DrakeAldan
Follow the rules!
I felt like I should share this somewhere. If this is the wrong place, I apologize.
I see a lot of people... don't like to lose. Sometimes, people get pretty salty. Sometimes to the point of raging violence. Some people break things at home, out in public you know you can't do that so you walk around with a bad mood for the rest of the day.
I believe that... You get salty because... You don't know what just happened.
The anger comes from ignorance... it comes from not knowing what is, or what will be. It comes from a lack of understanding, when you don't know if you did your best or not. There is an unfulfillment there, a painful void of confusion and frustration.
Now- before I go on- let me define winning and losing, and my motivations for playing.
A win is- a confirmation of my actions as a player. It is a checkmark, the game's way of telling me "You did things right to-day."
A loss is- the game telling me that I did something wrong. Somewhere, I made a mistake. And the thing is-
This is an opportunity to learn.
A loss does not reflect on you as a person. It's not representative of your skill or your self-worth. It is not inherently good or bad. All it means is that you have a weakness, and with careful study, analysis, and consideration, you can change this, or work around this, and improve.
When I lose- it means that I can learn more about the game, that there are things about the game that I don't know. And the secrets are- somewhere in the replay.
A beautiful thing, really- this game saves the matches you have (online, at least)- so once you have lost, you can come back down, let your emotions settle, and then see with clarity what happened to you from an outside perspective. As you may know- watching is very, very different from playing. Without the stress of having to control your character, you can focus all of your energy on interpreting what you've done.
Analyze the match. Pore over your footage carefully. Ask yourself- How am I getting hit? What is the opponent doing? Am I making mistakes? How? Why?
Is the opponent attacking in a way I don't understand? Can I replicate this in training so that I may understand it better?
Should I ask someone about this particular situation to further my understanding? (These forums are here for that very purpose.)
Break down the match into individual components, and then study them piece by piece. Recognize patterns and situations, and then try to figure out how you can avoid them or possibly turn them to your advantage. Then- use this data to go back out and play more. If you win, great! Keep doing what you're doing. If you lose, go back, watch the replay, and start the process over again.
In psychology- this is called a feedback loop. It is a powerful technique that enables you to improve, possibly in a rapid fashion, a short amount of time. That is, the more you lose, and the more you attempt to learn from your losses, the more you can correct your own mistakes. And as you keep playing, and keep reviewing, your weaknesses- when you find the right answers to them- start to become smaller, and smaller, and smaller- until one day you wake up on a sleepy Saturday, you hop online, and you start having a hard time finding someone who is able to beat you.
This is the true splendor of loss- "what doesn't kill me, makes me stronger." I lose, and I smile- because I know that now I can grow. This is my chance to get better.
In Tai Chi Chuan- ancient Chinese martial art- there is this concept of something from nothing. Taiji- the universe, the ultimate, unbeatable strength- is born from wuji- absolutely nothing. An infinite void of zip.
Essentially- it is a positive born of a negative.
"...a beginner cannot possibly avoid losing and defeat, so if you fear defeat you may as well not even begin. If you want to study, begin by investing in loss."
- Cheng Man-ching
Invest in your loss- because your loss has value. It is a bounty- it is a blessing. Losing- when you have the right mindset- makes you stronger- as a player and as an individual, even outside of the game.
Some people- namely my fellow online warriors- some people care about records. The numbers behind W and L. And the thing is- you should care.
But not about the number behind W.
It's the number behind L that is important.
Because- that number- represents experience. That number represents every time a player was shown the error of his ways, and was able to push past the bitterness and hate and continue to play.
Some people who've played me before- think that I have a hard time losing, that they can't imagine that I've lost. In fact-
I have, as of 7/27/2012, 1,115 losses to my name. That is not counting the losses I took during SCIV- or the losses I've had in Tekken 6- those numbers are hidden. So I have lost much, much more than just this number.
I make mistakes. I screw up. I lose like it's my job.
But- if I can improve- if I can get better- I move on. In fact- I would go so far as to say, that I chase these losses. Because- they directly lead to my improvement. Winning lets me know that I am on the right track- but it teaches me nothing. Losing- losing turns me into a powerhouse.
If I need to get better, I have to lose.
There's no way around it. This is reality.
Sometimes, I happen across... very strong players. Very skilled players. They decide to have matches with me, and... I may lose a majority of them.
Does this mean I am bad? (No.)
Does this mean I am stupid? (No.)
Does this mean something is wrong with me as a person? (No.)
What does it mean?
It means- I was just given a valuable gift.
I'm thankful- they have taken time out of their day to show me their skills, their very essence. And they didn't have to do this- they could have easily said, "You're a noob. I'm bored, I'm leaving." But they decided to stay, and perhaps give me 20-30 straight losses in a row (this has happened multiple times). They have shown me a higher part of the game- pure effectiveness in combat. Essentially- they've shared with me a part of themselves; they've communicated their will through their fists. It's a very intimate thing.
("No homo", as the kids say.)
And so- when I play this game- I don't do Sirlin.
I play the game to lose.
Or, in less cryptic terms- I play the game to improve, so I can get better. Because it's not about winning- it's about the journey you have, and the trials, tribulations, and experiences among the way.
tl;dr you lost. Don't get mad, get good.
