[King Kabuki]

This is my old mental toughness thread that was deleted in a forum clean-up:

Is it just me or do half of fighters these days defeat themselves before a match even begins? It seems that in this whole MMA game people have forgotten one of the tradiotional aspects of fighting, which is to be somewhat confident in your abilities. Those who are confident seem to be so overly so that it's sickening. I, for one, do my best to take a Warrior's mentality. I believe in fate and Karma and all that, so I know if I lose a match it happened that way because it was supposed to, so there's no reason to be afraid.

So say you're a Muay Thai fighter for example (because this idea came from another thread that used this Art as an example), what is there to fear about grapplers? There are techniques to use. Same in the reverse scenario, if you're a grappler, there are things you can do to counter strikers. So use them without abandon. My mentality is I don't give a shit what style anyone does, I'm going to do everything I can to make a good fight and show them why people of my style ought to be taken seriously. If I use Muay Thai I want them even if they win to be telling that story their whole career..."man I fought this Muay Thai guy once, Jesus that dude was a machine, gave me one of the toughest matches I've ever had and put a bit of hurtin' on me, made me work harder than I've ever had for that win."

Am I completely alone here? I always see guys slightly worried about their opponents. This is why you're supposed to study and do your homework before a fight.

So I want to know what do you guys do to mentally prepare?

I myself like to watch tapes of my opponents. Not necessarily to pick apart his style because that can be changed, but to see his body-movement and the things he does naturally, little habits he has that I can possibly capitalize on in our fight. I might even drop in on one of his training sessions just to see what all goes on and just how tough this dude really is in his day-to-day. I learn, and I like to become like a Cancer for them that just won't go away and leave them alone.

During my training I take a page out of the Hagakure and do in-depth meditation regarding Death. This actually does help quite a bit. Imagining being burned alive, stabbed, shot, poisoned, hung, drawn-and-quartered, and as sick as it sounds I might even envision being executed in front of someone I love, just to kick up the emotion factor. This is a tactic I do to assure that NOTHING this man does can surprise me, and that I will not get overly emotional during the match if I find my performance slightly disappointing. Because I've done all my emoting beforehand, and I've done my homework. So I can go into the match ready to accept, with a clear mind, whatever is going to happen. This leaves room for adaptation and my ability to think on my feet if needs be, using as a foundation the techniques I've trained up for this particular match.

I'm interested to know as fighters what you do to prepare. And if you do nothing, I advise you re-think that whole mentality.

[Plus Juan]

Damn, that sucks that your thread was deleted. Alot of good posts in there. I will say a few things to start this thread off.


First off, every fighter has a different type of mentality and each fighter deals with it in his own way. Some fighters like to relax, enjoy themselves, joke, and keep their mind off the fight until it happens... some like to meditate and free their minds of negative thoughts, some fighters need to get pumped up.. listen to music, and go into the fight with the mentality that this is life or death... etc.

I think that you'll discover what type of fighter you are through experience, pain, and through winning. Some fighters never come back after a tough loss and some tough it out and get better.

You need to have determination, confidence, and you need to possess the best mentality possible if you want to fight. Many times, if your head isn't in the game, you'll lose. I believe that a fight is just as mental as it is physical.

For me, just as any other person on this board that competes, you will have "little demons" in your head trying to throw you off, or mess you up. You need to be positive and fight them. You need to have confidence by training hard and competing. The more you compete, the more confidence you'll have. You don't have to win or come in first.... the experience is enough and you'll always come back stronger. I'm not saying winning isn't important. If you have a die hard winning attitude, you will strive to be the best. Look at all the top fighters.... they are where they are because of their commitment, attitude, and mentality. You need to have a strong mentality.... training every day wear you out. If you're strong enough to endure it, it will pay off.

You also need to have heart. Heart is something that only you can teach yourself to have. If you have a strong mentality, you will have heart. I think this might actually be the most important quality to have as a fighter. To be a complete fighter, you will need more than just skill.

My mentality is simple. I will be confident if I train hard. I don't like to think about the fight, until it happens. I am, however, very focused until the fight. I feel that I'm transforming into a different person. Everyone has nerves and most people are scared... you need to control your feelings if you want to control the fight. Many fighters are passionate people. This will work for you and it will also work against you. If you're angry in a fight, you will make more mistakes and you will gas easier. That being said, being passionate will also make you more aggressive, and you will have more fire in your tank. Once again, it all depends on what type of fighter you are.


