Vol 1 Chapter 24 (1/2)
Chapter 24 – Close Combat Gu Master
Three days later.
“Lowering your body to dodge, that is the usual technique of restraining against a flying fist. When your enemy comes and attacks you, quickly squat down and at the same time do a counterattack, striking his crotch and abdomen. Do not be afraid of a swinging fist. Usually those who come up and start swinging their fists at the first moment are people who have no brains and are impulsive and rash.”
On the martial arts field, the academy’s martial arts(1) instructor spoke while he performed actions to demonstrate. A wooden puppet’s right first swept over, and the martial arts instructor quickly squatted down, dodging the incoming attack. Then he threw a punch at the puppet’s abdomen, knocking it down with a few punches.
The students were looking at the demonstration in a circle, but most of them were lacking in spirit, showing very little interest.
The academy taught a variety of courses and this lesson was the one that taught foundation of martial arts. Using fists and legs to exert oneself was too inferior to the handsome and cool attack style of the moonblade, making almost all the students absent-minded.
“The next cla.s.s will be the Moonlight Gu’s usage a.s.sessment. How have you been practicing so far lately?”
“I’m still doing good. I can do three moonblades, but only a few of them actually hit. Usually I get two blades on the gra.s.s puppet.”
“Mmm, that’s the same like me. I specially bought a gra.s.s puppet just to practice for this in these few days.”
…..
The young teens whispered to one another, their minds long gone from the lesson. They were all worried about the a.s.sessment in the next cla.s.s. Just for this a.s.sessment, they had practiced hard for a long time after cla.s.s, and now they were flexing their hands and feet, looking forward to the a.s.sessment.
The sounds of the students’ discussion had reached the instructor’s ear, and the martial arts coach jerked his gaze back at them, shouting, “No talking allowed in cla.s.s, all of you keep your mouths shut and watch closely!”
He was a Rank two Gu master, his body rather muscular. His upper body was naked and robust, the bronzed skin littered with countless scars on it. With a loud shout he showed a threatening manner, pressing down on all the students in the field.
Silence fell in the martial arts field.
“The foundation of martial arts is the most important among important things. Especially in the early stages of a Gu Master’s cultivation, it is more important than anything else. All of you better focus your attention on me!”
After he finished scolding, the martial arts instructor called out another wooden puppet. This light yellow wooden puppet was two meters tall, its huge wooden feet making sharp sounds as it stepped on the bluestone floor tiles. The wooden puppet stretched open its arms and rushed clumsily towards the coach.
The instructor dodge its attack, then fiercely hugged its waist and used his strength to push it forward down, causing the huge and tall wooden puppet to fall to the ground. Then the instructor rode on the puppet’s waist and swung his fist quickly at the puppet’s head.
The wooden puppet resisted for a moment, then its head was smashed broken by the instructor’s raining blows. It was paralyzed on the ground, lying motionless.
The martial arts instructor stood up, his breathing calm and long as always. He explained to the students, “When facing a huge and tall enemy in close combat, do not be afraid. Ruining the opponent’s center of gravity is a t
ype of sensible tactic to pin down your enemy. Just like how I did it earlier, you must hug the opponent’s waist, control his hips and then push forward with your strength. After that you take the opportunity and get on his body and fiercely punch at your enemy. Those with no defensive capabilities will instantly collapse.”
The students nodded repeatedly, but most of their eyes showed disapproval. The coach saw all of this and laughed bitterly in his heart.
Every batch was like this. The att.i.tudes of these youngsters were naturally easily attracted by gorgeous things. Without personal understanding and experience, it was hard for them to understand the importance of having a martial arts foundation. In truth especially for a Gu Master in his early stage, while the basic martial arts did not look promising, it was actually more important than the blade attack.
“….Remember, in close combat, your sight must not always stare at the enemy’s eye. It should focus on the enemy’s shoulder. No matter punching or kicking, the enemy’s shoulder will always move first….”
“…In close combat your speed is very important, the speed I am talking about in this context is not the speed of your fists, but the speed of the movement of your legs….”
“….Distance is the best defense…”
“…Keep your legs elastic, then you will be able to easily burst out your strength…”
“When striking with your fists, maintain a triangle support. Otherwise you will lose your footing. The enemy has not fallen, yet instead you fell first…”
The instructor patiently explained while he demonstrated. These were all his valuable experiences that he got from sacrificing blood and tears, experience acc.u.mulated from long battles.
Unfortunately the students were unaware of this. They gradually started to whisper again, the focus of the discussion still on the next lesson’s moonblade a.s.sessment.
“This martial arts instructor is very pragmatic, but his teaching style is wrong.” Fang Yuan watched quietly among the crowd, nodding and shaking his head at times. The instructor had no discipline in his teaching; he taught completely by interest, and just taught whatever he thought of. Therefore the things he taught came out in a mess and there was a lot of complicated info. In the beginning many students listened seriously, but gradually they lost interest and diverted their attention to other aspects.