Is competition required to bring out the highest skill levels in a martial artist? I'm not talking about sparring in class. I'm also not talking about competing to win, per se. What I mean is, does a martial artist who aspires to reach the utmost in their craft REQUIRE stepping outside of their comfort zone, and is competition the best way to do that? If not, how?
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"In case you ever wondered what it's like to be knocked out, it's like waking up from a nightmare only to discover it wasn't a dream." -Forrest Griffin