The question of competing in Martial Arts...

Competing in martial arts is something that only a small percentage of students opt to do. There is absolutely nothing wrong with choosing not to compete, as martial arts is a personal journey for the student, and one that seeks to elicit the growth of that individual in many ways. However, one avenue of self-development and growth is competition.

 Competition is not for everyone!

It is true that often competitors are the most sought-after coaches in martial arts, (there are of course many coaches who are brilliant at what they do who have not competed too). These martial artists have undergone a process, undoubtedly experiencing stress, excitement, fatigue, elation, disappointment, joy and camaraderie.

 In this process they have come face to face with some of their weaknesses, and hopefully acknowledged some of their strengths. The result of this is that a person goes back to their dojo and changes the way they train, in order to produce better results that are more in line to the desires they have for competition and in some cases the status attached to this.

 For a martial arts competitor to be truly successful in their chosen arena they must ultimately enjoy competition. Some find this natural; others need to be coached in order to unlock the enjoyment.

 “Without enjoyment, competition has little to offer the participants in my opinion. One of the reasons people do not enjoy competing is the over focus on self-comparison and the attachment of self-worth to results. Almost every time these two mental attributes are false and offer little in terms of reward or growth. Let me tell you from my own experience, the people who care about you and matter, will care about you and matter whether you win or lose. To believe that by winning a sporting endeavour at any level will improve your personality is crazy. Comparison is said to be the thief of joy. Well it can be.”

Ben Richardson, sensei, CDMA

However, comparison could be used in a positive way - as a guide for areas of improvement, aspiration and motivation, if the person using it is emotionally intelligent. Attaching self-worth to tournament outcomes is also a trap many people fall into. In reality we have no way to control the outcome of a tournament, so switching your perspective from what you think you must do, to what you'd like as an outcome is much more appropriate. As an athlete it is important to focus your energies on what you can control such as the amount of training you do in the lead up to a competition, the emphasis you place on your skill development, timing, fitness and mental game.

When you step onto the arena, having goals that you are directly responsible for will greatly reduce your anxiety (should you suffer it) and help you realise the things you can affect and the things that others (such as referees, opponents, and the environment) can affect. By rationalising that only those things in your control are yours to contend with, you lose a lot of the excuses when the outcome does not result as you wish.

Ben goes on to say, “Competition can give you lessons to grow from, just like any pressure situation in life can. But it can also have a negative impact if you're not the sort of person that can learn from those lessons. My advice to people is to compete and see if they like it, compete if they want to experience a different type of challenge, but only continue if you feel it is enjoyable and beneficial to who you are.”