Big mixed emotions after training last night.
Westen is a tiny kid. At 13, he’s eligible for the adult class, but he doesn’t always look like he belongs. Last night he was partnered with another young practitioner and they were being a little silly during drills. I don’t sweat it too much because they are both serious when it comes to resistance training.
With each round of resistance training, we switch partners. Westen asked the biggest guy in the room for a match. He was at least 200 pounds and over six feet tall. He was also a brand new student and I sensed that he thought it was an odd request.
At some point in the next few minutes, Westen executed a clockwork choke from the back and the new student didn’t tap in time. He lost conciousness and it was a dramatic, and frankly scary, scene of snoring, shaking, and sputtering. He came to quickly, but was clearly dazed and shaken.
Westen was shaken too. He didn’t know how much power he had in his scrawny arms. I’ve never seen him lose his cool or roll with any intention to hurt anyone. He took on all the responsibility for this unfortunate event. He was close to tears.
Although he will learn from this and potentially let up sooner in the future, the responsibility lays on the individual getting choked. This is difficult for a new student who doesn’t think he can be choked out by a child. It is, however, critical in understanding how dangerous this practice is.
Everyone in the room was reminded of the stakes of what we are doing.
