No Desire to Compete = "Gym Hero"?

Oh, if 'gym hero' means someone that does well in training but not in competition. Then surely you have to do badly in comps to be a gym hero. Not competiting doesnt make it so.
 
I hate the format of competitions. No real place or time to warm up. Unorganized and no way to predict schedule.

If I knew when I was rolling within 30mins and I could get a good warmup in I would probably compete as often as possible

Otherwise sitting/standing around all day makes me stiffer than if I was to just hop out of my car walk in the gym and start going competition pace (which everyone understand is a recipe for disaster sooner or later)
 
Youre kind of being a pussy about NAGA dude. If you can't get past the bro v. bro of competition, look at it as a personal test. Don't make it about a fucking medal or beating so-and-so, make it about your mettle. Show yourself what you've got. Apply what you've learned.

it sounds like the only reason you don't want to do it is because you don't want to get out of your own head. that's fine if you dont feel like you have anything to prove. It doesn't make you a better or worse person. But I read what you wrote and I see excuses. Reasonable, sure, but excuses still. everybody does it.

If you dont want to compete, fine, but it sounds like you've got the talent and a team of people to head there with, and now you're on the internet trying to talk yourself out of it. if you're content with that, right on, but you're making excuses. Its not that you can't, its that you dont want to.
 
Meh. Similar to you TS, Ive been training for awhile and I've done my fair share of competing. I've had mixed results, winning tourneys, placing in some and flat out sucking in others.

At 30 years old, I'm at a point where I train jiujitsu because I enjoy it and that's pretty much it. I have no aspirations of being a world champion and I don't approach my training and training schedule in that manner. I have a full time job, a wife and kid to worry about before anything else so BJJ doesn't rank incredibly high on my list of priorities.

That said, I don't attend class and participate in training with the goal of getting rag dolled by people either. While I don't feel the urge to smash each and every training partner I come up against, I'm definitely going to make them work for and earn positions and submissions.
 
This resonates with me as well. I compete about three times a year mostly to get the experience. It would be great to compete at least once at every belt level. I am used to bumps and bruises and have had some injuries. That doesn't concern me so much. Pacing is very important to me. Like others I have a very busy life with a demanding career. Still, I'm hopeful to train for many years. I admire world champions and elite athletes, but even more so I tend to admire average people in any martial art who are able to train for life, enjoy it, and do so with solid technique.
 
luckyshot said:
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.
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It sounds like you enjoy it most when it's with friends. Makes perfect sense to me. I like playing video games, board games, pool, etc. with friends. I really like it when I beat them. But I have no desire at all to do any of those things with strangers. Sounds like you feel the same way about grappling. At the end of the day, grappling is a game, and games are more fun with friends.
 
I enjoy friendly competition a little more than going against an unfamiliar opponent, so I share similar feelings to you TS. I think it's just more fun when it's personal and can be treated less like a "fight" and more like "hard training". When I have that "fight" feeling, it feels a little strange because I'm not one to really fight outside of MA training (I honestly believe most people are intelligent enough to talk through differences, etc). This is how I always felt with most MA training from boxing to grappling.
 
luckyshot said:
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?
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Nothing wrong with it at all. I'm the competitive type but competition isn't the be all end all of any art. I have the same amount of respect for a skillful player in practice as I do for one in competition.

If you improve your teammates by way of your skill be it rolling, instruction or coaching or just being a live partner, you are giving back to the art and your team in a way that is no less than going out and winning medals.

You don't get the fame but that doesn't sound like your thing anyway, so if you're having fun doing what you're doing, then keep on doing it.
 
I compete reasonably regularly. But I really get what you're saying, I like being friendly to every one and having a chat about where they train etc but my team-mates are like 'nah, don't do that'. My buddy Steve even goes 'I need to find out who I'm fighting so I can eye-ball him'. I really get why they do it, but I just don't think it's necessary. Also I'd feel like a complete arse if I spend 15 minutes eyeballing some guy and he goes on to destroy me.
 
For me the competing in itself is not the thing about competitions. They are just something to work towards, like a milestone on the road.

I have normally competed once every three months, and its a perfect rythm for me and my body. I love(need?) to have something in specific to train towards, instead of just rolling and training for years between belts. This way it just keeps me motivated all the time, and I have a reason to go train when The Schedule is too tight, when im sore, when the Wife wants me to watch some horrible chick-flick with her etc etc.

But as said, its not the competition in it all, just an convenient pace-car of sorts for me.
 
luckyshot said:
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.
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When I've competed, I'll chat it up with the guys I went against, or will go against, even talking about things that occurred in our match (if they impressed me with something in particular). I'm capable of winning gold, but it's not like it matters if I don't; I'm not a black belt and not at worlds.

When the ref starts the match, I'm not your friend and I'm there to win, but after or before we're all just guys with at least one common interest and working off a clean slate.

Plus, it's always been enjoyable for me to see guys from gym putting some work in and supporting them.
 
Ice 9 Cobra said:
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.
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I feel the same way. I've met some cool people through comps.
 
If you don't compete what's the point of doing bjj? the only other reason would be to get in shape. No one joins a baseball team to just practice. I see your point of view, though, about the "fight" thing. Yes, you don't know the guy and you are trying to beat him and vice versa. You just either : 1. Get pumped up and tell yourself "I'm gonna fuck this motherfucker up" or 2. Be calm and don't have anything on your mind, and just grapple like it is a normal roll. or 3. "This guy is big and scary. I'm gonna lose" and go out there and lose. I would recommend choosing option 2. Option 1 is good, but you could get a lot of adrenaline and then have an adrenaline dump and then gas out quickly. On the mat, it's either him or you. Don't let him take away what you work hard for.

