"This is quite good..."
Jason came out of the changing room dressed up in the equipment Lucas had brought for him: a tank top for the upper body, along with shorts with a huge gap for the thigh to move around, suitable for boxers and kickboxers.
Shin guards covering his leg beneath the knees, covered around perfectly till his toes, and finally, at least, the set of black hand wraps to cover his arm and fingers below the wrists that Lucas himself was wrapping around his fingers, followed the whole area around his palm and the back of the palm, and finally rolled it around the wrist and done.
"It's indeed good, but you look like a shiny chicken equipped with the feathers of an eagle."
"The hell?"
Jason obviously wasn't fond of Lucas's continuous, unfazed roasting sessions yet, but Lucas was one who never cared about such matters, as he commanded while pointing towards an empty place in the gym's training hall.
"Get in the corner; the mat is softer than normal ground, so it won't hurt to fall."
"Are we starting the training directly? Isn't there usually a phase of building muscles and strengthening bones? Meditation for the mind"
As Jason muttered all that, Lucas just looked at him as if he were looking at some kind of 8th grade syndrome with cringey eyes and straight up questioned
"You aren't going professional in 3 weeks; it's survival mode for you here, kid."
Lucas said that Jason was left staring with his mouth open as realisation hit him hard. Yesterday's victory had taken over his mind for a moment, but the slow realisation of life still stuck in the same swamp hit hard.
Lucas brought Jason in front of a dummy placed over the place. It was a high-quality punch bag dummy overall designed in the shape of a human with a height of almost 6 feet.
"Look here. This is the dummy for martial artists to check their moves in actual combat situations as well as to show the moves."
"Hmm"
As Jason nodded while looking at Lucas, Lucas also made a nod and started to take off his upper jacket. On the inside, he was wearing simple black innerwear and simple stretchy lower pants as he explained about the dummy.
"This is PU leather for the outer covering with high-density foam padding inside to make sure there are no injuries and a sturdy base that is enough to endure inhuman force and still remain standing on the ground. I guess buying a yearly subscription isn't bad."
Lucas smirked and next gestured for Jason to stand before the kickboxing dummy, emphasising the importance of a solid stance.
"Your feet are your foundation. Shoulder-width apart, right foot slightly back, and both knees slightly bent. This gives you balance and mobility while practicing kickboxing."
Lucas demonstrated the stance, shifting his weight smoothly between his feet as he commanded.
"Feel the ground beneath you. You want to be agile, ready to move in any direction. Now copy the stance."
Lucas commanded Jason to mirror the stance and adjusted the stance of Jason himself as he next commanded.
"Now, let's talk about hand positioning."
Lucas raised his hands to his face, guarding his chin with his fists, while turning his eyes towards Jason.
"Keep your hands up and your elbows close to your body. This protects your face and allows for quick defensive moves."
Moving on to the basics, Lucas started with the jab he pointed towards the front and explained Jason
"The jab is your lead punch, thrown with your front hand."
As he said, he made the demonstration, his lead hand extending straight and snapping back, leaving a cannon, leaving a boom in mid-air, and turning to Jason to explain again.
"Quick and snappy. It's your way to gauge distance and set up other strikes. It's like testing waters before fighting; for adults like you, it's a must-style."
Lucas then proceeded to introduce the cross, a powerful punch with the rear hand.
"Engage your hips as you throw it, rotating your body. This adds power to the punch."
He guided Jason through the motion, ensuring the mechanics were sound. He moved in slowly to show Lucas the movement across the body; it didn't involve little punches; it was whole-body movement in one punch to build up force in the punch.
Now changing his position for the kicks, Lucas focused on the front kick.
"Push off your back foot, extend your leg forward, and bring it back swiftly. It's a versatile move for creating distance or targeting your opponent's midsection."
Jason nodded as he proceeded to do the same with the dummy in front of him, but of course the difference was clear as day. Lucas observed, quietly stepping forward towards Jason, and commanded
"Good. Now, for the roundhouse kick, plant one foot firmly and turn your body a bit, like turning around. Swing your other leg in a circle and hit with the top of your foot."
