Did you know that many A-list performers get really nervous before every performance? Some have even admitted to consistently throwing up before hitting the stage. Nerves affect everyone who performs on any kind of stage, which is just as true for MMA fighters as actors, musicians, or football players.
So whether it’s your first time in that cage or you have been doing it a while, it is not unusual for you to be a rattling bag of nerves before an MMA fight. So what should you do to help calm those nerves? We at The Fight Doctors (a top-rated CBD store created by real doctors) understand what you’re going through, so we’ve put together some ideas that may help you keep your nerves under control before stepping into the ring.
Remember That Your Opponent Is Nervous Too
We all have a habit of putting our opponents up on a pedestal. Whether you’re a trial attorney, a businessman, or an MMA fighter, we tend to develop a mindset that our opponent is more prepared, more experienced, and flat-out better than we are. The truth of the matter is that they are likely thinking the same thing about you.
Somehow, moving your opponent off that pedestal and realizing they are going through the same emotions that you are can serve to calm your nerves. Knowing that the guy or girl you’re about to get in the ring with is just as nervous as you helps to make them not so big and fierce in your mind. More likely than not, when you step into the ring, you’re going to see the same fear you are feeling in your opponent’s eyes. Acknowledging that they are as human as you will go a long way to calming your nerves.
Put Together a Pre-fight Playlist and Entrance Song
Music has a way of soothing the savage beast. And when that beast is your nerves, music can calm those nerves by giving you something else to focus on. It is way better than just sitting in a quiet locker with nothing but your thoughts and fears to keep you company.
Create a pre-fight playlist that motivates you and makes you feel fierce. Move to the music to help get your muscles warmed up, and let the motivational vibes wash away those fears as you jam out to what gets your juices flowing. The same goes for your entrance song into the ring. Find something powerful that gets your blood going and use that same song every time you get introduced into the ring.
Tai Chi
This is a Chinese martial art. The reason we’ve listed it as a possible way to calm your nerves before an MMA fight is that it links breath to physical movement. This combination also increases flexibility while boosting energy. Known as meditation in motion, it requires you to focus on the present, which is great for helping you stay calm. You can also use Tai Chi daily to improve your sleep, balance, and cardiovascular fitness.
Visualization
One of the fascinating things about the human brain is that it cannot distinguish between something you vividly imagine and an actual experience. You can use this fact to your advantage by going over an event in your head and imagining a winning outcome. Vividly picture it in your mind, and you will feel your body relaxing and getting used to the idea. This technique not only helps you to relax, but it also improves your chances of winning.
Because strong visualization is taken as being real by the brain, it builds a sense of certainty. By going through a series of movements and outcomes in your mind, you increase your chances of hitting those split-second strikes and precision movements.
Mohammed Ali and Conor McGregor are two masters of visualization. Ali often accurately predicted which round he would defeat his opponent. Likewise, Connor McGregor predicted that he would knock out Jose Aldo in the first round of UFC 194, and sure enough, he did! Having this kind of surety from visualizing winning scenarios before a fight will do wonders for your nerves and help improve your chances of winning.
Enjoy the Experience
Something within you has called you to do something that less than 1% of the population will ever have the guts to do — combat fighting. The discipline it has taken to get you here and the heart driving you all says something about who you are. Enjoy that! Whether you win or lose, you are making a statement about who you are just by getting into the ring. This will be an experience you will take with you the rest of your life, and every bout will be a new story to tell.
Savor the process and enjoy the entire experience. Relax and just go with it, and for goodness sakes, have fun! Someone enjoying what they are doing and having fun at it will be much less nervous than someone worried about making a mistake or getting hurt.
We Have Products That Help
We at The Fight Doctors exist to help each fighter reach their potential and do their best in the ring. This is why we carry our line of CBD and Delta 8 THC products. Both of these cannabinoids have been found to have a calming effect on the body while leaving the mind clear. So whether it be a fast-acting tincture or an enjoyable and long-lasting edible, we have the products to help you through those pre-fight jitters. And you can count on the purity of our products because everything we carry is:
- Derived from hemp grown only in the U.S.;
- 100% legal on a federal level;
- Created using state-of-the-art extraction techniques; and
- Tested by an independent laboratory.
We even make the results of those laboratory tests available to the public, so you can be sure that you are getting a pure and potent product that works consistently every time. Win with us today!
