Yesterday, I wrestled with this man in the black singlet, the third time we've wrestled. As usual, our conversations between falls and over lunch were great. And I think we both enjoyed the wrestling, even though our time on the mat was shorter than either of us wanted. If I counted correctly, we wrestled some five or six falls to submission, most of them fairly short.

The last time we wrestled, which was 12 December, I left thinking that I wasn't much of a wrestler, that I didn't even enjoy wrestling. M had punished me every fall with takedowns into powerful holds that I no skill either to escape from or counter. So, I submitted. And submitted. And submitted again.

M and I talked about that match via email quite a bit and came to some understandings, and I came up with the idea to wear my wrestling mask in an effort to allow me to forget fears of my hair being pulled and to instill in me, perhaps, a little more attitude and aggression.

So, yesterday, as I drove to his place, I kept telling myself to get a good workout. I told myself to stop playing and wrestle.

When I arrived, we each dressed out in the same gear as in the picture above. Except that I wore my mask. It worked. I didn't worry about my hair. The mask stayed on reasonably well. And I wrestled harder than I had before. These elements came together--with, I suspect, a little easing up from M (although I couldn't really tell if he was easing up or not) to make our match much more even than the one in December.

Here's what I remember:

First fall--This one actually went on the longest, and both of us were fairly winded when it was over. M called this one a draw when he had me on my back well off the mat. I had him in a body scissors, but given the position I was in, I didn't bring much power to bear on it. He was on his knees and between my legs, but he loomed over me and was mostly in control. I somehow kept him from pressing his advantage to a submission hold, and he pulled out of the weak scissors and moved away.

Second fall--from a standing position, he fairly quickly had me down and in a headlock. Or it might have been closer to a chinlock. Anyway, a bone in his forearm pressed painfully hard agains the right side of my jawbone, and I submitted pretty quickly. My jaw is sore today.

Third fall--I think we began this one on our knees. After a few attempts to lock up, I reached through his defenses and took him in a pretty good headlock. I rolled him down to his back and cinched it tight. I don't think he was in pain, but he wasn't really going anywhere, so after a few unsuccessful attempts to break the hold, he tapped out.

Fourth fall--If I'm remembering correctly, this one when much like the second one and ended with a similar hold--and a similar pain.

Fifth fall--This one began standing, I think, and seemed as if it would end like the third fall. I think I took him down and into the same headlock, and I thought I had him again. This time, however, he surprised me. Just as he has me in the picture above, I had him. But he worked his right hand under my chin and pushed backwards. When let go of the clinch with my right hand, holding him in a one-armed headlock and trying to push his hand off my chin, he caught my right hand in his left and kept pushing both my arm and chin backwards. I still held the headlock for a few breaths and struggled to regain my balance and leverage, but it was not to be. He was quick! Before I knew what hit me, his legs had exploded upwards and pulled me back into a powerful head scissors. My head was sideways between his knees, my face toward his powerful calves and locked ankles. I love a good head scissors, and this was a good one! He could have held me like that for a long time and the forced me into submission. But he put so much into the hold that I thought I felt my bottom teeth grinding against one another and shifting out of place! I tapped out pretty quickly.

Sixth and final fall--I think he took me down from a standing position and was working me into another of his tough headlocks. The mask allowed me not to worry about my hair and pull out. I got him off balance, I think, and tried to get him in a head scissors. But the angle of attack was bad and his arm half blocked me, so I couldn't lock it in. He pulled free and pushed me back, but somehow in the process left his head open and somehow I locked on one of the best head scissors holds I'd ever applied in the heat of a fall. I had him cleanly, and I had him good--he flat on his back and trapped, I on my left side with his jawline and chin tucked neatly into the crook of my right knee and my right foot locked tightly behind my left calf. I pulled his left arm toward me, pinned it under my side, and he wasn't going anywhere. In just a few moments, he tapped out.
More than my jaw is sore today!