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How to overcome anxiety or fear before a fight: proven tips

Looking from the outside at boxing matches, it seems to the ordinary viewer that everything in this sport is extremely simple and the main task of the athletes is to beat each other thoroughly. However, in reality the task is sometimes much more complicated and not as simple as it seems at first glance. First of all, boxing is a constant battle with your fear and anxiety. A huge number of boxers burn out before even entering the ring. Having broken down and lost before the start of the fight, the athlete leaves and cannot show anything in the ring.

Fear, which can shackle the whole body, kill the will, make you forget everything that was taught in training, which makes your eyes cloudy, your legs become weak, and your hands fill with lead, this is a force that cannot be ignored. And victory over such a serious enemy becomes the main task for every athlete.

Most boxers are no exception. I clearly remember my terrible state before the first fight, how my eyes blurred and my hands shook. Of course, these feelings dulled from fight to fight, and as I gained experience, I was able to develop my own formula for behavior before a fight, which helps to cope with anxiety.

The formula consists of several points:

Music.

Regardless of the scale of the event, be it a competition or ordinary sparring, I always took music with me to get my blood pumping. Music that helps you get started and get in the right psychological mood.

Maximum concentration.

Having plugged in your headphones, you should concentrate as much as possible on the warm-up, abstracting from what is happening around you. You should not pay attention to posers who, before a fight, practice multi-punch super series, “destroying” bags or paws with all their might. Especially if these “punchers” are in your weight category. This entire demonstration of force is aimed at intimidating possible opponents. An experienced athlete will never give his all before the start of the fight.

Will you win or lose?

You shouldn’t get hung up on whether you’ll lose or win, it fills your head with bad thoughts and makes it difficult to concentrate.

You shouldn't watch other people's fights before going out.

As a result, the boxer breaks down and “burns out” before his performance.

Ignorance breeds fear.

Knowing what your counterpart is like often helps. The excitement subsided in almost all fights where I encountered an opponent with whom I had previously been paired. For knowledge of the opponent gave an idea of what the opponent was capable of and minimized the possibility, on his part, of performing an unpleasant trick. If the opportunity to box with an opponent had not previously presented itself, the excitement disappeared after the first tightly applied blows, when clarity came about the strength and professionalism of the opponent.

Turn your weakness into strength.

In some moments, anger helps to overcome fear. You should be angry with yourself for your ridiculous fears of your opponent, after all, who is he to be afraid of?

Good preparation.

Good preparation gives rise to self-confidence. You should always take your preparation seriously, giving your 100% in training.

These simple techniques helped me. There are many more different ways to prepare yourself for battle, only a small part of them is given here. And if my advice helps someone find inner harmony, organize their thoughts and concentrate, then my efforts were not in vain.

The video is posted in the public domain on a third-party resource; the blog editors are not responsible for the content of the video and its quality and do not guarantee its availability and the ability to view it in the future.

That's all for me. See you on the pages of my blog.

Best regards, Yuri Kutsenko

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We wish you success!

Is it true that in a fight a person’s sensitivity to pain decreases?

If yes, then at what expense?

I broke my metacarpal bones in a fight 2 times, including with a slight displacement of the bone. Both times there was only tactile sensitivity, not pain. But bones are bones, and it’s especially typical when a lip is broken. During a fight you don’t feel it at all, but then the wound in your mouth hurts for a week or two.

I think this happens because of the adrenaline rush. It activates the receptors of the sympathetic nervous system, thereby blocking the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for pain.

In principle, the answer to your previous question was given.

I repeat: true. If the person is angry/furious. In a state of cowardice, it will be even more painful for him (he is concentrated on the thought “ah-ah-ah, how much it will hurt me now”), but this is purely a reaction of consciousness.

Yes that's right. This is close to a state of passion, when the body turns on its protective function, disconnecting from pain.

The point here is not a fight, as such, and not a matter of suggestion. The pain threshold can increase not only in a fight, but also in fear, and in any situation when a large amount of adrenaline is released into the blood. There were cases in the military that a person only noticed after the end of the attack that he was wounded or killed. Adrenaline blocks pain receptors in the brain. This increases the pain threshold. There is also a situation when the body, that is, you, expects pain, then the pain threshold decreases. There are psychotechnics to increase the pain threshold. Well, some people simply have an innate high pain threshold.

Source: Is it true that in a fight a person’s sensitivity to pain decreases? I broke my metacarpal bones in a fight 2 times, including with a slight displacement of the bone. Both times there was only tactile sensitivity, not pain. But bones are bones, and it is especially typical when they break https://www.bolshoyvopros.ru/questions/45032-pravda-li-chto-v-drake-u-cheloveka-snizhaetsja-chuvstvitelnost-k-boli.html

How to deal with fear of fighting

All people have fear, because it is the body’s natural reaction to potential danger. Combat is the most immediate danger imaginable. A person realizes what awaits him, and this provokes the release of adrenaline into the blood. Not everyone knows how to overcome the fear of fighting, and this is one of the decisive factors in combat.