I see a lot of people... don't like to lose. Sometimes, people get pretty salty. Sometimes to the point of raging violence. Some people break things at home, out in public you know you can't do that so you walk around with a bad mood for the rest of the day.
I believe that... You get salty because... You don't know what just happened.
The anger comes from ignorance... it comes from not knowing what is, or what will be. It comes from a lack of understanding, when you don't know if you did your best or not. There is an unfulfillment there, a painful void of confusion and frustration.
Now- before I go on- let me define winning and losing, and my motivations for playing.
A win is- a confirmation of my actions as a player. It is a checkmark, the game's way of telling me "You did things right to-day."
A loss is- the game telling me that I did something wrong. Somewhere, I made a mistake. And the thing is-
This is an opportunity to learn.
A loss does not reflect on you as a person. It's not representative of your skill or your self-worth. It is not inherently good or bad. All it means is that you have a weakness, and with careful study, analysis, and consideration, you can change this, or work around this, and improve.
When I lose- it means that I can learn more about the game, that there are things about the game that I don't know. And the secrets are- somewhere in the replay.
A beautiful thing, really- this game saves the matches you have (online, at least)- so once you have lost, you can come back down, let your emotions settle, and then see with clarity what happened to you from an outside perspective. As you may know- watching is very, very different from playing. Without the stress of having to control your character, you can focus all of your energy on interpreting what you've done.
Analyze the match. Pore over your footage carefully. Ask yourself- How am I getting hit? What is the opponent doing? Am I making mistakes? How? Why?
Is the opponent attacking in a way I don't understand? Can I replicate this in training so that I may understand it better?
Should I ask someone about this particular situation to further my understanding? (These forums are here for that very purpose.)
Break down the match into individual components, and then study them piece by piece. Recognize patterns and situations, and then try to figure out how you can avoid them or possibly turn them to your advantage. Then- use this data to go back out and play more. If you win, great! Keep doing what you're doing. If you lose, go back, watch the replay, and start the process over again.
In psychology- this is called a feedback loop. It is a powerful technique that enables you to improve, possibly in a rapid fashion, a short amount of time. That is, the more you lose, and the more you attempt to learn from your losses, the more you can correct your own mistakes. And as you keep playing, and keep reviewing, your weaknesses- when you find the right answers to them- start to become smaller, and smaller, and smaller- until one day you wake up on a sleepy Saturday, you hop online, and you start having a hard time finding someone who is able to beat you.
This is the true splendor of loss- "what doesn't kill me, makes me stronger." I lose, and I smile- because I know that now I can grow. This is my chance to get better.
In Tai Chi Chuan- ancient Chinese martial art- there is this concept of something from nothing. Taiji- the universe, the ultimate, unbeatable strength- is born from wuji- absolutely nothing. An infinite void of zip.
Essentially- it is a positive born of a negative.
"...a beginner cannot possibly avoid losing and defeat, so if you fear defeat you may as well not even begin. If you want to study, begin by investing in loss."
- Cheng Man-ching
Invest in your loss- because your loss has value. It is a bounty- it is a blessing. Losing- when you have the right mindset- makes you stronger- as a player and as an individual, even outside of the game.
Some people- namely my fellow online warriors- some people care about records. The numbers behind W and L. And the thing is- you should care.
But not about the number behind W.
It's the number behind L that is important.
Because- that number- represents experience. That number represents every time a player was shown the error of his ways, and was able to push past the bitterness and hate and continue to play.
Some people who've played me before- think that I have a hard time losing, that they can't imagine that I've lost. In fact-
I have, as of 7/27/2012, 1,115 losses to my name. That is not counting the losses I took during SCIV- or the losses I've had in Tekken 6- those numbers are hidden. So I have lost much, much more than just this number.
I make mistakes. I screw up. I lose like it's my job.
This is my theme song. No, really.
But- if I can improve- if I can get better- I move on. In fact- I would go so far as to say, that I chase these losses. Because- they directly lead to my improvement. Winning lets me know that I am on the right track- but it teaches me nothing. Losing- losing turns me into a powerhouse.
If I need to get better, I have to lose.
There's no way around it. This is reality.
Sometimes, I happen across... very strong players. Very skilled players. They decide to have matches with me, and... I may lose a majority of them.
Does this mean I am bad? (No.)
Does this mean I am stupid? (No.)
Does this mean something is wrong with me as a person? (No.)
What does it mean?
It means- I was just given a valuable gift.
I'm thankful- they have taken time out of their day to show me their skills, their very essence. And they didn't have to do this- they could have easily said, "You're a noob. I'm bored, I'm leaving." But they decided to stay, and perhaps give me 20-30 straight losses in a row (this has happened multiple times). They have shown me a higher part of the game- pure effectiveness in combat. Essentially- they've shared with me a part of themselves; they've communicated their will through their fists. It's a very intimate thing.
("No homo", as the kids say.)
And so- when I play this game- I don't do Sirlin.
I play the game to lose.
Or, in less cryptic terms- I play the game to improve, so I can get better. Because it's not about winning- it's about the journey you have, and the trials, tribulations, and experiences among the way.
tl;dr you lost. Don't get mad, get good.