Stepping into the octagon...
drunk.
My training in the realm of martial arts has been sorta strange in the past handful of years because I've had no discernible goals... and after all, without goals, where the heck is the motivation?
A few days ago, I found this clip of George St. Pierre's sparring partner showing up to 'The Ultimate Fighter' drunk... and beating up every fighter on George's team.
The dude looks like Steve-O started slipping on his diet:
(But please take note of the downed mixed martial artist in the background.)
I don't condone drinking and sparring... in fact, I had a few beers the other night and I was out of breath after climbing to the top of a bunk bed. I had to take 20 seconds to compose myself before reading Worm Loves Worm to my 2 year old for the 645th time.
Alcohol disrupts your ability to produce ATP (the energy your muscle cells need to function). On top of this, your lungs are responsible for 'breathing off' much of the alcohol that you consume. You actually respirate the booze out of your system.
In other words, if you're fighting while drunk, your lungs are 'busy'.
But that didn't seem to effect Jean-Charles Skarbowsky... I love the sweet trip from a tie-up at the 2:00 mark.
So this led me to do a little Googling, because I had never heard of Jean-Charles. I managed to dig up this highlight reel, which impressed me.
The dude was ferocious... great twisting throws, great front-leg front kick (literally knocking people through the ropes), and shockingly good punches for a Muay Thai fighter.
He even fought a world championship title bout against Buakaw!
What?!
Both guys displayed spectacular defense in that fight. I was shocked at how effortlessly Jean Charles seemed to block Buakaw's monster kicks. That guy has honing beacons in his forearms... and when his forearms started to get a bit beat up in the fifth round, he started to instinctively limbo backwards under the head kicks.
Supreme toughness. Incredible skill. And displayed against one of the greatest fighters in the history of Muay Thai.
So now, having cultivated a level of striking skill far beyond the vast majority of the UFC, he gets to saunter into the cage... drunk... and beat the crap out of the younglings for fun.
I can see him sitting in First Class sipping Chardonnay wearing only his Muay Thai shorts...
THIS seems like a fun existence as a fighter. No need to compete... just keep your skills sharp and occasionally flex them against the youth, while helping them to learn your style.
You get to fight. You get to coach. You are appreciated and loved by all... and somehow having the nuts to be intoxicated makes it more admirable, which makes no sense at all.
As I descend further into Covid-19 induced fatness, watching Jean Charles beat up athletes in their prime has been an inspiration.
Training starts again tomorrow. Let's get after it.
Have a fantastic weekend!
-Trav