Get the Basics! Ninja Posture Training!
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were positively shaking when they got to the dojo. It was nine in the morning, and with school being out they had the whole week of ninja training to look forward to.
“So what do you think we’ll learn first? Ninja Throwing Stars? The Ninja Touch of Death?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Ooh, ooh, or maybe the Ninja Mega Kick!” Sweetie Belle suggested.
“Or the Ninja Giant Fireball Jutsu!” Spike added.
Rumble furrowed his brow. “You’ve been reading too much Neighruto.”
“Ninja training isn’t that showy, you guys,” Scootaloo said. “We’re probably not even gonna punch ‘till tonight.”
“Really? Why not?” Apple Bloom asked.
Rumble held up a hoof as he recited what he’d learned from his book. “Ninja training is both internal and external, remember? A ninja always moves with the breath, and in natural motion only.”
“What does that mean?” Spike asked.
“It means, little dragon, that we’re not gonna start hittin’ and kickin’ each other before y’all know what you’re doin’,” Ash said as he strode in, backpack slung over his shoulder. He looked around the dojo and nodded in approval as Moongazer came in behind him and dropped off her gear. “Yes, this’ll do nicely.”
“Where are your guardians?” Moongazer asked.
“You mean my sister? She’s working right now,” Sweetie Belle said. “It’s only a school holiday, it’s not for everypony.”
”Ah, of course. Right then, Ash, looks like we have the room to ourselves. Do you want to start or shall I?”
“I’ll kick it off, thanks. Okay, kids, pop quiz what’s the first thing a ninja’s gotta learn?”
“Breathing?” Sweetie Belle guessed.
“Good answer, thanks, Rumble.” Ash winked at the boy, though the effect was somewhat lost with the visor. “Yes, breathing. Ninja fighting involves a lot of split second decisions, conditioning to respond under stress, even a couple of tricks close to magic. So to do that, first you gotta learn how to breathe properly and clear your mind.”
The Ashen Blizzard sat down and crossed his legs, putting his front hooves on his knees. “Now, to start, sit upright. Make your spine as straight as it possibly can, don’t tense.”
One by one, the kids all fidgeted to sit straight.
“Now, focus on your breath. Put one hoof on your chest, one on your belly. The one on your chest can’t move, the one on your belly has to move. Breathe in… and out. In… and out.”
“How long do we have to do this?” Apple Bloom asked.
“As long as it takes, Apple Bloom. While breathing in, curl up your tongue so it touches the back of your teeth. Then, put the tip of your right hoof here.” Ash pressed into a spot on his left arm.
“Spike, since you have opposable digits, it’ll be a little different for you,” Moongazer said. “You’ll want to curl your right hand into a fist around your left index finger and keep the tip of your thumbnail on the tip of the index.”
Spike fiddled a bit, but he managed it.
“Now, with that, breathe in… and out… in… and out…” Ash said. “Try to clear your mind, and close your eyes.”
“Ow,” Apple Bloom said, not breaking the posture. “This kinda hurts.”
“Me too”, Sweetie Belle said. “Is it supposed to hurt?”
Ash chuckled. “Without opening your eyes, put your right hoof on the spot that’s throbbing.”
One by one, they all complied.
“Now open your eyes and look around.”
To their surprise, they all found they were touching the same spot: the middle of their forehead, or the tip of the horn, in Sweetie Belle’s case.
“This is how you open the third eye, isn’t it?” Rumble said.
“Again, good answer. To properly learn how to move like a ninja, you need to get a good sense of your own body, as well as your surroundings. To do that, we’re gonna kickstart some of that pony magic you might have felt from time to time. But, I have to warn you: you need to learn how to be silent, both physically and mentally. Y’all are still movin’ about and talkin’, and that’s fine while you’re warming up, but we’re gonna be doing serious meditation, with a timer and some background noise.” Ash gestured to Moongazer, who set up a CD player behind the kids. “The exercise here is to find stillness.”
“And if we get really stiff or our legs fall asleep?” Spike asked.
