Winning Isn't Everything

In sports, everybody has to win and somebody has to lose. In full contact fighting, my ultimate goal was not just to win. My goal was to win by stoppage. As a Tae Kwon Do fighter, it was difficult to win by KO. I would enter tournaments and fight 3 to 4 opponents each tournament. I would win at least one by KO. In boxing and kickboxing, I always looked for the KO. In Shidokan Triathlon I looked for stoppage by KO or submission. In Judo, I look for win by Ippon (making an opponent land on his back, pin, or submission). In decisions, judgements are made by officials. Many times athletes are judged by poor judging. I hate when people with no combat experience evaluate fighters. When you stop an opponent, you decided the outcome and no one can ever say should of, could of, or would of. Close matches can go to either fighter, so for me, I would still sometimes be upset if I didn't win by stoppage.