Went to grappling night at Judo this evening. We set an interval timer for four minute rounds with 30 second breaks, and everybody wrestles until they decide to quit. I lasted from 7:30 to 8:45 with two or three breaks … which is not bad in my book.
I’m not as bad as I once was, but I’m far from good. Also, my peers have improved more rapidly than me because they’ve continued to press while I’ve held back because of the shoulder injury … so in comparison I’m falling behind. It’s all good though. I’m patient. I’m not supposed to be good at this sport yet. That’s part of the fun is *getting* good.
The high point was working with Roger, who is a fourth degree – and one of our school’s current “go out on the international circuit and kick some butt” representatives. You know how pythons kill? They don’t so much crush, as they let the smaller creature breathe out and quickly close up the space so it can’t breathe in. That’s what wrestling with Roger is like. Slow, deliberate, and increasingly confined … with no really clear option or path to get out of whatever he’s working towards. Add in the fact that he outweighs me by 20 pounds of muscle, and it’s … how to say … a good learning experience.
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