On Competing

Why are neither of us particularly interested in competitive sport? We’re both keen if beginner jiu jitsu white belts, and the sport spends a lot of time pushing you to compete - but neither of us is particularly interested in this. Are we just cowardly and intimidated, afraid of public humiliation, or are we actually in the right? Does competition warp sports and activities away from what’s actually important and valuable about them? Does a sport need to retain some connection with real world application to remain valid? (This is not a jiu jitsu episode)

With any skill, you need to test yourself against reality. It’s the only way of benchmarking your progress, and it helps you improve much more quickly. In something like jiu jitsu, that reality is an opponent. You need to fight to test your skills. You need competition, it unlocks an addi ...