The Will Is The Way

It's a given that every fighter who steps into the ring wants to win, but that alone will not make you a successful competitor. Assuming that you have the right stuff (speed, agility, balance, strength, coordination, power, flexibility and endurance), the single most determining factor to success in and out of the ring is the will-to-win. There is no weapon more lethal than the will. It is the force that numbs you to physical punishment, and mental anguish, and allows you to focus to the point of insanity. When I compete in the ring, it is not the thought of winnning or losing that consumes me, but the opportunity to succeed. Defeat is a state of mind which I am not willing to realize. Even if I fall short of my goals, it is but a temporary state that encourages me to train harder to remove whatever obstacles that are in my way. Failure is what your mind acknowledges. Knock me down 9 times and I'll get up 10 times.

In order to tap into this tremendous power of self-determination, you must want to realize your dreams and ambitions with hunger and passion. Only this type of attitude will allow you to push yourself to the limit and endure long grueling workouts with an effort well beyond the ordinary. When you are tired to the point of exhaustion, but you still find a way to keep going, this is the power of will. Determination wields the actions of the body. If one trains in this matter, fear and doubt should never enter their mind. You will be secure in the knowledge that you can do whatever is necessary to succeed.

Life in general has taught me that people are basically creatures of habit. What you habitually think of yourself, largely determines what you will become. This is why you will never hear me say, "I was just happy to be afforded the opportunity to compete." If your aim is so low that you were satisfied with just showing up, you need not show at all. Effort short of your best always leads to the short end of the stick, and you are already defeated even before the the first bell rings. A second problem that stifles victory, is the anticipation of suffering, which is worse than the actual affliction itself. Nothing worthwhile ever comes easy. I have been fighting a long time, and I have never come across an opponent whose defenses were impenetrable, and their offense was unstoppable. If you fight not to lose, your mind will be so preoccupied by what your opponent can do, that you lose sight of what you can do. You become a puppet on a string allowing your advisory to control your actions. So what if you get hit (train hard, and you'll bleed less), shake it off and return the favor ten fold. Put your opponent on notice that you can take it, and dish it back with interest. The lessons of pain and suffering are but tools that teach us a better course of action that leads to success, if not now, than in the future.

Eat Your Wheaties

Your Mind Can Make You
Train
Your Body Can Create
Power
But Only Your
Heart
Can Make You A
Champion

5 Tips For Conquering the Fear of Defeat

1. 
   
   Spar at least once a week. Choose a variety of partners with various fighting styles, heights, weight, power, speed and agility. Make mental notes or even write down what works best against what type of opponent (i.e. right handed boxers should keep their lead left foot to the outside of a left handed fighter's lead right foot to set their opponent up for a right cross and in turn avoid their opponent's left cross). The more familiar you are with a variety of types of fighters the more comfortable you will be with handling whatever you may encounter inside the ring.


2. 
   
   Play out various fight scenarios that are likely to occur during a bout and formulate a plan of attack and defense for each exchange. Mitt work, one-step sparring, and shadow boxing are excellent drills to develop speed, timing, agility, and automatic defensive and offensive responses .


3. 
   
   Increase your threshold for pain by subjecting your body to drills that apply a moderate amount of discomfort to areas of your body that are likely to receive punishment during a real match. This is a progressive technique that should begin with only mild levels of pain that slowly increases over weeks with more moderate to intermediate amounts of force being applied. Force that leaves you in long-term pain is too harsh. An example drill would be doing fisted push-ups to toughen the skin on and around the knuckles as well as to increase the calcium deposits surrounding these bones to strengthen them against breaking during punching.


4. 
   
   Train for at least double the amount of rounds you will need for the fight. If the battle becomes a war you will have the endurance and engery needed to go the distance.


5. 
   
   Focus your eyes around the chest of your opponent. It will give you the broadest perspective to see everything that he is doing. Your main focus will keep an eye on his hips and core which will tell you what direction he wants to move in. Your upper peripheral vision checks his hands, and your lower peripheral vision will keep tabs on his feet, letting you know if your opponent is setting up for a kick or punch, or is off-balance and primed for a counter-attack.