What is the object of any sport? It is to win. You have to play and train to win, not tie. What I love about Judo is the concept of; No defense. What they mean is that in Judo there is no defense, only an attack. A guy tries to throw you, you counter throw – not stall, or avoid. This is a winning mentality. If you don’t play to win you shouldn’t play at all.
We were drilling the other night with too many guys playing safe. It was a basic pumble fight drill. Guys were playing safe with their elbows tight and not going for it or trying to really get their under hooks in. Guys were training not to lose verses training to win. If you want to win you have to attack and you have to take risks.
I don’t believe in reckless attacks. I am all about calculated risk. Basically, I want to see guys working to make things happen. You don’t wait for the opportunity, you make it happen and you take what you want. Don’t abandon patience either but don’t confuse avoidance with patience. It takes time to get things going sometimes. You have to push things towards the direction you want and be ready to act once the opportunity presents itself.
Look at fighters like Lyoto Machida (at his best) and Anderson Silva. These are guys 2 of the best counter fighters in MMA. They read their opponents, then press them into action, then more times then not finish them with a counter attack. They pull you in then make you pay for the attack.
I don’t care if we are talking fighting, lifting, or life. It all comes down to attacking, pressing, and be ready when opportunity comes. We train to have skill, determination, and the right condition for the tasks at hand. All of this combined with the right strategy will bring success in any aspect of our lives.
If you are not prepared to do what it takes to win you need to go sit on the sideline. I saw a shirt the other night “You can’t play Boxing”. You know what? You can’t play life either.
Now go train for victory.
Brian Wright
Real Elite