The phrase "Winning isn't everything." gets used often, but most often it's used in the wrong context. Think about it. How often have you been consoled with that phrase just after losing? It never seems to help at that moment. How important is winning? It's very important when it is the result of one competitor doing his/her best and using superior conditioning, training and technique to achieve that win in competition. Winning can be extremely detrimental when it comes as the result of dishonesty. Deliberate manipulation by officials, competitors cheating by sandbagging (lying about experience level), cheating with the use of performance enhancement or cheating with borderline or all out dirty, illegal tactics. Much of this is all too common in Martial arts competitions today. These methods of winning are so detrimental to the winner in the long run that we should not be angry at the offender but feel sorry for them instead. Because in the overall picture of life, that person is really the loser. They have admitted to themselves that "I am not good enough to do it on my own". That message gets permanently burned into their subconscious mind and psyche. No amount of bragging, show boating and posturing can erase that. The person who commits such an atrocity against themselves will always use such wins as a crutch to support their shallow self esteem. In these cases, the one who "lost", if they performed with integrity, has truly won. I take it as a compliment when opponents feel the need to equalize things and enhance their chances of winning. It's even more rewarding when you win regardless of your opponents artificial advantages.
THE OTHER DARK SIDE OF WINNING
There is another, less obvious side to the need to win attitude, that takes place every day in gyms around the world. This comes in the form of ego based training where one person feels the need to win every encounter in training. This attitude works not only against the two training partners involved but against the overall performance of the entire team. Someone with an ego based, need to win attitude will use whatever means necessary to come out ahead on every exchange. If that's not possible because of experience level, size, strength or any other reason, they will be sure to clarify that fact every time. "You're too big", Too strong", I'm injured",Too high a belt". Another tactic used to support ones ego is to go balls out for whatever time they are capable of, to keep from losing, then calling a cardio, time out. "I gotta work on my cardio first". This type of student will normally use proper technique for as long as it suits their agenda and throw it all out when the going gets tough. This type of behavior can be easily identified by trainers. On the mat it looks like wild thrashing to avoid submissions or bad positions. In stand up sparring it usually shows up as a constant elevation in power punching and wild hay-makers, followed by a cardio time out.
The Problem With Winning
Several problems arise when this type of behavior is allowed in a training center. The first and most obvious is the frustration felt by the aggressive ones training partners. The newer students are usually targeted by them in order to win more matches. This not only frustrates newcomers and alienates them but it also hinders their ability to improve. In schools where this behavior is allowed, members quickly break up into different factions much like the typical schoolyard. The second problem works against the the Alpha dogs themselves because of their attitudes. In most cases, they progress slowly because of their training tactics. Their tendency is to hold others back to protect their egos. This ultimately works against them as they get accustomed to a lower level of competition. If it's not already obvious, this is the type of person that needs to cheat when they enter real competitions. Finally, the team as a whole suffers as different groups work independently and progress is slow for everyone.
A good coach knows that when a team works together to raise the level of all members, everyone benefits. It is the coaches' responsibility to foster the spirit of teamwork among classmates. We are always trying to communicate the importance of teamwork. T-E-A-M.... Together Everyone Achieves More. Most times a little talking to is all that's needed to keep things in line but occasionally one of the stubborn ones needs a little bit more. Whatever the case, a good coach will prevail.
Train to Win
So is the moral of the story not training to win? When in the gym, winning shouldn't be the main objective, but should come as a natural process of using clean technique. To achieve a high level of proficiency, everyone must train to win, but it must be tempered. For myself, I try to always spar at a technical level slightly higher than my opponent, I take some chances and sometimes let my self into tight situations where I could get beaten. When you do this, you will get caught from time to time. When it happens, it's no big deal, just honor your opponents move and bump the level up a notch next time. I also try to use a level of strength that is slightly lower than my opponent is using against me. This forces me to use superior technique to win. Of course, when rolling with the wild ones, I need to keep raising the strength level to a point just below theirs. When I get upset, at a disrespectful student, well that's another story. When everyone trains with this attitude, newcomers always feel that they are learning and everyone grows in skill more quickly. In turn this produces a multitude of highly skilled training partners to practice with and everyone wins. So is winning everything? It is when everyone wins
aloha, Coach
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