“Then you open your eyes and stretch out a little, and get back into position as soon as you feel better. Now, we’ll start with a simple ten-minute track to get you in the right headspace. If you can’t silence your inner dialogue, try saying ‘OHMM’, like they do in the movies. It usually helps silence the Monkey Mind.”
Like a choir of infernal baboons, the kids all chanted “OOOHHMMM!” except for Sweetie Belle, who was always ahead of fashion trends, and chanted “AAAHNNN!”
The ninja master groaned. “Chant it… in your heads, kids.”
Hammer was busy doing his stretches while Fleur sipped her tea and read the newspaper. “So, you are quite sure you wish to try to get your belt zis early?”
The boy took a deep breath before going into a forward split. “I’m sure.”
“You do realise the Ashen Blizzard will defeat you, yes? Quite soundly, most likely?”
“I know.” Hammer sighed. “That’s not the point.”
“No, of course it’s not. With your raw power, they’ll call you a prodigy when you are fifteen, and normal when you are in your twenties. You want to be called a genius, now that you’re ten.” Fleur chuckled.
“It’s not that. Well, maybe it is, sort of. I mean, it’s just…”
“Hmm?”
“I wanna do this right. I wanna be a Master at Arms, like you. And the sooner, the better.”
She looked up from her newspaper and to look him in the eyes. “Patience is a virtue, you know that.”
“Yes, but that doesn’t make haste a vice.”
“Non,” Fleur remarked. “Merely an error.”
Hammer was lost in thought for a moment, sitting there with his legs spread as far as they could go. “Hey, Fleur, I’ve been meaning to ask, how many other kids like me are there?”
She cast a glance at him then, careful not to stare too much. He couldn’t stand stares while he was out of his armour, poor thing. “Like you, how?”
Hammer got out of the split and stood up, carefully, before going back into the pose with his other leg forward. “Like, dangerous kids. The kind even grownups have to be careful with?”
Fleur set her tea down and patted the chair next to her. After doing his count to ten, because he was serious about his training, he gently stopped his stretching and hopped on.
“Did you have that nightmare again?” She asked.
“No. Not like before. Just… curious, is all.”
Fleur nodded. While he did look imposing in his armour, her student had always looked ill at ease with nothing covering him. It wasn’t normal for a pony to feel anxious about the air on their fur. But then, she did not have a normal boy in her tutelage. His parents had warned her. Still, his condition hadn’t deteriorated while he was being taught by her, that was a plus. He didn’t go out naked all the time, but he could do it now if he had to, at least. He could go around exposed if she asked him to. If she insisted and nagged him about it, that is. “Alright, I suppose you should know. There aren’t that many children with abilities like yours, no. But that’s partly because there aren’t a lot of ponies with your kind of abilities, either. And the ones that do, they either get it very early in life or after a long and arduous training, or both. You, my dear boy, should consider it as both. So do not think yourself a freak; you’re not.”
“But, the Royal Guards that are gonna be there, they’re stronger than me, right? And so’s the Ashen Blizzard?”
Fleur sighed. “Oh, sweet little boy, it’s not that simple. A Royal Guard can be strong as an ox, fast as a hawk, and big as a mountain. But if he is bitten by a tiny snake with enough venom, if it is not venom he is immune to, his life is in just as much danger as any normal pony’s would be.”
“So… am I… stronger than them?”
“Non, non, don’t get ahead of yourself on that. You are no greater threat than anything else the Royal Guard is called upon to deal with. But, of course, that includes some rather dangerous things, indeed. Being stronger in combat has very little to do with your age, little Hammer, and everything to do with what you can do in combat. And based on that, I’d say a single Royal Guard, if he doesn’t realise what he’s dealing with, would have a hard time with you. A whole squad, if you’re careful, would have trouble containing a boy like you. But that is only if they misjudge you, which they likely wouldn’t, if you challenge them. And most ponies in the Royal Guard itself are hard for a Royal Guard to contain, so that’s not saying much.”
“Right, okay.”
“Why do you ask?”
He blushed and looked away. “My mom and dad wanted to know if there were any more kids like, you know…”
“Ah. No, not that I’m aware of. The warrior path used to be more commonplace for young boys and girls, but those were more barbaric times. Now it is only by choosing. And as for the others who choose your path, we’ll be making acquaintance with those soon. That’ll be fun. Plus, the Royal Guards will be pleased to see a fine young future Master like yourself.”
