Post by "Perfection" Evan Cartwright on Jan 21, 2006 18:38:07 GMT -5
-=He is absolutely right, Maniac is... at least in this one respect. His challenge has brought out the proverbial "fire" in Evan and has served to make him a better athelete and a more focused individual. Evan is getting back into prime fighting shape and he has Maniac to thank for that. A glimmer of mutual respect for Maniac presents itself, but Evan quickly squashes that notion with his unyeilding disgust for the man. Maniac may be a fighter with skill, but he will always be a piece of garbage to Evan. Men like him have come and gone and think they made some kind of impact on the landscape, when in reality, they are just another miniscule blip on the radar of the grander scheme. Get some international experience he says? I guess three years in Mexico and Puerto Rico don't count, nor does the year in Europe and the eighteen months in Japan. No, you have to do eleven years to be as good and bad as Maniac. No young punk from the state of Illinois could possibly be as good as journeyman like him. Five years is not long enough to develop into a star-caliber performer. "Balls to that!" as Evan would put it. Boxers hands aren't the only ace Evan Cartwright has up his sleeve.=-
[Saitama Prefecture, Japan, several years ago. Evan is currently with NJPW and is currently "injured" via an angle; therefore, he has several weeks before returning to the ring, and it was suggested to him that he take up some activity to keep him sharp and occupied. Evan chose to take up judo and learn under Japanese Olympic Gold Medalist, Hidehiko Yoshida, a former Pride Fighting Superstar and one of the best hand-to-hand close-quarters fighters in the world. His skill in judo was unparalleled, and his gift for teaching unmatched. Evan did not have the luxary of studying under Yoshida for months on end, so he would have to make the best of his three weeks and learn as much as he could. Boy was he in for a surprise.
Yoshida, currently performing a demonstration on one of his students, is showing the importance of leverage.]
Yoshida: Here, see how he grabs at my gi with the right in hopes of sweeping my left leg? This will occur 90% of the time when you face an inexperienced opponent. They cannot help it, the gi is an invitation to grasp hold of me. I make them think that I do not want to fight in close by playing defense and circling him. Frustration will set in him before it will in me. He wants those points for being aggresive, and I can afford to wait for him to make that mistake.
[Yoshida quickly grabs his student on the left shoulder/trapezius with his right hand and ducks under the student's left arm. His right leg sweeps behind the student's right leg and acts as the fulcrum. Yoshida pulls his leg back and lets the momentum carry him forward, slamming him and his opponent to the floor, with Yoshida coming out unharmed. Lucky for the student, he hits the padded mat and is not hurt quite so bad. Still, the force of the gold medalist sensei's momentum was startling for a man his size (5' 10", 185lbs.)]
Yoshida: Sambo Suplex. That is more of a Russian sambo move that judo has adopted. One can also fall to their knee as opposed to falling with your opponent, but this approach will save your knee some wear and tear.
Student in the back: Rock Bottom-su!
Yoshida: Hah, his version is not nearly as effective. Too much of a show. In reality, you do not want to protect your opponent from harm. You want to maybe come up a bit lame so that you may make short work of him.
Evan: Sensei Yoshida, may I try to perform the Sambo Suplex on you?
Yoshida: By all means, Evan-san. Come forth.
[Evan stands at attention and bows respectfully before facing the sensei. Evan keeps his mind open and receptive to all that Yoshida tends to say and teach even while in a fight.]
Yoshida: Remember, this is not American-style boxing match. Hahaha.
[The students laugh on cue as Yoshida hams it up a bit by making fists like a 1920's-style boxer. Evan laughs before decking sensei Yoshida in the face. The class is stunned in silence as Yoshida backs up, a trickle of blood coming from his nose. He cleans this off and smiles at Evan.]
Yoshida: You must have seen my fight against Wanderlei Silva. I took his best punch and took the fight to decision.
Evan: I saw it.
Yoshida: Good instincts, to strike while I was busy being the clown. But still...
[Yoshida shoots for Evan's legs and rolls over into an armbar. Evan escapes this narrowly and grabs Yoshida's leg, bending it to one side. Yoshida rolls with the momentum and rolls away, simultaneously pulling Evan by his gi and flipping him across the mat. Both men stand up quickly and lock into a grapple. Yoshida again grabs for the gi, and Evan remembers the lesson from just a few minutes ago. He goes for the Sambo, but Yoshida manages to block the sweep and counter with a hip toss. Yoshida goes for another armbar, but Evan counters by pulling him forward with the momentum and skillfully locking onto his sensei with a Fujiwara armbar. Yoshida is caught off-guard for a moment and feints capture.]
