The First Steps to Improvement! | With Moonyoung.

[ragaz]

Moonyoung had her arms crossed beneath her chest, with a smirk on her face and a chuckle ever so often as she was listening to all the complaints of the girls. As expected, all of the girls believed that Moonyoung was about to smash their faces in. Good. Karin and Yui have made rather similar points that only made the Korean chuckle more.
That is the kind of reflex that will maybe help you avoid or soften the first punch, but will get you caught by the followup, making your speed nearly irrelevant. I'm going to teach you the kind of reflex that helps you react and avoid all the attacks that you are aware of. You'll just have to trust me on this.

Moonyoung would stop her little speech as she heard the tan woman simply taking Moonyoung's word for face value and without complaints braces her body to receive the blow... ''This girl is quite literal...'' Moonyoung thought. Soon after, the tan girl's name was announced.
Valentina... At least one of you isn't a whiner. Moonyoung would joke with a smirk and then remember that she should not leave the girls in the dark and let them know what they'll be doing today.

Ahem! This may be a little out of order, but you must be curious about today's plan, about what we'll be doing today.
First, I'm going to teach you several rather basic, but important things involving punching in any way. Naturally, it won't help you a damn thing without practice. So. After we're done with the basics, Yui will be having a sparring match with Valentina to practice what you'd have learned by then. I think you'll fit well as sparring partners. Another reason for that is because Karin will need my full attention for a while and I need to keep the two of you busy.
If you stick around after that and I'll see that you've grasped the basics, I might teach you some advanced stuff. Are there any objections?

There would be a bit of a pause as Moonyoung would wait to hear some comments, questions or objections...
Now, let's get back to the matter at hand - the punching part. I'm going to start with you, Yui and here I come!
With those words, Moonyoung would dash at her target with incredible speed so that Yui couldn't dodge even if she tried.
The punch would fly straight at Blue's face and then would suddenly stop maybe a centimeter from Yui's nose.
Hah, you really thought I'd punch you? Lee would then simply extend her index finger and bump it lightly on Yui's nose.
I'd never hurt my students.

[Rougue]

The Korean woman seemed to enjoy herself rather much as Yui and Karin explained the problem they both had with this exercise. It didn't seem to have not a real point but Moon said that she wanted to improve the German. What exactly she meant with this was unclear to Yui. So she had no idea what to think of that rather than calling it dumb.

After she said exactly what this task was supposed to do Yui still didn't know what to think of that. Yui got to know this woman just the day before this so trusting someone stranger wasn't something high up on the bluenette's list. However, the white-haired woman seemed to be interested in sharing her opinion with the class. This Valentina seemed to be quiet straightforward or so. Yui had no idea what to say. She kept her answers short and maybe this woman was even entirely ok with this task. Great, another airhead, Yui thought and then continued listening to her trainer.

Moon explained the plans for today and of course. It seemed to be a running gag for Yui that got the dimwitted ones. So that means her training partner was a literal brick. Yui would roll her eyes because she wasn't glad about whom she got. She would rather train with Moon. SO someone who was an actually capable fighter.

"In fact there is but I would rather wait and see how things turn out."
Yui answered Moon before she would continue to talk again. The bluenette didn't wonder too much that Moon chose her first. After all, Yui did say a few which Moon might not be ok with. Maybe this was some sort of punishment.

Anyway, Yui prepared herself as she saw how her trainer charged at her. The German already thought that this might be some sort of test or so. Normally she would just dodge and avoid the punch but this time was different. The exercise was to stay still while this woman was doing the punch. Yui thought that she wouldn't punch for real because it would be just stupid to do such a thing to a trainee. But Yui's instincts got the better of her and she raised up her arms to protect her face.

Then before the first would hit Yui's face Moon stopped. Yui would get an annoyed look on her face as her nose got poked.
"Wow. Someone thinks she is funny."
The German would say with her annoyed expression and then take a step back.
"So then what should this exercise be? Just to show how much we trust you?"