Lucas demonstrated the kick's technique; his demonstration was smooth, like forming a moon in the air. Jason was definitely impressed by this move, as his pupils were visibly sparking as he saw Lucas's demonstration.
"Holy, is that a pro?"
"His demonstrations are even better than the instructors; what the hell?"
"Who is the new guy?"
"A new member; I saw him in the morning, but what the hell... is he a member of some professional fight club?"
It wasn't just Jason who was impressed; all the members present in the gym training right now had their eyes on Lucas, who was solely focused on instructing Jason about the move and efficiency. Many present in this martial arts gym were ones who had already stepped into the professional ring, having official matches in the professional martial arts field; hence, the light of Lucas's proficiency in these martial arts moves was something else for them with a thirst for such skills, but Jason had yet to understand the level of Lucas standing in front of him while others at the same time were gulping down saliva with sweat-drenched faces.
"But Hyung, isn't 'Muay Thai' much better again, boxers? Why don't you teach me that? Didn't you fight the other three guys from yesterday with Muay Thai? If I learned that, then"
"Stop the fantasies, kid... Indeed, Muay Thai is a nightmare for boxers, but that's the martial art of consistency and hard work. A person who trains Muay Thai needs to strengthen his whole body for years.
You got just 3 weeks, and you aren't one to have naturally gifted genes to train for Muay Thai nor the time; one punch to your groan and you will be down crying for 3 years. Meanwhile, Muay Thai guys literally carry balls of steel under their legs. It's a mean sport with versatile strikes and combinations; you won't be able to learn three moves properly in three weeks, let alone the mere basics of Muay Thai.
For you right now, kickboxing is the way to go; it packs a punch without needing the same bone density. We'll build up your skills efficiently in these three weeks, focusing on what'll make the most impact in a shorter timeframe. It's about strategic efficiency for our situation."
As Lucas explained seriously, Jason still seemed to have some thoughts in his mind, but the next second, suddenly, Lucas turned to the dummy and smashed and curved a kick straight to the face of the dummy, making a smashing sound that resounded throughout the gym hall, stunning every person watching. Meanwhile, as he removed his leg from the face of the dummy, Jason noticed a straight-up destruction of the reinforced stitching on the PU leather material on the dummy's neck.
"That's just a simple 'Thai Kick'; you can call it the roundhouse kick version of Muay Thai, and what's executed is what an average Muay Thai can perform at a proper level. Do you think you will execute this move even if you train for 3 weeks for just this one move alone?"
As Lucas said, there was pin-drop silence in the gym as the realisation of true martial arts different from what he had been watching in movies and TV shows finally hit his head. He was definitely shocked, but more than that, he was stunned by what true martial arts actually are and just stood there, standing like a fool. Lucas sensed his shrinking eyes in the face of an overwhelming monster and released a sigh.
"No martial art is particularly bad or worse than others; it's the martial artists, talent, time, and hard work that make a difference, and all these points are important depending on the situation.
I'm teaching you kickboxing because we only have 3 weeks. It's a martial art of skill and timing that would be most efficient given the situation. Boxers only have fists; a kick boxer can use fists, kicks, knees, and even elbows. Given the situation, boxers who have weaker lower bodies, it would be a nightmare to have a martial artist proficient in kicking in a street fight, do you understand?"
"Understood Hyung!"
Jason immediately nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. The sound coming from Lucas's leg striking the dummy had taken Jason back to his senses, who had started to fly in fantasies in a short time of tiny success. Lucas knew it from the start; hence, he cut off those fantasies from the start and started from the bottom, but it feels like there are always a few people who can't take in attention and have been moving towards others away from them.
"Hey... You think the gym is some show off stage?"
A buffed physique A man's heavy voice was suddenly heard behind Lucas, and as Lucas and Jason turned back, Jason's eyes widened as he saw that 6-foot giant right in front of Lucas while gritting his teeth as he challenged Lucas while pointing his finger towards his chest.
"Get on the ring, pretty boy..."
His words definitely triggered Lucas, and the moment Lucas heard him, his pupils suddenly lit up like a beast as he glared straight at that man with his glowing, cold pupils.
*** Readers Help me power stones please 🥺 look at these thristy cute obsessive eyes for your possession hehehe-! Ahem! Just give them as offering to God ***
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