Head Kick (The Dojo) Page 6
“True. But I guess what I want to know is, do you want to fight again?”
“Of course, as soon as you think I’m ready,” I say.
“That’s a good attitude,” Mr. Hodge says. “But in the meantime, let’s have you keep helping out.”
“I’ve always had a good attitude,” I say with a smile. Mr. Matsuda frowns.
“No, Nong, you’ve just had an attitude,” Mr. Matsuda says. “But I think you’re growing out of it. You always had the skills, but you were your own worst enemy.”
I nod, although that’s not quite the truth. My own worst enemy wasn’t Nong Vang—it was the Ninja Warrior. He lost his first and only fight, and now he’s retired to make room for Nong Vang to taste the sweet tea of victory.
“Close the distance, Lue, close the distance!”
Lue bullies his way into a clinch. Lue threads his fingers in a perfect Muay Thai clinch and delivers hard knee shots that knock the wind out of his foe.
“Work, Lue, work!”
Lue continues to throw knees, then drops down, changes levels, and pulls his opponent to ground. Once on the ground, Lue fights for position.
“Get the mount!”
Lue fights through his foe’s attempt to get guard and gets mount. From the mount, he uses elbows and punches, but with little effect.
“Look for it, look for it!”
Lue’s foe is squirming on the ground, trying to get free, which allows Lue to pass guard. But rather than standing, Lue attacks his opponent with elbows while getting himself in position.
“Now!”
Lue spins his hips out so he’s almost sitting next to his foe. One last elbow breaks down the defense, which allows Lue to encircle his foe’s head in a headlock position and then grab his wrist, bending the arm upwards. Lue quickly maneuvers his arm through the “hole” created by the bent wrist, then locks his own wrist. Squeezing hard, Lue instantly feels the tap on his leg.
After the match, the UFC announcer interviews Lue in the ring as his trainer straps the title belt around his waist. “Lue Vang, that was a great performance. Congratulations.”
“Thanks Joe. Discipline in the dojo and aggression in the cage. That’s the formula.”
“That was quite a submission. You’re becoming a complete fighter.”
“I owe everything I am as a fighter to my trainer, my friend, my cuz, Nong Vang.”
Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ): a martial art that focuses on grappling, in particular fighting on the ground; also called Gracie jiu-jitsu
choke: any hold used by a fighter around an opponent’s throat with the goal of submission. A blood choke cuts off the supply of blood to the brain, while an air choke restricts oxygen. Types of choke holds include rear naked (applied from behind), guillotine (applied from in front), and triangle (applied from the ground).
dojo: a Japanese term meaning “place of the way,” once used for temples but now more commonly used for gyms or schools where martial arts are taught
guard: a position on the mat where the fighter on his or her back uses his or her body to guard against an opponent’s offensive moves by controlling the foe’s body
jiu-jitsu: a Japanese-based martial art that uses no weapons and focuses less on strikes and more on grappling
Kimura: a judo submission hold. Its technical name is ude-garami, but it is usually referred to by the name of its inventor, Japanese judo master Masahiko Kimura.
mount: a dominant position where one fighter is on the ground and the other is on top
Muay Thai: a martial art from Thailand using striking and clinches. It is often referred to as the art of eight limbs for its use of right and left knees, fists, elbows, and feet.
savate: the French sport of kickboxing
shoot: in amateur wrestling, to attempt to take an opponent down
sprawl: a strategy to avoid takedowns by shooting the legs back or moving away from a foe
submission: any hold used to end a fight when one fighter surrenders (taps out) because the hold causes pain or risk of injury
takedown: an offensive move to take an opponent to the mat. Takedowns include single leg, double leg, and underhooks.
tap: the motion a fighter uses to show he or she is surrendering. A fighter can tap either the mat or his opponent with a hand.
TKO: technical knockout. A fighter who is not knocked out but can no longer defend himself or herself is “technically” knocked out, and the referee will stop the fight.
UFC: Ultimate Fighting Championship, the largest, most successful mixed martial arts promotion in the world since its beginning in 1993
Flyweight under 125.9 pounds
Bantamweight 126–134.9 pounds
Featherweight 135–144.9 pounds
Lightweight 145–154.9 pounds
Welterweight 155–169.9 pounds
Middleweight 170–184.9 pounds
Light Heavyweight 185–204.9 pounds
Heavyweight 205–264.9 pounds
Super Heavyweight over 265 pounds
Patrick Jones is the author of numerous novels for teens, including the Dojo series, as well as the nonfiction books The Main Event: The Moves and Muscle of Pro Wrestling and Ultimate Fighting: The Brains and Brawn of Mixed Martial Arts from Millbrook Press. A former librarian for teenagers, he received a lifetime achievement award from the American Library Association in 2006. He lives in Minneapolis but still considers Flint, Michigan, his hometown. He can be found on the web at www.connectingya.com and in front of his TV most weekends, watching UFC and WWE pay-per-views.