Whipping the bookworm into shape

[Sara McDohl]

"Actually...I have only ever done some basic gymnastics when I was really young.." She told her.

[Talia Fawnsworth]

"That is at least a start. Are you near-sighted or far-sighted?" she asks, gesturing to Sara's glasses. "You'll need to be able to judge where an attack is coming from to avoid it."

[Sara McDohl]

"Um...Neither actually...they are just for protection...I'm blind in my right eye.." She told her..removing her glasses.

[Talia Fawnsworth]

She blinks, then nods, "That will make things challenging for you. How is your depth perception?"

[Sara McDohl]

"Pretty terrible.." She admitted to Talia.. "But I do have a pretty good sense of people around me.."

[Talia Fawnsworth]

"That may help. You will have to practice more, I suspect. Thankfully, moving objects are easier to judge distance on, but even so, we will be careful. Stand up straight and as balanced as you can."

[Sara McDohl]

Sara nods and does as she is told..getting into a nice position..that is mostly balanced..

[Talia Fawnsworth]

Talia nods, settling into a loose kickboxer's stance, "Some styles teach rigid stances but that's never made much sense to me. The important thing is to be able to move and keep your balance. To start, you'll probably want to dodge by disengaging; if you're aggressive you can dodge toward an attacker, but right now that'd just get you in more trouble. Going straight back is the easiest and works against most people. Make sure you stay balanced when you move. Have you ever watched a fencing match?"

[Sara McDohl]

"Yes, Lady Talia, I have." She told her. "It always seemed like fun.."

[Talia Fawnsworth]

"Start with small movements like that. If you are going to move back, move your rear foot first. If you are moving to the right, right foot first, and so on. If you cross your feet over your centre of balance shifts and you run the risk of tangling feet into each other. Like this." She demonstrates with a fluid movement, taking a step back smoothly.

[Sara McDohl]

Sara nods and follows her example..taking her time to get it right..

[Talia Fawnsworth]

"Good. Don't overstep, that can throw you off balance too. Try a sidestep, like this," she adds, with another demonstration.

[Sara McDohl]

The girl continued to follow Lady Talia's examples..

[Talia Fawnsworth]

"Good. Shall we practice something a little more realistic?"

[Sara McDohl]

"Sure.." She told her...standing ready again..

[Talia Fawnsworth]

Talia smiles and backs up a step. "I am going to move in and try shoving you. Get out of the way. Ready?" As soon as Sara agrees, Talia moves in with an open palm aimed at Sara's leading shoulder.

[Sara McDohl]

The girl watches the attack, and attempts to move out of the way, with only a slight movement.

[Talia Fawnsworth]

Talia doesn't hit Sara with anything close to full force, but with that small of a dodge attempt, she does make contact and give a noticeable shove. It shouldn't be enough to knock her down unless she gets her feet tangled up, but it will make Sara move.

[Sara McDohl]

The girl stumbled back a few feet before standing straight again. "Again."

[Talia Fawnsworth]

Talia nods approval and closes the distance again, repeating the same shoulder-level shove. In spite of her short stature, she's much stronger than the bookworm.

[Sara McDohl]

The bookworm sidestepped to the side, attempting to avoid it.

[Talia Fawnsworth]

So long as Sara moves fast enough, she can avoid the push. Talia isn't going full speed or full force, but she doesn't flinch from making contact if Sara lags. After Sara seems to be getting the hang of the relatively simple drill, Talia shifts over to use slow punches instead of open-hand shoves. Again, even if she hits she won't be leaving a bruise but it certainly is incentive to step lively.

[Sara McDohl]

The girl continues to move, watching Talia's movement intently. She seemed to be getting the hang of this drill, only being hit a couple of times.

[Talia Fawnsworth]

"Not bad, for practice. You will need to get in better shape before you are ready for full contact sparring, of course, but that is just a matter of time. Have you enrolled in any of the self-defence classes?"

[Sara McDohl]

"Not yet..." She told Lady Talia. "I need to do that.." She said..mostly talking to herself.

[Talia Fawnsworth]

"Make sure you pick an introductory class. Some of them can get quite intense."

[Sara McDohl]

"Understood." She replied with a smile. "Thank you for your time."

Sara took out her cellphone and began to text to Byrna. "I saw you exercising the other day, do you mind helping me get into some exercises?"

[Byrna Cooper]

after a few moments, Bear replied.

Sure! Where and when?

[Talia Fawnsworth]

"Understood." She replied with a smile. "Thank you for your time."

"Of course. I am going to get some time in on the punching bag, but I'd be happy to help out whenever we have time together."

[Sara McDohl]

"Thank you again.. Anytime you are free, I would be most greatful.." She said running over to her bags and grabbing a pen and a piece of paper..writing her cell number down for Talia, before running it back. "Here you are" She said handing it off.

A moment later, she checked her phone to see the message. "I am in the Gymnasium with Talia right now.. but anytime is good for me.."

[Byrna Cooper]

a few moments later.

"Come cool off, then.. I'm heading to the pool to do some laps."

[Sara McDohl]

The girl checked her phone once again, reading the response.. "I'll see you later, Talia." She said, waving goodbye as she ran off toward the pools to meet Byrna..not even thinking about how her bathing suit is back at the dorm..

[Talia Fawnsworth]

Talia waves to Sara before heading back to the punching bag. She proceeds to pound away at it with a brutal combination of fists, feet, elbows, knees, forehead, and any other striking surface she can manage.