I’ve had a full week of training this week Monday through to Saturday which has been good. Saturday was tough but still worth my time, despite it being a short session. It’s been a while since I’ve taken the breaks off like that, and I was walking around yesterday with a nice post gym glow. You know the one I mean. A friend of mine once said that feeling is ‘yours to keep’ and when you’ve put in work it feels well deserved.

Last week I briefly touched on how Mike Tyson worked on his ‘Iron Mike’ persona when he was still competing. I’ve just finished reading his autobiography and there’s parts of it that are outright inspiring. What’s stood out to me is how he could flick a switch to become that vicious machine in the ring some of us loved, and some of us hated. I say vicious machine because he was vicious. He was the sort of fighter I would not wish on my worst enemy.He broke his opponent’s spirit before he broke them. ‘The baddest man on the planet.’ as they called him at one point.

Although it takes a long time and a lot of commitment and sacrifice to get to that kind of level in any sport, there’s still a lot I’ve taken away from Mike’s story and from my own story and journey so far.  The key for me in this respect, is that in order to succeed in a competitive arena you have to be able to flick that ‘on’ switch to become a  different person. It takes commitment and dedication and it takes heart. In the midst of all that there’s a lot of self belief involved too.

It’s an area I’ve talked about before because it’s an area that continues to develop the longer I train and the more I compete. Being able to flick that switch is never an easy process but the more I find myself in the uncomfortable places I’d rather not be when training, the more I learn how to cope under pressure and I find the more the fighter develops. I’ve learnt that fighting Thai is not only a hard style but it makes you tougher inside.

I think really one of the reasons we’re so respectful to each other outside of the ring is because we know when it’s time to step up, neither party is there to play. Fighters earn just as much respect for not giving up and fighting with their heart and losing as they do when they win. In fact, I think it goes way beyond wins and losses. It’s a tough world to be a part of but it’s forged me into a better person than I was before. And it’s taught me more about myself than I thought I would ever know.

I intend  to keep developing my mindset  as well as focusing on physical training because I think really you can’t have one without the other. Mind, body and soul as they say. Regardless of what level I’m currently fighting at, I’d rather adopt the attitude of the best for my training, because I think it can be applied right here and right now. It’s uniquely our own journey and I want to be the best I can possibly be. I’m still inclined to say that pressure fighting is probably going be the best way forward for me, and learning how to play that little game is as always a work in progress.

So next week onwards I  intend to keep the momentum up with training. I’m enjoying pushing myself a little more than usual and I know that it will  bring out the best in me and will stand me in good stead next time I compete.   And really that’s what matters the most. I’ll keep looking for those uncomfortable places. I hope you do too. Have a good week and train hard. I’ll see you on that road.