When you're walking to the ring/cage for your very first armature fight, ever... is it normal to feel like your arms are already rubber, you start to shake a little as if you were cold and in a way already feel tired like you couldn't pick the guy up if you had to.
Is this normal and if so, what causes this and how can it be controlled?
Yes.
Thats is the most common problem followed by the opposite, being too relaxed/dissassociated and just being on autopilot.
Its due to nerves and your mental state. A strange environment, the crowd, not knowing your opponent, etc. The feeling that you have to "hit a homerun" every time makes it harder to do the moves that you easily hit in training.
The best ways to help minimize it(there are still TOP pros that are almost puking and pissing themselves backstage) are mental preparation and a very extensive warmup.
Also making sure youre training for the 6 or so weeks before is competition oriented. No more touching gloves every time something cool happens. practice walking out and having to look at the guy. Start from 15 feet away each round etc.
The warmup before the fight must be thorough. You need to pre-fatigue your body and get a little tired along with raising core temp, loosening up and a light stretch.
Too many guys bounce around and pummel for 10 secs and then wonder why they crap out early. You want to enter the ring with your lungs already open, your body primed so it knows you got some heavy shit ahead.
Ever notice how you often feel better the second round of rolling/sparring? Warm up hard.
Excellent advice, thanks HELWIG.
I will try to make what you said habit and would be interested in anyone else's opinion as well.
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Good advice.
I was that way for my first one and my second one I felt just fine...it's odd
Those are all great natural ways of dealing with the fight or flight reaction. If you notice that it's a very severe reaction, and adversely effects your performance, you might try to get your Doc to get you a few pills of propranolol. That will definitely take care of the adrenaline and make you icy like Fedor.
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Not to sound like a UGer, but propranolol will slow your heart rate a little and help with the obvious outward symptoms like shaking. It won't eliminate nervousness or make you feel better mentally (other than the confidence boost you get by virtue of looking less nervous). They use it a lot for stage fright because it'll make you appear less nervous without actually impairing you the way downers would. A lot of sporting organizations ban them for use during competition, and all shooting/archery events have them banned completely.
For me personally, I get nervous a day or two before the fight and that's it. I run the scenario through my mind of the pre-fight stuff so I'm ready for all the small details - putting your gear on, getting the hands wrapped, warming up, getting called to the ring, and especially standing and waiting once you're in the ring (I assume you've been running all the actual fight scenarios in your mind the whole time training). It's not the fight that makes me nervous, it's the atmosphere. I've been training to fight, not soak in the excitement and energy. By fight night it's all clockwork, no surprises. I, like many others, also prefer to wear many layers to keep extra warm when waiting around backstage.
I remember when I met Tito Ortiz, I asked him what I could do to stop puking AFTER my fights (regardless of whether the fight lasts 10 seconds or 10 minutes) he looked at me, smiled and said, "Dude, I still do the same thing" or something along those lines.
I suggest reading "Wrestle Your Perfect Match", it's the only thing that has ever helped me.
Basically what I do is create an Ipod playlist that I will listen to ALL the time when I'm at the gym, running, or just in bed thinking about the fight. When I run through the fight in my head, I never envision it going perfectly for me because that's not realistic.
I try to see the fight going back and forth but I'm flowing and doing what I do best and making it work for me.
Before you compete, you should ALWAYS have already hit your first wall. Basically, roll, hit mitts, and pummel until you feel like you're tired. After this, put on your sweatshirt or whatever to keep the sweat rolling and stay loose.
While I'm waiting, I like to listen to the same music I listened to the entire time I was training and thinking about the fight. The exact playlist in the exact order. It gets me in the same frame of mind.
Also, something I do that I just picked up when I wrestled was hype myself to a "chewing gum cocky" frame of mind. What I mean is when you watched Micheal Jordan play basketball, he wasn't out there shucking and jiving and telling everybody how great he was. Instead, he was smacking his gum with a smirk that indicated he already knew he was the baddest mother in the land and if you don't agree, you're about to.
I keep saying to myself, "Damn, if I am nervous as good as I am, how nervous must the other guy be?!"
It just helps me mentally and is probably the only reason I didn't puke after my last fight.
Hope any of that helped.
"Damn, if I am nervous as good as I am, how nervous must the other guy be?!"
That's some good stuff.
i just had my first fight this past weekend (Kickboxing)and i was anxious but honestly not nervous i felt as good as i could (i've been sick) can't get a good breath in once i start going hard and my ribs were bruised a little. i only had a week of real training to boot and lost a decision but i mashed the guys face up
Turtle Powah, I believe that's incorrect. Propranolol is a beta blocker, and will block both adrenaline and noradrenaline from effecting the body. So it not only makes you "appear" less nervous, it will in fact, make you less nervous period.
My first fight was nerve-racking, even after I got in the ring, but I still got the win.
My second fight, however, I felt like I was going to puke and pass out before I even started warming up.
After warming up, I got a little more relaxed, but still felt like a huge ball of nervous energy. Once I got in the ring, though, I relaxed, did my thing, and went home with a win, a trophy, and 2 black eyes! lol
I don't think the nerves ever go away, if you're not nervous before a fight, there is something wrong with you.
Visualizing things helps. Especially at the venue. Walk to the cage like you would to fight, go in the cage, get a feel for it. You can't simulate the guy across from you, but going through the motions that you will go through leading up to the fight itself will help tremedously.
HELWIG is spot on with his advice.
Good stuff so far. I love this subject and enjoy reading everyones posts on the threads.
one of the things I go through is the few hours before the fight, I have to piss every 10-15 min.
A conservation officer friend (and fighter) of mine told my it was the animalistic nature of the fight or flight. He said animals getting ready to fight shit and piss themselves to decrease weight to aid them. wierd, i know.
i usually get nervous, and wonder, why the hell am I doing this. LOL. then I remind myself how hard I've trained, and go over my game plan. The walk is the worse, the heavy arms, etc. But for me, as soon as I step inside the ring I have a calm that comes over me. ready to do what i know i trained to do.
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I've had 3 MMA fights (2-1)...
First two I was really nervous, fought on autopilot. Came out swinging like a dumba$$..haha
3rd fight, I was nervous when I was in line filling out the papers and waiting to see the doctor. Leading up to the fight it kind of went away. 30 minutes before the event I lost all my nerves and was really relaxed...
Came out didn't throw anything standing, Clinch to takedown. Got mount and finish with keylock in a minute and a half..
All 3 times I was asking myself what the fu@k was I thinking.. haha
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If I sit, relax and start thinking the whole thing through in my head, walking tot he cage/ring, standing waiting to fight, etc. I STILL get the cold / weak feeling.
Is THAT normal? Keep in mind I have not had my first fight yet but am training for it.