Jag's Training

Lucifer could see what was going to happen, even before Jag most likely did. He could perceive the force in ways none others could, such as view future events by days. Yet he chose not to employ this trick, rather he used his combat instincts and intuition to judge what the most likely course of action Jag would take would be.

Reflexively he readied himself, he noted the intended maneuver was rather simple...but in the right circumstances effective. This was one of those times however where it would not be of much use and instead placed Jag in a rather precarious position. When Jag rolled and sprung up to kick him, the Dark Lord simply altered his position slightly and side stepped the Felucian allowing Lucifer to deliver his own attack.

The Dark Lord planted a firm foot into his gut, allowing more wind to be taken out then expected but it sent a clear message as it sent the Felucian stumbling. Pacing around in a defensive stance, Lucifer spoke up.

''Always mind your surroundings and never take your eyes off your opponent. Even when they appear to be compliant.''

((I just checked and it seems we didn't complete the martial art training before my internet went and Reaver took over. So I think we'll continue with that for now. I suggest looking at page 5 of your training thread in the archives if you wanna remember what we learnt about the first few punch maneuvers.))

The Dark Lord regarded Jag, thinking upon the question. And then he replied.

''I see no problem in that, when I left we did not complete your martial training. You have not learnt all of the massassi style of combat thus I think it time we return to that and I complete what was started. Now come at me again only this time use what I taught you of the jab, straight punch, swing, uppercut and hook when concerned with this style of fighting.

There is also more. Massassi elbow techniques are  also very important techniques since the elbow is one of the bare hands weapons at your disposal. Elbow sharpness is equated to that of a razor blade. The elbow is a dangerous weapon that can produce horrifying cuts or fatal injury if struck right. That is why the elbow is a valuable tool for fighting. No other weapon can compare with the elbow in terms of brutality and blood-breeding capacity. It seems that the elbow strike is very unique weapon that makes the Massassi Martial Arts different from other martial arts in a sense. Elbow strikes in this martial art can give very severe injuries to your opponent as it will be used to attack when your opponent is closer in distance and the major target of elbow strikes are generally head facial areas to include the jaw, temple, neck and so on. Using elbow strikes is very flexible, you can move or swing a elbow in any direction to attack, both vertically and horizontally but different methods will give different impacts to the attack.

First, it is recommended that you practice elbow techniques as much as possible to increase the sharpness and hardiness of the elbow. The contact part is the pointed tip of the elbow which is the sharpest part. To increase the sharpness, you must swing the elbow in the narrowest angle. The best move that can create the wounds is when the elbow tip just scratches by the opponent. When blood is drawn, you should attack the same place to widen and deepen the wound. For good elbow techniques, the posture is very important. Your legs must stand fairly firm. Your front leg moves to the target and presses the tip of the foot against the floor for a firm hold. The back foot’s tip should press against the floor also. At the moment of the elbow striking, twist the heel, waist and hip in synchronization with the strike to increase the power. Do not hit your opponent too directly however.

For instance, if you want to widen the wound around your opponent’s eyebrow, you must strike the elbow point to just lightly scratch the target. The movement has to be sharp and violent. On the other hand, if you want to use your elbow against an opponent’s chin, you must hit the elbow with full force to knock them out.

The narrower the angle, the faster the elbow strike, the sharper and the better in precision, reliability, and confidence of the attack. That being said we will now cover the elbow techniques themselves of which there are 8 basic movements. We'll cover the more advanced stuff later.''

Pausing a moment as to allow Jag to take it all in, he continued.

''The first is the  Sok Ti or Slashing Elbow. The Slashing Elbow is generally to be used when we want to attack the upper part of facial area such as forehead, eye and nose. It can be done by swinging the elbow diagonally downward, normally in a 45 degree angle like a "slash" sign to attack a target. Normally you can't use the elbow slash to attack alone as we need to get close to opponent enough to attack. The elbow slash will be used effectively when we want to response to an opponent's knee-kick.

To practice the elbow slash, you have to bend the elbow closely against the arm, as if they are together. Then, twist the shoulder, send your body into the opposite direction, aiming to strike the elbow against the upper targets (nose etc). In case a opponent counters with a punch, you should parry that punch away with your fist, and swing your elbow against the desired target. Do not use these techniques often or else your opponent will prepare for it.

