alpinisto's blog

In June I had wrestled every calendar month through a whole year, but found no reason to stop here. I have the feeling that wrestling is good for my body and all the unexpected movements are better for the recuperation of my body after the 2013 stroke than the basic gym work, where you simply decide what weight to work with - and this weight doesn't change. But a wrestling opponent can change his pressure in a split second, which also is why I like to wrestle the heavier guys, for those have a larger scope.

I liked the sweaty outcome of a man-to-man wrestle, so of course I had also planned some wrestling in July. Although I had some doubt if this was going to be a real match. I had been challenged by a guy in Flensburg, and during our initial chat I got the feeling that I had chatted with him before. Two years earlier I had intended to wrestle another MeetFighter member in Flensburg, but a few days before I was to meet him he had silently disappeared from the site. I then never took the train to Flensburg, but chatting with this other (?) Flensburg guy I had a feeling that this maybe could happen again. So I wanted a confirmation from him that we actually were to meet before I booked the train ticket. And this confirmation never came.

At that time it was too close to the end of July to make some other arrangement in July, but then I could hope for August. Then I would meet my good friend kleiner kerl in Spandau, and with him I could be sure that I would get to wrestle. As always I tried to book some extra matches on both sides of the weekend, and another Berlin guy in Pankow could be a good choice, for I had wrestled him three times before. So we settled for a meeting at his place on Friday. But when I finally got there after a long subway ride and two bus rides he wasn't there and didn't reply to the text messages I sent him on my cellphone. And after having waited for an hour I returned to my friend in Spandau.

Saturday broke, and for that day we were to meet four other guys at another wrestler's place, one I had not wrestled before. But when we got there he had just fallen down the stairs in the early morning, so he wasn't fit for fight. And two of the other guys also failed to show up - but at least we were three guys who were ready to wrestle. Not the six I had hoped for, but better than the two previous match plans which had become naught.

I had not been wrestling for two months now and was expecting that I wouldn't be able to do much good in wrestling, but it seemed that my body had other ideas. It felt like my body had an urge to wrestle - or maybe it was just happy to wrestle an only 78 kilo opponent. I had wrestled kleiner kerl several times before, and I knew that with him it was going to be a close contact match because of his small size. Also he had told me that the only way he would be able to win over me was to get on top of me so he could get the overhand. In general I don't mind him getting on top of me, for this would then be a more even match for us. But he never got on top of me. I got him in a headlock, and with his attempt of breaking free I got him cornered up the wall of the room. It being impossible for him to move away or escape my hold he could see no way out and had to give in.

Then it was time for me to wrestle the other guy, catchbear1. I have always enjoyed to wrestle him, even though (or maybe because) he is 20 kilos heavier than me. I had always had the impression that he was a better wrestler than me, and with him I had often been challenged in different ways. This time he would put his full weight on top of me, and I should try to do my best to break free from under his heavy body. I was quite used to wrestle heavier guys, so it was a pretty fair match - though it didn't last so long. For during the intense fight I put a strain on my neck muscles, so this time it was my turn to give in. So in the rest of the session I had to leave the mats to kleiner kerl and catchbear1.

On Sunday we had no particular plans, but in the morning kleiner kerl had chatted with a new MeetFighter member and invited him to come over for a wrestle. And much to our surprise he showed up the same afternoon. This guy, berlinfunfighter, was younger that both of us and also heavier than both of us, so while I was content with his build and hoped that his younger agility could outmatch his less experience, kleiner kerl only had more experience. Hopefully it would be enough for him. They had a long fight, but in the end kleiner kerl had to give in again.

Then it was my turn to wrestle berlinfunfighter, and we soon went into a ground fight. Which normally is good for me to get to control my opponent. At least as long as I was on my left side, but when I was flipped to my right side I could clearly feel the strain in my neck from yesterday's match. Which was a quite unpleasant feeling, for although I knew what I should do I was unable to follow it through because of the pain in my neck. I was about to give in because of the hopelessness, but with my arm under my head I could limit the pain, and as long as I didn't have my shoulders in the mat I had not lost. Although in a real tournament I would have lost because of passivity. In this situation I could just remain on the side of my body and try not to be flipped over. Berlinfunfighter was heavier than me, but not much, and I had always been good in resist being flipped over. Even when having to keep my head in the relaxed position I resisted his numerous attempts of flipping me over, so in the end kleiner kerl decided our match unsettled.

I was supposed to have another match on Monday, but a few hours before we were to meet he sent me a message on MeetFighters that he no longer liked to wrestle me. I find it strange that so many wrestlers cancel planned wrestling matches. But I was happy that at least berlinfunfighter had followed our match though, particularly such short-noticed one. Also I knew that kleiner kerl and catchbear1 were always reliable, so I left Berlin with a few, but good matches. I felt happy that I could still have fun in wrestling and that I had not lost much in the previous months' wrestling inactivity. And I might get even more wrestling this month, for towards the end of the month I will fly to New Jersey in USA, and have already made plans to wrestle guys there. Hopefully at least some of them will be there and ready to wrestle!