Prior entering the mats for competition, you will usually feel nervous & afraid of the negative outcome of the match. Your hands start turning cold & your brain starts to think of the worst scenario on what could possibly happen. It is a common feeling among many competitors in all sports whether it is running, boxing, MMA, swimming & others.
In my previous Muay Thai, MMA, boxing & BJJ competitions, I had my fair share of feeling nervous but it wears off really quickly as well. Being in competitions for the longest time, I learned that one of the keys for winning is having positive thoughts & feeling confident. Whenever my teammates compete and I see them feeling nervous, I will start by making jokes & later remind them on what is their goal in competition. Your goal as a competitor is simple, you are here & your job now is to go in the cage or mats to compete & win. If you feel nervous, you will still have to step in to compete so why do you choose to have the worst thoughts? When you are scared, you have already lost half of the battle.
I know sometimes it is hard to control these feelings but with all the hard work & dedication you have put in prior the competition, why are you worried still? Your mindset plays an important role to win this competition & your positive mind will give you a better edge over your opponent. To have a positive mindset, you have to train hard & compete regularly until it becomes a norm. If you feel nervous, tell yourself that you have put in so much effort in it & it is just another hard training day in a different environment.
This mindset may take years to develop but that also means there are plenty of room to grow in you. So take your time, train hard & sign up for your next competition. When it’s competition day, whenever you feel nervous, tell yourself that “You’ve train hard to win & nobody can stop you from winning.” You can do it.
OSS!
