Are you a fighter?
Good – I’m about to reveal the #1 “Mental” Mistake fighters make before fights.
One single mistake.
In my work at the highest levels of the UFC. At ONE Championships. Bellator, ADCC’s, beyond – I see ONE fatal mistake. It often starts at a fighter’s first amateur bout. Many never grow out of it.
Watch this video first, for an important reason. You’ll see some results from my clients after a mental shift. But more importantly, you’re going to learn WHY it’s important. Absolutely crucial in “making the shift.” Watch the video first, then read on.
The mistake is not making the *DECISION* to win – and here’s why it’s a big deal..
Yes, I said the the DECISION – so think about this for a moment..
You may know a fighter who seems like the “ultimate loser.” Perhaps he keeps fighting, but never seems to get the “W.” Ever. Or maybe he’ll pull out a fluke. Or purposely seek a mismatch.
They sometimes get records of 0-5. Or 1-7. Some continue to fight with even worse records.
I’m aware of a guy hovering around 0-9, and here’s what’s fascinating..
I’ve interviewed countless fighters on their mindset. And if you ask these guys what their thought process is before fighting, there’s one thing you’ll almost NEVER hear..
A fighter who always loses does not say “I absolutely have to win.” The fighter who always loses, never prioritizes winning.
Nope. What do you hear instead?
“I’m going to go out and do my best.”
“I can only control what I do, not what my opponent does.”
“I’m going to put it in God’s hands, and see what happens.”
“I believe [insert Far Eastern philosophical talk involving honor, ego, pride, spirit, Kaizen, etc here].”
But you won’t hear “I absolutely must win” or “I’m going to win this fight.”
No judgement here – that’s all fine and well – kind of. Let me ask you something..
Do you say “I’m going to work at 8am tomorrow” or do you say “I’m going to go out and do my best to get work at 8am.”
Do you say “I can only control what I do, not what the semi truck in the other lane does. I can only control what I can to get to work, but if I get hit by a truck, I won’t make it..”?
If the boss needs you in at 8am tomorrow, do you say “I’m just going to put it in God’s hands, and see what happens..”?
My guess is, if you have a job, business, or any responsibilities.. You understand the absurdity here.
The fact is very simple: If you plan to win your fight, things change. You will act and train differently moving toward it. Think of it like a “checklist.”
If I ask you which is easier, what would you say? Renting a hotel room, or building a house?
Most will say the answer pretty obvious. building a house is far more involved.
But what if you think in checklists?
Renting a hotel requires making a reservation. Pulling out your credit card. Bringing your luggage up into the room.
Building a house requires pouring a foundation. Building the frame. Running all the electrical. Doing the plumbing. Building a roof. And a number of other things.
But no individual task is that difficult by itself. It requires planning. It requires execution. But at the end of the day, it’s just a different checklist.
And I offer this to you: Winning a fight, versus just “Competing” or “Seeing what happens” are two different checklists.
It doesn’t really need to be any more complicated than this.
Once you have made the decision to win, you can break down what is necessary.
And you can immediately go to work on doing what you know you need to.
Once you know the obstacle and challenge in front of you, you can design your way around, through, or over it.
But if you set out saying “I’ll try to climb the mountain, but I’m just going to do my best..” you’ve already lost. Once you decide “I’m climbing this mountain come hell or high water” your mind understands. And you can begin on a fully committed plan.
One question always pops up when I present this thought to a group…
“What happens if I decide to win.. And I still lose?”
Imagine, for a second, you have a kid who fell into a well.
A rescuer has to be lowered down into the well on cables, grab hold of the kid, and bring him back up.
The rescuer, if asked “When you’re lowered down, what are you going to do?” is not going to say “Well, I’ll try my best, and we’ll see what happens.” He’ll give you the exact steps he’s going to take to get the job done.
Now imagine he grabs hold of the kid, and at the last second they’re lifting him up, and his grasp slips. Or a harness breaks. And the kid ends up at the bottom again..
They have to hoist the rescuer up, and make appropriate adjustments, then lower him back down to get the job done. This time, when asked what he’s going to do, should his response change? Should we hear “Well, it didn’t pan out the first time, so now I’ll just try my best, and see what happens this time, I’m not going to say I’m going to pull the kid up because I can’t control all the factors, and I’m just going to try my best.”
Likely not. The rescuer will tell you “I’m going back down to get him this time.”
And here’s the underlying thought – Most times we refuse to take ownership of winning the fight, it’s based in some level of fear. Those who are most fearful, will double down at this point and say they’re “not scared, but (x,y,z).”
We either start with the checklist of “I’m going to fight” or “I’m going to win the fight.”
You owe ABSOLUTELY NO ONE justification or reasons why you’ve decided to win. You are not testifying in court, you’re not convincing a jury of 12 why you should be awarded the W. You’re not advising for the betting odds in Vegas.
I’ll repeat: You owe ABSOLUTELY NO ONE justification or reasons why you’ve decided to win.
You simply need to make the decision. And train and fight to that plan.
Will you find fighters who disagree with me? Probably.
And will many fighters agree? Probably.
Here’s what I can promise you about both groups: Their fights and records will look very different from each other.
Before you ever step into the cage or ring – DECIDE to win.
-Joshua Manuel, Cht, MPNLP
P.S. – If it helps, look at the Latin roots of the word “Decision.” It literally means, “to cut off.” As in cutting off all other options. Deciding to the win your fight means cutting off all other options other than winning. And this means this is exactly the place to be mentally before stepping into battle.