No Desire to Compete = "Gym Hero"?

[luckyshot]

(Long read - Cliffs at bottom)

It's been a while since I've competed in a tournament. My coach has been encouraging everyone on the team to do the upcoming NAGA. I don't really want to, and I've been trying to figure out why.

It's not that I'm scared of losing. I've won and lost before, so no big deal. It's not that I'm trying to protect my ego; I have no illusions about being a top level competitor at this point in my life. I definitely don't want to diet, but I could just go in at higher weight, so that's not a problem. And it's not that I am not competitive - all of my training partners will vouch for that. So what is it?

I really think it is a personality trait, or part of my mental makeup. I enjoy competition, hard competition, but friendly competition. It is the relationships that make competition fun to me. If I know you, or we have mutual acquaintances or something, like a training environment, I am comfortable beating you down and vice versa and it is cool.

If I don't know you though, it is more like a fight. I have been in fights. I'm not bad at them, but I don't enjoy them. They are not friendly.

But some people don't seem to understand this point of view. Because I am one of the better guys at my school, it's like I have an obligation to compete, to help represent the school. But I really don't want to, and I feel like forcing myself to when it goes against my personality bent is probably not the best idea.

So, does this make me a "Gym Hero" of just some kind of hippie or something? Also, how many people on this board share similar feelings?

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C:L:I:F:F:S: If competition goes against someone's personality type, does that make him a "gym hero"? If not, what does the term "gym hero" refer to, in your opinion?

 

[TheHereticJay]

Do you count your gym rolls as victories or brag about that slick hip bump triangle you hit the other day? If not, you're just a tree hugging hippie who likes to choke his brothers.

 

[luckyshot]

Do you count your gym rolls as victories or brag about that slick hip bump triangle you hit the other day? If not, you're just a tree hugging hippie who likes to choke his brothers.

Well, I DID hit a pretty slick hip bump triangle the other day... :icon_lol:

 

[100%Jiu-Jitsu]

C:L:I:F:F:S: If competition goes against someone's personality type, does that make him a "gym hero"? If not, what does the term "gym hero" refer to, in your opinion?

I think of a "gym hero" as someone who is a beast in training, tooling guys who are successful competitors. But he isn't able to replicate that success when he actually competes.

 

[TheHereticJay]

Well, I DID hit a pretty slick hip bump triangle the other day... :icon_lol:

Well then... looks like "Juke Box Hero" needs to be redone as "Gym Star Hero" and just titled luckyshot.

 

[lapollarecords]

don't worry man, it's a hobby like any other. you don't have to compete.

 

[randomg1t]

Do you count your gym rolls as victories or brag about that slick hip bump triangle you hit the other day? If not, you're just a tree hugging hippie who likes to choke his brothers.

well played sir.

luckyshot, i'm pretty much the same. but i get really nervous before competition, which is the main reason i don't feel like going. after it's all said and done, whether i won or lost i'm glad that i went. but for weeks before a tournament i'm nervous and the last few days just feel like i shouldn't go. and i'm only entering bush league local tournaments, heavens forbid i ever go to something major, i might have a heart attack.

my guess on the term "gym hero" is the kind of people who perform really well in the gym, but suck in competitions? maybe that applies to me to some degree. i do good in training, a lot worse when facing people i don't know. i think the element of "fighting" because you don't know the guy changes things for me completely and like you said, it isn't very enjoyable anymore.

as for people who brag about who they subbed in training... i don't think they should be called "gym heros". the word douchebag describes them quite sufficiently.

 

[Ice 9 Cobra]

I think you're looking too negatively at competition. Everyone who competes for the most part is super chill, win or lose most competitions afterwards I am congratulating and bullshitting with the dude I just went against. It's really rare, especially in the advanced division, for there to be animosity in local tournaments.

 

[Spoonman7]

some people out grow competition. It is not necessary. I also know guys who are beasts in training but are flat out terrified to compete for failure of losing. BUt in training they tend to go all ou and never wanna look bad. So many variables play a role in competition

 

[luckyshot]

I think of a "gym hero" as someone who is a beast in training, tooling guys who are successful competitors. But he isn't able to replicate that success when he actually competes.

Do you think some guys who are like this are like this perhaps because they are forcing themselves to compete when they really don't want to be there?

Like I said, it's been a while since I competed, and when I did, I was much more serious about jiu-jitsu than I am now. Under my current mental state, I doubt I would bring my A-game to competition, actually. Why would I do something well if I don't really want to do it?

