Scarlett
by Zeke
A session review


First impression, honestly, Scarlett looked small. I was worried that this was
going to be a big mistake. But now that I was in the room there was no turning
back. We laid out her mats and then she headed to the bathroom to change. I
quickly did the same and started into some stretches. When she came out it was
like wimpy girl reconfigured into super woman. Still short but obviously
strong in both lower and upper body. The five inch height and twenty pound
weight advantage I had on her no longer looked so impressive. In fact, I
doubted I'd win an arm wrestling contest with her.

I'd set this up as a training match based on my assumption that five years of
wrestling against many of the top session wrestlers would provide me with a
number of insights I could demonstrate for her. After all, I'd been schooled
by Ziggy, Joanna, Olga, Josephine, Kasie, Jett, and Lady Victoria. This being
somewhat unique, it took a few minutes to get across what we would be doing.
Basically it came down to wrestling (pins) to decision and then providing some
suggestions about things she had done that needed improvement.

Immediately it was clear that Scarlett was limited in her take down moves
(even starting from knees) and somewhat hesitant to experiment. I gave her an
opening and let her pull me down but quickly reversed into my advantage. It
was at this point that I got the full effects of her strength, stamina, and
flexibility. Keeping her under control was an unexpected challenge. I tried a
number of setups for pins, but she countered nicely. It was only after a break
to relocate the mats that I was able to set in a cross body pin that she
couldn't escape.

Scarlett immediately asked for suggestions. We reviewed some basic lock-up
options - collar and elbow, shooting for legs, head locks (including reverse).
She still seemed hesitant to work them at wrestling speed - still at a stage
which requires too much thinking. At first she was reluctant to lock in a
headlock but when she saw how much control a front or reverse headlock gave
her, she adopted it quickly. She still seemed uncertain about how much
pressure she should use. I told her to ask her opponent to provide that
answer. Finally, I demonstrated how to set the crossbody so it would be almost
impossible to escape. She quickly realized how much more control she had when
she scissored my arm, flattened out, and moved her hip up so it pressed
against my head.

We continued in this manner for a number of sets. Each time it became harder
and harder to handle her. I stressed the need for her to consider the head as
a primary target whether for legs or headlocks. She seemed very comfortable
using her legs to control mine, but was much less comfortable using them to
control the upper body. Again I pointed out that her legs were great weapons
and she should use them as such - the guy will let her know if it's too much
pressure. I reminded her that I had pinned her with a light controlling
scissors on her head and it didn't seem to bother her. This will surely come
back to haunt me in the future.

We also worked on whole body pins, again emphasizing that flattening out and
spreading the legs would greatly reduce the chance of escape. She quickly
realized this when I had her try a school girl pin and a face sit, neither of
which she could maintain for more than a few seconds. Then I had her flatten
out - maximum body contact - and a good spread control from her legs. Where I
had easily escaped the school girl pins by pushing her off (I press 220),
flattening out made it impossible to escape.

Near the end of the session she finally worked me into a pinning position. I
can't recall the exact sequence of moves but I know my head was immobilized
and few other appendages could move more than an inch or two. I refused to
admit I couldn't escape for several minutes, not because I thought I could but
because I knew she would enjoy the pin more the longer I held out. She was
indeed ecstatic. I gave her a high five from my flattened position and enjoyed
the moment every bit as much as she did.

So what can I say. Scarlett is a winner. She's quick, strong, flexible,
tenacious, fun to talk with, sensitive to her opponent's wishes, off the
clock. She can handle taller and heavier men - within reason. For those of us
in southern Ohio, the entrance of Scarlett and two others could provide much
needed competition long after I've been pinned for the last time. If that
turns out to be Scarlett, I wouldn't mind at all.