How to get more confident/handle pre fight nerves?

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ronki23

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So I have been doing kickboxing (Sport Karate and Lau Gar Kung Fu) on-and-off since 2005 but since October 2009 I have been doing tournaments approximately every other month. To date I have done 6 tournaments as a novice in both point fighting and continuos (I am not used to tournament fighting).
October and February were tournaments where I wore a face-shield; I have worn a faceshield since 2007 (when I started sparring) but now I fight without it.

The main problems I have are:

a) Being worried of getting my nose broken or even knocked out; I have been hit in the nose before but it has never bled. Whenever I fight, I back away or turn my heady away and close my eyes and swing out. Is there a way to stop that? Last tournament I hardly turned my head away and fought back pretty ferociously but it wasn't enough to get me a win.

b) Being scared of my opponent just before a fight; sometimes (when I watch Rocky,etc.) I feel like Clubber Lang and on top of the World; but then the nerves kick in and I get scared that i'll get knocked out/put in a coma. On the day of the fight my nerves really kick in when I see my opponent who (generally) looks scary-especially when they're bouncing around on their toes before/look angry!
By the time I get angry/ready to really take it to him, he's already hit me several times/several points up!

I know I won't be the next Chuck Norris but I would like to get some first places. I aspire to win in the big three: WAKO,ISKA and WKA (I want at least a bronze in two of them).

I am in this for confidence in myself/belief that I can beat anybody who tries to fight me/hurt people I love.

My record:

Points fighting: 2 wins, 6 losses
Light continuos: 1 win,7 losses (controversial loss-judges say it should have been a draw)

I would also like to know the WKA UK schedule for this/next year-when are WKA tournaments?

I would also like to know if you get competitions that are all about takedowns/grappling without strikes.
 
Don't think about your opponent at all, think about your advantages and how you are going to hurt him, it helps me alot.
 
Honestly it seems like you lack confidence. I don't have any point fighting experience, but I have competed in BJJ tournaments and other competitions. I can say that being confident is paramount. There is also nothing wrong with being a little nervous either. You want to be keep a balance between being relaxed and being alert.

In regards to you turning your back and closing your eyes, that just a natural response. You have to be trained in order to override your body's natural "Fight or Flight" response. Taking a hit is a skill that has to be acquired through sparring and coaching. I find it weird that you have competed so much and still have this problem.

Anyways, good luck man. I think you just need some confidence along with some solid training.
 
If you have training gear, leave it at home and repurchase in Thailand. If you don't, you'll come back cursing "why didn't I buy these damn $90 gloves for $30 when I had the chance!"

*edit* This was intended for the "What to bring for 1 month training in Thailand thread". Don't know how I posted it here instead.
 
Last edited:
shera said:
If you have training gear, leave it at home and repurchase in Thailand. If you don't, you'll come back cursing "why didn't I buy these damn $90 gloves for $30 when I had the chance!"
Click to expand...

Nice
 
I was always more worried about what other people (like my friends) would think about me losing than actually losing - i guess i would have been absolutely fine with losing a sparring match with no one knowing about it. So you might want to try and convince yourself you don't care what everyone else would make of your performance.

EDIT: also different strategies work for different people. Some people fight best when they are absolutely relaxed and don't care, others are best when they are angry and hate their opponent. Someone is afraid fo the crowd, others draw their energy from it. You might want to try and find out what is it exactly that makes you nervous. I was also afraid of betting my nose broken - but i had an example of toughness in my coach, who had his broken multiple times and just recently had a hand surgery and is in general a bit battered. When he talked about his various injuries, I felt ashamed of my fear. About being scared of your opponent i don't really know what to say - i have always reached the point where i was just like "fuck it, i'll do my best". It also helped me to recognize my opponent as as good or better than me - that way I was not afraid to lose (since it would have only been expected of me) so it naturally made me more relaxed and i fought better. But that might not work with everyone.
 