Fear of a fight can be the reason for losing it

You should not show your fear to the enemy, because this makes a person weaker and more vulnerable. Methods for overcoming experiences are described by many psychologists and psychotherapists. You can use them the night before a fight to calm yourself down.

At its core, fear is a natural mechanism of self-defense of the body from the outside world, but in some situations it can play the opposite role. When subjected to panic, the subject loses self-control and the ability to think sensibly. There are several reasons why a person develops fear of battle:

Fear is caused by different factors in every person. It depends on age, health, social status, experience, and skills. But the emotional mood and the support of others also play an important role.

The brain quickly assesses the situation and sends a signal to the somatic system to activate defense mechanisms. This system is responsible for uncontrollable manifestations of fear under the influence of the hormone adrenaline.

When it enters the blood, it causes the following changes:

dilation of the pupils - the amount of light falling on the lenses of the eyes increases, which allows you to better see the enemy, especially in the dark;
blood vessels narrow, increasing pressure at this time and reducing the risk of bleeding when injured;
increased sense of smell – improvement of the body’s defense mechanisms.

These symptoms may also cause dizziness, headache, tremors and upset stomach.

Sometimes fear of a fight can manifest itself in the form of panic attacks. At this time, a person experiences hot flashes alternately with chills. He lacks air, and sometimes he can lose consciousness from suffocation.

Fear can lead to stomach upset

As one saying goes, “The best fight is the one that hasn’t started.” But in life this does not always work, and even people who have diplomatic language do not always manage to resolve the conflict solely with the help of words. If a fight cannot be avoided, then you need to prepare your body as much as possible for defense. It is extremely difficult to do this if you are constrained by fear before a fight.

One of the most common options is the sudden start of a fight between rivals. A person can be attacked in a doorway by strangers or provoked into a fight by a completely familiar person. There is very little time left to understand what is happening. This is why you need to know how to overcome the fear of fighting.

There are several quite effective techniques that are practiced by boxing stars. They are quite applicable both for the ring and in the event of a street fight.

If the action takes place on the street, then it is important to know that everything is not at all as shown in the films. The average fight lasts no more than 1.5 - 2 minutes, and the victory may not be won by the strongest or most dexterous opponent.

If a collision cannot be avoided, and the fear of a fight constrains a person, then he needs to:

Stop thinking about the outcome of the battle and focus on what is happening at the moment. Thoughts about the future greatly reduce the severity of reactions to enemy actions. The body has built-in self-defense mechanisms, as well as the ability to predict the opponent’s intentions by his facial expressions and body movements. You need to trust this feeling.
Transform fear into anger. A person has an excess of the hormone adrenaline, he needs to find a way out. If you can’t get angry, you can suppress it by remembering something very bad and annoying from your life. This will help remove uncertainty.

Psychology recommends resolving all conflicts not with force, but with words. Before entering into a fight, it is recommended to make sure that the situation cannot be resolved otherwise. In order to get rid of fear, people often resort to alcohol or drugs. This is the biggest mistake you can make. Alcohol slows down reactions, clouds judgment and makes coordination imprecise.

The fear of fighting arises even among experienced fighters. Before competitions, athletes experience great anxiety, which they cannot always overcome. Special training and self-confidence help them kill their fear.

Before getting rid of the fear of fighting, athletes train hard, watch the fights of their opponents, if we are talking about big-time sports. But even for beginner wrestlers, boxers, etc., a system for overcoming fear has been developed:

Breathing exercises help during panic attacks. You need to inhale deeply, hold your breath for 5-7 seconds and exhale slowly, lowering your shoulders at this time. This method helps not only to calm down, but also to concentrate on winning.
Adequate rest is also an excellent way to overcome the fear of fighting. A person who has regained their strength will be more confident in themselves and will also feel a surge of energy.
Motivation also reduces anxiety. Psychology says that a well-motivated person is less susceptible to fear.

No matter who fights, a man or a woman, worries or even phobias can only be overcome through self-improvement and control of one's negative thoughts and emotions. Sometimes fighters take painkillers before a fight, but this is strictly prohibited in sports.

In order to get rid of fears associated with fights, you need to understand that whatever the outcome of the fight, a person does not become bad or good because of it. All of these value judgments are subjective.

If a person does not know how to fight, then his fear is completely justified, and should not be ignored. This is the body’s natural defense from the outside world, and if a fight can be avoided, then you shouldn’t even start it.

Source: How to deal with the fear of fighting It is normal to be afraid of pain or physical impact during a fight, but not everyone knows how to overcome the fear of fighting, and this is one of the decisive factors in a fight. https://urazuma.ru/strahi-fobii/kak-poborot-strah-pered-drakoj.html