The Difference Between a Fighter and a Martial Artist

Just some of the free stuff from the tournament sponsors!

 Well, I didn't bring home the oversized $2500 check, but I still had a blast at the inaugural Tour ACW competition.  I got to meet and compete with some of the best of the best, got put under the lights and camera for an interview after my weigh-in, and got plenty of free goodies from the tournament sponsors.  What was even cooler was the reminiscence of 2005's Real Pro Wrestling (RPW), which Tour ACW founder Teague Moore was a competitor in.  I still remember watching those RPW matches each Sunday with my dad and I still have the recordings on VHS.  Although the caliber of this tournament was a notch below that of RPW, Moore told us during Saturday's rules interpretation meeting that they spent a good two and a half hours debating the new rules the night before RPW was filmed.  When he said that I couldn't help but feel that I was a part of something almost as big as RPW.

I went a humbling 1-2 at the event, and although I got rocked in my two losses, I felt proud of the one win I earned.  The unlimited time rule played right into my hand in that match, as I clawed my way back for a come from behind win in 12 minutes 52 seconds.  After the match one of the tournament directors came up to me and asked a few questions.  One thing I told them was: "That was exactly what I wanted!"  I knew that if it came down to a match that long, I would NOT lose.  I was confident that my training this year would allow me to push the pace while my opponent got tired, and by gosh that's what happened.

While most scholastic wrestlers are gearing up for their season, I'm going to be taking a little time now to recover and restore some balance to my life.  I'm unsure of if and when I'll compete in a tournament as big as that again, but I'll still continue training to constantly improve myself because I am a Career Wrestler.  As UFC Welterweight Champ Georges St. Pierre said:

There is a difference between a fighter and a martial artist.  A fighter is training for a purpose: He has a fight.  I'm a martial artist.  I don't train for a fight.  I train for myself.  I'm training all the time.  My goal is perfection.  But I will never reach perfection.

One of the best ways to get better is to do as St. Pierre says and train like a martial artist.  Rather than only training when there are medals to be won, make a commitment to train consistently year round and make small 1% improvements every day.

I'm training all the time,
Jeff