Wrestling Tuesday

I was late for class the first time in over a year. It felt really lonely at the back of the class as I quickly dropped to the floor and joined in the warm-up exercises. As we went into splits it felt like I went down just a bit further, maybe one day I will get all the way down...

As we partnered up I sensed a minor shift in the balance of power. We trained how to get out of a being dragged by the arms both on our backs and bellies and the same for being dragged by our feet. Then the mats came out and I knew it was on like Donkey Kong. We were going to wrestle...

We went through all the basics and did a couple of drills before it was time for King of the ring. It’s a novel concept, the one who wins all the other students is king of the ring, but its execution is not as easy as it seems. Fitness plays a big roll when wrestling, endurance and stamina are sorely missed once you hit the mats. And as I got to the forth opponent, I was done for. I had a good run, but with my lungs burning for air and my brain half starved of oxygen I had trouble thinking straight and inevitably ended up in a neck choke. I resisted and lingered on the edge of consciousness gasping for air while I rested a bit, but I realised that I was just too tired to fight back. I had to tap out.

It took me a bit of time to recover and I didn’t get another chance to roll again, but the last match was something spectacular. My sensei joined in and took on the biggest and baddest student in class and they had it out on the mat for at least two minutes. The match swayed one way and then another but somehow my Sensei seemed to keep clam and won the match.

On average 95% percent of fights end on the ground, and it’s vital to have at least a basic understanding of grapping. Children don’t know how to punch at an early age but they often wrestle it out in the school yard. It’s like we are born wrestlers but as we grow older, those skills somehow dwindle away to the back of our minds, but trust me, if you train on the mat a bit... they come back with a bang.

Embrace the shadows.