Hammer chuckled. His mane fell in front of his eyes with his head down like that. “I’ll have to make it to Duellist first.”
“That, I know you can do easily.” She reached out to stroke his mane out of his face.
He gasped and recoiled, almost falling out of the chair.
Fleur withdrew her hoof quickly. “Oh, I’m sorry, I just forgot-”
The boy’s breathing quickened, his heart pounded in his chest, she could see it.
“Relax. Take a deep breath, in, hold, one, two, three… and out, two three,” Fleur cooed. “Are you okay? Are you grounded and rooted?”
He shivered, then nodded quickly. “Y-yeah, sorry. I should get back to stretching.”
Fleur nodded along. “Be careful when you do your cat stretches; you don’t want to pull a muscle, not now.”
“I know, I’ll be careful.”
He went back up to his room, Fleur went back to reading the newspaper. She sighed. At his age, her pupil should have been looking forward to playing with the other children. He should at least run and swim when he could.
She shook her head, lost in thought. Nothing was really stopping him from going out and just talking to the other children in town.
Nothing except his horned and winged armour.
Ash rubbed his forehead with a hoof. His ears were ringing with the chorus of little children trying to attain mental silence and neglecting the practical matter of actual silence in the process. Even Rainbow Dash was never this loud. “Okay, youngins, I think that’s enough for now.”
“What? But we haven’t even gotten to punching yet!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed.
“It’s time for lunch, and y’all haven’t mastered basic meditation techniques, so go get somethin’ to eat, meet back here in… oh, let’s say an hour.”
Reluctantly, the children left.
“Well, at least they actually listen when you tell them to sit down and mind their breaths,” Moongazer started.
“Sure. Now they just need to learn how to be quiet.”
“Give it another few hours.”
The Cutie Mark Crusaders, along with Spike and Rumble, got themselves a seat at Sugarcube Corner. After ordering lunch, they found themselves debating a matter most urgent and pressing.
“I say we call ourselves the Nine Dragon Brigade,” Apple Bloom suggested.
“I say we just call ourselves the Ninja Squad,” Sweetie Belle replied.
“Can’t we just call ourselves, you know, by our name?” Rumble asked.
“That’d take too long,” Apple Bloom said. “Us girls already call ourselves the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and that’s what everypony calls us.”
“So why do we need another name?” Spike asked.
“Because it’s easier,” Apple Bloom said. “If you two are gonna be apprentice ninjas with us, we gotta have a name that suits us and you.”
“I still don’t get why.”
As if heeding the summons, Pinkie Pie came with their sweet buns and chocolate milk. “Here you go, Cutie Mark Crusaders, and Spike, and Rumble.”
“Oh,” Spike said. “Like that. What about Ninja Dragons?”
“We’re not dragons,” Scootaloo said,” or ninjas. Not yet.”
“Sure, get technical.”
“What’s going on?” Pinkie asked as she set down their orders.
“We’re tryin’ to think of a good name for our group, now that we’re all learning ninja fighting,” Apple Bloom said.
A few seats down, a filly’s ears were sent atingle.
Pinkie gasped with delight. “Ooh, you’re learning ninja stuff from that Ashen Blizzard guy? Neat! Can I come up with names, too?”
“Sure.” Rumble shrugged. “What about The Ninja Crusaders, then?”
“Err…” Apple Bloom shook her head carefully. “I don’t think ninjas and crusaders really mix. That’s like saying we’re Viking firefighters.”
“The Ninja Stars?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“That’s kinda disrespectful,” Scootaloo said. “You don’t really get to be a star at ninja.”
“Oh. How do you know? Did Wimpy tell you about that?”
The filly in the back tensed.
“He might have mentioned it once or twice,” Rumble said.
“What about… Big Blazers?” Spike asked.
“That sounds like something you wear,” Apple Bloom replied.
“Why not just call yourselves the Ponyville Junior Ninjas?” Pinkie Pie asked.
“Because…” Apple Bloom thought it over. “Huh.”
