This is an old post I found in my drafts box that somehow never made it to the blog. It was originally dated Jan.10, 2010. I have since ended up as the demo-dummy on a couple other occasions, one of which I will dedicate another post to another day.
Wednesday night I wrestled Rulon Gardner. Chest to chest, shoulder to shoulder, forehead to forehead, sweaty shirt to sweaty shirt, groping for writst control. Okay, so really I was the biggest guy on the mat next to Rulon who's got to be 400+ pounds, and he just rag dolled me as his demo-dummy, but still, I wrestled Rulon Gardner.
Wednesday night I wrestled Rulon Gardner. Chest to chest, shoulder to shoulder, forehead to forehead, sweaty shirt to sweaty shirt, groping for writst control. Okay, so really I was the biggest guy on the mat next to Rulon who's got to be 400+ pounds, and he just rag dolled me as his demo-dummy, but still, I wrestled Rulon Gardner.
I'll never forget his Gold Medal win against Aleksandr Karelin at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. "Karelin broke his grip..." Rulon's huge smile and the biggest cartwheel in Olympic history are as vivid in my mind's eye as the day they were first planted there.
The lesson of the day was "drop your ass" to find your power. In the last move of the day I ended up pressed into the cage with Rulon's shoulder in the middle of my chest and his stubbly head grinding into my chin (the position he had achieved by dropping his ass). Once grounded in place and with all his weight on my sternum he commanded, "Now move!" I more or less flailed and tried to refill my lungs with air each time I was lucky enough to get him to shift his weight.
Such a remarkable thing to be on the receiving end of that kind of power. His strength and speed, despite his girth is other-worldly.
The lesson of the day was "drop your ass" to find your power. In the last move of the day I ended up pressed into the cage with Rulon's shoulder in the middle of my chest and his stubbly head grinding into my chin (the position he had achieved by dropping his ass). Once grounded in place and with all his weight on my sternum he commanded, "Now move!" I more or less flailed and tried to refill my lungs with air each time I was lucky enough to get him to shift his weight.
Such a remarkable thing to be on the receiving end of that kind of power. His strength and speed, despite his girth is other-worldly.
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