Chronicles of a Luchador by Ray Villareal

Author:Ray Villareal
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Arte Público Press
Published: 2021-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINETEEN

“I want you to walk across the mat,” he told the group. “You’ll see that it isn’t as springy as a trampoline. Nor is it soft, like a mattress. It’s a rough sheet of canvas on a foam pad with three-quarter inch plywood underneath. It’s got some give, but not as much as you may have thought from watching wrestling on television.”

My father gave everyone a couple of minutes to familiarize themselves with the ring. Then he had us climb off it while he went over what we’d be doing.

“Today, I’m going to show you how to take a back bump,” he said. “A bump is a wrestling term for falling down.”

Some of the trainees murmured that they already knew what a bump was.

“You may have noticed that the middle of the ring is softer than the edges. It won’t always be possible, but when you bump, that’s where you want to land, because it’s the safest spot.”

He bounced on it to show the group what he meant.

“In order to take a back bump, you need to thrust your body forward, then spring back and drop. But right before you hit the mat, tuck in your chin to avoid hurting your head or your neck. Spread your arms out, palms down, with your feet in the air. Make sure to land on the upper part of your back, near the shoulder area. Watch.”

My father demonstrated the move. He repeated the instructions, then bumped three more times. Next, he asked Travis and Joe to model it.

“All right, now it’s your turn,” he said. “Who wants to go first?”

Everyone looked at each other, waiting for someone to volunteer. As much as I wanted to, I resisted the urge to raise my hand. I thought the group would expect me to know how to take a back bump already, and I didn’t want them to think I was showing off.

“I will,” the hulking Pete Vogel said, and stepped through the ropes.

My father stood him in the center of the ring. “Take a deep breath and exhale,” he said. “You always want to exhale before you bump, so you don’t get the wind knocked out of you. Now remember, thrust forward, then jump back. Hit the mat with the upper part of your back, chin tucked in, arms spread out, palms down and your feet in the air. You got that?”

“I think so,” Pete said uneasily.

“C’mon, Pete! You can do it,” Andy Robinson urged.

“Show us how it’s done,” George Galloway said.

“Do it, bro!” Joaquín Luna shouted.

Pete hesitated for a moment, then sprang back and crashed on the mat, full force. I couldn’t help but picture a hippo being flipped backwards.

“Yeow, that hurt!” he cried, arching his back.

“That’s because you landed on the lower part of your back,” my father said. “Try it again.”

Pete took another bump. This time he hit the mat with his shoulder area.

“Good, but lift your feet a little higher,” my father told him. “You don’t want to risk breaking an ankle.

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