The second elbow technique is that of the  Sok Tad or Horizontal Elbow. It is quite similar to the elbow slash technique. The difference is only that we have to swing the elbow horizontally, parallel to the ground. However, you need to make sure that you stand firmly when you attack, because attacking with full power, you may need to twist your shoulder and hip along with the elbow swing and this will make you lose balance easily.

Sok Tad is done by raising your arm at a 90 degree angle to the armpit, and your hand at 30 degrees to the elbow. The elbow must be parallel to the floor at all times, even during the swinging movement. The targets of Sok Tad lie in the jaw, chin, or even the ribs, if you lower your body to launch the strike.

To train Sok Tad, step one foot forward, putting pressure on the tip of the foot to get a good hold. Follow by the back leg, touching the floor manually with the tip of the foot, ready to twist the heel to add to the momentum of the elbow, as well as the hip and the shoulder in complete synchronization to swing with the most force against the target.

The third technique is that of Sok Ngad or the Uppercut Elbow. The uppercut elbow can be done by swinging the elbow diagonally upwards to attack a target, especially the chin. This technique requires speed when using it, which means you have to do it as quickly as you can. However, some avoid using it, but use the horizontal elbow or elbow slash instead.

A Uppecut Elbow is done by stepping your foot forward so that the tip of the foot is below your opponent's foot, and then launch an uppercut. Your fist should go pass the target, allowing your elbow to make the impact instead. Do not forget to bend both your front and back knees so that you can straighten your body when you swing your elbow upward against an opponent.

The fourth technique is the Sok Chieng or Diagonal Elbow. A Diagonal Elbow is one of the elbow strikes which can open up a cut easily. To practice diagonal elbow, raise the arm that you wish to use to launch the diagonal elbow, either the right or left arm. Face your arm point forward, making a 90 degree angle with the arm pit. Bend the elbow, making a 45 degree angle at the face, namely, the fist will be at one eyebrow.

For example, if you want to use a right diagonal elbow, your right fist should be at the level of the left eyebrow. This should help to block any punches to the face. If you want to use the right diagonal elbow, step the left foot forward with the right leg at the back. Step the left to get close to your opponent, twist the shoulder to send the Sok Chieng diagonally upward. The speed and the rough edge of the elbow tip will open up a cut quickly if the diagonal elbow is well practiced.  

The fifth technique is that of Sok Sab or the Chopping Elbow. A Chopping Elbow is closely related to the Sok Chieng. In case a Diagonal Elbow misses and keeps going in its upward flight, pull the elbow back downward in a chopping movement when your opponent gets careless, believing that Diagonal Elbow has missed, therefore exposing the gap for them to exploit or dso they think. When he comes in to attack, he will find himself chopped by Sok Sab.

The basic movement of Chopping Elbow is very similar to Diagonal Elbow. It is simply a matter of reversing of the direction, namely, from up to down, rather than from down to up. Certain fighters adopt a very high guard. This should facilitate the use of Chopping Elbow to the area around the face. Move close to an opponent and swing the elbow downward from the forehead down to the chin.

The sixth technique is that of Sok Tong or Smash Downward Elbow. A Smash Downward Elbow is a very useful elbow strike that can knock an opponent unconscious if he meets the full impact. The Smash Downward Elbow can be practiced by the foot being stepped in between the opponent's feet.

The execution of Sok Tong is from up to down. Use the sharp edge of the elbow to hit against the target. This Smash Downward Elbow must be applied quickly, since if it is done slowly, you might be vulnerable to a counter-attack. When smashing Sok Tong downward, one arm has to guard the area around the chin and down to the solar plexus. You must keep watch on your opponent all the time. The nose bridge should be aimed for, because if you can smash the elbow down at that point, you can stop your opponent immediately, as the nose bridge produces tears easily at least in humans I believe and can end by it being broken with strong impact. 

The seventh technique is that of the Sok Ku or Double Elbow. A Double Elbow is another weapon for self-defense in the martial art when speedy action is required in dire circumstances. In practice you should swing the bag, step your foot close, and raise both your elbows to smash the bag. This will build up speed, agility, and expertise.

