THE 90% THAT IS CRUCIAL FOR MMA VICTORY

The 90% That is Crucial for MMA Victory

 

Most sports fans, especially the casual fans, assume that the best team or the best fighter usually wins. When the less qualified fighter or team comes out on top they consider it an “upset.” Dedicated and hardcore fans realize that this is not the case, especially when it comes to MMA.

Sports psychologist Brian Cain sums it up best: “The best fighter never wins; it's always the guy who fights the best.” Cain goes on to say that the ability to fight the best lies not with the ability to throw a punch and apply a submission hold, but with the fighter’s state of mind.

UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin, who was a client of Cain’s, breaks down the mind-body dynamic even further. Franklin says that “training for a fight is about 90% physical and 10% mental, yet when you enter the octagon it becomes about 90% mental and 10% physical because all of the physical preparation is done.”

The concept of a “winning mindset” is thrown around to such a degree in the sports world that it has almost become a cliché. Most interpret the term to mean going into competition with a positive outlook; an “I can do this” optimism.

As the study of mental conditioning has improved and advanced, the traditional concept of a “winning mindset” has been shattered.

Mental coach Stephen Ladd, whose techniques include hypnotism and mediation (which many consider to be a bit unorthodox), says developing the correct mental attitude is a matter of winning an internal struggle. Ladd states that a fighter’s “conscious and subconscious minds aren’t in complete agreement. The fighter wants to be the best more than anything in the world, but at the subconscious level, he is filled with doubt or fear, or any number of negative emotions. This sets up a self-sabotage scenario. By getting the subconscious and conscious minds on same team – your team, the whole fight game becomes a lot easier.”

While Ladd’s techniques may seem unorthodox and some question Cain’s assertion, especially in a sport that depends so much on the physicality of the competitors, they are based on assumptions that are centuries old. Eastern monks, acolytes, and yogis have long taught that the mind is the individual’s most powerful tool. In recent times, the pop-culture book The Secret and institutions such as The Choice Center with their “Dream. Declare. Deliver” mantra have garnered large and loyal followings, updating these age-old tools to cope with today’s (non-sports) stressors.

George Hall never stepped into the octagon but is a prime example of the importance and benefits of a positive mental attitude when it comes to sports. Hall spent seven years in a POW camp in North Vietnam. He spent every day of his captivity playing mental golf. He says that he visualized every aspect, no matter how minute, of the game. One of his first goals upon his release was to play a legitimate round of golf. The Greater New Orleans Open offered him a spot where he shot a surprising 76. In a post round interview, Hall stated that his results were not surprising saying “I never 3-putted a green in the last five years!”

Tito Ortiz is a major proponent of mental preparation. When he is not in physical training, he trains his mind by competing in another sport; No Limit Hold’em poker tournaments. While playing in one of the largest tournaments in the world, the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, Ortiz talked about the need to keep a clear mind and be in the moment. “I play a lot of poker and it's just repetition. You see the hands coming, you see the percentages of hands you can win and hands you can lose, and it's the same thing in fighting. It's repetition. When I play it's automatic. I'm not thinking twice. I'm not thinking about it, because when you think about it it's already too late, people are going to know what you've got. In fighting it's the same thing. If you think about it, it's already too late. That little window has already passed you. That's the huge correlation: repetition. Over and over and over again.” He says that the time spend “sharpening the tools” makes the moment of actual competition “super easy.”

Mental coach Cain echoes the need for staying in “the now,” saying, “The past is history, the past does not dictate the future, the future is a mystery, once you start thinking about what's going to happen in the future that's when you're going to get caught.” He goes on to say that the great fighters are “not focused on what ifs, they're focused on what is.”

MMA fighter Martin Kampmann, like Ortiz, plays tournament poker and notes the similarity of the two sports - and the disastrous consequences of losing focus and making mistakes. He said, “I don't have to worry about getting punched in the face in poker, …But staying cool under pressure is a big similarity. One mistake in fighting, if you leave your chin up or your arm out, the fight is going to be over quickly and you'll wind up being knocked out or submitted. In poker, if you lose your focus, before you know it, you're out of the tournament.” 

Professional poker player Adrienne Rowsome, also a MMA fan and occupational therapist in Canada, explains the results of a fighter that lacks the mental discipline and focus to stay in the present by noting “When MMA fighters get punched in the face they usually react one of two ways. They fill up with rage and charge back in swinging wildly, seeking retribution. This sometimes leads to a spectacular knockout, but more often than not, this type of fighter wakes up staring at the referee wondering where they are and what happened.”

The next time you watch two contenders step into the octagon pay attention to more than the disciplines they have studied, their win-loss record, and the “tale of the tape.” Look for indications of their mental conditioning by watching how they carry themselves, how they are focused and at past mental conditioning indicators such as pre and post bout interviews.

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