EDIT: In wrestling though you get your bout sheet with your opponent and go to the mat with them. Sometimes me and the guy will talk and stuff about how much experience we have and stuff. Lately though I haven't talked to or even looked at my opponents because I feel it makes me more nervous when I think "damn this guy has been training for 5 years" or "this guy is really buff". It's just wrestling, so I don't really have the fight mentality.
 
Grapplingwizard said:
If you don't compete what's the point of doing bjj? the only other reason would be to get in shape. No one joins a baseball team to just practice. I see your point of view, though, about the "fight" thing. Yes, you don't know the guy and you are trying to beat him and vice versa. You just either : 1. Get pumped up and tell yourself "I'm gonna fuck this motherfucker up" or 2. Be calm and don't have anything on your mind, and just grapple like it is a normal roll. or 3. "This guy is big and scary. I'm gonna lose" and go out there and lose. I would recommend choosing option 2. Option 1 is good, but you could get a lot of adrenaline and then have an adrenaline dump and then gas out quickly. On the mat, it's either him or you. Don't let him take away what you work hard for.
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I like option 2 as well. Sometimes I wonder if I am too calm before the match. I definitely tried number 1 before and "the dump" is a real phenomena.

I used to listen to Metallica for hours before the match. Now, you might find me napping between matches.
 
I'm with you Bill. The people who get all aggro-bro and stomp around like angry teenagers at tournaments are usually the guys who lose their shit when someone better comes along. They're also the most fun to beat. Nothing like humbling someone who takes themselves too seriously.

I try to keep hoopla out of the equation as much as possible - no rituals, no 'mindset', none of the on-site peacocking or mean-mugging. Just another day. I intend to win, but I honestly, truly enjoy the experience of meeting new people, catching up with old friends, and seeing if I've still got it.

But yeah, a lot of people psyche themselves out psyching themselves up, and plenty get riled up well in advance. I'd just as soon save myself the anxiety/disappointment. Its just a hobby.
 
RJ Green said:
Youre kind of being a pussy about NAGA dude. If you can't get past the bro v. bro of competition, look at it as a personal test. Don't make it about a fucking medal or beating so-and-so, make it about your mettle. Show yourself what you've got. Apply what you've learned.
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I agree with you to a point. I've competed in the past already. I've been fine with the results. Didn't enjoy the experience. I don't feel like I have repeat a negative experience to keep showing myself I don't like it. But I get what you are saying, because that's obviously why I am asking the question. Competing is a large part of the BJJ culture, so it like, is there something wrong with me if I don't want to?

RJ Green said:
it sounds like the only reason you don't want to do it is because you don't want to get out of your own head. that's fine if you dont feel like you have anything to prove. It doesn't make you a better or worse person. But I read what you wrote and I see excuses. Reasonable, sure, but excuses still. everybody does it.
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Maybe. Excuses? Reasons? Is the difference just semantics?

RJ Green said:
]
If you dont want to compete, fine, but it sounds like you've got the talent and a team of people to head there with, and now you're on the internet trying to talk yourself out of it. if you're content with that, right on, but you're making excuses. Its not that you can't, its that you dont want to.
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The starting place for this thread was the recognition of the fact that I just don't think I dig competitions. I don't think I'm trying to talk myself out of anything, just trying to better understand where I'm at.

esteven said:
It sounds like you enjoy it most when it's with friends. Makes perfect sense to me. I like playing video games, board games, pool, etc. with friends. I really like it when I beat them. But I have no desire at all to do any of those things with strangers. Sounds like you feel the same way about grappling. At the end of the day, grappling is a game, and games are more fun with friends.
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That's a really good way of putting it. That's exactly how I feel. I don't need to be best friends with someone to roll with him, but I do want to have at least a basic rapport so it can be fun.
 
luckyshot said:
The starting place for this thread was the recognition of the fact that I just don't think I dig competitions. I don't think I'm trying to talk myself out of anything, just trying to better understand where I'm at.
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I hope I didn't make it sound as though you can't train with a motive other than competing. Ultimately, its about what makes you happy. I think i get where youre coming from and you explained your apprehensions. It all makes sense. I just say youre the only one standing in your way - nothings really precluding you from changing your mind or taking a crack at NAGA. You've got the skills, youre able bodied, and i assume you can swing the time and fees, so youre left with a matter of will.

I had a coach that said the difference between reasons and excuses is that the former are out of your control (injury, circumstance) and the latter is all in your head. Tough love i guess.
 
Grapplingwizard said:
If you don't compete what's the point of doing bjj? the only other reason would be to get in shape. No one joins a baseball team to just practice. I see your point of view, though, about the "fight" thing. Yes, you don't know the guy and you are trying to beat him and vice versa. You just either : 1. Get pumped up and tell yourself "I'm gonna fuck this motherfucker up" or 2. Be calm and don't have anything on your mind, and just grapple like it is a normal roll. or 3. "This guy is big and scary. I'm gonna lose" and go out there and lose. I would recommend choosing option 2. Option 1 is good, but you could get a lot of adrenaline and then have an adrenaline dump and then gas out quickly. On the mat, it's either him or you. Don't let him take away what you work hard for.

EDIT: In wrestling though you get your bout sheet with your opponent and go to the mat with them. Sometimes me and the guy will talk and stuff about how much experience we have and stuff. Lately though I haven't talked to or even looked at my opponents because I feel it makes me more nervous when I think "damn this guy has been training for 5 years" or "this guy is really buff". It's just wrestling, so I don't really have the fight mentality.
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Somebody mentioned cost, which is legit reason not to compete. But also I think how often you train is a good reason. If you can get in the gym only twice a week, there's a good chance you won't do well at a comp, especially these days when it seems so many more people are training five or six days a week. You can learn a lot from losing, but you still have to give yourself a chance to win.
 
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