17 May 4 Reasons For a Loss
I wrote this initially almost 4 years ago and it remains something that I continue to come back to. I was a new brown belt and was a 5-3 Amateur Fighter. Right after getting promoted I went to two of the biggest tournaments possible. The Brown/Black Belt Division of the ADCC trials and the Brown Belt Division of the Pan Ams. I went 2-1 in my first 3 brown belt matches, but the loss intrigued me the most. The wins proved I belonged on the stage, but what did the losses tell me. More importantly than any individual lesson, was there a set of commons lessons I could derive? Below are my conclusions.
After competing in the 2012 Pan-Ams I wanted to go back and analyze my loss and why it happened. I wanted to see if there was a greater trend that would emerge. In searching the results for patterns I came up with some categories losses can be broken down into. The four categories are mental state, physical traits, technical understanding, and preparation routine. In order to effectively diagnose where your problems lie you will need the help of coaches who are able to give you clear objective assessments of your performance in all four areas. I will attempt to explain and break down each category.
Mental State:
Oftentimes the most overlooked reason for a win or loss mental state basically refers to using your mind to enhance and optimize performance. Oftentimes combat sports athletes will refer to trying to fight or compete, “just like they do at the gym”. If you underperform in competition compared to your training that is a starting point, but the ultimate goal should lie way beyond that. Mothers have been known to accomplish incredible feats of strength such as lifting a car if that is required to save their children. That potential for super human actions achieved through a heightened mental state exists in all of us, so it is with that in mind that all performances should be judged and what we should strive to achieve.
Some of the signs of a flawed performance from a mental state are obvious. An athlete who is nervous or negative before a performance or who “freezes up” in their fight is obviously suffering from issues with their mental state. However mental state can effect many other aspects. Athletes who are afraid of failure will not train hard, or will drink and eat unhealthy during training camp so after a loss they have an easy ready made excuse. With that in mind it is important to make sure you are constantly focusing on training our mental state to be at your best. It should receive focus in your training just like any other part of your game.
Physical Traits:
This is an area that is mistakenly labeled as “God given talent” by too many fighters and trainers. Obviously many people are born with an edge in certain areas, but all physical abilities can be developed. If you are not in the shape you need to be you will gas out and lose your fight. If your opponent has a significant size and/or strength advantage you are giving up an advantage. It is not enough to have ripped abs and an impressive bench. All athletes should make sure they have a strength and conditioning coach who understands the demands of their sport and understands that strength and conditioning should always support the sport specific training and have both short and long term aims. For example, you should be simultaneously getting in the best shape possible for your competition that is 6-8 weeks out, while also developing increased explosive strength that can be built up over many years so you will continue to improve over the years.
Technical Understanding:
Let’s say you have a boxer who is in top condition and has incredible punching skills. If you throw him into a kick boxing or Muay Thai match will no prior experience in those sports he will likely get crushed. You need to understand the technical skills necessary to win. This was easily apparent in early MMA, but is now much more subtle. Before you could say that you needed to work on “ground work” or “stand up”, but these days fights often come down to being able to execute in one specific aspect, for example footwork to avoid being pushed into the cage. With that skill developed it can make a fight you might otherwise lose seem incredibly easy as you take your opponent away from his comfort zone. Fighters must constantly seek an evolving understanding of their technical knowledge. This is not to saying knowing techniques is enough. You must also drill these techniques until you can easily integrate them in your fights and competitions mindlessly.
Preparation Routine:
This is how you get ready for a fight. If I warm up too much or too little back stage. If I eat the wrong foods after a weigh in. If my dieting is off and the weight cut is too hard. If I train too little, or even too much and my performance suffers. Making sure you have access to the right instructors and training partners. Making sure your training is at the right intensity level. All of these factors can either help or hinder performance. This is where planning your training and working with an experienced coach pays huge dividends.
With all of this in mind let’s go back to my match at the pan-ams. Mentally I felt great. I was ready to show the world my skills, I had visualized the match over and over, my body didn’t feel tense or tired. I was ready to roll and give my best performance. Physically, I had no issues, my size and strength at featherweight gave me an advantage in this category. My gas felt good throughout which I would attribute to solid physical training and a relaxed mental state. There was no point in either match that I felt I would have changed the results with physical attributes. My preparation routine for the pan-ams was good. I’d give it an 8 out of 10. I overtrained little in the weeks leading up, but I felt good that day and had made sure that by rolling at multiple different gyms with high level guys I had found the right mix of training partners. In the end my loss was due to technical skill. My opponent immediately pulled to de-la-riva guard swept and took my back. I was able to come back in the match despite being down 6-0 right off the bat, but in the end the lead was too much. In a sport that often comes down to tiny advantages you can’t give away a 6 point lead and expect to always come back. So now my task is to keep refining this position from both top and bottom in order to better understand it and further refine my gameplan. I have some instructional tapes on these positions and that is where I will be spending my time. I encourage anyone to take time after a loss and figure out the reason so you can works towards the solution.