Day 91: Got put in the emergency room

But it's not what you think. Since I've been in Baghdad this week, I noticed in the gym that there are classes and one was combatatives (Brazilian jiu-jitsu). Since I was training before I deployed, and really enjoy it, I was psyched to check it out. At Basrah, not only are there no classes, there's not even a mat in the tiny gym we have to work out in.

So, the first night, I go in and it's just open mat, meaning you show up and do free sparring ("rolling") with anyone else who shows up. I went, met a few people, and did a little rolling for about an hour. There was really no pussyfooting about it. No going in slow -- you just wade right in. The first guy I matched up with probably outweighed me by about 90 lbs. He did submit me twice in the few times we rolled, but it felt good and I think he expected it to be easier from his first comment, "F*ck, you're annoying!"

Then, I sought out a smaller guy, who was hanging out in the wings, who turned out to be really good. The guy was doing leg and ankle locks on me, which beginners usually don't know. This was better because he wasn't just using his weight and sitting on me like the first guy -- and I was a little more technical. He submitted me 3 times, but taught me some stuff too.

The next morning, I was so sore I had a hard time getting out of my bunk.

The following evening, there was another session, but this time with instruction. We did basics like passing guard. That was followed with more rolling, and I learned that in gi-less (no uniform) fighting, there's few advantages in offense, but makes it much easier to escape -- because you're so sweaty and slippery and also because it's tough to grab onto clothing.

Then, the third night, I went back for more open mat and ended up matching up with the really experienced guy. We started easy, then got a little more aggressive -- maybe when I got him in a choke he didn't expect. He stacked me, which means he had my entire body up on my bent neck, and then he suddenly put more weight on me and twisted me at an odd angle. I felt a sharp pain shoot through my neck and heard a series of pops. Not good. I called him off, and froze -- I did not want to move.

To make it short, I ended up going to the post medical facility to get an x-ray and check things out. The doc said it was just a bad sprain and gave me all kinds of horse tranquilizers and muscle relaxants. And Sarah says that I'm too old to do this stuff anymore.

It's weird -- when I turn my head one way, I feel tingling in my scalp on the other side.

Let's hope this is the only time I'll have to see the ER this tour...


Oh, happy birthday to my brother !