Intangibles

[CosimoTe]

Would anyone in this community mind sharing some of their tournament intangibles? By that I mean those refinements that take your weapons kata, empty hand kata. and/or sparring to the next level.

[Jeff Burger]

Spirit, will, intensity.


Jeff

[Luebbers]

I think one of the intangible things that a person gains from competition (of any kind) is a fighting spirit, for lack of a better phrase. Let me elaborate a little: Competition of any kind, particularly the higher the level of competition is very difficult (competitive, you might say). In order to be successful in this kind of arena, a person must possess more than the technique. They must have the will not to give up when things get hard (both in training and in the actual event) because they will get very, very hard.

As an example, I think part of the reason that world-class wrestlers have done so well in the MMA environment extends past their skill in takedowns and grappling (although, this is a significant factor). I think some of it stems from the fact that these guys are used to training hard, and fighting for every inch against the best in the world. Training is, naturally, of supreme importance, but things can be different when the bell rings. People who are used to competing in high-pressure events like the Olympics or Pan-American Game are better equipped to handle the pressures of this competition as well as the mind-set to fight relentlessly until the bitter end. I've seen several fights where you can see a definitive point when one of the competitors has stopped fighting to win, and started to simply hang on, and when they simply resign to defeat. I think high-level competition helps steel a fighter (or any athlete) against this mental defeat.