I can’t count the number of times I’ve come from a Judo or BJJ practice and couldn’t sleep because I had let myself down by resting rounds when I should have been busting my ass on the mat. I’ve gone through every phase of rationalization and justification for not putting out more, but in the end I still feel worse because I know I had more in me. I’ve told myself many times that I simply wasn’t physically able to do more but knew it was all bullshit; I just didn’t have the will. I didn’t want to push myself and I looked for excuses to give myself when all I wanted to do was avoid being tossed around by someone who still had stamina. Crazy to think how all of this was going on inside my head without a single word muttered or another person knowing. But the funny thing is that despite the fact that we probably rarely, if ever, communicate this to other people, all competitive athletes feel this at some point.

It’s very difficult to overcome the habit of giving in when you actually have more. Bane has a lyric that is perfect for situations when you’ve convinced yourself you can’t do something; “You see, the difference between hard and impossible, well it’s a thousand miles wide. But that’s not what you want to hear.” That really does sum it up for many of us when we want to put out ten, give up at eight, and rationalize the other two. Self discipline is a real son-of-a-bitch and any competitive athlete knows how much worse it feels to take off rounds because they can avoid a potential ass beating, instead of staying on the mat and accepting that you’re being rag-dolled but at least working on your stamina and determination.

The Japanese word ‘Konjo (根性）’ is actually commonly used for those situations where you still have that 1% you haven’t given. Konjo basically translates to ‘guts’, ‘determination’ or ‘tenacity’. When you’re eight five-minute rounds in and are really starting to feel tired, you need your konjo to push you through the next ten rounds. Konjo makes you run for water BETWEEN rounds instead of using it as an excuse to stay out for the next entire round. Konjo makes you change your strategy instead of asking your opponent to take it easy. Konjo pulls you onto the mat when you’re in pain because you don’t plan on dropping out of a tournament in the championship round just because you twisted your ankle. Konjo is all you have when someone gives you permission to sit out when you know you have more and refuse to use their acceptance as a reason to stop. Most of all, konjo is what makes you still go out for your 15th consecutive round, against a white belt who you know will throw you because you can hardly stand up. Because at that point you will either find the physical capacity to throw/submit your opponent or your mental strength will acknowledge the fact that a round with your back on the mat will always benefit you more than a round with your back against the wall, and that there’s nothing wrong with being human. Remember one thing…..when it’s all said and done, whether you are remembered for being a bad ass or not, only you know whether you put in all you had or not. So in the end, how you see yourself is all that matters. That white belt in n’th round won’t remember that round for throwing you, but you’ll probably carry that self disappointment around, just like I still carry around many of those days now.

Training Judo in Japan has taught me a lot about konjo, especially after I returned home from college in the U.S. In a typical Japanese high school or college sitting out rounds is taboo unless you want to be ridiculed or thrown off the team. Usually your only excuse for not finding someone to fight is because there’s an odd number of people. In those cases it’s a mad scramble to not be that guy because despite the fact that nobody wants to be suffering through a 3 hour practice, excelling in Judo in Japan is like trying to stand out in American Football in the U.S. In those cases, your will power is formed a bit more easily because in Japan, ‘the nail that sticks out gets hammered down’. Imagine how it feels to be a guest in a high school dojo where everyone in your weight category rushes you between rounds because they want a piece of the new guy. If you decide to rest and there are an even number of people, you’ve created an odd number of people which means some other kid has to sit out. If there are an odd number of people you have to deal with the internal struggle of having said no when you may have been able to go that round.I’ve actually developed a lot of character by being thrown around by teenagers who seem to have more stamina than what I thought was possible. Imagine how elite colleges here are…..

We all have our reasons for practicing how we do and there is no right or wrong. But if you are on a journey to the top and you have those moments of self-doubt, ask yourself if you really need a round off or if your konjo will push you through to the end. You may be surprised what you find. Being tossed around when you’re tired does not negatively impact how you will do in a tournament; in fact your stamina will grow beyond what you thought was possible. But sitting that round out takes away an opportunity to build your stamina and mental power and learn from your mistakes.

You may not think it’s possible to go twenty five-minute rounds but it is. I have done it. It’s not easy but it’s possible and you can do it too.

Happy training and let konjo guide you.

H.A.F.BREED