The final and eight basic technique is that of Sok Klab or Spinning Elbow. The spinning elbow technique is quite different from other elbow techniques. As you have to turn your body around to generate the elbow strike. To do the spinning elbow, we generally use the rear elbow to attack and make sure that you will always look at your opponent while turning the body around and making the elbow strike.

Spinning Elbow is considered to be a deadly trick in this martial art form. It can potentially knock down your opponent with so sudden a force and venom. It can also easily draw blood from an opponent, it has not been recorded in the history of the martial art that when Spinning Elbow was invented one could say with certainty that it was a result of continuous evolution. Man has learned to imitate various movements of animals to use in self-defense.

To use Spinning Elbow, sway your body slightly sideways. If you do not twist your body, you can't swing the Spinning Elbow smoothly against a target. Any awkward movement could be exploited by the opponent who could launch an all powerful punch to the body or prompt your action with other weapons.

Try these now. Attempt to attack me using these techniques, I shall obviously block against them but will still monitor if you are successful or not in accomplishing them.''

With that Lucifer prepared himself for the onslaught.

The Dark Lord was amused as he felt Ja'rgren's conflicting emotions and feelings on just why his master, the Dark Lord was allowing himself to be used as a training dummy. He fathomed one day he would understand...but not right now, he was too inexperienced a combatant and adherent of war to know the truth. You do not truly know someone until you fight them, at least that was what Lucifer thought of it.

It allowed him to connect with his apprentice on a more personal level. Regardless it was pointless semantics, he focused on the lesson at hand. With each movement he deftly defended albeit allowing the punches to strike at least once before doing so as to make sure the lesson wasn't lost on the apprentice and to make sure he had listened to the instructions. When the final hit was made and defended the Dark Lord spoke out extended a hand to halt the attack, deciding in the process to explain his reasons for fighting.


''I sense you are curious...why I fight you. It is quite simply really. Talk is cheap, fighting is the only real truth in the galaxy, it alone reveals the truth of a person. You do not truly know someone until you fight them. That said very good for your first try. You may have covered punches and elbows of Massassi Iben-Raka as the style is properly named but we have yet to cover any leg maneuvers. As such we shall do so now. Kick techniques are one of the more important techniques in Massassi Iben-Raka, because kicks are violent and powerful weapons. There are many variations and tricks for kick techniques depending on the application.

Due to its power kicks may knock out an opponent in one shot, if timed right. Normally, we use only one part of the lower leg from shin to foot to kick. However, using the shin to kick is much more powerful than using the foot, but its disadvantage is opponents can grab your leg easier and attack.

There are five types of popular kicks. The Tae Tad or Side Kick/Round Kick, Tae Chiang or Diagonal Kick, Tae Kod or Hook Kick/Down Round Kick, Tae Pub Nok or Kick to the outside of the knee joint and the Tae Pub Nai or Kick to the inside of the knee joint.

We shall cover each individually.''

Pausing a moment the Dark Lord continued.

''The first that of the Tae Tad or Side/Round Kick. Tae Tad's are commonly used as they are very easy to control and we can maintain the balance after the kick to defend against an opponent's strike back. Tae Tad can be done by swinging the leg to attack the target, and at the same time, your hip should also be twisted in the same direction of the swing.

The correct movement for this kind of kick is that you as the attacker must bend your legs a little and swing the kick to the area around the knee-joint or the back of the knee joint. The kicking leg, to be really powerful, should be straightened. One should move forward to kick with the hand guard up securely. Do not drop the guard, or you might suffer from a counter-punch.

The second is that of the Tae Chiang or Diagonal Kick. The main target of the diagonal kick is to attack the lower rib-cage as we normally use the shin to attack. The kick can be done by swinging leg diagonally upwards to attack against the target.

Generally, for a proper kick to be a Tae Chiang or Diagonal kick to attain maximum efficiency, the kick should be made at an angle of 45 degree's against the floor. This kick is quite straight forward. You should kick by letting the instep or the back of the foot hit the target. Incline your body a little in the opposite direction to that of the kick. Swing your leg upwards in the appropriate angle. Before the point of impact, twist your foot so that the arch faces downwards, and the instep will hit the back of the neck.

