RESTRAINED WARFARE AND THE PSYCHOLOGY OF COMPETITION
Posted on | June 21, 2007 | 1 Comment
RESTRAINED WARFARE AND THE PSYCHOLOGY OF COMPETITION
BY: BILL WETZEL
The indigenous people of North America practiced a restrained type of warfare. Restrained warfare, in this instance, is limited. The goal was not to absolutely destroy an enemy and then move in to impose a political or cultural ideology on them. By contrast, unrestrained warfare is highlighted by the destruction of a society and the imposition of a ruling ideology. The great imperial powers of the world historically practiced unrestrained warfare. There were no viable rules, only an objective.
And the objective was to win and win big.
The ends justify the means.
However, restrained warfare has several interesting characteristics which are important to understanding the psychology of athletic competition. In particular the psychology of combat sports, specifically, in this instance, Mixed Martial Arts. (MMA)
In indigenous tribes, young men were often not that important, at least in relation to the other groups in the societies. For example, the elderly were revered people utilized for their knowledge and wisdom, while the grown men were involved in activities such as hunting and raising a family. Adult males also served in various leadership and spiritual capacities. Women were especially important, as they are in any society, because they essentially ran the day to day operations of the tribe. They cooked, they cleaned, and they ran the operations of each family. Young women took on important roles and responsibilities in these processes as soon as they were old enough to do so.
Young men, on the other hand, did not have all that much to do. At least, comparatively.
So what could they do?
They could perform various physical activities, such as riding horses, shooting bows and arrows, etc. Certainly they had to find ways to attract women. Plus they had lots of time and energy. So, out of this, young men developed a sense of competition. Running. Horse racing. Even forms of fighting and wrestling developed. Warfare itself evolved into competitive endeavors. It became a sense of pride and accomplishment to go out and raid your tribe’s enemies. And if you happened to steal more horses than your friend, well, even better.
Some tribes conducted warfare as a way to give their young men something to do.
The Olone Indians of California used to exercise warfare in this manner. Two warring factions would line up a certain distance apart, then take turns shooting arrows at each other. But not directly. What would happen is one faction, maybe twenty young warriors would line up, and then shoot arrows up in the air, looping in the general direction of the other tribe’s warriors, who would then duck and dodge the arrows raining down on them. Once this was over it was now their turn. Also, the arrows were not designed to kill, they were much more blunt than an arrow that would be used for killing purposes.
These events were attended by other members of the respective tribes. They would all gather on opposing sides and cheer their own tribal members while the battle went on. Young women would gather and watch and cheer the young males as well, keenly watching to see the most impressive warrior. This is not all that unlike a football game or any other sporting event. Sure there was a certain amount of violence, but, in this case, the objective was not to hurt the other side, since if a warrior died, the battle would be immediately halted. The victorious tribe would also have to pay reparations to the losing tribe as a way to alleviate the loss and restore a sense of honor and balance.
For the young men, this was a way to be relevant. It kept them from getting into trouble, while honing and developing their skills as a warrior and a man. It allowed them to test their own abilities against others, and a good performance attracted attention and respect from other members of the tribe. Scars became interesting stories they could tell their whole lives. Plus, as we all know, chicks dig scars! This holds true in any era and culture.
Moreover, warfare was a young man’s game. It was meant predominantly for the young males. (this is still mostly true, in all cultures) Restrained warfare also had rules, and the objective was never total destruction. Such as with the Olone Indians, it was a way for young men to test their own courage and skills, while garnering a certain amount of social status within their own society.
Much of this holds true for athletic competition. Competitive sports are a young man’s game. In particular, combat sports, especially ones that involve striking, are comprised of mostly young men. (the evolution of women athletes, especially in combat sports, is something I will write about another time) Sports give young men an opportunity to test their physical skills and gain social status.
The key here is the aspect of competition.
It’s also why combat sports, especially MMA, are often misunderstood.
In any given society, you will have a certain segment of young men who want to physically test themselves against others. They want to compete. Some run. Some see who can lift the most. Some see who is the best at a certain game. And some fight. Not necessarily out of malice, but simply out of competition.
And it is important to understand that this competition is restrained.
I think back to the early Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) competitions. Even though this was a restrained situation, the rules were minimal. No weight classes. No time limit. No biting or eye gouging. All strikes to all areas of the body were allowed. It had a dangerous atmosphere, too barbaric for many people. Enough so that sanctioning was a problem. Much like with the Queensbury rules in boxing, MMA had to evolve into a sport, and not so much a spectacle. Its survival depended on it.
Like restrained warfare, MMA has adapted itself into a restrained competition. The objective is not absolute destruction. Sure it is violent, but much like football, which itself is extremely violent, the competition has rules. It’s a sport. Fighters do not go out with the intention of committing permanent injury or death with their fists. They do not necessarily have a hatred for their opponents. Many opponents are even friends. To date, no death or extremely serious injury has ever occurred in MMA competition.
Once again, that is because at the heart of MMA, is simply the love of competition. The psychology is for a young well-trained and disciplined athlete to test themselves in a restrained environment to determine the better fighter. Along with this comes a natural rise in social status. It’s a way for an athlete to compete and garner respect within contemporary society.
Since MMA’s popularity has exploded into the mainstream, expect both the level of competition and social respect to grow exponentially.