No better version of me I could pretend to be tonight
"That was great!" Koa effuses, smiling encouragingly as Lena peeks out from behind her fists. "You got your arms up and tucked in your chin, exactly like you're supposed to." Sure, the hit he'd thrown her had been done in slow-motion; if she hadn't managed to block it they would have far bigger concerns. But Koa is intuitive enough to read some of the discomfort that radiates off Lena in palpable waves, and he's done enough training sessions to understand the value positive reinforcement has on increasing confidence.
Not that her confidence seems to have raised too significantly yet. The hit Lena aims at him is less thrown than meekly tossed; he thinks bemusedly that he might have taken more damage from a butterfly sneeze. But teaching her how to punch is not today's goal, and he drops his arms with a nod. "See how your knuckles glance off my forearms? Way better than a hit to the face.
"Speaking of - let's talk counter-attacks and soft spots. Self-defense is about fighting dirty, not clean. If someone has you in a dangerous position, you want to know exactly where to hit them to give yourself the best shot at getting away." Assuming a more relaxed stance, Koa begins pointing to the more delicate points on an attacker. "Eyes, nose, throat, junk - these are the most vulnerable spots, and the ones you want to aim for. There's a few moves you can use on those spots- let's start with a palm-heel strike."
Koa demonstrates the move both in front of and alongside Lena: a powerful outward thrust of the left palm toward the assailant's face, backed up by her body weight as she steps into it. "Keep your right hand up to protect your face," he instructs her firmly. He watches the Caretaker practice a few times with an approving nod before stepping back in front of her. "Alright, now try on me - aim for my nose. But, like, slowly," he cautions with a laugh. "I don't much feel like bleeding on this shirt."
Not that her confidence seems to have raised too significantly yet. The hit Lena aims at him is less thrown than meekly tossed; he thinks bemusedly that he might have taken more damage from a butterfly sneeze. But teaching her how to punch is not today's goal, and he drops his arms with a nod. "See how your knuckles glance off my forearms? Way better than a hit to the face.
"Speaking of - let's talk counter-attacks and soft spots. Self-defense is about fighting dirty, not clean. If someone has you in a dangerous position, you want to know exactly where to hit them to give yourself the best shot at getting away." Assuming a more relaxed stance, Koa begins pointing to the more delicate points on an attacker. "Eyes, nose, throat, junk - these are the most vulnerable spots, and the ones you want to aim for. There's a few moves you can use on those spots- let's start with a palm-heel strike."
Koa demonstrates the move both in front of and alongside Lena: a powerful outward thrust of the left palm toward the assailant's face, backed up by her body weight as she steps into it. "Keep your right hand up to protect your face," he instructs her firmly. He watches the Caretaker practice a few times with an approving nod before stepping back in front of her. "Alright, now try on me - aim for my nose. But, like, slowly," he cautions with a laugh. "I don't much feel like bleeding on this shirt."
Koa