[ragaz]

You are half right, but this is not about trusting me, it is about trusting in your abilities rather than split-second survival instincts. Moonyoung said as she pulled back her arm and then crossed both of her arms under her chest. Yui has failed the test. She failed, because instead of carefully observing every minor movement of her opponent, she raised her arms up, therefore obscuring her vision. Any competent fighter could easily pull a feint and attack any other part of Yui's body and she wouldn't realize until she's been hit. Moonyoung explained, looking to all three girls.

You need to learn to stay calm and observe your opponent, without obscuring your own vision, closing your eyes or even blinking. That is essential for you girls to get past the beginner level.
You might be thinking why is this important? It is essential for avoiding an attack using minimal movement and minimal time, which in turn results in you having more time to either react to the follow-up attack or throw a counter-attack of your own. Effective use of timing and positioning is a basic, yet essential part of most, if not all martial arts. This is what separates a fighter from a random person on the street. Moonyoung gave out a lecture to her students in hopes that some of that would go into their heads. She felt like she had to make sure they understood this in order for them to understand what's to come later in the day.

Moonyoung then turned to Karin. Karin, I'm sorry, but I won't be giving you personal attention until the two other get to their sparring part and in order for us to get to that part, we need to proceed with the program. Moonyoung would declare and then turn to Valentina.
Oi, Valentina. I need you to describe yourself as a fighter - What are your strengths, what are your weaknesses? What direction are you going as a fighter and is there something specific you wish to learn here. I am asking because I know you're an adept fighter already. I already know what I'll be focusing on teaching Yui, but I'm still not sure what to do with you, Valentina. Moonyoung would ask and then wait as long as it takes to receive an answer.

After Lee would hear her student's answer, she would walk up to the tan girl and stand in front of her. Now, let's see whether your instincts will get the better of you or will you be able to keep calm. Remember, you can't close your eyes, you can't even blink, you must instead watch every movement of my arm and think of the ways you could dodge it while my fist is on its way. But for now, you don't need to dodge, as you know that I won't actually hit you.
If you girls can handle this task, then we will practice dodging a punch only AFTER it's launched and the area to maneuver will be very limited. Moonyoung explained the task as clear as she could before she got into a boxing stance. Here I come!
The Korean yelled as a kind of a signal for her attack as she did not want to take Valentina by surprise. It would be a quick jab at Valentina's face and just like the last time - stopping about a centimeter away from the girl's face, observing her student's reaction.

[Devilish53]

Eyes askew as she watched Moonyoung approached, Valentina was in two minds about the strike that was to come. On one half, she knew the punch would never make contact, signalling that in truth, she could have been as coy and relaxed as could be. Well, without a natural flinching reflex kicking in. But on the other, Valentina was here to practice and learn, so if Moonyoung desired a response the likes she'd receive in a actual match-up, she'd get one. She certainly wouldn't get a answer to her question mind, despite it being a fair one. Save for the waving of her hand, and a lowly mutter.

"Come on..."

With her figure already naturally tensed, somewhat from that bad mood of hers, Valentina was inadvertently poised and ready by the time Moonyoung made her motion. The scream itself of Moonyoung serving as quite the warning regardless. Turning as Moonyoungs fist closed in, Valentina's response to the demand she observe and react to her opponent would be done without holding back. Hands raised up across her side as she ducked mid-strike, Valentina's motions were resembling that of a woman seeking a judo throw; what with her hand latching onto a fist now moving towards a space she no longer occupied, and her hips soon coming to Moonyoungs own.

That was, before she stopped herself, just shy of pulling on that now firmly clenched arm. If Moonyoung wasn't going to strike her, she figured, she'd only look stupid with such a try-hard response.

Her face once more contorting in annoyance, this time mostly at herself, as she stood straight with the quietest of tuts.

[ragaz]

Moonyoung asked a question about what kind of fighter Valentina was, yet despite looking at each other in an awkward silence for a while, Lee did not get her answer which pissed her off a little, so she decided to proceed and throw her punch. During the punch, Moonyoung observed her student - she was clearly watching the boxer's move. When the punch was mid-way to the target, Moon's eyes widened as she saw how the tan girl not only skillfully dodged the punch, but also positioned herself well for a counter attack.

