Fight Psychology: How To Overcome The Fear Of Fighting

Book Preface

So you want to know how to get over the fear of fighting? Well many people aren’t this but a lot of combat sports professionals struggle with this also. Of all our emotions, fear has to be the darkest, it has the greatest influence on the decisions we make and it majorly effects the steps and the risks we take, but fear always serves a purpose. Fear can kill you, it can scare you and stop you from doing the things that you need to but it will always tempt you. In one circumstance or another a great scare is always around the corner. As humans in the animal world we have a unique relationship with fear as no other species will go looking for it as we do. You need to understand that fear is a choice that we make, but to say we have the option to turn it off is a lot easier said than done. Let’s get something straight, you aren’t ‘a cowardìf you fear or are afraid to do something, everybody has fear it’s just how we look at it and how we deal with it, you can either be in the present and push through the obstacle or you can pre-determine the worst possible outcome and let it consume you or avoid the problem and run from it.

When you run from or avoid something this has a lot to do with low self-esteem and self- confidence, it usually results from not getting enough attention and affection from your parents as a child. This means that you didn’t get the reassurance from your parents that you could do something when you didn’t think you could. Most of your anxieties and self- esteem stems from your childhood and your parents have a lot of influence on it. This usually leaves you thinking that you have limits and that any hard task or barrier that is in your way of success, you’ll find it too hard or too much to challenge it. You’ll focus too much on what other’s think of you and you’ll be scared to take action on things you need to do in order to feel happy and complete but you fear failure and making yourself look silly so you don’t take any action. It’s all about mind set, successful and confident people don’t focus their attention on the worst possible outcome they don’t over think things, they are completely in the present moment and take action even though failure may be ahead.

There are no rewards or true excitement in life without risk, it’s important to remember that. Whatever the obstacle of fear, be it fighting or something else, you must understand that fear doesn’t really exist and it may never do. So if you think logically, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to worry about something that isn’t actually there and especially about getting into a fight, because if you’re already practicing a combat sport you are getting ready for a fight essentially, it could be that you’re already prepared for it. So if it does actually happen you are likely to do a lot better than you thought you would. Try not to worry about what could happen and concentrate on right now in the moment. Often in childhood we hear our parents say “you’re just going to have to see what happens and figure it out,” and this quote can be compared in a fight situation, especially if you practice in combat sports. Getting into a fight situation can be closely compared in such a way that when that time comes you aren’t likely to be ready for it and you’ll just have to figure it out because during the moment you won’t have time to be scared as you’ll be too busy handling the situation.

You’ll be in your zone and at the end of the day you’ll handle it because you have to. Ask yourself what is the worst outcome? Sure you could get a beat down in front of everyone you know, but this may result in something positive that pushes you off and leads you to