When I first started judo, we did all the rocking back and forth on your back and mat-slapping exercises and we learned a couple of breakfalling techniques. But in all of my breakfalling practice, somehow they failed to mention one key point - relax and breathe out when you hit the mat. Why is this important?
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Well, soon after that, we were working on taiotoshi. I was partnered with a cute, but tough, girl who was a couple of ranks ahead of me. We were supposed to do uchikomis - turning into throwing position nine times and then throwing on the tenth rep. My partner sailed thru her reps and then came the fateful tenth rep! She whipped me around and absolutely smashed me!
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Let me take a moment to assure you that it is completely normal when someone whips you into the ground, to say, "Oh, Sh...", then hold your breath and tense up in anticipation. Being a natural-type guy, that's what I did.
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I hit the ground tensed up with a lung full of air, and blood and snot and slime and goop exploded from my mouth and nose, covering my cute partner's uniform sleeve. It looked like the ghost-slime from Ghostbusters, only mixed with blood! Gross is the merest of understatements!
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But her reaction was one of the coolest, most unusual things I've ever seen. Frowning, she inspected the goop that was sliming down her arm, said, "Hmmm." Then she wiped that sleeve on the back of her uniform jacket and matter-of-factly held out her arms to me and said, "your turn."
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The moral of this story is simple - Relax and breathe when you fall, and maybe you can avoid sliming some cutie and embarassing yourself.
Patrick Parker is a Christian, husband, father, martial arts teacher, Program Director for a Cardiac Rehab, and a Ph.D. Contact: mokurendojo@gmail.com or phone 601.248.7282 木蓮
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