The reality is in competition, we will all compete against somebody who will simply out class us with talent, skill, and athleticism. There is only so much we can do against this external conflict, but the internal aspects of the battles are on us. We can choose to push forward and attack to the best of our ability and potentially pull off the upset and at worst go down swinging or just turtle up and accept our beating. I can relate to my teammate’s experience of giving up during competition. In the finals of Pans as a white belt, I looked up at the clock with 2 minutes left and saw that I was down 9-0. I said to myself “I guess Silver isn’t bad” and went into turtle mode. I basically broke mentally and physically instead of continuing to fight. That is why my teammate’s attitude at NoGi Worlds was so inspiring and refreshing to me. She knew she was down on points, but deep down inside she didn’t quit. Yes, she lost to the better competitor, the external force. Yet, she didn’t beat herself. She exhibit the fighting spirit that personified what it meant to be a competitor and martial artist.
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