Swordplay [attn; Craig]

[Avyra]

She didn't know how useful this move would be. After all, everyone she faced would be way taller, and this move seemed better for eye-level interactions. Like everything else seemed to be. She paused, watching his motions with a critical eye, then took hold of her own wood sword to try it. Taking a breath, Avyra decided to try, knowing fully well she was just about to embarrass herself once again in front of the former Master of Training. Why did all her embarrassment come while she was with him? Aiming as high as her arms could stretch, she brought the sword back and then angled it down, holding it a good foot away from him so she could use his form as a frame of reference. She had to hold the blade elevated, keeping it steady and trying not to let it fall. Even with a fake sword, it was still heavy. "Like this, Ravak Gaidin?" She paused. "I figured I should hold it higher than my eye level, because then I would be striking the chest and not the face."

[Craig]

Ravak

The Gaidin Captain nodded. "That depends on the size of your opponent, but it's certainly a good thought. You can practice with that in mind, or just assume all things are even. Combat seldom is, but go with whatever you are more comfortable with." Ravak observed as Avyra practiced the Strike of Wrath a few more times, before moving onto the next lesson.

Repositioning himself, Rav held the sword vertical at eye level, the grip of the blade just beside his head. From there, he made very little movement with his hands, transitioning the side of his head that he held the sword at, but the blade of the weapon made a tight, sharp arc at an imaginary opponent's head. "This is called the Cross Strike. Once more, the target of this strike is your enemy's head. However, you can adjust the angle of your blade downwards to go for an arm or the torso, but if you do, remember to keep your grip held high by your head. You can use this to parry or block another high attack, including a mirror strike of this nature."

[Avyra]

Avyra nodded, watching his motions closely. She felt so awkward and clumsy compared to him, having never swung a sword before, and she seemed to be focusing so much on her arm placement that her foot posture had started to suffer a bit. But, regardless, she liked this. There was a rhythm in every battle, she found, and swordplay was starting to have a rhythm that she liked far more than unarmed. Although she didn't necessarily have the advantage, she wasn't at a huge disadvantage either. Avyra practiced the motions, trying to mimic exactly what he did, adjusted up slightly to compensate for a guaranteed taller opponent. "Like this?" She swung the sword in the arc like he had, trying to keep the blade up as best she could.

[Craig]

Ravak

"Watch your feet," Rav remarked. "Everything starts with your footing. Stand the wrong way, and the rest won't matter. Otherwise, that's good. Let's move on."

He positioned himself once more in order to demonstrate. "Now the last two strikes, the Strike of Wrath and the Cross Strike, come straight on at your enemy. This third move, the Crooked Strike, attacks at a different angle."

The Gaidin Captain raised the blade so that the hilt and pommel was in line with his shoulder. He also pulled his feet slightly closer together, making his profile taller. The angle of the blade was tipped towards his rear.

From that guard position, he arced the blade down towards chest height whilst crossing it from one side of his torso to the next. At the end it curved groundsward again, until it was angled perpendicular to his would-be attacker.

"Now you're not going to hit your opponent's torso with this, unless they're real, real bad. But you will cut into any exposed hands or forearms. So don't lean into it in an attempt to go for their body, because that's not your aim. Now, you try."

[Avyra]

(What does the back of that shirt say lol)

Avyra watched, taking a few steps back to avoid being hit by the blade, not that she thought Ravak would hit her of course. But it paid to be sure. She never actually had been cut by a sword before, but she really didn't feel like finding out what that experience was like. Her face, however, reddened as he corrected her feet. She knew she was doing something wrong! There was just so much to think about. Once he was done with his demonstration and it was her turn, she took a deep breath, starting to regret this a little bit. What had she been thinking? But Ravak trained her anyway. He had faith in her to succeed. That just made her want to try harder. She angled the blade high as he did, attempting to make her form taller by holding her feet together and uncurling every bend in her spine. She didn't realize how much her posture actually suffered. Keeping that part straight, she angled the blade down, striking at an invisible enemy, trying to use Ravak as a bit of a guide. She tried to compensate for their height difference, but she didn't think that was working too well. She paused, meeting his eyes then. "Was that okay?"

[Craig]

Ravak

"Feet," Ravak repeated. "You're bringing them in too close together. Here." Kneeling down, Rav took a hold of one of Avyra's slippers and guided her into the correct stance. "Better," he said as he rose.

Ravak took a step back to inspect his student. There was definitely promise in Avyra the swordswoman. It was just hidden behind a layer of uncertainty and faith in one's self. There was any cure-all he could provide for that. Her growth, either as a fighter or as a person, rested squarely on her shoulders.

The Gaidin Captain placed his sword on one of the room's training racks. "Well, I've shown you enough to keep you going for now. As is the nature of things, only practice will help hone the different strikes I've shown you." He scratched at the bottom of his beard. "If you want to get better at this, you'll need to practice daily. Even half an hour before breakfast will help you improve, although I'd recommend a full hour seven or eight days a week. Before you know it, you'll be a natural, and then we can start exploring blocks and guards, maybe sparring with some of the Drin."

"Anyways, for now, you can continue to practice your forms here whilst I watch, or you can brave the cold again." He grinned. "Whatever you prefer."

OOC: That's all of Ravak's tutelage for the moment, but if you wanna work on the various things, feel free to continue for word count purposes.

[Avyra]

Avyra nodded, watching as he put away his sword, slightly disappointed. No striking people yet? That was saddening; she wanted to do this specifically so she could have a spar! But he also probably didn't want her to get hurt, and she could see that. A spar with a man of his rank probably would end in her getting hurt. But she didn't want to stop and she surely didn't want to go outside in the cold, so she kept her sword out, mentally trying to recall all that she had just crammed into that small head of hers. Her feet seemed to have started suffering, so Avyra decided to start on those. She carefully kept her feet apart, aiming to not fall down or look a fool in front of her skilled teacher. Then, she began to work out the move they had just finished, keeping her blade up and straight in the air before bringing it down to her eye level. However, it didn't take her long to realize how tired she was. She too had to put her sword down, and looked up at Ravak. "That was fun! We should do it again." She paused. "Thank you. I'll try to practice every day."