Goth Jutsu

A week ago, an old friend, a contractor who directs one of our Fall fundraisers, asked me about judo- he occasionally watches MMA matches on YouTube, and he was curious about my sport. He's pretty much the quintessential Goth- he wears black clothes and always sports 'guyliner'. Yesterday, we were discussing the necessity of unbalancing before attempting a throw. I had him fit in for o soto gari (typically the first throw everybody learns), and like most beginners, he didn't step in enough, which left him off-balance and vulnerable to a counter-throw. I told him he needed to step chest-to-chest, driving forward so I would be unbalanced backwards. I had him perform some uchikomi drills so he got the balance right. He's a strong lad, used to the sort of manual labor a stage crew member engages in, so he has the potential to be a formidable opponent.

When we were done, I noted that I had a smear of eyeliner on my arm, which elicited peals of laughter from everyone present (three of his crew members were with us). I think I need to get a couple of black gis if we are going to continue this Goth dojo experiment.