Is Technique Everything or Is Winning The Only Thing?

[AJ Camacho]

After a while of training in the gym youre there so much that you cant even remember who won last time

Sometimes I'll go home frustrated that I got owned by everyone and then I remember that I actually hit a few flash submissions which I totally forgot about. It always seems like I only remember my losses and the submissions I had to fight tooth and nail for.

[Dustin C.]

I guess it depends on your goal. Sometime i try to flow more than win, get in the possition where i know i won but just to keep flowing i dont tap them by letting go and rolling, them sometime get into the i want to win mode to make sure i can just depends on my mood for me

[Jason Hyatt]

I'm pretty squarely in the technique-over-strength corner. I just don't have the athleticism (admittedly in no small part due a lack of consistent training on my part) that so many guys at the gym do have. Besides that, I really love the mental aspect of jiu jitsu. I like the chess game. I want him to know EXACTLY what it is I'm trying to do and see him helpless to stop me from imposing my will. I can't likely muscle my way through him -- I have to execute well. When I do, it's like I just won Abu Dhabi in my head. Now I can feel the same thing getting tapped. I can find myself deep in danger against Sarkis, Dennis, Scott, Ashley, Huan, ...anyone of about 15 hardcore Nibiru warriors and not panic. I look at it as a great opportunity to practice defending myself against someone who has both technique and strength over me. Your damn right I consider that a victory when I replace half guard on Sarkis when he had the mount and I can whip to my side. If that's not a victory in your book you have never rolled with Sarkis! I figure, if I can do that against him that's like swinging a weighted bat for when I'm up against somebody my size and build. So no, "winning" isn't everything to me but how I define winning probably differs from OP; I can easily win while getting tapped.

[Dan Rizzuto]

If you are not getting tapped out each class, you're limiting yourself. I will progressively put myself in worse and worse positions with new guys so that no matter who I roll with I could be tapped.

There is only true "winning" when you compete. "Winning" in class is about learning, drilling, and implementing techniques as correctly as you currently know how.

Frank Shamrock was on of my best instructors and one thing he taught me was to put yourself in your worst positions against guys that are better than you...it will boost your game huge and make your weak links your strong links... if you can't do this it may be a cause of ego. So i'm with Scott on given up bad positions to everyone.

[Nate Hollyfield]

If you are not getting tapped out each class, you're limiting yourself. I will progressively put myself in worse and worse positions with new guys so that no matter who I roll with I could be tapped.

Well said, I feel like I always learn ten times more from a loss than a win.