Tales From the Mat

I had to take my first real straight-over last night. Until then, I had taken one from a hip throw which isn't nearly as terrifying as having my shin kicked and then hurling myself into a flip, landing on my back. That's what I had to do last night. I didn't do it well, which is to be expected, but I did it.

The two main people that run the dojo are sensei Franco and his wife, Cyndo. Franco's been encouraging, but not overly demanding. He realizes that I'm freakishly large and that it would be more difficult to do the rolls and falls and easier for me to get hurt doing them. His wife, on the other hand, doesn't give a fuck. So, when she was showing us how to do the art, she insisted on throwing all of us so we know how it should feel. When it came to my turn, I kind of did it, I guess. When I got up and started working with my uki (partner), he said, "How was that?"

To which I replied, "Ok, I guess. All I know for sure is that I was in the air forever and then my back hurt."

He said, "Perfect."