The past couple of weeks training has really felt like I’m getting back into the swing of things. I’ve made sure that I’ve trained consistently and although some days have been tough going all of them have been good. It feels like at the moment I’ve got a million and one things I need to improve, but I guess improvements come with time, and it’s just as important to focus on what your doing right as well as what your doing wrong. 

I think sometimes with Thai it’s easy to over complicate things and think too much about what your going to do before you do it. This is something I’m still guilty of. I guess sometimes learning to let it go and having faith in yourself to find the openings and shots you want is just as important as concentrating on landing that text book perfect roundhouse. (not saying I’m text book perfect but you know what I mean.) Making yourself press forward, keeping pressure on or gritting your teeth and taking the blows all takes a lot of courage but over the course of time, I’ve learnt to stand strong and take the fight to them. 

I’ve learnt that this is something that cannot be taught to me by anyone other than myself, and I’ve also learnt that at points it can be an incredibly hard road to be on. I’ve found that training and fighting has made me a lot stronger mentally, and I’m pleased to say that slowly but surely when it comes to combat I’m learning to leave the nice guy at home. There’s been points in the time I’ve spent doing this that I have wondered why I keep going back, but I guess when you have a passion for something and see each opportunity that comes your way as a challenge to yourself you will always listen to the quiet voice that tells you to persevere until you succeed. Courage as they say, does not always speak with a roar.

I can remember a friend of mine telling me before my first fight ‘As soon as you get in that ring you’ve already won’ and you know something he was right. He was right because as soon I stepped through my nerves and my fear, everything I wanted was right there. And despite losing and then losing again and again, and despite having pushed myself up from my hands and my knees on more than one occasion from the canvas, I’m still here. And finally I found that hard work does pay off and I’ve discovered that I’m starting to get better at what I do. I guess when you love fighting you never really lose, you only ever learn. 

So how am I feeling about fighting again, now that the dust has settled from the holidays and there’s just training, training and more training ahead? I think really the way I feel now is the way I’ve felt for the past few years about fighting, I just want to see how far I can get. As I often say it’s a good journey to be on and I intend to start the year off on a good note. 

Like many people that train and fight, I could write a book on perseverance and not giving up so it’s kind of something that’s close to my heart. That’s where I live. I thought I would leave you this week with some very humbling words from Kevin ‘The Soul Assassin’ Ross on ‘life is’.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVwzE2chZKs If your anything like me, it’ll be something you can relate to. In the meantime train hard, walk tall and always stay brave.  I’ll see you on the road.