The third is that of the Tae Kod or Down Round Kick. Down Round Kicks are also commonly used due to its full use of power. This is because when you kick, your hip and body will fully twist in the same direction of the swing, which will increase the power of the kick. The hook kick can be used to attack opponents when he is ducking down or in the lower position. However, the major disadvantage of the hook kick is if you miss the target, you may totally lose balance and give a chance to your opponent to strike back. So be careful when using it.

The forth is that of the Tae Pub Nok. A Tae Pub Nok is the kick that kicks to the outside of the knee joints. For a proper kick, as the attacker you must sway your body a little away from the opponent, then move right up to the opponent with this kick as a greeting although a unwelcomed gesture.

The final fifth kick is the Tae Pub Nai. A Tae Pub Nok is the kick that kicks to the inside of the knee joints by stepping closer to the opponent by swinging the kick to the inside. When the foot hits the target, the opponent's leg will be blasted sideways, thus making him lose balance. At this moment, one has many options for doing damage.

Try each kick now as before attack me as practice and then you shall apply what you have learnt against multiple opponent's.''

((OOC: Sorry for the delay. Along with the other article I gave you before I found this which should be helpful as it has illustrated images of most movements: muaythai-world.com/muay-thai-techniques-thai-boxing-moves))

The Dark Lord stood somewhat impressed as he attempted to deflect the incoming blows...moving with a grace that would seem possible usually for a man his size, yet Lucifer appeared quicker than he seemed, even without the Force aiding him. As such he angled the blows off his elbows when necessary but took the brunt of the attack.

As the last hit, he replied.

''Most impressive...it appears you may have found your step. But we are not over yet. As before we continue...next comes knee techniques. Massassi Iben-Raka knee techniques are an important technique in this style of martial art, almost as much as an elbow or a fist. Knee's are considered alongside elbows as one of the lethal weapons. The violence of knee can be said to be or is equal to that of an elbow if the fighter uses it properly with good technique and timing.

The knee kick can be done by raising the knee to attack which may be a bit harder for beginners because this requires proper balance to maintain the knee when attacking. The main characteristic of using a knee-kick is you generally have to be at close-quarters with an opponent, but sometimes we can use a knee kick to attack an opponent while you are in long range such as with a flying knee kick. In most cases, to use a knee kick, you have to try to grab your opponent's neck, in order to "lock" and attack. However, when you do the clinch and knee kick, you may be attacked by an opponent's elbow strike, as some times you may lose your concentration and defense.

A good way to use Massassi Iben-Raka knee techniques properly is by thrusting it straight upwards. The targets for the knees are the area around the body upwards towards the chin. The knee attack has to be straight, powerful, and sharp. The knee also should easily turn into a kick for pushing a opponent away in order to prevent the counter attack and double up the pain to your opponent.

To increase the agility of Muay Thai knees, the boxer should practice knee throwing frequently against the punching bag. The boxer should mislead the opponent by the weapon and angle of attack before using the weapons. The proper knee techniques thrust must move straight, not wavering towards other directions. The tip of the foot must point up to be ready to use a kick.

A fighter can use the knee in the following circumstances as I shall describe as I did before.

The first knee technique is the Kao Tone or Straight knee, it is done by thrusting your knee straight upwards.

The second is the Kao Dode or Jumping knee, is done when a fighter springs up, you thrust your knee towards the target. This is similar to the straight knee throw. The difference being with this technique, you jump a little bit to add to the momentum of the thrust.

The third is the Kao Nui or Small knee, A Kao Noi is used to counter when he opponent thrusts a knee throw or is about to lift his leg for a knee or throw a kick.

The fourth a Kao Kratai or Rabbit knee, is used when fighters are in the corner or the middle of a arena or combat zone to drain strength and stamina from your opponent by continuously smashing their legs with your knee.

The fifth is the Kao La or Farewell knee, it is usually used right after the clinch. If you want to disengage yourself from the clinch, you just thrust a knee into keeping it parallel to the floor.

The sixth is the Kao Lod or Lower knee, is used when your straight knee thrust misses the target. Instead of spoiling your tempo altogether, you should stand lower tobthe thrust to pre-empt the opponent from Countering. This is a good ploy to use to exhaust him or her.

The final seventh knee technique is the Kao Loi or Flying knee, This is easily the most powerful knee technique if a fighter uses it well. An opponent can be finished easily by jumping upwards at your opponent's face.

As before try and attack me.''

With that again he prepared himself.