“That’s pretty good. We all agree?” Sweetie asked.
Rumble and Spike nodded. So did Apple Bloom and Scootaloo.
“Then it’s settled.” Apple Bloom said. “For this week only, the five of us shall be the Ponyville Junior Ninjas.”
Diamond Tiara shook her head just as Silver Spoon arrived.
“Hey, Diamond. You ready?”
“Huh? Oh, umm, sure, Silver Spoon, let’s go.”
Silver Spoon saw the look of resentment in her friend’s eyes. “Were those blank flanks at it again?”
Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes. “Oh, you are not gonna believe what they’re doing this time.”
Ash was pleasantly surprised to see the kids sitting still, their breath slowed down and eyes closed, as well as their mouths. They didn’t even say ‘Ohm’ this time, or blink when Ash turned on a radio playing some white noise.
The kids just sat and breathed. The only motion in any of them was their bellies moving in and out, and Rumble’s right ear twitching. Reflex action, Ash figured, probably had a few sentries in his ancestry.
The Shadowbolt took a deep breath and let it out loudly enough for the newly minted Ponyville Junior Ninjas to hear. “And that’s done. How are we feelin’, youngins?”
“Stiff,” Spike said, stretching out with a creaking sound coming from his joints.
“Pretty good, actually,” Apple Bloom said. “Nice and quiet like. Is this how ninjas get their superpowers?”
“You might say that, sort of. Meditation is a key skill for any serious martial artist, especially when you go up against folk who can read your moves. Time to stretch, follow my lead.” Ash led them through the standard cat stretch, then an arm stretch where he bent one arm up behind his head and the other below. He was flexible enough for his cannons to touch, the kids only managed their hooftips. Then the hind legs, a careful attempted forward split, an even more careful sideways split, and then Ash loosened his neck with some gentle rotations. “Okay, now that we’re all warmed up, we can get to the serious ninja business.”
“Ninja Kick?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“Ninja Punch?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Ninja Giant Fireball Jutsu?”
All eyes fell on Spike then.
“Seriously, Spike, cut back on the Neighruto,” Rumble remarked.
“Right,” Ash said, rolling his eyes. “Your next important lesson is ninja standing.”
“I beg your pardon?” Apple Bloom quirked an eyebrow.
“You heard me. Ninja standing. Stand up on your hind hooves like so and let your arms hang limp. Shake’em a little.” Ash stood up stock straight and shook his arms, like flicking off water. The little ninjas all followed suit.
“Now, Moongazer, if you please?”
Moongazer walked behind them and gently gave Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle a nudge to straighten their backs. “You need to make sure you get this part right. It’s important to get a proper internal sense of balance, especially for us ponies.” She stopped when she reached Scootaloo. “Oh, you already got it, Scootaloo, good. Rumble, that’s fine, Spike… well, I suppose with your tail it’s a little different.”
“Good,” Ash said. “Now, like before, deep breath in… clear your mind… deep breath out.”
“This kinda hurts.” Apple Bloom rubbed her belly.
“Ah, ah.” Ash held up a hoof. “No talking. Focus on your breath. It’s an awkward posture at first, but you get used to it. Pretend you’ve got a book on your head. In fact, if you’d please?“ He gestured to Moongazer.
One by one, the fillies and colt all got a book placed on their head. Spike was exempt, due to the protrusions on his head.
“Keep your balance and breathe slowly, gently. This is the neutral posture. Then, on the count of nine, we’re gonna go into a deep posture.” Ash timed it to the slow and steady rhythm of his own breath. “One, out, two, and out, three, out, four, out, five, out, six, out, seven, out, eight, out, and now nine, and shift your right hind hoof back, bend the legs a little. Don’t raise your arms just yet.”
Again, Ash had them hold the posture for nine breaths’ worth of time, before switching sides to let the left leg go back.
“Okay, that’s the deepest you’re gonna go. Most of the time you wanna just be standin’ stable, but the deep postures are good for training, so keep that in mind if you’ve got any spare time and you wanna build up some static strength.” Ash went back to a regular stance and motioned for the kids to do the same.
