What is the most difficult thing about competing in a tournament? There are so many reasons why I enjoy competing that it is difficult to come up with an answer. But I imagine it is more a question of perspective.
Competing against myself and others is sometimes nothing more than the reward I give myself for all of the hard work and training. There is a brother/sisterhood that develops in training. The competition there is pushing yourself to the limit; delaying gratification and imagining how those extra 100 kicks are going to save you in the last round. The difficult part is not having enough time to train the way I would like to or being patient with myself when I am trying to work out a new strategy or combination and its not clicking yet.
The butterflies I get in my stomach start the morning of the tournament and are flying full speed just before I enter the ring. Some people would say that is a difficult thing about competing. But to me it is one of the main reasons I compete. Those butterflies tell me that I am about to do something extraordinary, something way outside my comfort zone, something that is going to test me and all I have worked for.
Some would say that losing a fight or taking a particularly powerful kick to the breadbasket are difficulties that competitors face. To me, they are a reason to come back next time. Because for every disappointing performance and bad day in the ring there is an equal chance that the next time everything will come together and make it all worthwhile. That’s what I work for.