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hmmm

The main thing is anticipating my opponent-I get really nervous just before the fight/when they go over the rules and my opponent is staring me down and bouncing around on his toes (something I don't do). By the time i've noticed it doesn't hurt much,he's already leading.

Is there anything I can do to stop turning my head away when fighting? It's generally when i'm under pressure I do that. My instructors keep shouting at me when I do that and say that it'll be worse if I only defend

Finally,with sparring, whenever my opponent blitzes me/I blitz back, my limbs move 10x slower than I tell them to! I want them to do a certain technique but it takes so long!
 
ronki23 said:
a) Being worried of getting my nose broken or even knocked out; I have been hit in the nose before but it has never bled. Whenever I fight, I back away or turn my heady away and close my eyes and swing out. Is there a way to stop that? Last tournament I hardly turned my head away and fought back pretty ferociously but it wasn't enough to get me a win.

b) Being scared of my opponent just before a fight; sometimes (when I watch Rocky,etc.) I feel like Clubber Lang and on top of the World; but then the nerves kick in and I get scared that i'll get knocked out/put in a coma. On the day of the fight my nerves really kick in when I see my opponent who (generally) looks scary-especially when they're bouncing around on their toes before/look angry!
By the time I get angry/ready to really take it to him, he's already hit me several times/several points up!

.
Click to expand...

Its all in your mindset bud.
For the turning away problem , the cure is to spar a lot especially just hands. Mix it up too. Spar light n then spar normally. Spar lesser skilled guys to relax then spar guys as good as better.
Me , im very relaxed almost too relaxed (thats one of the changes ive made lately, now i try to be more tight(?) focused)
Never never close your eyes n swing. Whenever i see guys like that i laugh, switch angles and chonk 'em.
Dont try to get into mindgames in the weigh in or glove touch ups. Look at what Fedor does. He never even looks at him. Play your games now ...bitch !
Me i just smile cuz its funny to see this clown trying to act tough. You bouncing on your toes ?......i can smell your fear.
Everybody gets nervous right when they enter the ring. That nervousness also pisses me off so i cast it aside. Learn to recognise your emotions and even more , how to use it for you. Feel scared ? It can make you faster. Feel angry ? It can make you stronger. Dont swing for the fences. Keep it caged in n when u see an oppurtunity (like a counter).....EXPLODE.
Ive had my nose broken twice. Its no big deal. First time , i just snapped it back into place , took a round off and sparred a couple rounds more (no headshots).
Worried about getting KOed is normal. Work your defense then NOTturn your head. A shot to the back of your head makes it easier to KO you.

Most importantly : Train hard = so u have confidence in your abilities = easy fight.

Finally i would have to say that you should do a soul check and see if you're cut out for this sport.
Just desire alone is not enough sometimes. If the fear of getting hit is making it impossible to compete then........
It doesnt matter if you know u could fuck somebody up in a self defense situation. You have to remember two things , first the guy probably will have no combat experience compared to a competitor who's spent countless hours training just to kick your ass.
Secondly, in that self defense situation you have no choice. In competition , you put yourself there. If you're getting a drubbing the ref/corner will step in and save you .
 
spar with only gloves and shin guards going 90/100%, get used to being hit in the face.

at the risk of sounding like an ass.. toughen up
 
Lanj said:
spar with only gloves and shin guards going 90/100%, get used to being hit in the face.

at the risk of sounding like an ass.. toughen up
Click to expand...

You dont go that hard even in a fight.
 
pretend the guy you are fighting gets to sleep with your mum if he wins.

Trust me you'll only have 1 thing (kill) on your mind. . .
 
Lanj said:
the point is to toughen up the mind, ex. not being afraid to get hit by someone going hard.

this way he'll be ready for anything
Click to expand...

OoooK

:rolleyes:


hey , sometimes im scared of getting nutted when im with beginners. Should i go a couple of rounds with my sack hanging out to get over my fear ?