“The next thing you gotta learn is the arm positions. There’s four basic stances I’ll teach you: Turtle, Tiger, Bear, Phoenix. Nice and simple, easy to teach, easy to learn, low skill floor, high skill ceiling. Each has its own way to block and punch, each has its own optimal range, and each has its own optimal attitude.”
Apple Bloom furrowed her brow. “Attitude?”
Ash nodded. “Attitude. Every martial art has its own specific Elements: Earth, Water, Fire, or Air. These Elements come with a philosophy, a way of approaching life. The attitude you normally have in life determines what sort of movement comes natural to you. Natural movement is key: the fastest way to learn how to fight properly is to go with what comes natural to you. You don’t want to be wasting time with things you have to over-think. Luckily for you, ninja martial arts are special in that they teach all Elements. Since you’re takin’ a crash course, you’re only gonna learn one element each. So, just to be clear: starting from now, y’all are gonna be doin’ things a little different from each other. Now, Rumble, you’ve done some practice, right?”
The boy nodded.
“Good. And Scootaloo, I take it that friend of yours has shown you some moves, too?”
“Umm, a couple, I guess. Me and Rumble hang out with him sometimes.”
“Did he ever demonstrate the four postures?”
Scootaloo shivered ever so slightly. “He did it once or twice, but he never explained it all that much, I guess.”
Ash saw the girl tense up, but he didn’t press the issue. “Fair enough. First position: Turtle Stance. This one’s fairly deep, good for rooting yourself on the ground. You keep your arms close, crossed, and up.” Ash held his arms in the proper posture. “A punch from this posture is a dull blow; a good jab, or a hammer blow. You get into this for close quarter combat, for good defense, and on offense mostly you wanna wind up a little, get a good concussive blow on the bones. Follow my lead, youngins. Nine blows, hiya!”
On cue, the kids took the position and jabbed the air. “Hiya!”
Apple Bloom got into the rhythm of it pretty quickly. Her guarding arm didn’t get tired at all, her jabbing one went at the same speed as Ash’s.
“And flip positions,” Ash said. “Nine more, hiyah!”
Apple Bloom was enjoying herself now. She felt an odd circle form around her, like she had her own little box where nothing could touch her.
“Next up: Bear Stance. Hind hooves further apart, front hooves curled up slightly. You keep one arm down by your side, one at chest height. And then you whip-chop, nice and loose.” Ash brought one of his front hooves to ear height, then flicked it down fast enough for a ‘swish’ to go through the air. “This one’s got less muscle behind it and more gravity. This is the sorta style you wanna use to hit softer spots, break defenses, nudge attacks aside. It’s got very little tension to it. Nine punches again, hiyah!”
Apple Bloom moved awkwardly now. Just flicking her arm up and down? That had to be wrong somehow. She looked to her right to see her fellow students, and she pondered on how to do it. She was slower now, lagging behind. Scootaloo and Rumble took to it like fish to water, though.
Maybe that was what Ash meant with ‘natural movement.’
“Now Tiger stance. Elbows low, hooves high. Punches come in pairs, one-two! One-two! You swipe quickly, and pressure the other guy. This is a very offensive stance, one that’s good for takin’ care of opponents quickly. If you can’t dazzle them with skill, riddle them with punches.”
This was just a hopeless endeavour for Apple Bloom. Moongazer came over to correct her elbow positioning, and then had to do the same for the other kids, except Spike, who was breathing in time with his swiping punches and who looked like he zoned out for a second.
“Lastly, Phoenix Stance. One arm high and behind you, the other one low, belly height. Punches from this posture are more like shoves than blows.” Even Ash moved slowly for this one, using both arms to push away an imaginary opponent. “This is a posture used primarily for controlling the opponent. You go into this to dictate the flow of a fight, either you keep your guard up while you dodge and move forward, or you shove to create distance so you can wind up a finisher. Nine blows, go!”
Apple Bloom was pretty sure she’d seen this move on Dragonsphere X, or some other series with hokey monsters. Didn’t make it any easier to perform, though.
“Okay, that takes care of the basics. Now, Rumble and Scootaloo, you’re the most experienced of the bunch, right?”
“Wait, what? No, we’re not!” Rumble said.
