How many times have I asked the question “How did you go tonight?” after a training session has just finished. And how many times have I heard the following replies “I lost” – “I won with ‘this’ technique or ‘that’ technique!” It is quite common for to describe a match we just had in terms of either winning or losing – but that is a very small and narrow perspective – after all, the real FUN is DURING the match. The END of a match is just that, the END of the match – and regardless of the outcome, the enjoyment (hopefully) was to found in all the play that happened DURING the match. BJJ has been likened to a game of chess – so again, I’ll expand on this analogy. When two people play a game of chess, I very much doubt whether the full measure of JOY resides solely in the moment of the Checkmate – rather, it is to be found in the struggle and strategy that is the game itself. When we hit the mat and roll, much of the time, someone will ultimately ‘tap’ to the other; and this should in no way, take away from the joy and fun to be had by either partner. The FUN is in the fight – the outcome can be viewed as a momentary pause that allows for a brief acknowledgment of the submission – but it shouldn’t be the moment that determines whether or not we had fun or experienced joy. When young kids play a game of football, soccer, tennis, or whatever – they often don’t seem to pay much attention to who won or who lost – they are just too busy immersing themselves in the act of playing and having fun. From the mouths of babes …
JBW
