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What Qualifies One as a Competitor?
1 year(s) ago • 1006 views • 10 replies
BMBlack belt 1st degreeVerified
1 year(s) ago
What qualifications should one have in order to consider themselves a "competitor"?
I know people who haven't competed in years who identify as competitors. There are gyms in my area who market themselves as competition schools despite having zero active competitors, and the coaches never compete.
On the other hand, they're are folks who casually, or even actively compete, who wouldn't consider themselves competitors, per se.
My humble opinion:
If you train almost exclusively with the goal of competing in competitions, irrespective of what kind, and you compete at least 4x/yr, you are an ACTIVE COMPETITOR.
If you train more so just to stay in shape, hang out with people, get better at something, etc, yet you also compete maybe twice a year or even more, then you are a HOBBYIST COMPETITOR.
If you really don't compete/ haven't competed for some time, even if you do "competition training", then you are not a competitor.
I feel that this title/distinction should be reserved for those who take time off on the weekends, wake up early, fight against the butterflies in their stomach, and weigh in and do the thing.
Otherwise you are a LARPING COMPETITOR 🤣.
What are everybody's thoughts?
I know people who haven't competed in years who identify as competitors. There are gyms in my area who market themselves as competition schools despite having zero active competitors, and the coaches never compete.
On the other hand, they're are folks who casually, or even actively compete, who wouldn't consider themselves competitors, per se.
My humble opinion:
If you train almost exclusively with the goal of competing in competitions, irrespective of what kind, and you compete at least 4x/yr, you are an ACTIVE COMPETITOR.
If you train more so just to stay in shape, hang out with people, get better at something, etc, yet you also compete maybe twice a year or even more, then you are a HOBBYIST COMPETITOR.
If you really don't compete/ haven't competed for some time, even if you do "competition training", then you are not a competitor.
I feel that this title/distinction should be reserved for those who take time off on the weekends, wake up early, fight against the butterflies in their stomach, and weigh in and do the thing.
Otherwise you are a LARPING COMPETITOR 🤣.
What are everybody's thoughts?
JNBlack beltVerified
1 year(s) ago
I agree with your classifications here. It does deserve pointing out that a lot of High school wrestlers will have 50+ matches just in one season of wrestling. I would consider myself an ACTIVE COMPETITOR in Jiu Jitsu according to what you said in your post if I was doing 4+ competitions per year and training with the competitive mindset. It still would fall way short of 50+ matches a high schooler will do in one season of wrestling. Maybe that is why most wrestlers seem so stout.......competition tested for sure!
PGBlue beltVerified
1 year(s) ago
That puts me solidly in the "Hobby Competitor" category, which is completely accurate.
I don't know too much about other gyms around, but at least at my gym everyone knows where they stand on that spectrum and all are pretty honest about their place. It may help that we don't have any kind of structure in the gym regarding competitions, all are welcomed equally. So you have guys who narrowly missed out on gold at master's worlds rolling with cops who just want to get some reps in, with people like me who like competing but will probably never win anything significant, etc.
There are enough serious competitors around that they can go at it with each other, and they all know who they are so it seems to work out. I suppose the LARPers get force fed a slice of humble pie sooner or later and find their way to the proper spot in line.
I don't know too much about other gyms around, but at least at my gym everyone knows where they stand on that spectrum and all are pretty honest about their place. It may help that we don't have any kind of structure in the gym regarding competitions, all are welcomed equally. So you have guys who narrowly missed out on gold at master's worlds rolling with cops who just want to get some reps in, with people like me who like competing but will probably never win anything significant, etc.
There are enough serious competitors around that they can go at it with each other, and they all know who they are so it seems to work out. I suppose the LARPers get force fed a slice of humble pie sooner or later and find their way to the proper spot in line.
CBBrown beltVerified
1 year(s) ago
I personally think things should just be split into competitor and non competitor. I'd skip any references to hobbyist as, in all honesty, about 99% of people are hobbyists, regardless of whether they compete or not.
