How to Build a Fighter’s Mentality

A true fighter is always the best competitor. A fighter’s mindset distinguishes him from the rest of the people. He accepts challenges and finds solutions to the problems around him. A fighter’s mentality should be competitive as a good fighter is always ready to face competition. He must have the ability to accept multifaceted tasks of different levels to account for his mental ability. A fighter deserves a goal-oriented mindset because without setting a goal and marking the point of destination, all efforts go in vain. He must own a proactive and consistent mindset as a proactive mindset shows efficiency in competition. The best fighter’s mentality is free from fouls and confident in the decision-making process moreover a fighter’s mindset can be expressed as follows:

Carl Jung’s quote has inspired many people from different walks of life. based on Jung’s advice, a fighter’s daily mantra should be:

To create a fighter’s mentality there are several easy-to-adopt tips. These tips are useful for beginners as well as for experienced/professional fighters and martial artists.

The process of building anything takes some time and effort. The exposure to a competitive environment to fighters is the first and foremost step to change their mentality. As it is the environment that helps them to strive and determine what they want to become. A thriving environment is as important for the success of fighters as it is for people of other fields.

Instructor is like a guide book and his experiences lead to refined results. Instructor paves the roadmap for the fighter to follow and a fighter often becomes a reflection of his instructor. The connection and results are interlinked with the instructor So, there is a dire need for vigilant and experienced instructors to guide you properly and help you with consistency.

A vigilant and experienced instructor knows the importance of consistent training and practice. He must instil in the fighter's mindset the belief and optimism that “practice makes a fighter perfect”. Training and practice make the fighter able to face challenges in competitions. A fighter learns a lot from consistent training and practice.

A fighter’s consistent training and practice helps him address the weaknesses and mistakes in his career, allowing him to work on his shortcomings and improve his skills during training sessions. He learns from his mistakes and setbacks. Such learning is highly valuable for the fighter in his long-term career as he also becomes better at seeking solutions to problems. This phase of learning makes him able to escape his opponent’s attacks and deal with stress and pressure that comes with professional fighting.

A fighter’s mentality should be struggle-oriented rather than result-oriented. One who focuses on his struggle phase learns a lot and ultimately performs well. Struggle-oriented mindset facilitates the fighter to tackle his challenges in the best way possible. It makes the mind sharp and proactive.

A fighter must be in the habit of setting his goals and objectives clearly because a vague mindset leads towards a blind alley. The ability to set goals and objectives timely helps a fighter to make progress and develop a confident personality. In addition, setting goals and objectives helps the fighter remain consistent on his path.

Sportsmanship spirit elaborates on the positive characteristics of a fighter. Every fighter should have a sportsmanship spirit as it shows the moral qualities of a fighter. It is common that one may hurt his opponent during a contest but the real essence lies in sportsmanship. How one chooses to deal with a victory or failure in a competition or a fight reveals one’s character. The most common situations that arise on a BJJ mat and demand sportsmanship spirit include, acknowledging an opponent’s injury with empathy after a submission technique goes wrong, being humble after the victory and gracefully accepting your defeat and opponent’s success, handling controversial statements maturely, handling tension before the bout, and serving as role models for fans, junior athletes, and other members of the BJJ community.

The well-known proverbial statement “a stitch in time saves nine,” underlines the importance of time management skills. Every fighter must acknowledge the value of time and improve his time management skills. Employing the right technique at the right time can make or break a fighter’s career. Additionally, the time management skills will make the fighter responsible and confident.

A fighter is supposed to take great care of his health as they say, “health is wealth.” The fact that a healthy body owns a healthy mind is undeniable. A fighter's routine is hectic due to long training hours, and it drains his energy. To maintain a balanced routine, there is a need to adopt a healthy diet plan. One should eat more nutritious food and drink plenty of fresh water and juices to hydrate and replenish.

No doubt an exhausted mind needs proper and timely rest. If a fighter is punctual and knows the value of time management, he will make time for his rest as well. Proper rest rejuvenates the mental ability of the fighter. Taking rest will help them remain consistent and patient. Moreover, a hectic routine demands proper rest itself. If there is no rest and continuous practice, it will create health issues for the fighter and affect his athletic performance. Therefore proper rest is a prerequisite for a balanced routine.

In short, to build a fighter’s mentality one should possess the above-mentioned qualities, including a competitive environment, a vigilant instructor, consistent training and practice, a learning-oriented mindset, the ability to set goals and objectives,  sportsmanship spirit, time management, a healthy diet, and proper rest. These essential tips pave the road towards building a fighter’s mentality.