Moonyoung's arms was grabbed tightly by Valentina's two strong hands, but no action was taken. Oh... Hahaha! Not bad, not bad at all... Moonyoung complimented the girl as she recovered her arm and stood in front of Valentina. It certainly wasn't Lee's fastest punch, but that was still impressive. Though you've failed the first task as I told you not to move a muscle, but it doesn't matter since you've completed the second task before it even began. It was to dodge my punch while it was already mid-way to you, something you wouldn't be able to do if you closed your eyes or raised your hands. Also, Valentina not only dodged it, but could've easily performed a move of her own in that position, see the difference, Yui?
Moonyoung would turn her head toward her blue-haired student. Very well done, Valentina. Moonyoung just gave the tan girl a thumbs up.

Now let's see how you fair, Miss Blue. Lee said as she walked over to her bag that she housed her stuff in, ducked down and took a piece of chalk out of it. Yui, you've already achieved SSJBlue, but I'm going to teach you ''Ultra Instinct'' Moonyoung joked as she walked towards Yui, giving the perfect analogy of the whole training, which sounded hilariously on point.

Upon closing the distance, Moonyoung would duck down and start drawing a small circle around Yui. The circle would be roughly 30cm in all directions. So, I'll be throwing a volley of punches at you and you'll have to dodge all of them. A few things to remember - my punches will be at half speed, but I really will punch you if you fail to avoid it, also this circle here... Moonyoung would point her finger at the circle she painted around Yui using a piece of chalk. You can't leave it and I can't step into it. Are we clear? Moonyoug would say before getting into a boxing stance in front of Yui, nearly on the line of the circle. You ready?

If you confirmed that she was ready, the Korean would start the procedure - She would first throw a very generic left, right jab combo just to see whether the girl can at least watch her carefully and not start dodging too soon. After that, Moonyoung would proceed with another ''right, left'' jab combo, but the right jab would be a feint that would stop mid-way just in case Yui was someone to panic and dodge too soon, which would throw her off-guard with the left jab if it was the case. After that, Moonyoung would throw just a dozen of non-stop punches aimed at all parts of Yui's body. With such limited space, Yui would have to watch each and every single one of Lee's punches in order to either dodge or block them properly, so that she wouldn't get hit by the following one.

[Rougue]

Yui watched the other woman being next with the task. She didn't remember her name anymore. Did she even hear it once? Whatever it wasn't important anyway. Moon was running forward at the woman whom Yui forgot her name and tried to not punch her. Thinking about it more it was clear that this task was a complete waste of time now. However, it seemed that the tan-skinned woman was a moron. Instead of staying still like the task was she tried a counter. Great. Yui got paired in sparring with some of these people. What made things even worse was that she got complimented by moon who said she solved the second task. The German rolled her eyes but she didn't say anything because Yui was used to be surrounded by idiots and if she really got better with that training it didn't matter much.

Yui was sunken in her thoughts as she suddenly heard her name. She just looked for a second at her trainer. Not knowing what was going on she would think of a quick answer.
"Yes..."
Whatever Moon just wanted from Yui couldn't be that important because it was time for her second task. Though she got confused as instead of attacking her trainer grabbed something from her back and got then towards Yui again.

"Wow, I never heard that before in my life..."
The bluenette would say and try to make the sarcasm as hearable as possible.
"...also Ultra instinct isn't a form it is an ability everyone can achieve."
Yui would correct her trainer as she came to her.

She listened to the introduction about what her task was and it seemed to be quite unfair. The other woman could just dodge it without a dumb circle. Also, this circle was far too small. The German could actually just stand in one place and it would roughly make a difference.
"Understood."
She wasn't so happy about the space she had to move around. She could still use her reflexes but her speed was decreased a lot by this.

"Course I am ready."
After her confirmation Moon started to attack Yui. The first punches were low tier and Yui didn't even have to dodge them. She just put her own arms arm and swiped the incoming punches away from her body. Then the next attack would come. This time the one punch was a feint so instead of directing the punch away from her body Yui leaned to the side so that the punch would miss.

Then however Moon started to throw more punches at Yui but she wasn't so impressed by this. She could keep up with the punches pretty well. The German wasn't slow and it seemed that her trainer underestimated the bluenette a lot. Yui would watch every punch really carefully analyzing him where it would go and then either block, swipe or just dodge the punch by leaning to the side. The blue haired woman would continue this until her trainer was finished with this task.

