Competition and the Martial arts

**Jolly_Roger** · Posted On: 10/27/2004 1:08pm

Well, I have entered in about every tournament that the Sensei/Sifu/guro/whatever launched my way, and, while I don't pinpoint them as THE essential memory of my training, I think it's good to climb into a ring, with people watching.
It teaches something about your reactions under stress that it's very difficult to learn otherwise, while being somewhat safe.
Still, for me at least, tournaments are not the end-all of practice, but they are a very important step, to take when one's young enough.

**Te No Kage!** · Posted On: 10/27/2004 2:18pm

Originally Posted by Jolly_Roger

I think it's good to climb into a ring, with people watching.
It teaches something about your reactions under stress that it's very difficult to learn otherwise, while being somewhat safe.

I agree with this, but I think alive-training in the dojo (randori/sparring) is more important than competition. Competition is good because you're fighting people you don't normally fight, but I don't personally feel it's important to kick anybody's ass. That's not why I train. I fight people to improve my own skills. Trophies and medals aren't going to make me feel any better, but the fact that I have improved through hard work and training is.

**Te No Kage!** · Posted On: 10/27/2004 2:23pm

sorry, when I said "ass kicking", I meant hurting/destroying somebody

**tai-gip** · Posted On: 10/27/2004 8:09pm

Winning a competition dosnt mean you have a particular degree of skill or technical knowledge in the art you are learning. Some people are naturaly gifted with better reflexes and hand to eye co-ordination, but this does not qualify them to be given a black belt in every style they can beat a black belt in.

**Shuma-Gorath** · Posted On: 10/27/2004 8:14pm

Originally Posted by tai-gip

Winning a competition dosnt mean you have a particular degree of skill or technical knowledge in the art you are learning. Some people are naturaly gifted with better reflexes and hand to eye co-ordination, but this does not qualify them to be given a black belt in every style they can beat a black belt in.

So how come you trumpeted winning a fake open-style tournament and ramble on for entire pages about punching faster than light?

**mididoctors** · Posted On: 10/27/2004 8:25pm

I think compertition of a decent sort is of value if you are facing strangers from another school or gym.

this unknown factor is an experience you do not get sparring known trainning partners and adds a psychological edge to the experience that stands you in good stead for encounters outside sport compertition.

as for having a link to a belt system.. well depends what your belt system represents i guess.

Boris
london

**tai-gip** · Posted On: 10/27/2004 9:02pm

Originally Posted by Shumagorath

So how come you trumpeted winning a fake open-style tournament and ramble on for entire pages about punching faster than light?

Quick question as to how this relates to either the topic of the thread, or my post ?? And answer via pm so we dont hijak this thread with sheer idiocy

**supercrap** · Posted On: 10/27/2004 9:28pm

Thinking about my first comp that is coming up, I get the same kind of nervousness in my chest and belly that I get when it looks a like a str33t fight is about to kick off. I'm hoping the more I do competitions, the less I will get that feeling, and the better I will be at defending myself.

**wakinonioi** · Posted On: 10/27/2004 9:31pm

Originally Posted by Te No Kage!

I think alive-training in the dojo (randori/sparring) is more important than competition. Competition is good because you're fighting people you don't normally fight, but I don't personally feel it's important to kick anybody's ass. .

You are wrong.

**Bang!** · Posted On: 10/27/2004 10:08pm

Originally Posted by Osiris

Success is the goal. It means you know your ****.

I don't totally agree with this one, Os, provided that you're defining success as winning. Even with my limited amount of competition experience, I can definitely say that there are always rules that can be exploited, but which aren't that congruent with actual fighting. And the fact of the matter is that some people train around these rules in order to win.

I believe in setting goals for yourself when going into competition. For example, if you can fight without sacrificing technique for brute force, or stay loose and shake off submissions easily, then you've done well. If I fought another guy and he won because he was more aggressive (without actually accomplishing anything) or landed a bunch of weak-ass punches while I was trying to set him up for a definitive finish, then I'd still be happy with my performance. I'd feel as if I made progress. I'm not a professional fighter. I'm just trying to get better.

To be fair, I would say that competition success as an accurate indicator of complete ability is inversely proportionate to the number of rules involved; i.e. I'd view someone's successs in NHB as a much stronger indicator of their ability than their success in MMA.