d end up with your head down and you’re completely open for a kick to the face. This, at the very least, gives you some options on what to do next. Punch, kick, throw, whatever you decide.” Tomás straightened up as he adjusted his cap, hoping his explanation helped. “There are lots of ways to counter it, as you could probably guess. Even when you try to break free, the attacker, like myself, can always adjust grips. But this one is simple, yet effective. Can work even on us experienced guys.”

[BlackAkuma]

Listening was a skill and not one that everyone could master, a fact that the former Valley Doll had impressed on her numerous times. Coming into the business at her age and getting thrust above the Young Lioness scene meant that she had to adapt on the fly, learn more about the world of wrestling in the actual ring while most got their experience in the training ring. She didn’t hate that approac it had served her well thus far, but there were limits to everything, only so much that she could figure out through pure experience.

”Double-leg takedown, yeah.” Valerie bounced from heel to heel, only throwing in that slight interjection as she waited for his explanation to run its course. She didn’t know if Tomas had experience as a teacher, but she got the distinct impression this wasn’t the first time he’d had to lay something like this out in a fundamental way. She looked on, eyes focused and ears open, as he laid out the situation in a clear way.

He came in and worked her through the steps, using her body like a dummy and giving him no resistance as he moved her from position to position, showing her the ins and outs. While she wouldn’t say she grasped all of it, she certainly felt comfortable with the concept.

”I’m not sure how well it would work on you, you seem a little high for my skill level. But yeah, that makes sense.” She nodded and stepped back. ”I’m just used to getting in close, working my ground game, but I can’t rely on that all the time. Not when there are so many styles to deal with now.” She ran a hand through her hair and wiped some sweat off her forehead.

”How about a firsthand demonstration, hm?” Valerie gave him a good look up and down. ”A spar? I’ll stick to strikes while you work on your grapples, give each other pointers as we go.”

[GoingBananas]

It was a lot to go over, but it can feel like that when it comes to the first time learning something new. Tomás condensed all of what he had learned from his Kru, which would have spanned from a handful of lessons, into his words. It wasn’t so much knowing the very mechanics of a technique, knowing some of its scenarios is best to know as well. Considering Valerie came from wrestling, there would be some aspects that she could pick up from. Though Tomás wasn’t the type to chide her if she didn’t get all of that.

At the very least, she was trusting to be moved this way and that, as Tomás wanted to get the point across. With her being a few inches taller, the blonde trusted Tomás to not resist, the Portuguese respecting that by not hitting her. Although only a few occasions have happened in his home country, Tomás is aware of some sparring partners that would take advantage of the trust of a newcomer or someone less experienced. That’s where injuries happen, ones that can take someone out of the art. Brutal as the style may be, sparring and lessons were still something that was kept easy. Even with leading the gang, the ashen-haired man didn’t abuse his position when teaching someone how to fight. They were members of the family, and the last thing he needs is to have the reputation that he was a bad sparring partner.

“Sim. I thought I knew that the world outside was vast, but I didn’t realize the full extent until I came here.” It wasn’t so much the styles of fighting, it was how others seemed to use them to create something unique. Pro wrestling with ballet, striking with belly dancing, judo with sex, and ninjitsu with shibari, was even more of a culture shock compared to just stepping out of Muay Thai. If he’s ever gonna survive in this federation, then he needs to create a foundation that can match whatever the bookers throw at him.

“A spar, eh?” Tomás scratched the side of his beard, just below where the tattoo on his cheek was. The idea is solid and has its merits. Both would have to use techniques that they are not accustomed to. It would be messy, but this can be a nice way to experiment without the pressure of an actual sanctioned match. “Sure, I'm game. I won’t claim to be a grappler or anything…” His shoulders rolled, stretching his neck to get some kinks out. “…but you already know that. Shall we begin?”

