Rogue Shadow

Chapter 21 - Kali Sinawali Langit Anim

Chapter 21 – Kali Sinawali Langit Anim

13:25 Sunday, 22nd October 2017

"You're not gonna become a ninja overnight, but training has to start somewhere. We'll start properly tomorrow, but for now, I just want to get an idea of how you learn."

Wilson led Natasha down the stairs and into the training room. He grabbed two sets of small metal poles that were hanging on racks on the weapons wall.

"Bo-staffs?" she asked.

"Escrima sticks, or just Kali," he corrected. "But very close. Bo-staffs are the longer ones. They're used in other martial arts like Aikido, Bojutsu, Kung Fu and Ninjutsu. Filipino martial arts: Arnis, Eskrima, and Kali are all similar forms of FMA – they are essentially the same and the terms are often used interchangeably as a result. However, stances, names and forms do vary within the three disciplines. They focus on sticks, knives, blades, and improvised weapons for defense and close quarter combat. Kali-Silat focuses specifically on eskrima sticks defense and attack. Traditionally the eskrima sticks are made from bamboo and are either sixty-one or seventy-one centimeters. These," he paused, brandishing the Kali sticks in his hand, "are made from rattan; they are more solid and more durable."

Wilson handed the smaller set to Natasha, giving her a feel for the weapons. They were heavier than she expected. Running a single finger down the length of one rattan Kali, she was amazed at how smooth the weapon was.

"What I'm gonna teach you is a foundation drill in Kali which requires and teaches coordination, adaptation, and works on reflex and muscle memory." Nat stopped playing with the sticks, jaw loosening as her brain processed his words.

"You're going to be teaching me martial arts?"

He nodded in confirmation.

"I don't know how you've been trained in the past, but I am going to train you my way: from the ground up. Learning martial arts is more efficient than just learning how to hit someone. You can adapt it and make it your own, but you will have a foundation to work from. It's the difference between learning a Karter and mastering the art."

"These," said Wilson, gesturing to the shorter pair of sticks in Nat's hands, "are the shorter set. They fit your height better. It's also important to not get used to having the same reach as your opponent in a fight. Real fights aren't fair."

"And everyone hunting me are adults," Nat mumbled, more to herself than to Wilson. But, nevertheless, Wilson responded with an agreeing hum.

Nat considered the weapons in her hands. They didn't seem that dangerous, but that they were a training tool. Nat guessed that she hit something with them hard enough, they could probably cause serious damage. She wasn't sure if Wilson noticed it or not, but Nat was genuinely interested in what he was saying. She was absorbing everything like a dry sponge. It had been a long time since she had learnt anything new or exciting. Her only education being schoolwork that bored her half to death.

It didn't go over her head that Wilson had assumed that Nat knew how to fight either. He had said that he didn't know how much she had been trained, not if she had been trained. The man seemed to know more about her than she did. Then Nat remembered that this was the same man who had essentially stalked her for over a year. So, maybe not that strange that he knew so much.

"The drill's called Heaven Six. Pretty self-explanatory. There are six strikes; with each one, the tip of your eskrima points upwards, to the heavens," he said, emphasis on the last three words. "For short, I'll often call the sticks yantok or baston, they have a range of other names but for the sake of keeping it simple, we'll just stick to three." The kid was nodding along to what he was saying, a strange light in her light blue eyes that he hadn't seen before. He continued explaining, keen to see how good the kid really was.