Post by davidberg47 on Oct 21, 2021 14:46:00 GMT -5
I am in a strange land with a diverse group of people. In a sport I know very little about and I am trying to succeed with victories and fame. The road is far from easy. I compete with my innate training and skills. I believe many cheer for me and some dislike it and it doesn’t bother me very much. The nuance of the sport the flexible rules the multitude of matches can be overwhelming. I watch as much YouTube as possible to gauge strategies to study old matches. I need to truly embrace the great sport in which I am competing. I have yet to make any friends or enemies but it seems as though I have garnered the respect of some. My will remains iron clad. Losing to me is not an option. Not now. Not ever. But it is a reality. A reality one must embrace to get better. These thoughts are running through my head as I stand alone in a ring. I am surrounded by four opponents. One to each side. We have a stout woman who often kick boxes here a pudgy man who likes to lift and at times hit the heavy bag, a fit young gentleman, who is smaller than me but in good shape and an older man who is built tough which is scary given his 6’6 frame.
They attack at once and I dodge, I parry, I flip, I roll, I move and juke but eventually I get caught. A punch here, a push there as kick here or there and I am now in a different zone. I unleash holy hell and leave them laying. Blood slowly drips from my bottom lip. I have vanquished my foes and successfully. I am breathing normally. Not heavy. I feel good and strong when a sharp pain is felt in my back. I go down to one knee and there is that pain again. And again. Now the shots have stopped I look up to see another man standing over me. Mild mannered and small. He is holding a steel chair. Harold Rosenstein the old gym owner stands next to him.
Rosenstein: You must always be ready in this sport. You need to grow eyes in the back of your head.
My back is sore but the pain is going away quickly. I want to strike but I know I cannot. This is or was another lesson.
Rosenstein: Did you really believe that you could just jump into the ring and defeat all your opponents. You of no experience you of no history. You will feel pain and a lot of it before you accomplish your goals.
I stand up and quickly grab the chair and toss it out of the ring. Not out of anger but out of caution. I am quickly learning that trust and this business do not coincide. I shake the hands of my training partners and of Rosenstein. I grab a drink of water and relax. The pain in my back has subsided but the memory has not. Soon I will be flying to the land of the rising sun. I have never been in Asia. It will certainly be a learning experience. Management has had enough faith to place me in a match. In a Fatal Fourway match as well. This is my chance to win over the fans in Asia and you only one first impression so this has to be an excellent. No an epic moment. But what can a young man from Israel truly do? I will not make a spectacle out of myself. There are those that have been here for years. Two competitors are solving a 15-yr grudge match. Amazing. 15 years ago, I was just a seven year old boy.
I will take this opportunity to study each and every match but I will first and foremost concentrate on winning my match. Those who believe that David Berg is a rookie who is to be taken lightly. Do so at your own peril.