Evan: Say uncle, sensei.
[Yoshida does no such thing and instead rakes Evan's eyes with his free hand at an awkward angle. This is just enough for Yoshida to shift his weight pull Evan over into what looks like a crucifix pinning combintation, Evan's shoulders pinned to the mat.]
Yoshida: Ichi, ni, san... if this were a wrestling match, you would be pinned now, Evan-san.
[The students cheer in unison as Yoshida helps Evan to his feet.]
Yoshida: Never underestimate your opponent, even one as clean and goody-two-shoes as myself. How do you think I have remained undefeated all these years? I may not necessarily break the rules, but I will bend them when I need to get out of a jam. You should be proud, because I rarely allow anyone to get that close to submitting me.
Evan: You would have let me break you arm rather than submit.
Yoshida: I'm not so sure about that. But always remember the most important thing I could ever teach you.
Evan: Give me enough leverage... and I can move the world.
Yoshida: The Brazilians did not come up with that. We did, here in Japan. You have the soul of a ronin, Evan-san, and I see great things in your future. Keep sharp your skills like a katana blade, and your soul will follow in step.
[Yoshida bows to the entire class and dismisses them all. Evan looks out the window and admires the view of the school's grounds. A simple stream bisects the gardens into a zen section of sand and rock, and the traditional garden of maples and cherry blossoms amid stone lanterns and bridges. A small skiff--empty--in the middle of the stream slowly makes its way downstream.]
Evan: Take me to the river.
[Yoshida walks next to his student and smiles as he sees what Evan does.]
Yoshida: If a man is crossing a river and an empty boat
collides with his own skiff,
even though he be a bad-tempered man he will not become very angry.
But if he sees a man in the boat, he will shout at him to steerclear.
If the shout is not heard, he will shout again, and yet again, and begin cursing.
And all because there is somebody in the boat.
Yet if the boat were empty, he would not be shouting, and not angry.
If you can empty your own boat crossing the river of the world,
no one will oppose you, no onewill seek to harm you....
Who can free himself from achievement, and from fame, descend and be lost amid the masses of men?
He will flow like Tao, unseen, he will go about like Life itself with no name and no home.
Simple is he, without distinction. To all appearances he is a fool.
His steps leave no trace. He has no power. He achieves nothing, has no reputation.
Since he judges no one, no one judges him.
Such is the perfect man...
Evan: His boat is empty.
[Fade to a commercial for Diego's Dirty Dial-up Service.]
[Saitama Prefecture, Japan, several years ago. Evan is currently with NJPW and is currently "injured" via an angle; therefore, he has several weeks before returning to the ring, and it was suggested to him that he take up some activity to keep him sharp and occupied. Evan chose to take up judo and learn under Japanese Olympic Gold Medalist, Hidehiko Yoshida, a former Pride Fighting Superstar and one of the best hand-to-hand close-quarters fighters in the world. His skill in judo was unparalleled, and his gift for teaching unmatched. Evan did not have the luxary of studying under Yoshida for months on end, so he would have to make the best of his three weeks and learn as much as he could. Boy was he in for a surprise.
Yoshida, currently performing a demonstration on one of his students, is showing the importance of leverage.]
Yoshida: Here, see how he grabs at my gi with the right in hopes of sweeping my left leg? This will occur 90% of the time when you face an inexperienced opponent. They cannot help it, the gi is an invitation to grasp hold of me. I make them think that I do not want to fight in close by playing defense and circling him. Frustration will set in him before it will in me. He wants those points for being aggresive, and I can afford to wait for him to make that mistake.
[Yoshida quickly grabs his student on the left shoulder/trapezius with his right hand and ducks under the student's left arm. His right leg sweeps behind the student's right leg and acts as the fulcrum. Yoshida pulls his leg back and lets the momentum carry him forward, slamming him and his opponent to the floor, with Yoshida coming out unharmed. Lucky for the student, he hits the padded mat and is not hurt quite so bad. Still, the force of the gold medalist sensei's momentum was startling for a man his size (5' 10", 185lbs.)]
