Your Biggest Weapon
There is a saying in Muay Thai that goes like this, "Some people kick the heavy bag beautifully. Some people hit pads beautifully. Some people spar beautifully. But only a rare few can perform in a real match beautifully." The essence of this saying is that the mind is your best friend or your worst enemy. If you have 100% belief in yourself, you can conquer anything. If you have doubt and fear in yourself, then you cannot conquer even the smallest of ant hills. At Evolve, we believe that the journey of martial arts is one of continuous self-improvement: physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. The most difficult journey though is the mental one.
Why?
Because we are all human. There are days when we are lazy. There are days that we want to quit. There are days when we are not performing to our best. There are days when we feel fear. There are days when we are filled with self-doubt. Professional sports psychologists will tell you that your mental state drives your physical ability. If you are paralyzed with fear, it is difficult to perform up to your best. If you are focused on how exhausted you are, it is almost impossible to give it your best effort.
Your mind is your greatest weapon. Use it fully to your advantage. When you are training, teach yourself to overcome exhaustion. Teach yourself to fight through the desire to quit. When you feel like skipping training, use your mind to overcome your laziness. When you are hitting pads, use your mind to focus so that your technique is flawless. When you are sparring and feel fear, learn to overcome it with mental toughness. When you are at home, use your mind to go over the latest techniques or to review old ones. When you are in competition, learn to use your mind to focus and concentrate on the task at hand - and not the outcome.
Fedor Emelianenko, one of the greatest MMA fighters in the world, has the strongest mind of all. Many times, he has been outmatched during a fight and somehow manages to remain calm. He never panics. He simply focuses his mind on the task at hand. You can see how calm he is before, during, and after a fight. It does not matter if he is losing badly, if he is hurt, or if he is winning. His mental state is the same, and hence his physical performance is the same. He is someone who has conquered his mind. It is no wonder that he is able to perform at such high levels consistently for such a long time. Fedor is undefeated in MMA in the last 10 years.
If you can achieve purity of the mind, you will be one step closer to achieving greatness within. The great thing is that this skill applies to all areas of your life. If you believe - truly believe - in a dream, then you will achieve it. If you overcome your fears and doubts with your mind, then you will be one step closer to unleashing your potential as a human being. It is simply a matter of mind over matter. So sharpen your mind, dream big, and live life to the fullest!
Evolve Mixed Martial Arts® Achieve Greatness Within™