“Sure you are. You know somepony who does this already, meaning you have more experience than the others, seeing as they do not. So come on.” Ash got out of the Phoenix Stance and took a seat on the far edge of the mats, motioning for the other four kids to do the same. “You and Scootaloo do a sparring match. Show me what you got.”
Rumble shrugged and went into a Bear Stance in the middle of the floor, holding his left arm pointing straight ahead and his right bent so his hoof was at hip height, by his side. Scootaloo assumed her own posture, which was identical to his.
“I don’t suppose you read my book too, Scootaloo?” Ash asked.
Scootaloo shook her head, sighing. “No, sir.”
“Pity. Begin!”
Rumble took a step back, holding his arms up in the same posture for defense. Scootaloo bit her lip, tensed up, then struck.
The other apprentice ninjas didn’t know what to make of their style at first. Both Scootaloo and Rumble always struck with what looked like a whipping slap; a careful motion to get into position, then a snap from the arm like cracking a whip, then slowly backing away, all in a steady rhythm you could dance to. Scootaloo was an even match for Rumble, slapping away his blows just as easily as he slapped away hers.
It looked like they were mimicking bears, alright. Slow and steady, clumsy blows with the weight and tension clearly in the tips of their hooves.
“So you do both know Water style already, that’s nice. Your aim’s off, though. Unless one of you is holdin’ back.”
Scootaloo gritted her teeth. “Come on, Rumble, don’t hold back. I know you can do better than this.”
“It’s just a warming up, Scootaloo.”
“No, it ain’t,” Ash said. “It’s a demo. If you know the proper technique, demonstrate it, Rumble. Or would you rather I show it?”
Rumble took the hint. When Scootaloo went for his head again, he snapped an uppercut right at her elbow, then took a step forward to put his full body weight behind his next move.
Apple Bloom had heard about ponies who could move like snakes. She’d never figured anyone in her class would be like that. Where before they’d moved like a bear chopping the water for fish, now Rumble’s hooves moved like the head of a cobra, striking with deadly precision. One bite went to Scootaloo’s neck, another to her right shoulder, and the third went low to just below the ribs. The third one was the one that ended the sparring match, shoving her back and leaving her reeling.
Moongazer winced in sympathy. “Are you alright, Scootaloo?”
“I didn’t hurt you, did I?” Rumble asked.
Scootaloo chuckled and rubbed the sore spots. “A little, but that’s okay. I’ve had worse.”
“Well done, Rumble. I see you’re a moderately attentive reader, at least,” Ash remarked.
“Wow, that was over pretty quickly,” Spike said.
“It should be,” Ash replied. “Real combat is decided quickly, and split second decisions can make all the difference between life or death. When it counts, you have to be decisive. Of course, that also means knowing when to use force and knowing when to resort to violence, and knowing the difference between the two. Now, youngins, pop quiz: what can you tell me about Rumble and Scootaloo’s style of fighting?”
Sweetie Belle raised a hoof. “It’s called Water Style?”
Ash rolled his eyes. “Sure, but what is Water Style? Is it fast, slow, forceful, do you think you’d be able to do it if you had to? Is it rigid, fluid?”
Spike pondered it. “Umm, it looks like it comes in waves. They’re both slow on revving up, but the hitting is really fast. They do move kinda like bears, but faster.”
“Good answer. What else?”
Apple Bloom raised her hoof. “Neither of’em aimed for the hard parts. They kept slapping for each other’s neck and belly, but not the head.”
“Very good answer, and my main point for today. Again, every element has its own attributes: a different way to breathe, a different rhythm of fighting, a different attitude in combat, a different way of seeing the world, and a different preference in targets. If you want to learn how to get in tune with your element, you need to know the attitude first. Rumble and Scootaloo are both water types: laidback, going with the flow, trouble admitting any hidden depths. Stop me if I’m wrong, kids.”
Apple Bloom snickered. Ash was right on the money so far.
“Anyway, from what I can tell, our two pegasi are obvious Water types, Apple Bloom, you’re an Earth type.”
“That’s hardly a surprise,” said Earth type replied.
“Our dragon is a textbook example of a Fire type.”
