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Sport fighting is a strange thing. I was just watching a boxing match on the tv show “The Contender”, Mike Stewart v Ebo Elder. These two guys are apparently friends and there was a lot of post-fight locker room chatter from both fighters about admiring their opponents and not wanting to hurt anybody and praying to God for each other and it just didn’t make any sense to me. If you don’t want to hurt somebody then don’t hit ‘em! If you’re gonna go in there feeling all warm and fuzzy about the other guy you might as well just shake his hand and forfeit and be done with it!
About 8 years ago my son, who was 8 years old at the time, lost a tae kwon do tournament because his opponent was smaller and less skilled and he just couldn’t bring himself to “pour it on” the kid. The other kid saw his opponent as bigger and stronger so he put his all into it and won just by sheer spirit.
My son never had any problem with his actions that day. He did what he thought was the right thing. To me, however, it’s still a debatable thing. Naturally, I’m not talking about training here, but about actual competition. I believe anybody who steps onto your mat or into your ring in competition deserves your very best effort, otherwise you’re just insulting them by “taking it easy” on them. On the other hand there’s this bit of wisdom from Guro Crafty Dog
"If, as a tribe we are going to defend our land, women and children, it is in our respective individual interests that the other warriors of the tribe become good fighters as well. If I push you too hard and break your spirit, (or your bones, my addition) it does not serve my interests. If I push you too little and you are soft, it also does not serve my interests. And vice versa".
But I still believe that only addresses training, where you can regulate the intensity of the action, not competition, where you’re supposed to take it just a notch higher than your opponent in order to win. It’s like a game of chicken; who determines how far to take it? Who finally says, “that’s far enough!” and quits? That’s why I won’t compete anymore. In my mellowed old age, even if I were confident of a win, I don’t think it’s worth the risk of injury (or worse) just for the sake of competition.
About 8 years ago my son, who was 8 years old at the time, lost a tae kwon do tournament because his opponent was smaller and less skilled and he just couldn’t bring himself to “pour it on” the kid. The other kid saw his opponent as bigger and stronger so he put his all into it and won just by sheer spirit.
My son never had any problem with his actions that day. He did what he thought was the right thing. To me, however, it’s still a debatable thing. Naturally, I’m not talking about training here, but about actual competition. I believe anybody who steps onto your mat or into your ring in competition deserves your very best effort, otherwise you’re just insulting them by “taking it easy” on them. On the other hand there’s this bit of wisdom from Guro Crafty Dog
"If, as a tribe we are going to defend our land, women and children, it is in our respective individual interests that the other warriors of the tribe become good fighters as well. If I push you too hard and break your spirit, (or your bones, my addition) it does not serve my interests. If I push you too little and you are soft, it also does not serve my interests. And vice versa".
But I still believe that only addresses training, where you can regulate the intensity of the action, not competition, where you’re supposed to take it just a notch higher than your opponent in order to win. It’s like a game of chicken; who determines how far to take it? Who finally says, “that’s far enough!” and quits? That’s why I won’t compete anymore. In my mellowed old age, even if I were confident of a win, I don’t think it’s worth the risk of injury (or worse) just for the sake of competition.
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