Yoshida: Sambo Suplex. That is more of a Russian sambo move that judo has adopted. One can also fall to their knee as opposed to falling with your opponent, but this approach will save your knee some wear and tear.
Student in the back: Rock Bottom-su!
Yoshida: Hah, his version is not nearly as effective. Too much of a show. In reality, you do not want to protect your opponent from harm. You want to maybe come up a bit lame so that you may make short work of him.
Evan: Sensei Yoshida, may I try to perform the Sambo Suplex on you?
Yoshida: By all means, Evan-san. Come forth.
[Evan stands at attention and bows respectfully before facing the sensei. Evan keeps his mind open and receptive to all that Yoshida tends to say and teach even while in a fight.]
Yoshida: Remember, this is not American-style boxing match. Hahaha.
[The students laugh on cue as Yoshida hams it up a bit by making fists like a 1920's-style boxer. Evan laughs before decking sensei Yoshida in the face. The class is stunned in silence as Yoshida backs up, a trickle of blood coming from his nose. He cleans this off and smiles at Evan.]
Yoshida: You must have seen my fight against Wanderlei Silva. I took his best punch and took the fight to decision.
Evan: I saw it.
Yoshida: Good instincts, to strike while I was busy being the clown. But still...
[Yoshida shoots for Evan's legs and rolls over into an armbar. Evan escapes this narrowly and grabs Yoshida's leg, bending it to one side. Yoshida rolls with the momentum and rolls away, simultaneously pulling Evan by his gi and flipping him across the mat. Both men stand up quickly and lock into a grapple. Yoshida again grabs for the gi, and Evan remembers the lesson from just a few minutes ago. He goes for the Sambo, but Yoshida manages to block the sweep and counter with a hip toss. Yoshida goes for another armbar, but Evan counters by pulling him forward with the momentum and skillfully locking onto his sensei with a Fujiwara armbar. Yoshida is caught off-guard for a moment and feints capture.]
Evan: Say uncle, sensei.
[Yoshida does no such thing and instead rakes Evan's eyes with his free hand at an awkward angle. This is just enough for Yoshida to shift his weight pull Evan over into what looks like a crucifix pinning combintation, Evan's shoulders pinned to the mat.]
Yoshida: Ichi, ni, san... if this were a wrestling match, you would be pinned now, Evan-san.
[The students cheer in unison as Yoshida helps Evan to his feet.]
Yoshida: Never underestimate your opponent, even one as clean and goody-two-shoes as myself. How do you think I have remained undefeated all these years? I may not necessarily break the rules, but I will bend them when I need to get out of a jam. You should be proud, because I rarely allow anyone to get that close to submitting me.
Evan: You would have let me break you arm rather than submit.
Yoshida: I'm not so sure about that. But always remember the most important thing I could ever teach you.
Evan: Give me enough leverage... and I can move the world.
Yoshida: The Brazilians did not come up with that. We did, here in Japan. You have the soul of a ronin, Evan-san, and I see great things in your future. Keep sharp your skills like a katana blade, and your soul will follow in step.
[Yoshida bows to the entire class and dismisses them all. Evan looks out the window and admires the view of the school's grounds. A simple stream bisects the gardens into a zen section of sand and rock, and the traditional garden of maples and cherry blossoms amid stone lanterns and bridges. A small skiff--empty--in the middle of the stream slowly makes its way downstream.]
Evan: Take me to the river.
[Yoshida walks next to his student and smiles as he sees what Evan does.]
Yoshida: If a man is crossing a river and an empty boat
collides with his own skiff,
even though he be a bad-tempered man he will not become very angry.
But if he sees a man in the boat, he will shout at him to steerclear.
If the shout is not heard, he will shout again, and yet again, and begin cursing.
And all because there is somebody in the boat.
Yet if the boat were empty, he would not be shouting, and not angry.
If you can empty your own boat crossing the river of the world,
no one will oppose you, no onewill seek to harm you....
Who can free himself from achievement, and from fame, descend and be lost amid the masses of men?
He will flow like Tao, unseen, he will go about like Life itself with no name and no home.
Simple is he, without distinction. To all appearances he is a fool.
His steps leave no trace. He has no power. He achieves nothing, has no reputation.
Since he judges no one, no one judges him.
Such is the perfect man...
Evan: His boat is empty.
[Fade to a commercial for Diego's Dirty Dial-up Service.]