Mastering Your Mind

If you let your emotions control you and dictate your behavior, you will never be free from the burdens of the thoughts that chain you to mediocrity. If when in the midst of a high-intensity situation, you “see red” rather than being able to think about the logical next steps, you have already lost the battle at hand, let alone being able to regroup and rally in preparation for the war. You see this all the time in the martial arts world, in BJJ competitions, wrestling matches, MMA fights, and countless other examples. A quick way to lose respect for the sport, is to start shoving, name-calling, cheap-shotting, underhanded tactics, and various other examples of someone becoming emotional and losing their temper. When anyone resorts to such pathetic actions, it tells the world everything you need to know about them. Insecurity screams loudly to hide any weaknesses, while confidence is often silent and stoic. After all, Lil’ Wayne did poetically say that “Real G’s move in silence like lasagne.” You either need to rely on dirty and shady methods to win because you are being out skilled, or you allow your emotions of your frustration at not being able to execute what you anticipate and therefore your mind is already out of the game.

Now, don’t get me wrong, there is a difference between those who try and stir up the pot and initiate bad blood in order to create some controversy to entice the excitement of the audience and crowd. If they hype up the bout, the match, or the fight, their wallets will grow with the amount of eyes tuning in because of all the buzz this has generated. People like Jake Paul, Conor McGregor, and Gordon Ryan have all mastered this craft in a way that we as viewers can critique all we want while they laugh their way to the bank. But then you attend one of these smaller fight cards or grappling competitions and lo and behold, some ego-driven hothead takes things too far. And for what? A measly paycheck that doesn’t even cover your medicals? Or worse, you actually paid to enter this competition and still allowed your pathetic lack of control to dictate and trigger your emotional response. Even when McGregor’s skills started declining to the level of par he was used to when he began coming up short in fights, you would read news articles about him punching elderly men in bars or chucking chairs through windows. Lack of control gives you an insight to the unraveling of what lies beneath. Gordon Ryan is probably one of the most cold, calculated trolls in the sport, and his level of control over the things he does and says speaks volumes.

There’s a difference between showboating to sell tickets, and running your mouth because you can’t back up what you’re saying. Nick Diaz laid down in the cage to mock the lack of initiation with Silva, and the crowd ate it up. He didn’t start screaming insults about his opponent’s mother. There is a huge difference. The mouth runs when the skill falters, and you are desperately clinging to something that shows what you think is bravado and strength. I just watched a boxing match where one opponent pushed the other girl into the ropes after the ref separated them and called her a ‘bitch’ while doing so, totally unprovoked. To me personally, that just screams “Look at me! I’m tough. I’m a fighter. See? See how I throw my weight around?” Please. Give me a break. She must have been bff’s with my last opponent who thought buttering herself up to the promotion while simultaneously disrespecting every other facet about the sport and being a racist degenerate overall would get people talking. All it told me is that you are not just a trashy person, but a garbage ass fighter as well and it’s frankly an insult to my skillset to even share the cage with you.

At a tournament this last weekend, I watched one of my most humble and kind students forfeit a 3rd match in a best 2 out of 3 when his opponent tried to physically fight him after he berated both himself and the innocent official because my student was out-techniquing him rather than relying on brute strength and pent up aggression. He’s a young, barely 18, upstanding guy and was fearful of retaliation of his opponent violently putting hands on him should he start getting the better of him in any way. My student has longer hair, and the guy he was going against already yanked his hair deliberately hard and repeatedly to get out of a sub attempt and was disqualified. He screamed profanities and also aggressively approached him in the hallways to intimidate him and my student simply did not want to engage. Everyone is paying to compete in the hopes of winning a $5 medal. It’s a freaking local tournament my guy, not the world championships, settle down. 

I’m tired of the bastardization of a sport that I love because of a few rotten eggs. They do say that one bad banana spoils the bunch, so I just wish these people would just split already (basdum tss). I understand martial arts is an endeavor where emotions run rampant, but I promise that I am a thousand times more frightened by the opponent who has mastered himself. Sure, the unpredictability of such a hotheaded psycho can cause some concern, but I know that they also aren’t thinking straight and it would be easy to utilize better fight IQ against them. The one who reigns in all facets of how they are feeling, and rather than react to the onslaught happening around them, is still able to stay focused solely on their objective and execute their game plan will always be more lethal. They need not resort to flashy antics and inflammatory verbiage, because they will let their skillset say everything that needs to be said and quell an aspirations their opponent had of conquering them. Controlling oneself is the ultimate power, and it is what separates the grown man from the weak little boys (that is a colloquialism; please don’t cancel me, we can all be strong). The best part of martial arts and combat sports is the mutual respect it comes with, as there is no match/bout/fight without a willing opponent. I commend those who always display it, win or lose, and find it shameful to those who don’t. Hold your students to higher standards and learn to check yourself as well, and together we can keep these sports from becoming an outlet for out of control egotistical jerks from ruining it.