Character Spotlight
Character Spotlight: Jill Valentine
Discuss this post:
On the forums!
On Reddit!
Jill Valentine Quick Links:
The Jill Valentine workout
Name: Jill Valentine
Game(s): Resident Evil series
Archetype: Rogue
Class: Sniper
Skills/Attributes:
- Skilled hand to hand combatant.
- Extremely high accuracy with firearms.
- Exceptionally calm under pressure.
- Strong willed.
- Loyal.
- Immunity to all t-Virus derivatives.
Overview:
Jill Valentine is one of the most well-known female characters in gaming. She’s right up there with Lara Croft and Samus Aran as far as strong female gaming leads are concerned, and we know we’re a fan of strong female leads here at BaGC!
Jill is an accomplished, senior ranking member of S.T.A.R.S. Expertly skilled in firearms, hand to hand combat, team management, and combat tactics, she’s a formidable foe, either alone, or as part of a team. She’s incredibly cool under pressure, even when facing foes that would send most normal people running (while screaming and babbling incoherently). Beyond this, she’s also extremely resilient, both physically and mentally, able to survive infection with the t-Virus as well as brainwashing and mind control attempts. Long story short, this lady is one tough cookie, make no mistake. Let’s take a look at her primary skills, eh?
Fight like a S.T.A.R.
(Yes, I know the acronym doesn’t really work here. Just go with it)
So, Jill’s combat style is obviously not without its creative flourishes (repeat after me: flips are not a practical combat move), HOWEVER, she also uses some very straight-forward, military-style hand to hand techniques. Now, normally I’d say go learn Krav Maga and call it a day, however, Jill…Jilly deserves something a bit more special than that.
BAM! Ladies and gentlemen, those are the official manuals for US Army Combatives Level 1 and 2. Jill was ex-Delta Force, so where better to pick up her combat style than from the US Army itself? Besides basic maneuvers, the manuals also walk you through different styles and encounters to use them in in the second manual. Of course, no training is complete without some application practice, so grab a willing buddy and work through the books with them! Remember to wear good mitts and headgear if you’re sparring (no need to injure one another in training, save that for the zombies!)
Building the Sniper
Now, Jill uses her Beretta handgun more than any other weapon in the games, but she’s well-versed in many different types of weaponry, as well. Her accuracy with a rifle is particularly impressive, and part of what places her solidly in the Sniper class. How do we build this accuracy? Well, step one is obviously practice. I’d really suggest (as I have before), that you find a local gun range, and head on over and see what classes they offer on the basics of firearms. Despite the kind of intimidating impression you may get about gun ranges (if you’ve never been to one before), firearms enthusiasts love introducing other people to the hobby, and are usually quite happy to help someone learn more about them.
Then, once you get familiar, you can look into different drills to practice. Here’s a few good ones I found on Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9kvLPBhDdk
Basic AR15 rifle drills. Good stuff here about switching targets, and other tactical maneuvers. Check out the other stuff on this channel, too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oM0oEiisTTs
Basic pistol drills. Video quality isn’t amazing, but the drills are solid. Also a channel worth checking out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5sl0YbzKtc
Excellent video on basics of marksmanship from the Army perspective. Really cool stuff.
So yeah, hopefully that’s enough to get you started on a couple of common weapon types. Again, there’s nothing like having a real-life instructor (much like other martial arts), so get involved with a local group of firearm enthusiasts if this facet of Jill Valentine interests you!
Tougher than the t-Virus
Jill possesses mental toughness several levels of magnitude higher than most normal people. In addition to seeing horrors most of us only get in our darkest nightmares, she’s also gone through partners and teammates dying (sometimes right in front of her), multiple assaults, and even drug-induced mind control. Through all of this, Jill still comes out swinging, fighting off whatever gets in her way.
This kind of toughness is a difficult thing to teach. I wish I could say, “Hey, go start doing this thing…” and give you that kind of mental fortitude. Unfortunately, the kind of mental toughness we’re discussing here can only be built through time, and hardship. Keep in mind, in life, sometimes hardship sucks. However, in the right amounts, it can temper, and strengthen you.
Exercise is actually a good way of self-inflicting some “healthy hardship.” It allows you to learn your limits, push them, and exceed them. Additionally, you’re typically the main driving force behind exercising…gaining the mental determination to push yourself onward, even if you don’t feel like it sometimes, will inherently build discipline, and mental strength. (protip: find yourself feeling run down before a workout? Check out the Personal Power Ups post for some ideas!)
Mental endurance and physical endurance can often go hand in hand. If you’ve ever known anyone who’s career military, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. The military doesn’t necessarily care how many pounds you can put up over your head – they’re much more interested in how long you can keep yourself going without stopping, and how many times you can get back up after being knocked down. If you don’t feel like joining the military, you can still get involved in extremely physically demanding activities. Mud runs, half-marathons, and even triathlons are all designed to push you beyond the limits that you normally would set for yourself. We’re going to address this a bit more in the Jill Valentine workout on Friday, but suffice it to say that developing a regular workout regimen can be one of the most straightforward ways of building that mental fortitude.
That’s it for today. Friday we’ve got the Jill Valentine workout, so make sure to check back then! As always, live boldly, change the world, and continue to be awesome!
Dan “DaRatmastah” Wallace