[BlackAkuma]

Valeria nodded along as Tomas spoke, understanding where he came from regarding the wrestling world and its wide variety of experiences. It had always seemed daunting when she was growing up and watching her parents work, seeming them take on so many different sorts of opponents, and it was probably one of the reasons she had stayed away from the sport at first, sticking to amateur wrestling instead. Wrestling against someone who used your own style was undoubtedly more comfortable and less chaotic than the free-for-all that was pro wrestling. Now, she was a part of that insanity, and she needed to adapt.

She nodded along as he accepted the offer and moved towards the center of the ring, bouncing on her toes as she went. She briefly considered slipping into a stance that her mother, the previous Valley Doll, would’ve favored, but decided against it. She had been a striker, one of the best kickers of her time, but while Valerie could throw a solid boot when she wanted to, it was far from her bread and butter. Trying to fight like that would just end in embarrassment.

”You’re not much of a grappler, I’m not much of a striker. That’s the point, right?” She cracked her knuckles, earning a satisfactory pop. ”We can give each other pointers as we go, focus in on the target areas, iron out the kinks.”

Made sense to her, at least. A little cultural exchange.

Valerie slipped into her best kick boxing stance, which probably wasn’t saying a whole lot. Was she too flat-footed? It felt like she should be on the balls of her heels with this, but that felt awkward. She looked towards him, scanning for ideas, seeing where his attention was going. ”Like this?”

[GoingBananas]

A cultural exchange.

Tomás would nod at the novel idea. It makes sense in theory. Both covering and watching out for things that the other needs correcting on. Ironing out the kinks and bad habits. Tomás could trust Valerie’s instruction, just as much as he hoped Valerie trusted him with his.
The Portuguese Pugilist followed the wrestler towards the middle of the ring. He wasn’t sure just how much Valerie was looking forward to this, but she didn’t have to be so ecstatic to the point it takes things away from the learning experience. And both of them are here to learn.

“Si, that works for me.” He gave a nod, acknowledging his sparring partner. Though before he would try to settle into something resembling a ‘wrestling stance’, he saw Valerie’s.

“Ayayayaya…” And there comes the first part of the instruction. Tomás approached the blonde, letting his hands move close if Valerie would let him.

“Bring that back leg two steps back…” His own foot looked to scoot Valerie’s just an inch before turning it halfway out, making sure both are shoulder length's apart.

“…Then bring the hips center of gravity…” His hands pressed a bit on her shoulders so that she can bend the knees more. “…Squeeze the glutes and tighten the core for me…”

While Valerie does that, Tomás would focus on the upper body. Tilting the chin down and bringing her hands to eye level while keeping the elbows close to the body. “There. That should do it.”

He took two steps back, so that he could see Valerie if she’s able to maintain that pose. “To move forward, start with the front leg, move backward you use the rear leg. And while you’re moving, march like this to keep transferring the weight.” Tomás would demonstrate, shifting from the balls of his feet from the back leg before rocking towards the balls of his feet on the leading leg. Rocking back and forth so that she gets the idea. “Like so.”

[BlackAkuma]

Taking up a stance like this felt awkward, as Valerie’s own instincts fought against her. She could almost sense her body wanting to bend forward and take up its more natural stance, to go low and stance and bring her hands out, making it easier for her to grapple and use her strength to overpower him. It was an uncomfortable zone, but that was sort of the point, wasn’t it? To make it more comfortable. If she could get this right, she’d have a powerful tool in her arsenal.

She held fast as he came her way, not too worried about him trying anything funny. While she had only known Tomas for a sum total of ten or so minutes, she already got a trustworthy impression of him. Not too unlike Kyo, really. Fun, playful, but a serious fighter, and not the sort to take undesired liberties with a lady, especially when that lady could suplex him out of the ring.

With him close, she followed his instructions to the letter.

Leg, two steps back.

Square hips. Tight legs.

Iron core. Got it, got it.

She bounced a couple of times in the stance, trying to get a good feel for it, testing her balance, and everything felt solid. After watching him walk a bit, she did her best to mirror the movements, messing it up and stumbling the first time, then the second, but catching herself on the third. Better. Not perfect. But better.

