JON ARENSON'S "LEARNING THE ROPES" # 3: NOVEMBER 8TH 2009

Jon Arenson is currently training at Lance Storm's Wrestling Academy in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He has been chronicling his journey to wrestling stardom with the highs, lows, and in betweens, exclusively for MainEventRadio.com.

It is rather intriguing to see how one week has built upon the next. Before one can even think of taking a move (ie, a body slam, clothesline, suplex), you must first learn how to hit the mat, or in other terms, take a bump.

And then there is running the ropes to learn, which, for the first couple weeks produce rather colourful bruises on the ribs and back.

After you learn to take bumps and hit the ropes, then it's time to start learning various moves, but even then, you're not ready to begin having matches. A match cannot just be a endless series of moves.

The match must tell a story. That not only requires learning solid in ring psychology, but developing ones personality and selling abilities as well. This is no easy task. Day in and day out we have been receiving advice from one of the best in the world, however, after 8 and a half weeks, although everyone in the class has come a long way since the beginning, we still have so much more to learn.

Let's look at it in terms of a scale of 100. If being at 100 means a person is ready for the WWE, we are at anywhere from 3-6. Like any artform, is takes years and years of training and hard work to become well skilled and attained all the knowledge necessary to become a master at the craft.

However, throughout it all, my only personal goal has been to improve every day. And now that we are at the point of wrestling matches, as long as each match is better than the last, I take that as a success.

I do want to stress that I've provided a simplified view of all the skills and knowledge we've learned so far. There is more to it than I've been able to express in a few paragraphs. Furthermore, I myself still have a tremendous amount to learn.

One of the more fascinating aspects of all of the training is trust. Even with just running drills, you are putting your bodily health in the hands of someone else, and they are doing the same. There cannot be any tentativeness by the person receiving the moves, because if there is, everything just looks sloppy. I have found that it is this trust that most fosters a sense of comradery between the trainees. When listening to veteran wrestlers who have paid there dues and been around the business for years, one of the most common themes that they talk about is 'the boys'. You spending so much time with these other guys, and, although I'm still a really green rookie, who hasn't yet wrestled in front of an audience, I can already see that sense of family developing among the guys in the camp. Obviously, I am focused on my progress and getting the most out of the training as possible. However, that same attitude extends to all the trainees as well. When you see someone who was struggling with a certain aspect begin to improve, you can't help but be happy for them.

I have found that you feed off of the energy of others. When you see someone else doing well, and pushing themselves to improve, that type of attitude because contageous. And with every move and skill you learn, the drive to learn more becomes stronger and stronger. It actually turns into an addiction. There is a rush that comes with pushing yourself everyday and eventually seeing the results.

I would hazard a guess that the only reason any of us keep coming back every day and putting our bodies through the daily physical toll is because we all love it. If you don't love it, there is no way a person can show up, day after day. After almost 9 weeks, my love for this beautiful art form is stronger than ever and continues to grow everyday.

On a final note, one of the biggest highlights for myself was the day we learnt how to deliver and take a chop. Every student had to take 2 chops from everyone in the class. This resulted in taking 30 chops in a row. When looking at the picture below, you must remember that my chest had a few hours to heal by that point. When you see someone take a chop on television or at a live event, trust me, it is just as painful as it looks.

Jonathan Arenson