RingoVin diesel said it right. 500 fights to consider yourself a tough guy
How many fights a year do you get? No, I’m not talking rounds, I’m talking fights.10? 20? Maybe 50? How long will that take you to be tough guy at that rate? 10 years till your a badass? But our sport isn’t street fights. We have rules and no matter how bad you get beat…there isn’t a guy who’s gonna keep kicking your head in till you stop moving. Nah, our shit isn’t life and death…which makes each fight less. So if instead of fights…we said days of fighting… how long will it take you then?
Does practice count? No. Its necessary but insufficient. Practice is the drawing board, where you designed experiments. But it doesn’t really get tested till you fight. The List is the laboratory and until you see the results your skill is just theory. And like any scientist you’re gonna have a bunch of failed experiments before you get the hypothesis quite right.
500 fights to get the experience. Fighting has 2000 variables in every fight and if you haven’t seen them enough times you won’t know how to react. Even after you see them and know how to react, will you be able to? Knowing and doing are different and both will take time in kit while under the pressure of the fight to master.
500 fights to get leather skin. Armor works. Weapons work too though and your whole body is not covered in protective steel. How many beatings does it take to be able to stand for a minute with a pole arm slamming into your gaps? How many punches to the face do you have to take before you get used to your brain rattling around in your skull? How many times do you have to quit, take a knee, to realize that you aren’t as fragile as you thought and that you can go further?
For some perspective, after fighting for 3 years, I’m at 50 days of fighting: a tenth of what I need. I’m active as fuck in this game too. But maybe I shouldn’t be setting the goal if I haven’t reached it. Should I be humble, sit down and shut up till I know what I’m talking about? Should I keep my opinions to myself, especially when speaking on difficult to reach to near impossible goals? Nah, fuck that. I been around long enough that I think I’ve seen the truth of my words. I know I’m not a bad ass yet, but I’m on that path. And Vin was right about something else.
Somewhere along the way you lose sight of the goal…I fight cause I fight. I don’t think about the milestones to my goal. I know twice a month or more I’m gonna show up and throw down. Someone will get their ass kicked and all I can do is hope it won’t be me. The helm goes on though and the rest fades away. It’s time to do the job. I trade in violence and business is booming. Jesus I can’t believe I actually wrote that line. Someone please throat punch me immediately.* That said at this point fighting really is just the thing I do. Obviously I focus on it, try to get better, and want to achieve goals and golds. It’s the day to day routine of it though that I crave. The rest is just gravy.
*Note I do not actually want to be throat punched. This is not a legally binding invitation or waiving of my rights.
I want to close with a statment. I’ve learned alot on my road to 500…nothing more important than this.
Just playing. This was actually the most important lesson.
See you in the lists