Last Sunday night was a night to remember. It was a night that taught me, made me reflect, and most of all made me stronger because of the surprise it awaited me.

Almost every Sunday night, I at least share what I know in the arts of Aikido with a few friends of mine in a nearby gym near my home. With only a few practitioners in our country, my friends in that gym was always happy when I’m around and I feel the same way as them because of the symbiotic relationship. I humbly teach them of the things I know and they teach me how to work out correctly, although we always laugh at it because it doesn’t seem to affect me much. Ergo, my body size. XD

Last Sunday was a special night though. I wasn’t expecting that a day would come I needed to fight someone for exhibition.

It was my first, that someone would challenge me. With my present condition of having a bad cold and a very exhausted body, my mind was only conditioned to teach that night. However, shit happens. lol.

Earnest Luis Martinez, a mixed martial artist knowledgeable in the arts of Jiu-jitsu and some Boxing, was a nephew of one of my friends in that gym. He got his Jiu-jitsu training in the U.S. and recently his boxing training in Madrid. He’s not the heavyweight type (thank goodness), although his body was very, very fit. He has the same height as mine more or less and has scary fists that are so big he may even crush my skull if he presses it for 5 seconds. Martinez was just having a vacation here in the Philippines and when he heard we had sessions every Sunday night, he decided to come with his uncle.

Martinez was very polite. He even apologized for the short notice he had given me for the challenge he wanted. I said it’s ok because there was no other way for him to contact me but through that night. So I agreed. I can’t just turn down that offer and let my friends in the gym think of me as some coward, can I? Besides, it’s a good opportunity for me as I’ve never used my skills against other disciplines.

We talked about how our match should go. We agreed that he wins if he makes a submission (since that’s what Jiu-jitsu arts is) or a knockout strike and I win if I can throw him cleanly in the mat or make a knockout strike.

After gearing ourselves, we went to the center of the mat. My heart won’t stop beating because of the pressure against me. If I lose, I’ll be embarrassed so much because I lost in my home court in front of they eyes of my friends. But that isn’t the only thing that scares me. It’s the fact that I know he trained better than me, has a better built than me, and has more experience than me. It’s almost as if my loss is certain.

We started feeling out each other and decided not to rush in immediately. Besides, Aikidokans doesn’t do the first move so I had to wait for him. He made the first move and I dodged successfully. I can’t have him connect to me completely because it’s his game to connect completely and take me down. But after a while, the worst happened. He successfully took me down and began making his moves.

I was afraid of course. Entering into the territory of Jiu-jitsu practitioners is very dangerous. It’s a good thing I know some grappling escapes, thanks to UFC and Bas Rutten. But that wasn’t the only thing that helped me escape his tight grasp. It was my weight. It was a good thing he didn’t do a full mount on me or it’ll be over. The moment I gained balanced on my side, I immediately used my weight to overcome his control. I went on top, escaped his grasp and stood up ASAP. Blood came rushing to my brain and I was so tried I can barely stand. One of the reasons was because before I gain balance on my side, he caught my left leg and locked it so tight I swear it made me wanna scream so loud. Good thing my right was free so I can kick him madly to get out of that lock. So barely standing and with only little stamina left because of escaping that tight grasp, I knew I had to defeat him with a move or it’ll all be over if he takes me down again.

It’s as if luck was on my side.

As he came rushing, I never knew I could win with a simple circular neck throw. I caught his right arm, grabbed his nape, did a circular motion, and threw him with all the strength left in me to the mat. I was shocked and all I can hear was the cheering of my friends in the gym.

Martinez didn’t fall right and his left arm went numb after I threw him. But after a few minutes of rest and a little ice, he was ok again. After that, I couldn’t teach anymore because of exhaustion so we all decided to just go out and eat, talk about martial-arts, get close with our new friend Martinez, talk about the fight, what happened, what went wrong, etc.

I was happy that the match came in favor for me but I was far from satisfied. Judging from the fight, I was just completely lucky to have caught him and throw him down with one go. But if that match continue on, I knew I would lose. The only thing that consoles me is the fact I could beat a martial-artist of his caliber, even if it’s just luck.

That night taught me lots of things. It made me think I should start getting back in shape again and polish my skills better just so if occasions like that happen again, I am prepared. It also gave me strength to really be doing it. Because just thinking about it is one thing. Being determined to really do it is another thing. I also learned that indeed, experience can change a person. Experiencing that kind of event made me a better person. These bruises on my body won’t just go away without me learning that preparation is the key to winning and having a sound strategy is not always enough to win against a grade A opponent. You also need to have a physically fit body (Dang I should take those work outs seriously from now on). lol XD

Cheers to all Aikidokans out there! XD