I came across an article at:

http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2009/9/1/1010315/frank-mir-says-fedor-should-retire

And it got me thinking… again…. about the same old dichotomy. According to Frank Mir, “I think everybody, every morning should wake up with something to prove. The minute you think you don’t have something to prove, retire, go home and disappear.”

It kind of got to me, lit a fire under my @$$ so to speak. Maybe I should be in there banging it out. I’ve still got some stuff “down there… in the basement” as Rocky Balboa once put it. I don’t want to hang it up, retire, go home and disappear… just yet anyway.

He makes some valid points, I think. And yet, so do the others in this debate.

I guess my Ego wasn’t out just yet. It just took a standing eight and is coming back for round 2. Time to knuckle up.

It’s a funny dichotomy that exists in martial arts, particularly in areas that are more performance/sport based, such as Muay Thai, BJJ, and now MMA. For the longest time, we would hear all these stories about how the truly humble guys are the ones that get on the mat and spar all the time, whereas the ones that hang back and “avoid” it do so because they are insecure. So they are truly the ones with the ego problem, or so we’ve been told.

The fact of the matter is, there is nothing inherently “character building” about sparring, rolling, competing, etc. If there were, then NBA and NFL players would all be model citizens.

What it comes down to, as you put it, is whether or not you “have something to prove,” what exactly that is, and to whom you think you’re trying to prove it.

I didn’t attend the camp, but like I’m sure a lot of other people did, I watched a lot of the sparring and rolling footage on youtube, and it seemed pretty obvious who in the group was there to learn and have a good time, and who was there to flex their muscles and feed their own ego. Ironic how only half the group seems to listen when they have instructors as accomplished as Sensei Paulson and Khuen Kru Nelson telling them to “preserve your trianing partner” or “leave your ego at the door.”

Anyway, Kru Yamasaki, keep up the great work. I really get a lot of info out of the instructional videos and am loving the blog posts as well.
All the best.

The original members at my old gym has since left and we get together once in a while when someone has a fight, but that’s all the contact I have with them. One instructor who trained me personally for my first fight also left the gym. I believe they forced him out. Like Ajarn Chai say’s “Martial arts has more politics than the White House.” “Stay away from politics, sir.” LOL

In the past I didn’t know I had such a huge ego. I was all about myself and I didn’t care about anyone in the gym. Especially if you couldn’t beat me, I wouldn’t even talk to you. It wasn’t until I was sidelined with my injury that I realized I was a D*CK. When I stated “all I got was a blown out shoulder and burnt bridges between old friends.” I was referring to my old gym.

The story goes like this; I couldn’t train so, I just hung around the gym and watched the guys train. The routine was the same, fighter and nonfighter group, with the former getting all the attention. I asked my trainer at the time why are these guys, who have been at the gym for over a year still look like crap. And the reply was well, this person has this and has that hindrance…so, I suggested that perhaps they (instructors) pay more attention to the rest of the members instead of just the fighter group, which until then I have been a part of. That’s when my relationship with the gym turned for the worst. They took my suggestion as an insult. I was basically told to F*&k myself

It’s funny to talk about it now, but at the time it really bothered me. It was Sifu Rick Tucci who got me off the negative mind set. He told me to stop sulking about the past and move on and move on I did. I learned two things about myself at the old gym; One was that EGO will blind you. The other was I realized I wanted teach and help others more than fighting.

I felt like you went for it a little still this last camp and again, I really enjoyed training with you. I’m not the sharpest pencil in the box but I do my best not to pair up with guys I don’t like training with. I was happy that nearly every 3 on 1 prumb session I got to have you in my group. I did feel like you weren’t as agressive this last year but I figured it was because of your shoulder. If we ever get a change to prumb again, I want you to go after it. I love feeling that energy. I don’t care if I get put in the dirt, I’ll learn something from it. You’re a great martial artist and a bad@ss Muay Thai fighter, I am so glad you came to camp this year.

I have to say, being able to joke around with you and train our @sses off together was one of my favorite parts of my trip. You more or less single handedly made this last camp one of my favorites. Now do me a favor and tell me if this smells funny.

When I first worked in the clinch with you Dr. Sick I was an @SS. I felt I had something to prove and was tossing people in the dirt

Needless to say that Muay Thai Camp was very tough for me, I was in pain, didn’t get not enough sleep and was bruised up. This year I almost didn’t come because, of my previous experience. But I was glad I did atttend because, as it turns out this past Muay Thai Camp was the most enjoyable for me. And what made it enjoyable was leaving my ego in NJ and let the youngsters get off with their techniques and teaching them new ones.

lol.