My match story from 21-02-2015
After all the preparations. Pading, sparring and condition training was the time.....my first competition. Once we arrived in Steenwijk around 17:00, we reported and registered. Weighed and had a medical check-up with the doctor. Everything was fine so the wait could begin. My opponent was not yet known to me until sensei pointed out to him in the hallway.
We put on the bandage and tape at approximately 6:00 PM. An explanation of the rules and the points system took place around 6:30 PM. The gala would start around 7:00 PM and I would have the 8th party scheduled for 8:10 PM. So on with waiting and preparing.... changing clothes.... putting the finishing touches on the i. I still had some trouble blocking the low kicks during the training sessions, so I also paid some attention to that. My legs were also rubbed with Thai oil and my face with Vaseline. Pre-workout drink for focus and stamina and I was ready for my party. Fully focused I walked down the stairs to wait for my call.....first it was my opponent's turn and then my moment came....from Nakama gym......Jurgen Meester... ..into the ring and salute to the 3 judges and the referee to be prepared in the red corner. Wet sponge on my neck and on my chest.... bit in and I was ready for the first round.
When explaining the rules in the middle of the ring, my opponent tried to intimidate me with his look. Which looked more funny than it would scare you. And off we went. My opponent seemed very worked up and bounced all over the ring. The intention was to keep his distance because he was a head shorter than me, and that worked out pretty well. Every time he came to me I would do a jab and then a low kick. Even blocking his inside low kick succeeded. Almost all the punches he gave were covering me and before I knew it the first round was over. At halftime I was told that my opponent was already quite out of breath. I was breathing normally myself and was actually ready for the 2nd round with advice to put more pressure. The 2nd round started.... my opponent looked a lot less aggressive and also moved a little less than in the first round. He also starts in this round with blocks from the low kicks but didn't really get through with me. I kept getting him into a corner after which he tried to counter. After kicking his block a few times and hitting his elbow once, I haven't really kicked anymore. I didn't do much with my knees either. From his corner was loudly shouted 'you are not tired, you are not tired' even though he already looked quite tired. The round was fought calmly and in a controlled manner. The 2nd rest period I needed quite some time to bring my heart rate down but was actually ready before our time was up. My opponent was now completely out of breath. The third round was about to begin. In the meantime I had to constantly follow him and he only tried to counter. He also became increasingly stuck in the corners because he kept walking backwards. After several blows he had a nosebleed which gave me a good point to save. The last 10 seconds the ref was ready with a towel and my opponent was stuck in the corner, end of 3rd round. Back to the corner again to take off the gloves and then wait for the results... and I had won. Then I thanked my opponent, his team and the referee and I left the ring after some photos.
After my match I wasn't really satisfied because I felt I could have given more. The next day, after seeing my match on film several times, I was satisfied with the result.
Finally, I would like to thank my helpers Job Kuipers and John van den Broek and of course my trainer John Kuipers for all the effort and blood, sweat and tears that preceded my competition.
Osu.... Jurgen
