Year: 297 A.C.
Once Arya, Lady Ros, and Wulf arrived at the training-grounds, Master-of-Arms Roderick Cassel and his nephew Jory Cassel also entered the area where the men-at-arms and the descendants of the Starks have trained their martial-abilities for hundreds of years….
Location: Winter-Fell, Training-Grounds
PovWulf
"This is how I enter the 'horse-stance, I kick my right-foot and leg forward, barely grazing the ground in a semi-circular motion until stomping and planting my right-foot hard upon the soil or ground, before doing the same with my left-foot and leg, leaving both my feet planted a little over shoulder-width apart…. Then you take a long and deep breath in through your nostrils, whilst tucking your clasped-fists at both sides of your waist, sinking low almost as if squatting, until it almost appears as if you are attempting to sit upon a chair…." I spoke to Arya and Lady Ros, whilst demonstrating how I choose to enter what is known as the 'horse-stance, a perfect way to train and develop the trunk or lower-body, such as the waist and legs to be as balanced and as powerful as possible….
Balance is of utmost importance and priority in gaining and mastering for a warrior, if you train and hone your balance to the penultimate, you can never be knocked down or knocked off your feet by your opponents….
If a warrior is truly adept in the art of parrying and using their enemies' attacks to throw their foes off balance, whilst stably and perfectly standing firm themselves, using their control of balance to unbalance enemies, leaving their foes in most-difficult of positions to attempt to defend or block attacks from….
"Like this, Sensei Wulf?" Arya asked, as Lady Ros and her both attempted to replicate what I just did, trying their best to copy my 'horse-stance and how I personally enter the martial-stance, I chose to work on developing Arya's lower-body and her balance….
"Almost, one-second…." I replied while swiping my right-hand and arm in the direction of a branch, causing a sharpened and hardened-sickle formed by fast-moving winds compressed on top of one another, to fly true and cut the branch from the nearby-tree, freeing and separating the branch to float and fall-slowly as I let it gently land on my opened right-palm….
Once, I had to straight-ish branch in my hand, I started poking or prodding Arya and Lady Ros both, with the branch in locations where I felt their form could slightly drop or sink-in, poking their elbows to signal where they should be….
"There, you should be feeling a slight-burning sensation in the muscles and tendons of your bodies now…. That burning-feeling symbolizes the muscles and tendons being tempered and refined, similar to a blacksmith working at a forge striking and refining a blade over and over again, hardening and strengthening the blade…." I told them, whilst taking a glance over at Roderick and his nephew, nodding my head in the direction of the two as a greeting, before looking back at my students in their first-form I have taught them so far….
"The reason I train bare-footed, also the reason I always train my student's lower-body and stability is, your feet and your lower-body or as I like to call it, your 'trunk', is our connection with Mother-Planetos, what the planet we all live on is known as, where we can tap into her strength, starting from our feet her power will flow and rise through our legs, winding and surging up through and around our waist, entering where I call the 'core' of our bodies is, our abdomen…. The energy or force of power will then exit our cores flowing through either one of our shoulders or both, continuing on through our arms into our hands, ready to be unleashed or delivered from our palms or closed-knuckles depending on what form of striking you choose to use…." I spoke, explaining a little bit about what I wanted to teach the two females, on our first day of martial-lessons….
"Now, since you both are now in a properly-formed and held 'horse-stance, it will make it easier for you to locate or sense the 'mana that flows all around us…. When you breathe-in, breathe slow and deep in through your nostrils…. Now close your eyes, follow the air inside your chest or lungs, as it exits our of your mouth slowly and steadily breathing-out of your mouth, if you focus hard enough you will sense the energies or power in the air, transferring or slowly being absorbed into your blood, as it flows through your body…." I said to the girls, whilst demonstrating and performing how to breath efficiently and scientifically….
"It is not something that will happen swiftly, but it will happen naturally…. In the coming days, every-morning we will enter 'horse-stance for half an hour's time to begin with, after that we shall stretch and focus on improving your flexibility…." I told them, whilst enjoying watching Ros start to glisten a little in the sun, as the little beads of moisture started to appear upon her breasts, causing my blood to run a little warmer….
"Good-Morn, to ya Ser Roderick…. I do not believe we have met yet warrior, I am called Wulf…." I greeted Roderick, whilst introducing myself to who I knew was his nephew, offering the younger-man a friendly greeting….
"Nice to meet you Wulf, I am Jory Cassel member of the house-guards of the Starks…." Jory replied, offering his hand and arm for a warrior's greeting, which is where each warrior clasps the other's forearm a little above the wrist, rather than clasping palms upon another in a handshake sort of fashion….
"Wulf, if you don't mind me asking, did you come up with that stance for strengthening the legs and feet?" Roderick suddenly asked, sounding like sweet-music to my ear-holes, I love a chance to come up with some random nonsense no matter how it comes or when it comes….
"Most of my martial-techniques or forms were all taught to me by the Royal-Master of the Principality of Midland, Miyamoto Mushashi, my sensei since birth…. But the form you are seeing, is called or known as the 'horse-stance, it is specifically for strengthening the 'trunk or lower-bodies of a warrior's body…. Focusing on creating a stable and sturdy set of legs and feet, it was the first martial-form my teacher taught me, as a young child myself starting when I was far younger than Lady Arya…." I spittled off and spat-out my random story, choosing to use the name of my favorite katana-wielding ronin as the name of my sensei….