The perfect spot for a ramble I hope.... I am getting close to the time where I pick a new martial arts club to train at. I have narrowed it down to 3, two are 30 minutes north of me, one 30 minutes south. I had thought of stopping training but it has been a part of my life for so long that I cannot let it go.
It is always fun walking into a new club, there is a lot of testosterone flying around, and egos are interesting things. You see, a club is a microcosm of society, with ranks and grades issued out in a hierarchical structure. There is a pegging order.
The beauty of martial arts is when you walk into a new club, you throw a cat among the pigeons. When the top guy there suddenly seems inadequate, chaos ensues. For a while I enjoyed that. Winning is great, right?
As I thought about these 3 clubs and the inevitable challenges I will face should I decide to assimilate into them, I went through a process of my first few lessons. I will attend two classes at each school, one in the Gi (Karate like uniform) and the other in No Gi - surfer attire. I thought about the dynamic, and coming from one of the biggest schools in the world how I would handle these country bumpkins. Though in fairness they may be better than me anyway.
Then I realized. I want to lose.
I have trained pretty much daily for the past 9 years, and the best classes are the ones I lose. Winning is easy. Winning is easy because you can stack the game in your favor, I could fight 4 year olds and win because they are kiddies, but what would I learn? What if they were 20? Or my own age but less experienced? Winning is pointless. Winning is empty.
Losing. Is magical.
I imagine going to these three clubs and finding one where my years of training look futile, where my skills are inadequate, where everything I do fails. If I could find this place I would be in nirvana. Imagine finding a new job where you were the worst person at your job. Imagine how amazing the solutions would be from that workplace, how much you could absorb.
Winning is for losers.
It is always fun walking into a new club, there is a lot of testosterone flying around, and egos are interesting things. You see, a club is a microcosm of society, with ranks and grades issued out in a hierarchical structure. There is a pegging order.
The beauty of martial arts is when you walk into a new club, you throw a cat among the pigeons. When the top guy there suddenly seems inadequate, chaos ensues. For a while I enjoyed that. Winning is great, right?
As I thought about these 3 clubs and the inevitable challenges I will face should I decide to assimilate into them, I went through a process of my first few lessons. I will attend two classes at each school, one in the Gi (Karate like uniform) and the other in No Gi - surfer attire. I thought about the dynamic, and coming from one of the biggest schools in the world how I would handle these country bumpkins. Though in fairness they may be better than me anyway.
Then I realized. I want to lose.
I have trained pretty much daily for the past 9 years, and the best classes are the ones I lose. Winning is easy. Winning is easy because you can stack the game in your favor, I could fight 4 year olds and win because they are kiddies, but what would I learn? What if they were 20? Or my own age but less experienced? Winning is pointless. Winning is empty.
Losing. Is magical.
I imagine going to these three clubs and finding one where my years of training look futile, where my skills are inadequate, where everything I do fails. If I could find this place I would be in nirvana. Imagine finding a new job where you were the worst person at your job. Imagine how amazing the solutions would be from that workplace, how much you could absorb.
Winning is for losers.
Last edited:
