Posted by Lieutenant Charles Fordham (Security Chief) in Hand-to-Hand Training

Posted by Ensign Rand Farquharson (Yeoman) in Hand-to-Hand Training

Posted by Lieutenant Charles Fordham (Security Chief) in Hand-to-Hand Training
Posted by… suppressed (2) by the Post Ghost! 👻

<snip>

“Hmm?” George paused for a moment, glancing at his fists. “Oh, suppose I could,” he muttered, squaring up again and giving Rand a sheepish smile. “Guess I drifted off a little. I usually punch a hanging bag and kinda meditate while I’m doing it,” he admitted before starting the reps again, putting significantly more force behind his punches. His hand flew at the pad, jabbing then crossing with impact. He sent two jabs, then a punch. “You ever tried fencing?” he asked, trying to strike up a conversation with the woman while they practiced.

Ens. Anderson

Rand wasn’t surprised by the extra power and she wasn’t hurt by it, but it certainly would have knocked her flat if he had been hitting her rather than the pad. The change in the pattern threw Rand off just slightly. She’d been prepared for the increased power of the cross when it was another jab instead and then of course got a cross when she expected a jab. It was a good lesson in being prepared for anything. It also served to cease the ringing in her ears and the tunnel vision. Giving her something to focus on other than her social awkwardness. She glanced up at George from her focus on his hands and shook her head no. Couldn’t they just practice? But she didn’t want to be rude either, “Uh, no, I’ve never tried it.”

Ford circled the room making small corrections here and there again. He approached George and Rand and had the science-slash-security officer pause for a moment. “Lower your hands,” he told him, pushing down on the man’s fists. “Keep the upper limit of your fists at shoulder to chin height. You get better drive from your shoulder into the punch that way.”

COS Ford

Rand lowered the pad while Ford spoke to Anderson. She listened filing away the corrections to apply to herself later on, but glanced at Randy out of the corner of her eye. What WAS he up to? When Anderson was ready she held out the pad for him again.
Yeoman Rand

Randy meanwhile was oblivious to his sister’s glances, focusing on his body position and how he held himself. Randy was going to do well and he would show that.

Randy, Yeoman

George nodded, focusing again and waiting until Rand was paying attention again before continuing his punches. He felt bad, needing so many corrections. But he didn’t get a lot of action as a security officer, and it was only his secondary posting, so he tried not to be too hung up over it.

Ens George Anderson, Sci/Sec

Rand nodded when she had the pad ready and let him start again. Rand didn’t think anything of Ford correcting Anderson. She figured this was something that always had to be practiced and small details corrected and adjusted. When Anderson did his 15 and was ready to switch sides, she also switched the pad to her other hand. She figured it wouldn’t hurt to let both arms get used to holding the pad, just like they switched sides to practice the jab and cross.
Yeoman Rand

Ford called the room to attention again. “Let’s add a little bit of footwork,” he announced. I want the person holding the pad to circle a little. People punching, you’ll have to circle with them to stay lined up for your punches. Change directions every few punches, and it’s little movements, not running,” he said to the holders, and demonstrated the steps he was talking about.

Rand watched as Ford demonstrated the steps. Her fingers tapping out a count as she watched. She turned back to Anderson holding the pad steady for a few punches, and then began to circle. It was like partnered corriography. They moved in response to the other. She took small steps like Ford had suggested, but Anderson wasn’t moving much. Her shorter stature meant she needed to take bigger steps to allow Anderson to have room to move. After a moment she’d gotten the steps measured and seemed to have created a rhythm, and was focused on that, and flowed through the steps. Of course she wasn’t the one having to aim this go round.

He approached Randy, watching his form and nodding. “Good. Okay, let me show you a cross, now. This is a punch with the rear arm, which crosses the body.” He demonstrated, and showed him how to pivot his hips for added power. “Try that a few times in the air.”

He stepped back to watch, occasionally swinging his eyes over to the others.

COS Ford

Randy watched Ford intently and nodded at the instruction pivoting his hips awkwardly as he tried to punch across his arms across his body and did a few times as he pivoted to watch Rand who was holding the pad. “Looking good sis!” He said with a smile, wanting to see if he could bug her a little while he was learning himself.