“Phew.” Spike wiped his brow. “I was hoping I’d end up with that.”
“And Sweetie Belle’s an Air type.”
Sweetie Belle blinked in confusion. “Umm, okay? What does that mean, exactly?”
“We’ll get to that later. For now, we’re going to stick with the four basic postures of ninja fighting: Turtle Stance, Bear Stance, Tiger Stance, Phoenix Stance. Earth, Water, Fire, Air. Remember, every stance has its own strengths and weaknesses for attack and defense, and depending on what your type is, you’ll be going into that stance on autopilot. Or trying to, at least. You do need to know proper technique for it to work right, obviously.”
“So we’re just gonna be standing around today?” Spike asked.
“Standing meditation is a good way to build strength, external and internal. It’s also good to let your energy flow more fluidly, and practise deep breathing,” Moongazer said. “But we will be getting to some basic punches and strikes and blocks. Every stance has its own approach, and every Element has its own rhythm. Repeat that in your head until it sinks in; it’s important. The stances themselves are neutral, but the Element you use while in the stance determines how fast or how powerful the blow is, while the depth of your stance determines balance, and speed. You don’t want to spread your legs out too far in a fight. That goes for you boys and the girls. You’ll want to combine the internal and external parts of it together. And you get the best results if your attitude matches the stance, but that’s getting into harder concepts like Harmony and such.”
“Exactly. For now, just try and go into Turtle Stance like this.” Ash said, setting the example with his legs spread past shoulder width. “And hold. This will help you build up strength. Clear your mind, breathe evenly, and try not to soil the dojo when the cramps come in.”
The students all winced as they got into position. “Cramps?”
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Huh. Would it still be called the Monkey Mind when the students are four horses and a lizard?
In any case, interesting stuff. Feels a bit weird to have such a heavily bipedal focus, but it's not like there are any reference materials for quadrupedal martial arts. Well, none that I know of, anyway. Definitely looking forward to that upcoming showdown.
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More importantly, would it be considered racist towards monkeys?
You bring up a good point, actually. The only reference I can think of for four-legged martial arts would be Them's Fightin' Herds. Other than that, maybe there's a dinosaur cartoon I'm not aware of that covers the subject? I did kind of start brainstorming something about it for the reindeer novel, but I haven't gotten very far yet. You'd really need to start from stick figures as visual reference and see what moves are universal: punches, kicks, headbutts, and so on. Work from there.
Other avenues to consider: Niko and the Way to the Stars, maybe? The Flying Forces do fight in the sequel, and Tobias is kind of a bad-ass once he gets going.
Anyway, part of the reason I use bipedal is because supposedly, the origin for martial arts is either Chineigh or Neighpon. Panda country. The other part is that Warrior's Heart is inspired by kundalini, which in turn focuses on the spine. A straight spine is the standard.
And no, the pandas don't call the Neighpon the Neighpon. That would be silly. They call it 'Japanda' instead.
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The "monkey mind" thing is clearly a reference to ICR Who's statement that human's have a snake brain (the medulla oblongata), a dog brain (cerebellum), & a monkey brain (cerebrum) & that each has their function
8734244
Sort of. Carroll says the same thing, but he phrases it better: "Every man has a dragon, a wolf, and an ape in his mind." The difference in sources might lead to differences in some of the details. But the broad terms of it are the same, yes.
This was part of the considerations for the whole Warrior's Heart thing, too, which again is inspired by kundalini syndrome. When the energy moves up from the spine, the first thing to activate is the serpent, 'dragon' brain, leading to base emotions like aggression, hunger, the four F's of survival, getting amped up.
Is 'The Hammer' Whimper? It seems to me that there has been a noticeable time lapse from when he met Luna to now. (Presumably) Him not liking people looking at him, him obsessing with his power (moderation as opposed to amassing), and him always wearing that armor. Whimper started weight training at Flight Camp and wearing multiple layers of armor at once would be a logical advancement of those improvised weight vests he used.
7854645
If you look at part 2 of the pilot, where Dash meets the Shadow Bolts
or Return of Harmony, where Rarity defends Tom
Standing on hind legs to fight is canon to the show