[center][h2]Ally[/h2][/center]
[center][b]Race:[/b] Human
[b]Power Level:[/b] 910
[b]Location:[/b] Dragon Fist Dojo
[b]Tagging:[/b] [@Sudkurve] [/center]

Students in white Gis lined up in rows, hands by their sides, feet together, all focused towards the front.  Some of the younger students, as well as the newer ones, fidgeted from this position, shifting their weight from one hip to the other or wobbling back and fourth.  Ally couldn't blame them, the discipline for any martial art was quite demanding and could take time to develop.  Overall, the class looked pretty good for beginners.

"Horse-riding stance!" Ally shouted, voice echoing in the silent class.  Immediately, the students spread their legs and got into a squatting position, as if sitting atop an invisible horse.  Although this stance wasn't used much in a real fight, the stance itself was great for building strength in the thighs and knees.  Ally looked over the class, walking through the rows, adjusting stances as she saw fit.

She returned to the front of the class.  Most of them had began to stand higher, alleviating the stress on their thighs.  "Do you want to be strong?" Ally asked the class.

"Yes ma'am!" several students called weakly.

"Do you want to be strong?" Ally repeated, louder and more forceful.

"Yes ma'am!" the class called back in unison.

"Good!  Everyone here is here to become stronger.  To become strong..." Ally said, now going into her own horse stance.  Her thighs were completely parallel to the ground while her fists rested at her hips.  "You have to have a low, solid stance.  This helps generate strength for powerful punches," she explained, throwing a punch.  The snap of her gi was loud and strong, making some of the students in the front flinch.  Many of the students shifted their stance, now lower.

She exited her horse stance and observed the class, smiling at their adjusted stances.  "Now, as most of you know the Dragon Fist style is a very aggressive style.  I want everyone to take in a deep breath through their mouth and hold it there."  The students did as she asked, taking in deep breaths and holding them in.  "Good, now let it out through your nose."  The students did so, their chests lowering as they expelled the air.

"Remember how that felt.  How I want everyone to breathe in a deep breath through your nose."  The students followed their command, breathing in.  The chests of many students seemed to be more filled than with breathing in through their mouths.  "Great, now let it out through your mouth."  She let them do this before continuing.  "Breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth allows for the oxygen to be taken in much more deeply than your mouth.  Breathing through your mouth puts air in your chest; breathing through your nose puts air into your chest and stomach.  This is the basic breathing technique for the Dragon Fist style.  As I said before, the Dragon Fist style is extremely aggressive, so breathing is one of the most important aspects.  If you can't take in enough air, you will not generate enough power and will tire very quickly."

She looked around the class, seeing their legs tremble as they continued to stand in their horse stance.  [i]Only another minute,[/i] she promised them in her mind, [u]I know your legs are hurting.  Just another minute.[/u]

Ally was broken out of her silent observations by almost as silent footsteps.   Tiberius quietly walked up to her and gave her the message to meet in the garden.  "Alright, thank you," Ally said.  Once he began walking out, Ally told the class, "Get into your upright stance!"

As students moved from the horse stance to a more boxer's stance, Ally thought about her journey in the Dragon Fist dojo.  She remembered seeing Tiberius's impressive fighting and wanting to be like him more than anything else.  Over the years, his fighting improved dramatically, making his child tournament fighting almost laughable.  Still, although he made leaps and bounds in his training, Ally never let him get too far away.  Then again, he never let her catch up completely either.  Although Ally might never admit it, she always knew this friendly rivalry was the reason she became the fighter she was today.

Now out of her thoughts, Ally examined the class's stance.  "Just a reminder, make sure your arms are up, your knees are slightly bent, and your chest is facing forward, not slanted towards the wall."  The class shifted, each individual making minor adjustments where needed.

"You all know how to through a jab and straight.  Now, I want you to practice throwing those, but just as you complete your punch, let out a small gust of air," Ally said.  Some students didn't seem to understand, so Ally went into her own stance.

"So, I'm going to start off by taking a deep breath through my nose," Ally said, demonstrating.  "Then, when I punch I'll let out some of this air through my mouth."  She sent a jab, releasing a small burst of air from her mouth as she finished the punch, creating the classic [i]sst![/i] sound of a boxer.  "Everyone try this.  Go!"

The class did, letting out somewhat sloppy punches and uneven breathing.  This was expected as they never practiced their breathing before, especially not while punching.  "Okay, everyone try the cross.  Go!"  The class did, giving the same mix of sloppiness and uneven breath.

"Okay, I'm going to count off and everyone will alternate between jabs and crosses.  Ready?  Go!"

As she counted off, each student sent a punch.  As she counted higher and higher, the punches seemed to be lining up better with the breathing.  Although anyone could look at them and see they were still beginners, the class was slowly improving.  After a few more techniques and drills, Ally went through some strength and cardio exercises and dismissed the class for the day.

Once the students were cleared, Ally made her way to the garden.  She wondered what Tiberius had to discuss with her and hoped it wasn't anything too serious.  Outside of training and sparring, Ally considered Tiberius a great friend.  However, considering they were still on Dragon Fist grounds, she couldn't be sure how serious the matters were.

Ally found Tiberius lying back on one of the stone benches, basking in the warmth of the sunlight.  His relaxed demeanor told her the conversation definitely wasn't extremely serious.  She had to admit it though, she envied his easygoing nature, how he could so easily detach himself from the world and relax.

"Something you wanted to talk about?" Ally asked softly, not wanting to scare him out of his peaceful state.