Is Competition necessary for me to improve and get promoted?
We, as coaches, get this question often and it is a simple, but
difficult answer.
The simple answer is that, no, you do not have to compete and
if you choose to compete or not to compete, it will not have a
direct effect on your rank progress. We do not promote you
based on your success in competition. Each person’s journey is
different, and if yours does not include competition then that is
your path.
The difficult answer is that competition will help you to
improve your skills by testing them against an unknown
opponent who is trying to better you. Just like sparring puts you
in a situation to test your techniques and training against other
teammates, competition puts those skills to test against the
unknown. While competing will help you improve your skills, it
will not be a criterion in your advancing.
Each person, adult or child, will make their own decision on if
competing is right for them. If you choose to compete, we
coaches will be there to support and cheer you on. If you
choose not to compete, we look forward to having you right
next to us cheering the others on.