Patience. Why Fight? Posted: October 21, 2013 in Uncategorized



Patience.

It’s that onerous word that grinds on us when we want that next gold ring. We reach and stretch, but if we are only kids then we won’t touch that next level until we grow and mature.

So many people walking in the doors of academies these days want to be the next world champ or make a name for themselves as a fighter, whatever the hell that means to them in that instance before they’ve ever trained. I don’t begrudge anyone their dreams, so long as their dreams are built on a stronger foundation than fame and egotism. But I tell myself that everyone starts somewhere and I try to help those who want to learn without judging too harshly why they say they want to train. After all, I believe few who walk through the door will stay for the reason they think. Minds change as perspectives are enhanced, and when misconceptions are cleansed then those people find the real purpose of what they can accomplish through training. It’s a beautiful transformation to see happen in people and one of the highlights of my profession.

But what to do with the armchair MMA officianado who believes he can be the next Jon Jones if only he can get some basics on the ground and a couple amateur cage fights under his belt in the next few weeks? What to do with any prospective fighter that has no better reason for stepping into a fight other than he wants to fight for violence sake?

If you run a fighter stable, that is if you want to take uninformed people off the street and throw them into a cage after a few weeks of “training,” then it’s not really a question you concern yourself with. Unfortunately there are plenty of these garages around full of rough neck guys and gals beating on each other and calling it training because to them it resembles what they see in the UFC. Neither martial not artists, but definitely mixed up.

I am not the authority on what constitutes a noble reason for fighting or competing or if there are noble reasons at all. But I simply see no point in limited rules tough man competitions of unskilled knuckleheads out to hurt someone for sadistic pleasure of it.

Compete for yourself. To see how you will perform under duress. Compete or fight because you are on an inward journey to discover something about yourself on a level you can’t possibly know exists right now. Do it for the refinement of your art, to see how your technical knowledge stands up in the pressure cooker of that chaos. But if you want a legal way to beat someone up because you weren’t held enough as a child, save someone $20 and ten minutes of his or her life they would spend watching you at the local convention hall. No one wants to see the kid who used to pull wings off flies and torture animals all grown up and trying to do the same in a cage against another person.

If you fight or compete and you know you do it for sound reasons, this post will not offend you. If you find yourself feeling offended by what I’ve written, maybe you need to look at yourself a little closer rather than being upset with me.

Take the time. Learn the art. Live the life. Check your gut and check your heart. Fighting doesn’t have to be about violence. Patience doesn’t have to be about waiting.

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