ok perfect..my background in my youth is boxing (incredibly amature and no real organised fights...just club matches) But I know that feeling. and being from a small club...we fought each other a lot..and being a certain weight class and level of skill...we were pretty well matched. amongst my group...... and I don't mean practice..this wasn't "sparring". We were fighting. The coach wasn't gonna stop us mid round, step in with advice and then back to the fight... .I was fighting to win and win big, I wanted to knock someone out... every time i went in the ring...just to know the feeling... I knew this was as far as I was ever going to get in "sports" so those matches were my "playoffs"....
Worse..I know that feeling of knowing your arms are noodles, and your opponent isn't gassed, and you have to go in there again and no matter what..you aren't able to stop him.
But I also know that some days I felt "I couldn't be better, more rested, more ready to go...." and then I crapped the bed.. beaten 6 ways from Sunday..nothing worked, couldn't puch, couldn't weave,couldn't counter.....
..and the other times when I was feeling frail, and couldn't focus, and went in thinking"I have to do this and I'm going to get beat hard" only to dominate and make it easy....
same me, same opponent.... different days.
Or when I coached kids soccer. we could beat a team then lose to them the very next week.... was it because they were better? was it because my kids weren't trying? was it because they were able to go to some "next level" no and No...
sometimes you make a mistake..then it compounds and suddenly you look like you don't belong in the same planet.... sometimes your opponent does that...sometimes both of you play amazing and somebody still gets beat.
It's sport underdogs hit, champions falter...it's not always effort, will or talent....
sometimes you eat the bear...sometimes he eats you.
I did some cocaine with some bears once....
they just danced, got horney, and went home together.......