The lights are bright, the crowd is loud,
He walks in, head high, and eyes on the prize.
Nerves taking control as time grows near,
“Remember to breathe” he tells himself.
They call his name, it’s his turn, it’s now,
He steps on the mat, back straight, and ready.
“He is bigger than me” he thinks to himself,
“Remember to breathe!” his coach yells!
“READY FIGHT!” the referee urges the start,
His opponent looks strong and scary.
“Ok here he comes” “careful he’s grabbing”
“He’s pushing me” “what do I do?”
“Wait, I know this” as his confidence grows,
He dips down for the throw, success.
“Ok I’m on top, hold, wow he’s strong”,
“What’s he doing, wait, no, no, NO”
His coach keeps on, “it’s ok just breathe”,
Panic sets in, “he is crushing me I can’t breathe”
“Ok think, come on, OH RIGHT”,
He turns ever so slightly pushes himself.
“I can breathe again, elbow to knee, ok go”
“Half way there, wait, his hand is on the mat”
“GO GO GO” he hears from his team
He grabs his hand, locks his grips.
“Don’t let go, he’s trying to turn, stop him”
It’s ok now, he knows what to do.
Just a twist of the hips, and he’s back on top
Grip slipped, “Stay heavy, make him turn”
He turns, “wait I know this, grab here, breathe”,
Got it, “I’m on his back” he smiles inside.
He slides his grip in, “that’s one”,
His hand slides under his arm, “that’s two”,
“FINISH IT” he yells to himself,
He hears nothing, the crowd is silent
He closes his eyes, then he feels it, *tap, tap, tap*
“It’s over, I’ve done it, I can’t believe it”
He stands up tall, prideful and strong,
“Thank you” he tells his opponent.
They raise his hand, he smiles to his coach,
“I remembered to breathe coach, I remembered to breathe”
The post “Remember To Breathe”, A fighters poem appeared first on Jiu-Jitsu Times.