Winning- How Important Is It To You?

[racerba]

Win! Win! Win!

Who in their right mind does NOT want to win. It's how you accept it when you do not win. Everybody focuses on doing their best. There are times when you have to push yourself a little harder in order to win. And that is the motivation.

Example:

You and your competition are close in points but you are a couple of points behind. It's the last stage and your competitor just shot a good run. You are up. You know that just shooting the stage clean at your normal pace isn't going to give you a win. Do you just go and shoot it like you normally do or do you push yourself to shoot a little faster in order to win?

Something to think about.

If winning isn't your motivation to practice harder in order to be better, then what is the point of practicing? You can be motivated and focus on winning and still have fun. You just have to be willing to accept the fact that you can't win all the time. When I shoot, I shoot to win. If I don't win, which is most of the time, I don't cry about it. I accept the fact and analyze what I need to do to improve. I love shooting against people who are better than me. I see what they did vs. what I did and am able to acccurately see where I need to improve in my shooting and thinking.

[boo radley]

Here's a question.

Accept for a moment that your goal at a major match is to win one's class (or Division, if so capable).

Not to dwell on the negatives, but which haunts you more, afterwards?

1) Shooting solidly at your ability, having a very good match, not making any significant mistakes, but still seeing you're mid-pack when the results come out?

2) Shooting a very solid match, possibly with some stages above your level, and absolutely crashing on one stage, or making a huge mistake, that places you mid-pack, at the end?

[benos]

You and your competition are close in points but you are a couple of points behind. It's the last stage and your competitor just shot a good run. You are up. You know that just shooting the stage clean at your normal pace isn't going to give you a win. Do you just go and shoot it like you normally do or do you push yourself to shoot a little faster in order to win?

I've been there many times. If I ever "pushed myself to shoot a little faster," I'd crash almost every time. I figured out that for me, a different approach was better. First, I don't like to think of having a "normal pace." If I define myself as having a normal, predictable pace, now, I feel like I have to push. Instead, I imagined that "the perfect run that could beat anybody in the world" was within me, waiting to come out at the right moment - if I let it. So I'd make sure, more than ever, that all my thoughts were focused on things that I'd learned through experience that would give the best chance for this "magical performance" to happen. Any thoughts or ideas relating to "pushing" would not be accepted. My goals all had to do with slowing down time. To where the sense of passing time would eventually disappear.

If winning isn't your motivation to practice harder in order to be better, then what is the point of practicing? You can be motivated and focus on winning and still have fun. You just have to be willing to accept the fact that you can't win all the time. When I shoot, I shoot to win. If I don't win, which is most of the time, I don't cry about it. I accept the fact and analyze what I need to do to improve. I love shooting against people who are better than me. I see what they did vs. what I did and am able to acccurately see where I need to improve in my shooting and thinking.

Nicely put. That approach I feel was one of my strengths as a competitor.

Here's a question.

Accept for a moment that your goal at a major match is to win one's class (or Division, if so capable).

Not to dwell on the negatives, but which haunts you more, afterwards?

1) Shooting solidly at your ability, having a very good match, not making any significant mistakes, but still seeing you're mid-pack when the results come out?

2) Shooting a very solid match, possibly with some stages above your level, and absolutely crashing on one stage, or making a huge mistake, that places you mid-pack, at the end?

I'd like to try to answer that. But if my goal, which I felt was realistic, was to win the match (or division), and I did "1" - finishing mid-pack wouldn't be realistic.

Your question made me remember a fun memory though. (That kind of relates I think.)

Once Robbie and I were going head to head at a major match in Colorado. I shot a solid, clean match - felt fluid and free for most of it. Except for I had one miss. I pulled off a target just a little too quick when changing positions. I wasn't surprised because I couldn't remember anything for the second shot on that target. When the match was over and we were waiting for the results, I felt great about my shooting. My gut feeling was that Robbie probably beat me by a fuzz, but I still was really happy. He won by 12 points. Damn, that miss did it for me. So I lost, but I still felt great. I'd shot one of the better matches overall than I'd ever shot. And then it helped when Robbie congratulated me afterwards, saying something along the lines of "You must have shot a great match, because the way I shot I wouldn't have expected anyone to be within a 100 points of me." That was a really nice compliment. But I already couldn't have been any happier.

be

[shadetree]

This is some thing I have learned from years of competing in matial arts tounaments big and small. The first time I won a forms competition I felt great. The second time I felt good. After that the winning or losing did not matter.

Don't get me wrong. I am a very compettitive person who hates to loose, but I feel much better about my performance when I know I could not be any better that day. I am really unhappy no matter how well I have placed when I know my performance is lousy.

I know that I am realy only competing with my self. Striving for improvement. Most of my inprovement has come from taking appart what I do and looking for ways to make myself better. The worst performances I have had occur when I am actively trying to out do someone else and am not focused on what I need to do to be sucsessful.

[zxd9]

For me it's about improving. If I continue to improve the winning will happen.

I've made my first goal of winning a stage. My next goal is to win two. I like to see steady improvement and not put excessive, unnecessary pressure on myself. It's only a game for most of us.

[Lycanthrope]

I'lll be quick and simple about this.

Life is about balance and being happy.

If shooting makes you happy, then you will most likely become good at it. If shooting good is the reason you're happy...then, eventually, you will hit a wall and become unhappy......because "good" implies a measure in regards to others.

[LittlePistol]

I'lll be quick and simple about this.

Life is about balance and being happy.

If shooting makes you happy, then you will most likely become good at it. If shooting good is the reason you're happy...then, eventually, you will hit a wall and become unhappy......because "good" implies a measure in regards to others.

+1 - Great comment!

[Lee Bell]

How important is winning or beating someone to you???

Generally, neither winning, nor beting someone, is particularly important. Compteting to the best of my ability, however, is. Sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug.

The exception is beating some guy or girl that has just been an egotistical jerk. That's more than just fun, it's poetic justice.

Lee

[BOGA]

I am still on my quest to beat my finish on my last match, and then ill try to beat that again and so on and so on. If I win a match, then thats a bonus.

[shadetree]

I am still on my quest to beat my finish on my last match, and then ill try to beat that again and so on and so on. If I win a match, then thats a bonus.

I like that.

[Lurper]

For me. the match I was always trying to win was in my head. I knew that the only person who could beat me was myself and the only person I could truly beat was me. Rob or Brian told me many years ago that they would much rather shoot their best and come in second than not shoot well and win, especially if someone crashed and burned. I agree.

The matches I won, I always stayed within myself. I never paid attention to what others did. In those days, I was running with the big dogs and I knew that if I saw someone run a smoking run, it may influence my shooting. So, I started making one of my primary goals to shoot my own match. That removed my conscious mind and ego from the process. In fact, many times I would have a walkman and be listening to music until I was in the hole. I found that when I stuck to my goal of shooting my match, I always did better.

I think when we focus on winning as being beating someone else, we lose sight of the fact that shooting really is an inner game. If I shoot my match and accomplish all of the goals that I had set (none of which are tied to standings), then I know I am unbeatable. If I shoot my match and don't win the match, I am still satisfied.

Edited March 2, 2007 by Lurper

[Pdoyle]

winning is not everything....it's the only thing...

Vince Lombardi

nuff said

[Rosshooting]

For me is more important to be pleased for my performance - to fill the gun and everything that happens on the course of fire. If I feel the total control and good speed in my shooting it is o.k. and that is the result that I want. The other thing is just cleaning the small details and good shape.