On the first Friday of any given month, the Judo club I’ve been attending has an “open workout.” Anyone, from any school (or no school) is welcome to participate. Tonight was the first one of these I’ve been to. I learned a couple of valuable lessons:
1) If someone has a big “USA” patch sewn to the back of their uniform, it’s an necessary (though not sufficient) indicator that they compete internationally. That patch might as well say “serious badass.” Fortunately, he worked with me rather than simply throwing me to the mat like he was doing to the black belts.
2) Landing on one’s face hurts. Landing on the same spot because I made the same mistake twice in a row bruised the pride in addition to the flesh.
3) I felt intimidated. I was in a room filled with guys who were (with only one exception) both stronger and more skilled than me. Frankly, I was way out of my depth. On reflection, that means that I’m going to learn fast. I think it’s good (for me, where I’m at right now, your milage may vary) to experience that sort of physical intimidation in a relatively safe and controlled environment. All the better to be ready for it and not panic when it’s neither safe nor controlled … and also to recognize that some people feel that same way when they interact with me.
Oh yeah: “ow.” Holy hell I’m sore.
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