21/05/2026
Point of no return
How do you know when you have reached your full potential in a Kyokushin fight, in a full-contact fight? Is it when you won many competitions, when you are a decorated fighter? I don’t think so.
I think that there is a point in the life of a fighter that exactly marks the before and after, the point of no return, when you for sure can say about yourself that you have reached the highest possible. And it is not becoming European Champion or even World Champion, it is the second in which you decide that no matter the outcome of a fight you will never give up and you rather die on the tatami than renounce. It is like the wall that every Marathon runner hits at a certain point during the 42 km. It is the point when you decide that you give up or you continue. This is by no means an easy task. Some people are born with this “stubbornness”, they are a rare breed, they don’t know what giving up is, but for most of us this is a long learning process that starts in the dojo, where you build character under pressure, with every exam, with smaller competitions and then going up to the big tournaments. It is a slow and long process, but at some point you absolutely decide that you are not going to give up anymore, no matter what. I have seen very decorated champions, naturally gifted, giving up on the biggest scenes, in World Tournaments. Of course, they are amazing, they embody many years of training, of sacrifice, but if you pay close attention you can see that at some point, when too much pressure builds up, they give up. It is a very subtle process, but if you are experienced, you can see this. On the other hand, you have not so gifted fighters, with not so much skill, mostly Japanese, but also many Europeans, who many times lose in the first rounds, but you can absolutely notice that their character, their spirit is bullet proof, they don’t give up. And this, I think, it is the highest point in a fighters life, reaching that state of “never giving up”. As my friend and master, Norichika Tsukamoto shihan said: “Win or lose, this is not important, but please, never give up”. The amount of time one fighter wants to spend fighting depends on many things, on injuries, on the right environment, on how much he enjoys the process, on financial support, on family support, but, the crucial thing I think is not the length of your career, but reaching the point of never giving up, and inside, every fighter knows this about himself: did I do my best on the tatami, did I absolutely reached my highest potential, or I could have done more. This is the only question that you should ask yourself after stepping out of the tatami, no matter if won or lost. And every fighter that’s on the Budo path, should work to reach this hot spot.
The outcome of a fight depends on many factors, talent, experience, preparation, opportunity, skill, strategy, but the inside process is one: never give up! And this is the true measure of a fighter, not his trophies! Once learned, this lesson will never leave your life, and you will be fearless (meaning that even if you fear something, but you know it is the right thing to do, you will do it anyway). Osu! HW
PS: when I was a younger coach I was always interested in results, medals and trophies. Now, my only Measure of a fight is if my student gave his best or he gave up, I care only little about winning or losing, because I had my right share of victories.