Sorry, I have been on a rant.

[bblack]

Very True Good Insite On Both Posts

[Bamaispriceless]

This is a very good thread, I am very interested in the responses.

The way I have built mental toughness is basically by causing myself extreme discomfort. I really want to be a Navy SEAL, and the way alot of guys prepare for BUD/S is by doing things like the following on random days:

waking up at 3:00 in the morning, and running 10:00. Then going back to bed.

Staying up all night, then starting the next day by holding themselves in the leaning rest position until their arms can't hold them up.

Holding in the 1/2 squat position until the fall over in the shower.

One of the guys even got up in the middle of the night, jumped in the ohio river, and swam 2 miles!

These things work great for building toughness and a never quit attitude. I incorporate things like this as well. As far as fighting, I have never done it. Though when I spar, I do everything possible to win. I want to win, absolutely love winning, and absolutely detest losing...I also go with the attitude that the worst that can happen physically is I get KO'd.

[Poseidon9]

I gain my confidence from past experiences. There have been some terribly hard times in my life, I've been through things that I would never wish upon anyone, and I've risen above all of it to become the person I am today.

To think, after all I've overcome in my life, wtf is a 15 minute fight in that scope? I have nothing to be afraid of.

Whoever is standing across from me is just another obstacle in my path - And, when it's HIM or ME, that primal survival instinct just takes over, and there's no way in hell I'm going down without a war.

I will be remembered.

[Sohan]

Mental toughness is really a matter for me of simply never accepting anything less than my best effort, and being confident in my preparation and experience. Fear simply doesn't enter into my consciousness.

I do believe that mental toughness can be learned, but most people either have it or they don't, and it is not universal in its application. I have seen guys who were tough as nails in the ring, but didn't apply that same toughness to daily life. I have been able to run 50 mile ultramarathons while pissing blood, or kick the crap out of a guy 50 lbs heavier in a street fight at the same time that I was getting my butt handled to me in a relationship with a 105 lb woman.

For me, I've always been more mentally tough with regards to physical endeavors. I have never quit a fight, marathon, competitive lift, etc, but I have had my issues with jobs I hated (but needed to keep), relationships with women, and family.

Just my 2 cents.

[MikeMartial]

Originally Posted by King Kabuki

During my training I take a page out of the Hagakure and do in-depth meditation regarding Death. .

This is interesting...do you have any mor einfo on hand on this topic?

[King Kabuki]

There's not really a whole lot of info to it. Meditation is very indvidual, so however you meditate if you do...and as your breathing deepens and becomes more rythmic, and your mind begins to empty, you fill it with visions of being stabbed, shot, poisoned, burned, beheaded, etc.

[Ian Coe]

Originally Posted by Sohan

Mental toughness is really a matter for me of simply never accepting anything less than my best effort, and being confident in my preparation and experience. Fear simply doesn't enter into my consciousness.

I do believe that mental toughness can be learned, but most people either have it or they don't, and it is not universal in its application. I have seen guys who were tough as nails in the ring, but didn't apply that same toughness to daily life. I have been able to run 50 mile ultramarathons while pissing blood, or kick the crap out of a guy 50 lbs heavier in a street fight at the same time that I was getting my butt handled to me in a relationship with a 105 lb woman.

For me, I've always been more mentally tough with regards to physical endeavors. I have never quit a fight, marathon, competitive lift, etc, but I have had my issues with jobs I hated (but needed to keep), relationships with women, and family.

Just my 2 cents.

I think there is a distinct difference between physical and emotional toughness.

I think when other people are brought into the equation, it tends to cross over (plus theres the experience side of things-physically you can push yourself when ever where ever, but emotionally there have to be certain stimuli)

[Sonny]

I've always embraced the fear that I felt before/during a fight. But there always came a point where a calm would come over me, granted I was prepared well in advance. During fights I would often picture myself wearing a HUGE suit of armour and gradually that armour would fall off piece by piece until I reached a flowing state of mind. At it's most effective I would achieve almost thoughtless thought, my body would move on it's own and my opponent would move in slow motion. This was rare in most cases which is indicative of my amateur record.