Chasing the Dragon

Last night I hit an uchimata that felt like pure ecstasy. I can't get that feeling out of my head and body.

Now I'm just sitting at my desk... imagining that throw... imagining my next chance to hit that high... chasing the dragon.

Anyone else do this? I feel like the lyrics of GNR's "Mr. Brownstone."

I hit an uchimata like that about a month ago, the tsukuri was just perfect, my randori partner gasped in surprise, sweet feeling indeed

I did that in a competition a few months ago where I transitioned from ouchi-gari into uchi-mata, threw my opponent and brought myself down ready for ne-waza, but had got an ippon for the throw. The match was over in literally 15 seconds, but I still fight myself replaying that throw at times ... and wishing that one of my mates who was watching had been able to capture it on film (although it most likely plays better through the rose-tinted glasses of recollection than the hard reality of video playback).

I love ne-waza, but man oh man, there is nothing quite like hitting that perfect throw. The drug analogy is apt.

It also puts into perspective just how good the likes of Inoue are; I might get those throws once or twice a year against another recreational judoka, Inoue did it on the regular against the very best in the world.

I get that feeling from successful foot sweeps. I love those because they take absolutely no muscle at all. One second, uke's vertical, the next, he's horizontal and wondering how he got there.

Raj is obviously a Steely Dan fanatic ...

I am holding the mystical sphere
It's direct from lhasa
Where people are rolling in the snow
Far from the world we know

Children we have it right here
It's the light in my eyes
It's perfection and grace
It's the smile on my face

Tonight when I chase the dragon
The water will change to cherry wine
And the silver will turn to gold
Time out of mind

This happened to me in May at the last International tournament in Grand Island NY. I hit a perfect Yoko-Otoshi into Kesa and I did not realize I even did it.

Raj Venugopal wrote:...felt like pure ecstasy. I can't get that feeling out of my head and body.
...imagining my next chance to hit that high... chasing the dragon.

You know, in some parts "riding the dragon" means smoking some crack. Just thought y'all should know.

Ha ha! I knew that. Or chasing it is trying to recreate a first hit of heroin (not my bag, baby). But hopefully that was evident by my GNR reference! As for using "riding the dragon" in a sentence...
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford likes to ride the dragon.

Actually, chasing the Dragon is a method of smoking heroin where the heroin is spread in a line on a sheet of tin foil and lit from beneath, inhaling the smoke through a tube, the smoker follows the smoke up the line inhaling it as it is burnt hence "chasing the Dragon".