Hand Coordination(Saint)

[Keith]

Keith wanted to get some pain tolerance training in. In a fight, one must learn how to take pain. If you can dish it, you have to be able to take it. Because pain is a pretty damn sharp double-edged sword. Which brought him to the batting cages of 259. Keith had gotten the idea of watching a pretty funny Adam Sandler movie called "Happy Gilmore." His character Happy did the same thing Keith was going to do.

He stood on the opposite side of the batting area. The ball machine was operated by another student. Asides from taking pain, Keith had to take this opportunity to improve his hand/eye coordination. That's going to be key if he wanted to survive the halls of 259.

The student that operated the machine was given the nod from Keith who started feeding baseball after baseball. It was go time for Keith as he saw three baseballs flying out from the machine one after the other. And damn, those baseballs were fast as one of them nailed Keith in the chest. Though Keith could take it, that blow stung like hell.

The next one nailed Keith in the chest again as it caused Keith to stagger back a bit. He could feel the wind getting knocked out of him. One training routine is after getting the wind knocked out, you must quickly inhale as much air as possible seconds after taking that one blow. And that's what Keith did. The third ball came in and nailed Keith in the chest again. This time, Keith lost ninety percent of the air that he inhaled.

He quickly inhaled more air. Keith motioned for the student to keep feeding balls into the machine. This was a sign that Keith would have to train himself again.

[Deleted]

((OoC: I think I am getting writer's block >_>))

Another b-e-a-utiful day in Cali and one of the pillars for public high school 259 in Long Beach was walking about the grounds reading a book of his. Green eyes scanned pages of text through delicate frame reading glasses as the shoes skidded across the walkway. Of course the most distinguishing feature to this student was his large white trench coat… this pillar was of course Zachariah Rose, better known as Saint. It was always better for him to keep moving during free periods to avoid any trouble that might arise. Which was exactly why he passed near the batting cages only to hear the firing of balls followed by a flat thud instead the usual metallic sound.

Closing the book and sliding his glasses into his pocket, the student body president turned his gaze toward the cages to see one guy taking baseballs to the chest. Amazed by the act before him, he got himself into a better position to view it. So many questions came to mind… why would any want to do such a thing? What if he was stuck in the eye socket? What would be the point other than some chauvinistic portrayal of “machoness”? It all seemed very silly to the pillar but a lass Saint was utterly amused and fascinated by it… so he continued to watch slightly.

[Keith]

OOC: Ouch, I know how writer's block feels.

Keith continued taking the baseballs to the chest. It's like getting hit by a bunch of fast and hard punches at once. You have to get much stronger. This was one of those endurance conditioning excercises. How you fare as a fighting is how you condition for a fighter. From what he heard from other professional fighters is that conditioning is the key.

To be strong, you have to be like water. Because water takes on numerous sizes, shapes, and forms. It can be hard as ice, flowing as water, and soft as water vapor. You can be a solid, liquid, and gas. That's what made one a powerful fighter. So taking baseballs to the chest was one of these training methods.

There was someone watching him. But Keith was pretty much focused that he didn't notice. Perhaps the person would have to interrupt his training routine. For now, Keith would continue taking the barrage of baseballs that came at him.

[Deleted]

Never being one for fighting, Saint could only guess that this was some kind of deranged training. With the interesting of a motorist passing a five car pile-up, he continued to watch the older student go about catching balls off his chest. It was freakish. The dull thudding started to make him wince with each one, oh yeah… not to mention Saint was supposed to keep people like him in line and from causing trouble. HAHAHAHAHA! Funny joke right? Cause that was seriously not happening, especially if there were other guy’s like this one who enjoyed being pelted in the chest by baseballs thrown by pitching machines. After another couple minutes the pillar let a few words slip from his mouth.

“That doesn’t seem too intelligent.”

Erk… that might have been a bad thing to say. Espeically to someone who could probably crush him into pieces.

[Keith]

“That doesn’t seem too intelligent.”

Seems his training would have to be put on hold. Keith quickly brought out his right hand and smacked the incoming baseball away to the other side and signalled the student to stop operating the machine. Yeah, the person had a point, didn't look too intelligent.

Keith gave a nod.

"Mentally, it's not intelligent. However, you're teaching the body to tolerate pain. Teaching your mind and teaching your body are two different things," Keith explained. You had to teach your mind, your body, and your soul.

You train your mind by reading, watching, observing, and analyzing. However you train your body by such things as what Keith was doing.

"Kind of like teaching yourself how to ride a bike. Instead, I'm teaching myself how to take pain. The baseballs flying at me are like a bunch of fast punches. Without a sparring partner, I have to make do with this."

