The truest form of Competition

[Markaso]

Something to ponder.

Is not the truest form competition in the practice of Budo the competition within oneself to master ones self within ones Ryu?

[Steven Malanosk]

Hello,

You are correct sir!

To battle and baffle 1000 opponents is nothing, as compaired to the self.

Our biggest challenge lies within.

You can outwit almost anyone.

But you must be true to yourself.

You can slay all of the vampires in Buffy's world, but your still a loser if you have not battled your own demons.

To put it in the least important of physical perspective,ie competition:

There have been numerous times, when in KaraTe, KoBuDo, or Iai forms competition, that I have brought the house down, taking 1st place and receiving award, when in fact, all I could think of, where the rediculous mistakes that I made, or high notes so to speak, that I failed to hit.

It is one thing to be easily impressed by others.

It is another, to be easily impressed by yourself.

When all is said and done, it is YOU that you have to face in the mirror.

Thats my SATORI, and I'm stickin to it!

[Nyuck3X]

Yeah, what he said.

[PingAnTu]

I think I read this quote here somewhere but its:

Be kind to your body,
Exercise it in coordination with your mind,
Your only competititor is yourself

-- old Okinawan Saying

I guess this's the purest form of competition but if you never compete with other guys you don't know who are trying to take your head off, you have a tendency to think you are better than you actually are -- it helps keep you humble. Although the superstar compeitiors have a tendency to be big headed, but that's because they only do one kind of compeititon-- there's ALWAYs somebody better than you are.

[Markaso]

Originally posted by PingAnTu
there's ALWAYs somebody better than you are.

Of course there is.

Originally posted by PingAnTu B]it helps keep you humble[/B]

Is this not part of the mastering oneself?

[Sochin]

Doesn't the self introspection to "reach a peak' or to "be the best we can be" sometimes feel just a little narsicistic?

Do I really have to be a champion at kata or a 1st place winner internationally to be a better father, brother, husband or son?

Sometimes it feels that the focus on being the best you can be is just a little too narrow. I sincerely believe that martial arts training can do this but I doubt that the best place to express it or teach it is in competition.

[MarkF]

Originally posted by Sochin
Do I really have to be a champion at kata or a 1st place winner internationally to be a better father, brother, husband or son?

Sometimes it feels that the focus on being the best you can be is just a little too narrow. I sincerely believe that martial arts training can do this but I doubt that the best place to express it or teach it is in competition.

No, you don't have to be a champion, the reward is in the chase, not the end of the road.

It can be a bit too narrow, but again the prize is in the participation and not in whether or not one loses or wins. At least, it can very well be a good teacher, competition, but participation is the better value.

Imagine getting to the top of the mountain only to realize the road down is a slippery slope. As long as you continue on the path to the top, you will never have to worry about slipping on your ego on the way down. Tournaments are no better and no worse than any other type of learning along 'the way.' It has a purpose, but if you really think yourself at the top of the mountain, well, good luck in staying there. Be careful of falling rocks on the way down. It will happen to most of us but we also know that the end of the road is just beyond our reach.

For some, this realization can take a while.


Mark

[Kimura]

CMON GUY'S THIS IS AMERICA!!!!!!!!!!!!

2ND PLACE IS ONLY FOR 1STPLACE LOSERS!!!!!!!!!!!just kiddding lol




PS.Hey mark f. did you see the fights on hbo last night?

[hector gomez]

Forgot to sign my name on my last reply.

HECTOR GOMEZ

[shotofan]

The best thing about touraments, though is that the road never ends... You get to test yourself all the time. You can improve yourself or at least learn your flaws. But the road will get old it will always be different......


A. Young

[Machimura]

In competition who evaluates your forms or if you scored a clean hit in a point competition? Is it people that may not even know what your kata is suppose to look like? How would a panel of judges know what your potential is, or if you're even doing the kata the way you were taught? I've seen people win with BS kata, flash and dash, and I've seen participants and fans at competition laugh at performance of a true, orthodox form. This is what I remeber from the last tourney I saw-"HAI--Yahhhhhhhhhhh!"- 10 second kiais and isht. Just ridiculous. I've seen little arsed, poo-butt, knownothings and can-do-nothings win in kumite just because people were rooting for them. I've witnessed people win competition based on "skimming" their opponent; not even connecting solidly.

Competition teaches one to get use to crowds and the pressure of being centerstage. It has absolutely nothing to do with self realization. I take that back. Maybe you'll find out how oblivious and superficial you were, after all, if you revel in this crap. I am being a little hypocritical as I participated in many such events when I was a kid. Kids don't know any better. Adults should understand the nature of competition. "Bulls on parade". Sorry just my opinion.

Bryan Cyr

[Gene Williams]

Bryan is right. The longer you are in the arts, the more you realize the battles are mostly internal. We are all supposed to be seeking deeper things, if not at first, eventually. Gene

[hector gomez]

Bryan,

I agree to some extent,competition does teach self realization in many ways.The training alone for a specific competition teaches one about the extra discipline it takes to eat right,sleep right,train right,proper committment,preserverence,dealing with anxiety and fears,and yes it should teach one respect for others.

If you are refferring to "SOME" forms of tournament karate competitions,then I must agree with you,they are sometimes pretty sad to watch as people act without respect,and the win at all cost attitude usually comes out for everyone to see.

I have a suggestion for you,try going to a national judo tournament and watch the attitude of the players there,9 times out of 10 you will not see competitors acting silly or without the proper attitude,why?

Most combat sports that due require a real physical test of both mind body and spirit have a tendency to humble or forge a person into the right attitude in both the way they act and the way they live.

There will always be some bad apples in the bunch but by in large that should not affect us from showing good sportsmanship and showing respect for others.

Hector Gomez

[Bustillo, A.]

Re. Participating in tournaments.

Hayward Nishioka's book titled, 'Judo, Heart & Soul' offers a myriad of short simple lessons and insight on the benefits of testing yourself in competition.

Good book for karate practitioners too.

[johnst_nhb]

hey anthony,

are you still writing your followup to steady training?

i enjoyed that one and am looking forward to another!

John