I think you're looking too negatively at competition. Everyone who competes for the most part is super chill, win or lose most competitions afterwards I am congratulating and bullshitting with the dude I just went against. It's really rare, especially in the advanced division, for there to be animosity in local tournaments.

I know most competitors are not dicks personally. It's more just the set up of the thing: I don't know you but I'm going to 100% flat out try to destroy you right now. It's like, come one man, can't we just grab a cup of coffee or something?

 

[cc023]

(Long read - Cliffs at bottom)

It's been a while since I've competed in a tournament. My coach has been encouraging everyone on the team to do the upcoming NAGA. I don't really want to, and I've been trying to figure out why.

It's not that I'm scared of losing. I've won and lost before, so no big deal. It's not that I'm trying to protect my ego; I have no illusions about being a top level competitor at this point in my life. I definitely don't want to diet, but I could just go in at higher weight, so that's not a problem. And it's not that I am not competitive - all of my training partners will vouch for that. So what is it?

I really think it is a personality trait, or part of my mental makeup. I enjoy competition, hard competition, but friendly competition. It is the relationships that make competition fun to me. If I know you, or we have mutual acquaintances or something, like a training environment, I am comfortable beating you down and vice versa and it is cool.

If I don't know you though, it is more like a fight. I have been in fights. I'm not bad at them, but I don't enjoy them. They are not friendly.

But some people don't seem to understand this point of view. Because I am one of the better guys at my school, it's like I have an obligation to compete, to help represent the school. But I really don't want to, and I feel like forcing myself to when it goes against my personality bent is probably not the best idea.

So, does this make me a "Gym Hero" of just some kind of hippie or something? Also, how many people on this board share similar feelings?

-------------------------------------------

C:L:I:F:F:S: If competition goes against someone's personality type, does that make him a "gym hero"? If not, what does the term "gym hero" refer to, in your opinion?

There are plenty of hobbyists in BJJ, you don't have to compete... just be content learning the skills.

 

[Makhno]

Competition, to me at least, is very physically and mentally taxing. I do enjoy comps, and even the really hard training leading up to them, but at the same time, it does take a lot of the fun out of just rolling with your friends. Forcing yourself to go through this when you're not really motivated to will probably only exaggerate that, and worse case scenario, you get burnt out and stop training altogether. Not competing certainly doesn't make you a "gym hero."

 

[Difeco]

most of the people avoid confrontations.

We're part of a martial art that sometimes 'praises' confrontations...and that makes sense because confrontations are a part of the BJJ history.
But BJJ has evolved and you can do it as a hobby, no worries..

 

[2008]

(Long read - Cliffs at bottom)

It's been a while since I've competed in a tournament. My coach has been encouraging everyone on the team to do the upcoming NAGA. I don't really want to, and I've been trying to figure out why.

It's not that I'm scared of losing. I've won and lost before, so no big deal. It's not that I'm trying to protect my ego; I have no illusions about being a top level competitor at this point in my life. I definitely don't want to diet, but I could just go in at higher weight, so that's not a problem. And it's not that I am not competitive - all of my training partners will vouch for that. So what is it?

I really think it is a personality trait, or part of my mental makeup. I enjoy competition, hard competition, but friendly competition. It is the relationships that make competition fun to me. If I know you, or we have mutual acquaintances or something, like a training environment, I am comfortable beating you down and vice versa and it is cool.

If I don't know you though, it is more like a fight. I have been in fights. I'm not bad at them, but I don't enjoy them. They are not friendly.

But some people don't seem to understand this point of view. Because I am one of the better guys at my school, it's like I have an obligation to compete, to help represent the school. But I really don't want to, and I feel like forcing myself to when it goes against my personality bent is probably not the best idea.

So, does this make me a "Gym Hero" of just some kind of hippie or something? Also, how many people on this board share similar feelings?

-------------------------------------------

C:L:I:F:F:S: If competition goes against someone's personality type, does that make him a "gym hero"? If not, what does the term "gym hero" refer to, in your opinion?

I never heard the term "gym hero" before. Sounds like a good thing to me. Just based on people's views of the term sounds more like a veteran guy who has been with the gym/team a real long, paid his dues, and seen all changes, the personality/people come and go, etc.

From a previous thread your said you been training since 2001, that is 12 years. That is a long time and clearly your a veteran, maybe you don't have anything more to prove(to yourself) and nothing more you wanted to experience from grappling.