[Deleted]

Saint watched as the senior that had been going through this ‘training routine’ stopped having heard the off hand comment made. Of course the man went about explaining his rational behind doing such a thing, however it was wasted on the pillar. He hated violence of any kind and always thought it better to circumvent it at all times. By doing that there was no reason to have go through such things to tolerate physical pain. The student body president would voice this views as well… no reason not to seeing as this guy did not seem like the type to get too offended at a different opinion.

“But wouldn’t it be better to just avoid fighting, use diplomacy to sew any riffs that might form between you and others. That way no one ends up injured or scarred and all the pains that such a thing would cause are prevented.”

Sure, there was the always be prepared approach. Saint folded his arms across his chest idly. His book held still in his right hand, he had yet to think to put it away. After all, he may yet go back to reading it.

[Keith]

“But wouldn’t it be better to just avoid fighting, use diplomacy to sew any riffs that might form between you and others. That way no one ends up injured or scarred and all the pains that such a thing would cause are prevented.”

The person had a point. Personally, Keith felt that diplomacy was the best way to go. That's how the world functions better. But diplomacy alone was living in Candyland and we all know that Candyland is pretty fictitious. At times there was no way around resorting to violence when diplomacy fails.

"That's the ideal way to go," Keith replied. He then added, "however, diplomacy doesn't work every time. Personally, the people in the government could use a bit more diplomacy than resort to military force."

But that was one part of Keith's explanation.

"But that's just one half of my explanation. There are going to be plenty of cases where diplomacy doesn't work. Especially the person you're trying to be diplomatic with is a total psychopath, warmonger, etc. It's good to be diplomatic at the table. But make sure you have a silenced pistol underneath the table just in case being diplomatic fails."

Keith stretched out a bit and took a deep sigh.

"You can be diplomatic. But you must learn to defend yourself. In the real world, actions speak much louder than words. But of course diplomacy will always be the first option to be used. Still, you still need to bring out the big guns just in case. But that seems a bit paradoxed, though."

[Deleted]

Again the pillar listened quietly as the elder student presented a side of the argument that, it could be reasoned, the majority of “peaceful” students believed in. However, this was not the case with the one that was presently hearing it. To his very core he was a pacifist and believed in it, though in recent events he had been forced through certain means to abandon it. For a moment he thought about how exactly to word his response before finally speaking again.

“Yes… I suppose that would be true.”

Always acknowledge the opposing side’s point in a debate.

“But what often happens is that diplomacy is undermined by what should be the backup plan as you put it. Soon those with bigger guns start to make unreasonable demands and expect others to bend to their whimsy because of what they carry in terms of might. Thus diplomacy is destroyed as those forced to succumb will seek more power or allegiances with others in order to increase their own strength and turn the tables. Soon everyone is caught up in a race for power to get the bigger gun and force everyone else to submit to their rule.”

The thought of it brought a tinge of sadness and disappointment to the boy’s face as he paused to gather his breath and let that bit sink in before continuing.

“And diplomacy dies not with bang but with a whimper… throughout history it has happened. From the time of European kings and the Ancient kingdoms before up to as recent as today with Bush’s threats against the Iraqis. The threat of military force, or even economic force through trade sanctions, masquerading as diplomacy… it is… depressing.”

[Keith]

“But what often happens is that diplomacy is undermined by what should be the backup plan as you put it. Soon those with bigger guns start to make unreasonable demands and expect others to bend to their whimsy because of what they carry in terms of might. Thus diplomacy is destroyed as those forced to succumb will seek more power or allegiances with others in order to increase their own strength and turn the tables. Soon everyone is caught up in a race for power to get the bigger gun and force everyone else to submit to their rule.”

The person had a strong point. The backup plan usually undermines it is due to fear, distrust, a lack of discipline, and most of all greed... Nowadays, it's all about money. All this crap is caused by "businessmen" who just want to make as much money as possible.

“And diplomacy dies not with bang but with a whimper… throughout history it has happened. From the time of European kings and the Ancient kingdoms before up to as recent as today with Bush’s threats against the Iraqis. The threat of military force, or even economic force through trade sanctions, masquerading as diplomacy… it is… depressing.”

Keith nodded.

"Of course it ends with a whimper. You know why diplomacy fails... Lack of discipline in the backup plan. Plus there's more money to be made using the backup plan right now instead of using diplomacy. Y'know, with wars and battles, defense contractors make uber billions and trillions," he explained. Which held true.

One prime example was the Carlyle Group. George Bush Senior is on the board of directors along with several other world leaders. They're the most powerful group in the world.

"One example is General Electric. It's one of the top ten defense contractors in the United States and they own NBC News," Keith added.

"The backup plan is neccessary. However, whenever money is introduced it all goes to hell. You have cutthroat businessmen wanting a big piece of the pie. And they have plenty of money to pay off politicians, judges, and other law makers. Which is another reason politics nowadays is extremely corrupt. It's not the backup plan itself that undermines diplomacy, it's the people behind it all."