Beating A Purple Belt When I Was A White Belt (Accept Losing)
Beating A Purple Belt When I Was A White Belt (Accept Losing)
Have you ever competed and felt afraid of losing because you didn’t want to let people down? Instead of being focused on what you can do and how you can win. You were afraid of losing and just wanted to win. I know I’ve felt that way a lot over the years, and it’s been the cause for some of my worst performances.
Have you ever felt this way?
I know I have to tell my students to get this idea out of their head. They’ll come up to me and tell me, “I don’t want to let you down Chewy.”
I get it, I really do, because I’ve been in the position they are and I still catch myself doing it from time to time. I feel the desire to proudly represent our colors well. To win, not just for myself, but for us. . . for the team!
But many people let the fear of failure or the fear of letting someone down get the better of them when they step on the mat. I know that most of us feel a sense of duty to represent our gym a certain way.
That sense of responsibility can make someone super nervous and can cause a lot of hesitation when it’s time to compete.
Accept Losing
In my opinion, you have to accept losing as an option. It’s there and it’s possibility. Just like warriors of times past would meditate about the possibility of death on the battlefield in order to lose the fear of it. You have to accept losing is going to happen at some point. Acceptance with that possibility will allow you to be more focused on winning instead of trying not to lose.
I Beat A Purple Belt And Lost As A Black Belt
In this video I share two stories. 1 came from my days as a White Belt. As a white belt I was able to beat a purple belt in a big tournament. The purple belt was no slouch either and had more than 5 years experience on me.
The other from one of my early matches as a Black Belt where I let the fear of letting others down prevent me from showing my best self on the mat.
I know that some of my best days as a competitor came from the times where I had accepted the chance of losing and instead of being afraid of it, just decided to focus on what I can do.
If you struggle with these types of feelings. I hope the video helps!
Thanks!
-Chewy
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