Reverse encouragement
If you think you aren't strong enough, just give up. Unless you really are strong enough.
Happy runners
One thing I love about the running community is that most people are positive and encourage each other. You may have a different experience than I do, but in my experience runners always have a tendency to encourage other runners no matter what speed they are going. I’ve been in events where I’ve gotten more out of breath saying “Nice run” over and over again to people than I have done from the running itself (especially during ultras where I’m not generally running that fast).
There is the occasional online snobbery from people who look down on others for using headphones while running, but I don’t think I’ve ever come across anyone in real life who puts down their fellow runners. I generally think it’s because running isn’t something that mixes well with “reverse encouragement.”
逆応援 (Gyaku ōen)
The word for encourage or cheer for someone in Japanese is 応援 (ōen). This word also means to provide aid, assistance, encouragement, or support.
逆 (gyaku) means “reverse,” so when combined with cheering/supporting you get 逆応援 (gyaku ōen), or “reverse encouragement.”
As I mentioned before, running isn’t something where reverse encouragement is readily used. But I’ve found in my martial arts career in Japan that is does have some applications.
“You can give up if you want”
In some karate styles it is a right of passage to do a 十人組み手 (jū nin kumite: 10 man fight) to earn you black belt. This generally comes in the form of 10, two minute rounds of sparring against fresh opponents with no break in between. This is as much a mental challenge as it is a physical one. You would not be allowed to take the test if you are not physically and mentally ready, so when you step into the ring/onto the mat to do this you are going to be put through hell and come out on the other side with a new perspective on life.
I stepped into the ring in 2017 to do my 10 man fight. My instructor, who I was very close with started the timer and very quickly started shouting abuse at me as I was fighting.
Every attack I threw drained my energy and every attack I endured broke down my defenses more. But if I stopped throwing attacks, slowed down, or stepped back due pressure from my physical environment my instructor would start yelling things like:
Are you giving up?!
If you don’t want to do this, I will stop the timer!
You can give up if you want!
It’s ok to give up!
If you keep standing around I’ll stop this!
Those words hit me harder than the people actually hitting me. Every time I heard them I was hurt but I also wanted to attack the notions being thrown at me. “I’m not giving up! I’ll show you! Nothing anyone can do or say will stop me fighting!”
As the 10th round finished I was a physical and mental wreck. I heard the timer beep then heard my friends clapping and cheering. My instructor pulled a black belt out of a draw in his desk, handed it to me, and told me I did a great job.
I will never forget this day. I’d spent years training to get to that stage and on the day of the test my instructor and my fellow karate practitioners did what needed to be done to essentially complete a transformation. I stepped out of the ring a changed man.
In this particular situation, reverse encouragement worked. It probably worked better than regular encouragement to be honest. I did hear some of my friends shouting encouragement to me as I fought, and although that probably did help, it didn’t quite give me the boost I needed to prove the doubters wrong.
Do you really want to give up?
Last weekend I took part in a relay event. I’ll do a full write up on this event soon. Briefly, a bunch of teams got together to run as many 1.2 km loops as possible within 4 hours. The distance per loop was not very far but you needed to go all out on every loop. Sprints can get quite unpleasant quite quickly.
My friends and I were talking part as three different teams. One of the guys who I was talking to (who was one a different team than me but still in that group of three) mentioned to me that he kind of wanted to give up. After he said this I told him about my black belt test and how my instructor kept shouting things like “You can give up if you want,” at me. I ended with the following:
You CAN give up if you want. But do you really want to?
He didn’t give up. His team got 2nd place.
Final thoughts and take home messages
Runners are generally very positive people who are brimming with positive reenforcement. If you are running you are lapping everyone on the sofa. Most runners love to see it and will encourage it.
There are times however when negative reenforcement can work well, and that is when 逆応援 (gyaku ōen) comes in. It is quite niche, but sometimes being cruel is the best way to be kind.
I wouldn’t recommend doing any sort of reverse encouragement with people who don’t know you well and don’t understand what’s going on. But I will say that I did appreciate it when my current karate instructor once offered to follow me around on a bike during an ultramarathon telling me that I’m running too slowly with through a megaphone.
Boys will be boys.
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