[SideofKO]

After the hands are wrapped (which will be discussed at length in another section) your fighter needs to build up a sweat.

Here are some things to keep in mind.

K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid)

Don't try to explain some complicated move that your fighter's never heard of before the fight. Stick to fundamentals. This means basic combinations/footwork and defense. And sticking to fundamental things. Let your fighter pummel with you or a partner to get his juices flowing. Get him on the mitts and have him warm for about 5-10 minutes. No more than that.

Do not allow your fighter to overdo it. Which means, when warming him up don't let him blow his cardio on the pads or by grappling for too long. Let him work up a sweat about 20-30 minutes prior to fighting to keep his muscles warm and loose. Fighting cold will kill your fighter.

The adrenaline dump is a major factor, especially in newer fighters. It affects everyone differently. Some guys are hyped up, some are mellow and some don't want to fight. You need to be assertive and responsive to your individual fighters reaction to the adrenaline dump. If he's really hyped up, calm him down a bit. If he is super mellow, hype him up. If he's not wanting to fight, give and instill confidence in him by looking him in the eyes and telling him how confident you are in him. This is key to preparing your guy.

Gameplan. Everyone needs a gameplan. Most will not follow it but you need to have a strategy by which the fighter can maximize his chance of success. If you cannot get a hold of tapes of your guys opponent, then you should look for your fighter to impose his strengths in the fight. This should be worked on weeks before the fight as well. So that when you drill this in the locker room, it isn't anything unfamiliar to him.

When you wrap your fighters hands, you should be talking to him and giving him confidence. It's a fight. He will need you mentally just as much as he will need your hand in the corner. Let him know how good he is and go over the gameplan along with simple guidelines, ie. keeping the hands up, using the jab to find his range, lowering his levels and setting up his takedowns, etc.

All of these tips will allow your fighter to be confident and hopefully be able to cope and handle the massive adrenaline dump that will be ravaging his nerves.

Remember. K.I.S.S.