Competition gets you killed on the streets.

[Mr_White]

It seems to me that this has become a mindset vs technical skill discussion. Would most of you agree that competition is actually building skill, not just routine? The article claims "muscle memory" can get you killed because you arent thinking, and I feel like autonomic ability will help you free up your brain to process other things and be a benefit. Thoughts?

-Cory

I don't think competition itself is sufficient in quantity to really be much of a skill-builder. It is a test - a powerfully motivating test, which often helps provide the desire to train and practice in order to prepare for the next competition where one will, without doubt, face highly skilled opponents. And that testing (the competition) can provide pressure and engender legitimate stress in its participants, sometimes even when they are also experienced in real combat. Look up Jim Cirillo and Kyle Lamb's comments on this - sorry, don't have them close at hand.

[Peally]

Matches are tests, not practice.

[SLG]

Matches are tests, not practice.

That is definitely true, but what are they testing, and does that matter to you? Everyone will have a different answer, and I'm posing a rhetorical question.

[Cory]

While this may be ad nauseam, I'm glad I posted. I'm learning a lot here. About different folks perspectives as well as the topic at hand.

-Cory

[orionz06]

It's a dead horse that's now a grease spot but each time everyone posts without changing their mind, or without the intentions of even considering it, we do still get some little snippets here and there that are worth it.


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[GJM]

Good luck is the cousin to good mindset.

[GJM]

That is definitely true, but what are they testing, and does that matter to you? Everyone will have a different answer, and I'm posing a rhetorical question.

It doesn't matter what they test. The key is having to, on demand, solve someone else's problem. That is what makes competition an invaluable addition to self directed practice.

[Mr_White]

There may be some semantics issues in here - what exactly is meant by 'mindset' - depending on the definition each person has, it could be a pretty expansive thing.

If this was all none sense, there wouldn't be books on top of books, FBI LE lectures which are sold out all the time and seminars for highspeed gov/mil personnel taught logic and mindset.

This is an easy one to answer. First, it's because those things are in fact very important and are not nonsense. Second, it's also because it is really easy to buy a book and read it for ten minutes each day while going to the bathroom, or sit and listen to a lecture. Not a lot of effort or personal sacrifice is required to 'train mindset' in those ways.

none of the above you can get from competition, in no way, shape or form.

I think that's wrong, but I suppose that might go back to the semantics thing. To me, engaging in the ongoing personal effort, sacrifice, and hard work that are necessary if you are going to try to win the competition, whether shooting, BJJ, MMA, etc., is itself an aspect of mindset - it is carrying out the quality of determination as a daily personal habit. To my thinking, that habit of determination is one of the essential underlying aspects of overall mindset.

Suppose we conceptualized things roughly as Mindset, Tactics, and Skills - I feel like I've heard that somewhere in defensive training before...

Who is to say which of those, in what proportions, will be required to survive, or better yet, overwhelmingly prevail in a given, unique incident? Some will require more of one of those qualities than another. Some could be solved in different ways with any of them. Of course, since the fact is that we can't truly know in advance, we want to have all of them to the greatest extent our motivation and resources will allow.

[jetfire]

Total thread drift, as the topic of this thread simply bores me to tears.

Among many reasons this is why we're friends (that and we both like the Beretta Vertec)

[Mr_White]

Confidence is also an essential aspect of mindset, and one that skill development absolutely contributes to. As a powerful motivating force for skill development, competition can play into the development of mindset in that way too.