I'm almost 2 years in and grappling/bjj is new to me. I want to experience the competition aspect of it(haven't done a tournament before). I personally hold back when training at my gym because I'm more cautious cause I don't want to injure myself and also avoid giving a training partner an avoidable injury. I probably go 70 percent.

At least in competition I don't know the person so I can go rougher and not hold back and not feel bad about it. And we both know what is at stake.(in theory anyway)

With me I feel most alive and excited when its structured and our coach allows us to wrestle full matches at the end of class with timers. When its open mat or free rolling I just don't get into it, if that makes any sense.

 

[notafighter86]

not sure what you mean by 'gym hero'.

I don't like the people that, because they don't compete, feel compelled to approach sparring like its a competition.

But just because someone doesn't compete doesn't mean this is automatically how they spar. If 'gym hero' means take sparring like its a comp, then no, it does not equal and is in fact quite rare.

 

[Terror Zone]

I think of gym heros as people who tailor their schedule specifically to be a monster in the gym. They only come to class when they're well rested after a full night of sleep and with the mindset of treating each roll like it's a match. The people who actually want to compete are often beat up, tired from working out earlier in the day, are dealing with minor injuries, train regardless of how well they slept the night before, etc. It's really easy to be a beast in the gym when 100% of your energy goes into nothing but your performance in the gym 2x a week training with people who are all tired and sore.

 

[Wanderlei Industries]

I know how you feel, I do not like competition at all. My instructor pushes me to compete but I honestly hate doing it. It's like a constant feeling of nausea from the moment I walk into the venue until I leave. I always do competition training though because I like to push myself. The competition aspect of BJJ has never "clicked" for me....I guess.

 

[lechien]

Yeah, because you are one of the better guys in your gym, they don't understand why you only compete sometimes.



stop worrying about others.

 

[100%Jiu-Jitsu]

Do you think some guys who are like this are like this perhaps because they are forcing themselves to compete when they really don't want to be there?

I don't think that's usually the case. The "gym heroes" I'm thinking of are extremely aggressive, competitive guys who just can't seem to execute properly on the big stage.
They are often really driven to compete.

If you don't have a burning desire to compete, I don't think it's something you should force yourself to do. It's not for everyone, and in this day and age it requires a lot of sacrifices in order to be successful at a high level. I know I will be training BJJ for the rest of my life, and my school has lots of world-class competitors. But I personally don't know how much I will compete in the future, if at all.

 

[luckyshot]

I never heard the term "gym hero" before. Sounds like a good thing to me. Just based on people's views of the term sounds more like a veteran guy who has been with the gym/team a real long, paid his dues, and seen all changes, the personality/people come and go, etc.

From a previous thread your said you been training since 2001, that is 12 years. That is a long time and clearly your a veteran, maybe you don't have anything more to prove(to yourself) and nothing more you wanted to experience from grappling.

I'm almost 2 years in and grappling/bjj is new to me. I want to experience the competition aspect of it(haven't done a tournament before). I personally hold back when training at my gym because I'm more cautious cause I don't want to injure myself and also avoid giving a training partner an avoidable injury. I probably go 70 percent.

At least in competition I don't know the person so I can go rougher and not hold back and not feel bad about it. And we both know what is at stake.(in theory anyway)

With me I feel most alive and excited when its structured and our coach allows us to wrestle full matches at the end of class with timers. When its open mat or free rolling I just don't get into it, if that makes any sense.

"Gym hero" is usually used as an insult - like someone who will score 30 points in a scrimmage at practice then go 0-12 in the game. But honestly, I think some people just prefer friendly competition, while others, like yourself, seem motivated by "official" competition.

As far as training intensity goes, I always give what I get. We have some wars in practice, but it's always fun to me.

I think of gym heros as people who tailor their schedule specifically to be a monster in the gym. They only come to class when they're well rested after a full night of sleep and with the mindset of treating each roll like it's a match. The people who actually want to compete are often beat up, tired from working out earlier in the day, are dealing with minor injuries, train regardless of how well they slept the night before, etc. It's really easy to be a beast in the gym when 100% of your energy goes into nothing but your performance in the gym 2x a week training with people who are all tired and sore.

That's definitely true. I always lift weights on off days from BJJ, but if I ever have a week where I have to miss a couple of workouts, I feel like the incredible hulk at practice.