Speed and Strength Characteristics Training

Age : 30 Posts : 644

(Speed)

Sweat dropped from Genchu’s forehead. Time seemed to slow as the dropped fell downward towards the dirt. If one were to zoom into it, just to see the dirt, they would notice the teardrop shape. Maybe they could notice the salt throughout the drop of sweat. The bright sun shone through it, glistening in a way. The world around the drop was reflected in it, distorted in the way water distorts images. As it crashed into the ground, the drop fell apart into smaller parts. The tiny drops bounced back up and outwards, showering the microscopic organisms in water molecules. The sweat drop began to sink into the ground as if the Earth was alive and craved the liquid substance. This wasn’t the first drop of sweat shed by Genchu today, and as time seemed to return to normal, they dropped to the ground regularly, dispersing just as this one had.

The sun was shining bright, as it was high noon. This had to be one of the contributing factors to Genchu’s sweat. It would make anyone sweat just being in it. But that wasn’t the only factor. The main reason was the fact that Genchu had been training sense before dawn, punching and kicking to his heart’s content. He had taken wooden dummies from his backyard and carried them up the mountain steps, one by one, to this clearing. The clearing wasn’t perfectly flat. It had its’ curves and such. It was also very moist and grassy, so every time he practiced a combat roll on the ground, grass and mud stuck to him. This terrain made attacking these dummies slightly difficult because Genchu slightly sunk into it. He saw this as a necessary challenge. Working in such a moist and elevated climate would elevate his skill.

He had set up the eight dummies in a circle around him, the circle being about ten feet in diameter. Genchu used whatever techniques came to mind. He always utilized some sort of combo on the dummy, throwing several kicks in a row and finishing with a strike, or using several strikes in a row and finishing with a kick. Whatever the last technique, he would use the momentum from it to go into the next combo on a different dummy. He incorporated as many evasive maneuvers as he could, practicing moving from strikes that might come in an actual fight. Every now-and-then, he would stop to catch his breath and rest his battered body. The pain he felt from striking the wood was good, he figured. Not only was he preparing his reaction time for an actual fight, he was building his scar tissue and resistance to pain. During these breaks, he would take a swig from the large bottle of water he had brought with him. He knew it was important to replace the water he was losing from training for so long. Taking care of his body was number one priority.

Time seemed to speed up. The hours passed as the sun began its’ journey to the other side of the Earth. Shadows changed direction as the city slowly but surely began to slow its’ daily production. Genchu grew more and more fatigued, having been at what he was doing all day. His water bottle began to run low, despite it being able to carry a full gallon of water. As night fell on the village, Genchu looked to the sky. The stars shone brightly down upon him. He smiled. He had trained all day, worked on his tan, and had improved his skills. He began the long journey back down the steps, one dummy at a time.

(Word count, 609)

Age : 30 Posts : 644

(Strength)

A thousand steps seemingly stood before him. Each one mocked him, daring him to attempt doing what he set out to do. He stared them all down, daring them to try and stop him. Genchu was determined to make it through this training regimen.

Rain poured all around him. It crashed to the ground around him. Everything was soaked to the core, including Genchu. The village had taken refuge against the storm, besides those that needed to work, of course. Those in the service industries had no chance of making any money on this dreary day. Genchu, however, saw this whether as a challenge and not a burden. The burden would be the very large tire he would attempt to carry up the steps. The diameter of the center of the tire alone was longer than his shoulder span, so he would have to stick his arms out completely to the side to be able to carry it. Not only that, but it was extremely heavy. He would have to bend over with it on his back if he had any chance of success. Genchu took a deep breath in before exhaling.

He picked up the tire that rested at his feet by pulling from the top of the center of the circle. It was extremely heavy, as he had learned when pushing it over to the stairs. He used his arm muscles to flip it upside down. He bent over and dropped it on his back. The force pushed him to his knees and his hands shot to the ground to brace himself. The tire began to slide to the left, so he shot his left hand out to brace it. Slowly, he brought his right arm out, balancing his entire body flat on his knees, to fix the tire directly to his back while being bent at ninety degrees. Genchu attempted to stand, retaining the bent position. He couldn’t manage to get his knees off the ground. This amazed him, as the tire was heavier than he imagined. This time, he let out a warrior cry, and was able to lift his right knee up to where his right foot was on the ground. The tire began to slide off a little bit, so he gripped tighter and brought up his left foot to a squatting position. With the tire caught on his back, he slowly straightened his legs as much as he could.

The first step was the hardest to take. It set in motion his journey up the stairs, a difficult journey by far. Putting all of his weight and the weight of the tire on one leg while staying extremely bent turned out to not be as easy as it sounds, and if that sounds easy to you, you must be the hulk. He took it one step at a time, not stopping on one step, but using all of his power to step off of that step and onto the next.

Thoughts of doubt crossed through Genchu’s mind in the first few dozen steps. His muscles were all ready getting tired. The rain made the steps extremely slippery. Staying bent over would be difficult anyway, even without the tire on his back. And then, mentally, he beat the crap out of himself. Genchu was determined to overcome this obstacle. It would make him better. It would get him one step closer to his goal. What his goal was, at that time, he wasn’t sure. But he knew that giving up would never be an option at this point. Genchu was a ninja, and if he quit this challenge now, he knew he would only take the easy way out in the future. He couldn’t live with that thought, so he trudged on, only allowing for success.

(Word count: 632)