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Mind Games |
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by Mark Hampton Interviews by Mark Hampton & Matthew Henderson “I never ever give up. You’ve gone across the abyss and no-one comes back unless your opposition is annihilated” - Dave ‘The Mad Professor’ Gahan, World Champion. It is often said that fighting is at least 90 percent mental. 10 top fighters were interviewed and asked about their mental game, training techniques, and what they did in the lead up to fights. The clearest thing to emerge from the interviews was the huge similarity in the different fighters' approaches to mental preparation. Perseverance When questioned about the keys to their success, the fighters interviewed rated determination, perseverance, and the team they work with as crucial factors. According to six time World Champion, Jason ‘Psycho’ Suttie, it’s all about hard work and perseverance. “I just keep at it, keep at the training, never give up, never say die - in and out of the ring.” Shane ‘Choppa’ Chapman adds: “I was going to say ‘heart’, but it’s more than that. Maybe it’s because I had such a hard upbringing and that has made me want to really achieve something great in kickboxing. I’ve put everything into it for the past 10 years. That’s all I’ve focused on.” Perseverance was also mentioned by a number of the other fighters. Dave Gahan says “my determination - more like stubbornness- never to give up regardless of the circumstances. Also the belief in my own ability, no matter who I fought I always had faith in my training, corner, and the single minded thought that no matter how good my opponent’s record might be, they've never been hit by me.” WMC Oceania Muay Thai Middleweight Champion, Aaron Dixon, has the same belief, citing “perseverance, believing in myself and putting fighting first above everything” as key contributors to his success The Will to Win It’s also a mind game according to Rex ‘Rumble’ Redden, World Muay Thai Champion, “I think I have a very strong mind, and can achieve any goals I set myself when I focus on the job at hand.” NZ Middleweight Champion, Richie “Hardcore” Steward, agrees adding: “I don't have the hardest punches or best technique but I believe I have a huge will to win and that counts for a lot.” Support Networks Support networks play a large role too according to Julie Wood, holder of two World titles, “my trainer and my husband have both been really awesome in supporting me and helping me prepare for my fights.” Jordan Tai, 2 x NZ K1 Max Champion - believes that “the experience I’ve gained working with a range of different trainers” has been of vital importance Aaron Boyes (WKBF South Pacific Champion) believes part of his success is having “a great team around me.” The Power of Visualisation How do fighters mentally prepare for a fight? What techniques do they use? Many of those interviewed highlighted the importance of the fight and set moves. Dave Gahan shared the following example. “When I fought Kobayashi (Japanese kickboxing and boxing champ) I knew he loved to throw body shots, leaving his head exposed. So I would practice the right elbow while visualising Kobayashi left hooking my body. Sure enough he threw it and just through this technique the elbow landed flush. It took him two rounds to recover which threw the fight to my favour.” Richie Steward also does lots of visualisation “especially when running. Every hard hill is getting back up from a knock down.” Some champions only focus on fighting during training. At other times they completely switch off. Jason Suttie says, “sometimes I visualise the fight then other times I don’t think about it at all. I don’t think about the fight every day, 24/7.” Aaron Boyes likes to spend time with his daughter and “not think about fighting. Before I fight I flick a switch in my head and go into the zone.” Training Focus What techniques do top fighters concentrate on when preparing for a fight? Dave Gahan says “having a known strength (the thigh kick) helps to mentally break your opponent. My shins are known as the hardest in N.Z. and as soon as my opponents see them a niggling doubt creeps into their mental defences. Gahan remembers that before his first fight with Ben “Pixie” Burton he happened to be catching up with old friends from the Maroochydore Warriors gym. “They asked about the scarring on my leg and to prove it didn't hurt and wasn't bruising I kicked the steel framed chair a friend was sitting on. He is about 6 foot tall and after he jumped up and exclaimed “ Jeez did you see that! He just kicked my chair and just about kicked me right off it!” “He carried on for a bit, while all the time Ben was watching. During the fight the first time he kicked I checked as hard as I could and grinned at him. That was the last time he kicked below my headline during the rest of the match!” Other fighters just push themselves to their limits and eliminate any weaknesses. Rex Redden says, “I train all techniques equally and try not to leave any gaps. This way there is no way my opponent can find weaknesses! I push myself to the point of exhaustion and try to hold this level every round, that way my mind is always trying to give up and have a rest, but I push on. I also make my pad holders hit me very hard to make me angry, because when I am angry I never give up! This gives me a really good mind set and helps me to stay focused during training sessions.” Richie Hardcore says “I work on weak points in my last fight. Always looking for something to improve. Fitness is my most important aspect, without a good fitness level it doesn't matter how good your technique is.” Aaron Dixon also believes that fitness is the most important aspect of his training, “I’ve been unfit in a fight...that’s got to be the worst feeling.” The Day of the Fight On the day of the fight most fighters just relax and have some time out and do as Aaron Dixon says, “the usual lazy Sunday stuff”. Rex Redden has a more unconventional way of preparing himself - “Normally the night before the fight I go to a strip club. This always relaxes me and stops me from thinking about the fight too much. I find that if I sit around worrying about the fight I never have a good sleep but if I go and look at strippers then I am all relaxed and ready for a good nights sleep.” We asked our group about what mental training they do just before the fight. Some just relax and don’t do anything. Rex Redden says he is “normally itching to get out there and fight, I just try and stay happy!” Jordan Tai feels the same way, adding “When it’s time I just ‘switch on’ to fight mode and then away you go!” Others do some final visualisation. Dave Gahan says, “prior to the fight I imagine my opponents attacking any counters I've prepared, but all in slow motion.” Between Rounds What do champions think about between rounds? All those interviewed highlighted the importance of listening to their corner. In the words of Rex “they are the key to winning my fight!” Some Champions go even further. Jason Suttie spends time thinking “about if I won the last round, and how much work I have to do in the next round”. Dave Gahan asks himself questions “How can I beat this guy? How can I neutralise his game plan and turn it to my advantage?” We asked our fighters about their future fight career plans. Most are planning for higher goals or future fights. Jordan Tai is looking forward to competing in K1 Max qualifier in Japan. Aaron Dixon’s goals are “more fights, more experience with good fighters regardless of results, ultimately a world title.” Richie Hardcore wants to “fight Australian opponents regularly and build up to a South Pacific title fight. I would like to fight in the super league.” Fighters who are further down the career path often mention passing on knowledge to others. Aaron Boyes wants to “work on building up my fighters at my gym and training future champions.” Rex Redden thinks along the same lines and adds, “I want to learn as much as I can about the art of Muay Thai so when I stop fighting I can pass this knowledge on to my fighters.” These interviews produced some interesting trends. All of the fighters we spoke to are incredibly determined individuals who persevere and believe in themselves 100 percent, regardless of the situation. They often use mental techniques to focus themselves and to improve their performance. Of these mental techniques visualisation is the most widely used. |