[ragaz]

Moonyoung chuckled when Yui corrected her on all of that ''ultra instinct'' part. Heh, yes that. You included. It seemed like Yui was a fellow fan.
However, Yui seemed a little strange for Lee. First, the girl was highly questioning the boxer, now there was only ''yes'' and ''understood''. It could be one of the two - either she was listening very carefully, or she wasn't listening at all...

In any case, Yui did well at dodging all those punches. That was well done. Now we know for certain that could avoid Kyoko's successive punches if you try. Maybe sometime later we should try this again, only I'm gonna be serious about it? If you'd manage to pull that off, Kyoko would probably be unable to touch you, as long as you're focused, that is...

Spoiler

Suddenly the door opened and a redhead with a gun entered the fray! Oh, hey guys, sorry I'm late, last night was instense... Yoko said with a smile before throwing a wink at Yui.
Yo, Yoko, about time you brought your... Red hair over here!
So, what are you girls doing now?
Listen and you'll understand. You've skipped the basics, but it's your own problem if you won't be able to keep.

Now then, since you can watch carefully and avoid an attack with minimal movement, means you have some spare time every now and then in between those attacks. So, what do we use that time for? Counter attacks, of course! In the end, you can't win a fight without hitting your opponent. Also, it is getting a little annoying jumping from one of you to another, so how about we do this. I explain the task and you take turns the moment one of you complete the task. Moonyoung said as she walked back and forth for a bit.

As for the task itself, it is simple, really - hit your opponent before your opponent hits you.
As for the rules:
-You can only use punches. Karin, you can use kicks if you want, although I'd prefer punches.
-Blocking counts as being hit, therefore you lose.
-You can hit any part of the opponent's body, except for tits, crotch, and knuckles. The knuckles part is well... A lawyer could argue that he's hit the opponent when he was actually the one being hit, so we dont want to do that, right?
-Try not to hit too hard. We don't want anyone injured here, otherwise I'll have to hand out thick boxing gloves to each of you, which will make you fist maybe twice as big and thats not very fair. Karin can go all-out, tho.
-The one who gets hit first is out and the next person has to take place.
You'll rotate like this for a bit, then we'll take this to the next step, which will be to do the same, but hit a certain part of the body.

After Moonyoung was finished explaining the details, she pointed one finger at Karin, the other at Valentina. The first ones to go will be Valentina and Karin, is that okay?

[Devilish53]

"Tch..." Eyes rolling, Valentina seemed to be put under something of a strict set of rules it seemed as opposed to the simple training she was hoping for. Rolling her shoulders and raising that fist, she'd point her right up and out towards Karin as the girl was designated her partner, deciding that she herself might aswell give it her all. It was still a sparring practice after all.

"Come on then..." She'd pout, face completely serious as that fist came high, seeking to spot a sign of Karin's to signal the girl herself was ready.

[xalex]

Karin would step right in front of the bigger woman hearing her mutter her name. The girl was kinda happy of finally doing something again. She would look at the bigger woman… dam she was in good shape. Maybe some more private training had been better. But non the less Karin would go through with it. She would lift her armup in front of her chest and look at the bigger woman for a moment. “it is Karin…” she would say with a smirk on her face for a moment. “watch out here I come!” she would say stepping forwards with one big step. She would try to throw a simple very fast jab right at the midsection of her opponent using the big abs of her opponent as a target.

[Devilish53]

Waiting patiently, Valentina recalled what boxing knowledge she had even more so now as Karin swung in. Hands raised and fists formed, she wouldn't be going halfheartedly against her foe, despite both the fact the spar was purely for training, and Karin herself being given a handicap suggested there was a reason for being given so.

So when that hook came into her gut, Valentina simply opted to roll with it. Pivoting on her right leg, she'd look to roll her left half back and around, letting that fist follow her tummy before it flew off into empty space.

Her body soon committing to a full rolling motion after that, not only to get behind Karin, but to immediately hook a hard right into the girls side; the power barely restrained, despite Moonyoung's request!