Bad Sportsmanship: Why You Should Leave Your Ego At Home

There is one thing that usually stands out when you are at a martial arts tournament, and that is good sportsmanship. Most people that are trained in martial arts have very good sportsmanship, but you do run across the few that don't.

I have faced a few opponents that were sore losers, but what's even worse is a bad winner. I always try to make sure after a match I congratulate my opponent, whether I win or lose. No one likes to lose, it doesn't feel good, but in all honesty it's not that big of a deal. It's probably not even the worst thing that happened to me that day.

Bad sportsmanship does not only occur at tournaments. You see bad sportsmanship while training all the time. A training partner is very important to the success of an athlete involved in martial arts. If I have a training partner that is only concerned with catching me in submissions and trying to show that he is better than me, then I am not learning anything. I need to know what it feels like to get caught in different submissions, but I also have to learn how to avoid getting in them, as well as how to get out of them.

Some guys just have a big ego. It makes them feel good that they can dominate another person. Having a big ego is not a good thing. There is always someone on the mat better than yourself, or just plan luckier than you that day. I am not perfect, there have been times I have gotten a big head. My coaches and teammates have no problem deflating my ego. Below is a good example of my coach making sure my ego stays in check.