Ricky's Writing                 Cavern

Ricardo A. Gimon P 

CO150-51 

12th September, 2023 

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Bucket List Item #1 

 

     Earlier this year, I vowed to devote every day to training

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, and Boxing to prepare for two

fights in an MMA/Kickboxing tournament. I had been searching

for other ways to challenge myself and gave into my growing

temptation to start training martial arts. Sadly, I lost both of

my fights, but in return, understood that I needed to be

more patient, practice meticulously, and to be sure of myself

when making decisions. I also gained deep insight into who I was, and about how I can improve myself. This experience of failure made me much wiser and much more knowledgeable about not just fighting, but about myself as well. 

In fighting, I found a space where I could push my body and mind to the fullest. I gained a heavy sense of sportsmanship and dedication to training and, as time passed, I felt more confident about myself. As it seemed like every day, I got a little better. Finally, the day came. We entered a large gymnasium covered in mats, with bleachers on one side climbing up three quarters of the way to the ceiling. After some time, I descended from the safety of the bleachers onto the mats, making my way towards my coach. Met my opponent and, with a bow of respect, the fight began. My first thought once it had begun was how tired I had become in what felt like twenty seconds. I had only thrown a few combinations, but it seemed like the adrenaline and the nerves made me lose control over my energy management. I was all over the place. As the round went on, I told myself to relax and breathe, trying to follow my coach’s guidance, but I found myself incapable of doing anything but survive. Round one ended.  

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    I made it back to my corner. Sitting on that bench I was terrified. I could feel the lactic acid buildup in every muscle in my body. My shins were crying out for help, and it felt as though they’d snap at any moment. There was a big part of me that wanted to quit right there. I just couldn’t see myself being able to pull through another round. I thought about why I was there in the first place, about all those months of hard work, all that talk about me being a fighter. If I quit there, I’d betray everything I said and worked for. The second and final round began, this time, I was doing much better, landing punches and kicks that slowly broke down my opponent’s stamina. Finally, the fight ended, however, it couldn’t have ended sooner. I was so exhausted that my form was fading because of the fatigue. Still, I pulled through. I could barely think during the announcement of my defeat. I saw my opponent’s hand lifted, it was disappointing, but I wasn’t too angry with the loss. I knew I had pushed myself to a limit I’d never reached before. However, before I knew it, I was called up to fight again, this time in MMA. During my second fight, I barely had anything left to give. I was gassed and out of spirit and as submitted twice and lost. 

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    This experience brought with it a heap of knowledge about myself

and life. For one, I learned to be confident in my abilities. As well

as the importance of breathwork and being able to control your

mind to calm down and let loose. Finally, the most important

take away from my losses is that meticulous practice and repetition

are the keys to success.  

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    Everything I learned in a martial arts sense, can be applied to real life. Since in many ways, real life is also a battle with yourself and the world. Meticulous practice and repetition improve your skills with whatever you’re focusing on. Such as studying math or improving writing skills. It was a useful lesson because I was forced to accept the reality that there was no secret to success, only hard work. Furthermore, breathwork relates to real life because the best course of action in stressful and dire situations, is to remain calm and breathe. To step back and prevent your judgement from being out of fear or lack of control. I also learned a lot about myself. I learned that I needed to be more patient with wanting to achieve greatness. That I need to savor the process and love every day for being one step closer to my goal. I learned to look at achievements as long polymers of small wins every day. As well as the importance of preparation and discipline. 

 

     Although a failure, this experience is something I look back to for knowledge and wisdom. Especially now that I am actively working for my dream life as a wildlife conservationist, travelling the world to work in the wild. I often reflect on my experience training for the fights for insight on how I want to proceed with my life. I hope to continue training and compete once again, to find more knowledge waiting for me, behind every failure. 

 

 

    I have not given, received, or used any unauthorized assistance on my writing project.