The definition of hobby is a leisure activity you do for enjoyment. So, unless this is your job, it's a hobby. I compete 4 to 5 times a year, but I'm still a hobbyist in every way. This isn't my job, I don't own a gym, I'm unsponsored, hell, I even teach classes at my gym for free.
The definition of hobby is a leisure activity you do for enjoyment. So, unless this is your job, it's a hobby. I compete 4 to 5 times a year, but I'm still a hobbyist in every way. This isn't my job, I don't own a gym, I'm unsponsored, hell, I even teach classes at my gym for free.
JCPurple beltVerified
1 year(s) ago
I personally think things should just be split into competitor and non competitor. I'd skip any references to hobbyist as, in all honesty, about 99% of people are hobbyists, regardless of whether they compete or not. The definition of hobby is a leisure activity you do for enjoyment. So, unless this is your job, it's a hobby.
^^^^ This. And how many matches are we talking about anyway? You can have two people compete at the same 4 tournaments and one may get 20 matches and another only get 4. They've competed the same number of times, but they haven't competed the same amount.
CBBrown beltVerified
1 year(s) ago
^^^^ This. And how many matches are we talking about anyway? You can have two people compete at the same 4 tournaments and one may get 20 matches and another only get 4. They've competed the same number of times, but they haven't competed the same amount.
And what level of competition? Someone who just does Gi and Nogi Worlds and wins is a far more accomplished competitor than someone who does a local NAGA every month. The former has every bit as much right to call themselves a competitor as the latter.
TPBlack beltVerified
1 year(s) ago
I considered myself a competitor for nearly a decade, although I was a very much a hobbyist masters-aged one. Trained in a competition gym; we had competition class 4x a week at best, and the coach designed the training (both in the gym and also additional conditioning) so that we would peak in the major comps most were training for. The team won the team throphy at national level in multiple comps during the hayday years. Looking at my comp record, I entered 3-7 comps a year.
I really liked how the main comps the whole team trained for gave structure to the year; I knew when the training would get the toughest and when it would be considerably easier again. (And I could ease up on the diet too.) I'd still like to do a few comps every now and then when the family situation allows me to train a bit more, but I don't think I'll ever be a proper competitor again, seriously cut weight etc.
I really liked how the main comps the whole team trained for gave structure to the year; I knew when the training would get the toughest and when it would be considerably easier again. (And I could ease up on the diet too.) I'd still like to do a few comps every now and then when the family situation allows me to train a bit more, but I don't think I'll ever be a proper competitor again, seriously cut weight etc.
BMBlack belt 1st degreeVerified
1 year(s) ago
I personally think things should just be split into competitor and non competitor.
I suppose my reasoning for including "hobbyist competitor" is both to recognize and appreciate those who don't normally compete for doing something that is likely difficult for them, as well as preclude them from the "active competitor" category, since they don't actively compete.
BMBlack belt 1st degreeVerified
1 year(s) ago
And what level of competition? Someone who just does Gi and Nogi Worlds and wins is a far more accomplished competitor than someone who does a local NAGA every month. The former has every bit as much right to call themselves a competitor as the latter.
I'm not sure there are any athletes out there who "just do worlds" and actually win it. This isn't even possible in the bb division, as you have to qualify first: i.e. you have to compete and win in the regular tournaments first in order to accumulate points toward your qualification.
But, if you're just doing one tournament a year, in my opinion, you don't have the volume to consider yourself a competitor...
But, if you're just doing one tournament a year, in my opinion, you don't have the volume to consider yourself a competitor...
BMBlack belt 1st degreeVerified
1 year(s) ago
^^^^ This. And how many matches are we talking about anyway? You can have two people compete at the same 4 tournaments and one may get 20 matches and another only get 4. They've competed the same number of times, but they haven't competed the same amount.
I don't think it matters if you do 1 or 20 matches in one day, because you're doing all the other stuff: travel, making weight, getting the right gi, dealing with nerves, etc. These things don't change that much.
If you compete enough, you will inevitably have large divisions and small divisions. The point is that you show up and do the thing.
If you compete enough, you will inevitably have large divisions and small divisions. The point is that you show up and do the thing.
