The Mental Side of Fighting
Guest Post By Mitch "The Dragon" Chilson
Long before you ever step into the cage or the ring, the
first opponent you face is yourself. Often the hardest opponent to defeat is
the one that lives inside your mind. He/she can make you doubt yourself and
lose faith in your ability. True
self-confidence is a learned skill that you must develop over time. Just as you
can build muscle and improve stamina, you can also build confidence. However,
it requires a great deal of discipline and focus to do so.
Mental strength can be drawn from many different
areas. For example, knowing that
you are in peak condition can boost self confidence. At the same time, if
there is the smallest doubt in your mind that you are not prepared, it can have
detrimental effects on your mental state. You will lose the battle before
you even step into the arena.
So how do I begin conditioning my mind for success inside
the ring?
I believe there are 3 key stages of mental development to
achieve success inside the ring. Each
stage is as important as the next. Let me take you through them.
Pre-fight
This training begins months before the actual fight
occurs. In order to give yourself enough time in this stage, you may need to
start up to 6 months prior to the fight.
The first step to begin conditioning yourself for mental toughness
is simple. Wake up early in the
morning for training. This ensures that the first person you face when you wake
up in the morning is yourself. It starts your day off with a small victory and
gets the first workout out of the way. During this time you can also begin
to use the power of visualization. It will keep your mind sharp and improve your
confidence. Fighters have used the morning run for hundreds of years as a
way to not only condition their bodies for battle, but also sharpen their
minds.
The greatest athletes in the world use visualization
techniques to improve their performance. Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Muhammad
Ali, and Michael Phelps all regularly use or have used visualization techniques
to focus and condition their minds for success. With mental rehearsal, your
mind and body become conditioned to perform the visualized skill. Your
subconscious mind cannot tell the difference between a visualized skill and the
actual physical practice.
To get started using visualization begin by rehearsing the
entire event. Try to imagine, with
as many details as possible, how you feel when you wake up in the morning on
the day of your event. Refreshed, energetic, strong, focused, and ready.
The deeper the imagery the more real it will seem when the actual day comes.
Plan out what you will eat, and how you will spend the down time before the
ride to the arena.
After you have nailed down the details of your preparation,
begin to visualize your performance. Think about rounds one through five, with each round getting
better and better. You are in the zone. Your opponent cannot touch you. Each and every combo lands with
authority. Now visualize the finish to the fight. Will it be via knock out, submission, or decision? Focus on
the feeling of the victory. How do you feel as the referee raises your hand?
What does the roar of the crowd sound like? Picture it vividly and make it real
inside your mind. Repeat this
exact process every single day leading up to your fight or tournament day. The
more you practice this, the more comfortable you will be on competition day.
Focusing on the positive aspects is very important, but
you also need to plan for the unexpected. How do you handle yourself when
something does not go according to plan? Certain things are beyond your
control, and you need to be prepared for them. Maybe the promoter changes your
opponent last minute or you get hit with a big move that throws you off your
game. During your visualization process spend some time reviewing the possible
factors that could take you by surprise.
Calming the mind and learning to relax your body during
times of stress can be very difficult. For this reason, you need to push
your body so hard in training that the fight feels like a walk in the park.
Everyone has a breaking point, it is the point at which a fighter gives
up mentally and physically. The purpose of FightShape (a group strength &
conditioning class at Evolve MMA) is to make that breaking point so far beyond
the fight limit that no matter what happens during the 5-25 minutes, you can
handle it. The ability to push the fight into deep water and have
ultimate confidence in your physical condition is a serious weapon.
In-fight
The fight is the time when all your hard training
culminates for one magical moment.
Your body and mind function as one. This state is commonly
referred to as “the zone”. Focus on the game plan, listen to your coach,
and most importantly relax. In the 60 seconds between rounds, focus on getting
your heart rate back down to normal. You also need to focus on what your coach
is telling you and what you did right in the previous round. Do not think about
what you did wrong or the things that may have gone wrong in previous fights.
Post-fight
Regardless of whether you won or lost the bout, you need
to use it as a learning experience. In victory, look at the things that you
did right. Have your coach breakdown the win and analyze the areas you
need to work on. They say you learn more by losing then you do by
winning, but winning is a lot more fun. Win or lose, you still need to
find the holes in your game that need improving upon.
Dealing with a loss is one of the most difficult parts
about the fight game. It can drop fighters into a depression that can last for
months. A bad loss can even ruin the career of a fighter. When reflecting on
the loss it is important to determine which of the factors were under your control.
Strengths of your opponent, style, or poor judging are factors you cannot
control. While your poor physical condition, mental lapses, or not sticking to
the game plan are factors that can be addressed. Many times athletes will tear themselves
apart due to factors that are beyond their control. This will not lead to a
better performance in the next outing. When evaluating your performance focus
on the factors that you can control, not external factors or excuses.
Goal Setting
Goal setting is a vital part of martial arts training. Whether
it is to achieve the next belt level or win a championship title, you have to
set goals. Fighters will often set two different types of goals for themselves.
One goal focused on an outcome, and one goal focused on advancement. An example
of an outcome based goal would be to win the next match or tournament. Outcome
focused goals are usually beyond the fighters/athletes control. For advancement based goals you focus on
improving your overall game and becoming a better martial artist.
Advancement based goals can be as simple as mastering a new technique, following
a game plan, or staying relaxed and focused during an event.
Goal setting should be done in short (6 months), mid (1-2
years), and long term (5+ years) parameters. Physically writing down the
goals will make them real, and it will force you to be more accountable to the
goals. After you have written the goal down, you then need to determine why the
goal is important to you. Once you achieve the goal, what will it give you? Pride,
money, fame? This is the most important part of goal setting. Why is this
important to you? Is it more important than all the things you need to sacrifice
in order to achieve the goal? If the goal is weight loss, than having the
body you want has to be worth more than eating the unhealthy foods you enjoy.
If your goal is to be a champion, it has to be worth it to wake up early to
train. Remember that nothing great
was ever achieved with average effort.
Okay, now you need to start practicing. Follow this step-by-step program and
you can achieve your goals. Take the goals you have written down and underneath
them write out the “why” for each goal. Why do you want to accomplish this? What
will this do for you when you are on your deathbed looking back at your life?
The answers to these "why's" can change your life and give you
motivation you never thought possible.
With this simple formula you can begin to conquer
the world of martial arts and fitness. Change your mindset and you can change
your life.
About the author: Mitch Chilson is an instructor and member of the Evolve Fight Team at Evolve Mixed Martial Arts in Singapore. A former 2x MCFC MMA Champion, he currently competes for ONE Fighting Championship, Asia's largest and most prestigious MMA event. Mitch is a certified personal trainer, nutritionist, and strength and conditioning coach. In addition, he serves as a columnist and Advisory Board member for Men's Health magazine. Mitch is also a certified Muay Thai instructor under Kru Yodtong Senanan, 1 of only 7 non-Thai instructors in the world and holds a Renzo Gracie Blue Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Rafael Gordinho Lima.
Evolve Mixed Martial Arts® is Asia's premier championship brand for martial arts. With World Champions in Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Mixed Martial Arts, Boxing, Wrestling, and No Gi Grappling, Evolve MMA is the top martial arts training organization in Asia. It ranks among the best martial arts academies in the world.