Randy, Yeoman

Now aware that Randy was around, Rand was aware that her brother was likely to tease her and try to distract her. She had no intention of scrapping her knuckles again or getting hit. She waited till she rotated around and caught him in her preferial vision. His movement seemed awkward and uncoordianated and that was not Randy. She could tease him, but that wasn’t going to help him. “Tha e coltach ri dannsa, cuir ort gur e boireannach a th ’ann. Tha fios agad mar an fhilm sin as toil leat.”
Yeoman Rand

Randy saw the determination in his sister’s eyes and took a small gulp indicating that he understood how seriously she was taking it. Then the words hit him and the preverbal light bulb shown over head “Pàdraig Swayze! Tha sin ceart!” He stopped, did a couple of spins and got himself into the mentality of holding Jennifer Gray as the scenes danced through his mind. His feet were planted and his hips took on a rhythmic quality and he looked far more fluid in his motions. Still poor form for the punches but at least he could make those hips move well.

He looked to Rand and said in a low tone, “A bheil e air gluasadan neo-iomchaidh sam bith a dhèanamh?”

Randy, Yeoman

Inappropriate moves? What was Randy going on about? How would she know? She wasn’t an expert in boxing and as far as she could tell Anderson knew a lot more about it than she did. And if it was wrong Ford..Lt Fordham would take care of it. She was concerned her brother might have hit his head on a weight bar while he was messing around with the free weights earlier. Inappropriate moves? Really the boy needed his head checked.

At first Rand was moving so little that he didn’t really have to move much, and it felt awkward, like he was overstepping. But then she seemed to realize what she was doing and correct herself without him saying anything, so George stayed silent while he did his footwork, sliding left and right and circling around his training partner.

Then she started talking in a foreign language.

Anderson, Sci/Sec

Rand saw the strange look and had the grace to look sheepish. “I’m sorry.” She nodded towards Randy, “Little brothers.” It was an excuse one she’d used a lot and that Randy didn’t care if she used either.

Ford watched the exchange between the siblings, cocking an eyebrow, then both eyebrows as Randy spun. “Am I going to break out a translator?” he asked them, then shook his head. “Switch partners!” he yelled.

Rand had simply meant to help Randy, not cause a problem and she’d spoken in Gaelic to her brother out of habit. She shook her head, “No Sir.” She’d obviously done something wrong, she knew what it was, but she’d done it without thinking. She felt her stomach start to churn sickeningly. This was a bad idea. She couldn’t get out of it now though, without drawing more attention to herself. She was breathing hard, but hopefully people would just think it was the workout.

“Whatever she told you seems to have helped,” he told Randy. “The first thing to move should be the fist - otherwise you’re telegraphing. Then your shoulder, and then your hip.” He showed the motion he was talking about. “Try that a few times on the pad.” He held the square target up for him.

COS Ford

Rand handed the pad to Anderson and brought her fists up. Her hands felt clammy and she felt her heart rate pick up, why did she do these things to herself? She’d really wanted to come to this class, but it was looking like another failed attempt. She waited for Anderson to nod that he was ready and she started punching. It was okay at first, falling into the motion they’d been practicing, but then he started to move. Her aim was off slightly as she compensated for the distance he moved compared to herself. Normally a simple adjustment as it had been earlier, but it took a bit longer this time. Her mind focused on the task but racing through a myriad of other things as well.
Once she got the steps right her aim fixed itself but she found she’d lost some of the power she’d had earlier, her stance not readjusting quite right.
Yeoman Rand

Ford’s eyes swept the room as he held the pad for Randy, trying to scope out any corrections that may need to be made. “Maderia, don’t forget to rotate your shoulder,” he called out to a science officer. His eyes next fell on Rand beside them.

“Looking good, but let your stance settle before you throw the punch,” he told her. “Otherwise you’re losing power. Both feet should be firmly planted.” He continued to watch her to see if further corrections were needed.

COS Ford

Rand nodded, the cacophony of her inner voice still going at warp 9 inside her head. She slowed her pace, making adjustments to ensure her stance was firmly planted before punching. She resisted the urge to apologize to George for having to slow down. She discovered a long time ago most people were either annoyed at whatever she was apologizing for or annoyed at the apology and so she just continued on without verbally commenting. After a few more minutes she finally worked out the rhythm of it and was back up to speed. Though she probably wasn’t going as fast as the rest of the class. She reminded herself that the purpose of a class was to learn not to already be accomplished. Luckily no one had commented (not that anyone would) about her holding the class up she’d probably have panicked and left already. Rand continued with the set making sure, after hearing Ford correct Randy and Mederia, to lead with her fist and rotate her hips and shoulders completely.
Yeoman Rand