:icon_lol:
 
Spar first without head gear before you have a fight bro. No good going into the ring with only experience of fighting with gear on. Ive been doing kickboxing since 2008, haven't had a fight yet, but sparring with only Shin pads an Gloves (No head gear) is really good.
 
TS...this is what everyone tells me and I found out first hand for it to be true recently...
EXPERIENCE
nothing, no training, no confidence, no amount of skill can take the place of experience in your first few fights...

My first fight I had such bad stage fright i could not pull the trigger and let out a single attack...
My second fight I was MUCH better, I could actually re-act to my opponent and fight back...I could still not execute a gameplan or control the fight, you need more experience for that...


Ever see an amateur kickboxing fight? notice how sloppy they look...
thats from lack of experience/nerves/addrenaline...

Only guy ive ever seen to fight with good form in amateur was because he had alot of fights....not a coincedence.


they say the more fights you have the more composed, the better you can execute your plan, and the more you will be able to listen to your corner...and most importantly....the more you will be able to perceive in a fight...youll be able to spot out mistakes and capitalize on them in the middle of a fight
 
Also, this is some good advice I'm about to give you so listen up...

Watch as many amateur fights as you can before competing...I mean live not on youtube or whatever...go backstage and see the fighters prepare..

the more you see it the more desensitized and ready you will be for your first fight because you will not only be desensitized to the pre fight jitters (before my 2nd fight i would get nervous even if it wasnt me or if it was my friend fighting) but you will also realize that it's only amateur...and worst case scenario is you get a broken bone, and even thats unlikely
 
Can't believe u haven't sparing without that thing on your head. What are you? A fighter? Don't think so.
 
NuTzOnSwOll said:
Its all in your mindset bud.
For the turning away problem , the cure is to spar a lot especially just hands. Mix it up too. Spar light n then spar normally. Spar lesser skilled guys to relax then spar guys as good as better.
Me , im very relaxed almost too relaxed (thats one of the changes ive made lately, now i try to be more tight(?) focused)
Never never close your eyes n swing. Whenever i see guys like that i laugh, switch angles and chonk 'em.
Dont try to get into mindgames in the weigh in or glove touch ups. Look at what Fedor does. He never even looks at him. Play your games now ...bitch !
Me i just smile cuz its funny to see this clown trying to act tough. You bouncing on your toes ?......i can smell your fear.
Everybody gets nervous right when they enter the ring. That nervousness also pisses me off so i cast it aside. Learn to recognise your emotions and even more , how to use it for you. Feel scared ? It can make you faster. Feel angry ? It can make you stronger. Dont swing for the fences. Keep it caged in n when u see an oppurtunity (like a counter).....EXPLODE.
Ive had my nose broken twice. Its no big deal. First time , i just snapped it back into place , took a round off and sparred a couple rounds more (no headshots).
Worried about getting KOed is normal. Work your defense then NOTturn your head. A shot to the back of your head makes it easier to KO you.

Most importantly : Train hard = so u have confidence in your abilities = easy fight.

Finally i would have to say that you should do a soul check and see if you're cut out for this sport.
Just desire alone is not enough sometimes. If the fear of getting hit is making it impossible to compete then........
It doesnt matter if you know u could fuck somebody up in a self defense situation. You have to remember two things , first the guy probably will have no combat experience compared to a competitor who's spent countless hours training just to kick your ass.
Secondly, in that self defense situation you have no choice. In competition , you put yourself there. If you're getting a drubbing the ref/corner will step in and save you .
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tips-this above one is the most helpful one so far

I've noticed that in my last fights, I waited for the guys attacks to judge his power-not necessarily a good idea methinks; from that he got 4-5 points ahead of me :( Not to mention my limbs move so much slower than I tell them to :(

I feel like

gohan-kid041.jpg


I know I have the ability but idk how to let it all out like

gohan_teen.jpg


or even

hulk.jpg
 
Avoid overtraining, beginners often seem to not have a feeling for that.
 
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