”Okay, okay.” She brought her leg up slowly, testing a knee strike and getting a feel for how her body moved. ”What about upper body? I know elbows are a big thing, but that feels a bit off. How do I just…” She demonstrated what she meant by lurching forward and swinging her elbow, making for a lame, lurching attack that made her overreach.

[GoingBananas]

The Portuguese Nak Muay wouldn’t blame Valerie when she took up the stance. Going from a style that’s predominantly grappling based into a striking based art, it would be way too much to expect that she would grasp all things. It’s two sports that require different things from the person.

Wrestling demands strength, explosive anaerobic power, body control, balance, and joint resilience. Whereas Muay Thai demands endurance, agility, timing, striking power, and limb conditioning. Each sport condition the body in unique ways that highlight the particular challenges of grappling versus striking arts.

Luckily, Tomás was a patient teacher. He knew it would be a big ask to demand the wrestler to grasp everything that he knew, hence why his teaching was more dynamic. If Valerie was to take up parts of his style, the first thing one should teach is how to use a proper stance.

It was like riding a bike at first. But after a few goes, Valerie seems to get some basics down. “Sim, sim…” He nodded, pausing his movements so that he could see if the blonde was getting the movements down without the mirroring reference. It’s not perfect, but for a newcomer, she’s way ahead of many. Not a bad knee strike, too.

“Ah sim, esta é a parte boa.” The ashen-haired Nak Muay smiled and clapped his hands once when she mentioned about elbows. As a Muay Sok (before he would transition to Muay Femur), that was his interests. “Okay, so there're many types of elbows, but I’ll show you one, or at least, the most common one you’ll be doing.” He would step in close before raising his left arm. The arm positioned horizontally, his palm facing Valerie. “From your stance, you want to take your palm and face it to the outside. Other styles would say close your fists, but it just stiffens the rotator cuff. You take a small step and as you do, your palm will go across your eyes.” Demonstrating like so. “So as you step in, remember to keep the opposite hand up, close to your head. Any counter-hitter worth their salt will catch that. Then you rotate this through…” His upper body turned, only stopping a few degrees.

“You only have to stop around here, there’s no need to over rotate, otherwise, you’re showing the back of your head. And if you’re worried about it reaching…” Once returning to his stance, he would throw two punches in his direction, still keeping his hands up to protect his head. “…That’s where you can use your punches too. Particularly the jab if you want to gauge the distance.”

[BlackAkuma]

Had Tomas done this before? The teaching she meant, not the muy thai. He was young, around the same age as her she thought, definitely not old enough for him to be spending much time in a tutoring role, but she got the distinct impression that he’d done this before, like it was all old hat to him. He was a strange natural when it came to teaching, breaking things down into easy-to-understand concepts that she could digest with ease. She almost felt like she should be giving him some kind of compensation for this. Something beyond her lackluster explanations.

She did her best to follow along, and got good results - at least enough to satisfy him for the time being. She nodded along as he explained things, taking care never to let the form slip. She focused on his arms, noting the positions, and even she could see the explosive potential in his body. While she was notably bigger than he was, Tomas’ body had no small amount of coiled power, ready to burst like a spring.

She watched his demonstration, ran it through her head, and took a shot at mimicking it. The first try didn’t go so well, but the second? Better, The third? Better still. It was feeling more natural, automatic, her body was getting used to shifting its weight in a new way.

She followed his lead and threw out the two punches, letting them fly in quick succession, bam bam, with the elbow for a tight followup, then moved in to cover back up and retain defense. Again, better. Again, better. ”Nice, okay. Think I see what you mean.”

She moved back and started maneuvering around the ring, getting a feel for it in action. A stumble here and there, but overall solid. ”Good, good. I can feel it.” She nodded along and threw a couple of slow punches his way, just getting a feel for the distance. ”How long have you been doing this, again?”