11 Feb High Performance Strategy: The Top of the Pyramid
Striving for any goal can be a long and arduous road. Most of the “naturals” who are enjoying success were actually forged over years and years of development. But luckily there is hope!
I was recently messaging back and forth with a fighter that I help regarding her nutrition in preparing for fights. She was laughing that I constantly speak as if I have 100% faith in her technique and potential despite the fact she lives abroad and we have never met in person or trained together. I reflected on what she said and why my faith was so unshakeable.
The truth is in any field there are only 5-10 people that truly have the ability to be at the top at any one time. Let’s look at fighting specifically. There are a ton of talented fighters out there, but so much is required. Coaching, sponsors, health, lack of personal distractions. If you are dedicated to making sure you have the necessary elements to succeed, and you maintain working towards your goal, eventually you will find yourself among those ten individuals and then being the best comes down to timing and alchemy. Getting to the top 10 is not about timing or alchemy just never give up and give 100% everyday and you will get there.
I constantly preach this thought process to everyone I work with and it all goes back to one moment for me. I had just moved out to California and was training at Team Quest. I was an 0-1 Amateur fighter coming off losing my debut. My coach Bryan Harper was impressed by my jiu-jitsu and mentioned becoming the best fighter in the world. He basically said that since I was young (23 at the time) and already had some skills I should simply just focus on becoming the best in the world. It may seem simplistic but that was the true moment of ignition for me. The day I decided I wanted to be the best MMA fighter in the world in my weight class.
When moments of doubt hit I always would come back to remembering how many people will give up along the way. Money issues, family issues, injuries… so many of the guys who were better than me will give up for one reason or another and those that remain will be in those final 10. GSP always tells a story of when he went down to train BJJ in New York with Renzo Gracies and a young Shawn Williams, at the time a purple belt, destroyed him and he drove all the way back to Montreal contemplating retirement. Instead he stuck with it and became a champion. That thought process fueled me. When another young fighter would beat me down in practice I just told myself he would quit sooner, or lose focus and I would continue on.
Chael Sonnen has a great quote, “I don’t believe you can retire from a sport unless you win a world championship, you just quit.” The answer is simple, if you really want it just keep going. If you are dying from thirst it is foolish to start digging a well in a new spot each day. Dig in the same spot and you will get there eventually.