So again I’m writing about combat sports and how one can excel at them. Like I said since this isn’t technically a main focus of the site but rather a hobby for me (one that has a myriad of benefits in my humble(ish) opinion) sort of like talking about how to be a better fiction writer (another rewarding hobby) I’ll relegate these types of post to off days when nothing would have been going up anyways.
Consider them nice “extras” if you will. Not only will they teach you some valuable things if these hobbies interest you but many will also serve as a way for me to better breakdown a certain principle or aspect of the craft (whether fighting or fiction writing) and get a better understanding myself while also writing it out to sink it deeper into my memory.
While others will just be sharing what I’ve learned in my journey. Here I want to look at a big picture topic which is how to best excel at combat sports and rapidly progress past what you would otherwise. Not all learning is created equal and there is a way to advance at 2-3x times those that hit the gym just as much as you do.
Remember not only do you have to work hard but you have to work smart. It’s not an either/or choice it’s an and choice. The working hard is up to you but here I’ll provide at least one piece of the puzzle when it comes to working smart and rapidly progressing as a combat sport athlete (talent being equal, which of course it never is but you get my drift). So let’s get started.
Step #1 – The Practice Portion
I’m not sure steps is the best word to describe what I’m talking about here but it makes for a catchy headline so I’m going with it. The first part we’re going to cover is the practice portion and one thing most get right. In order to get better you’ll want to practice techniques and get a feel for them in your body and when learning it’s best to do this slowly but surely. This is the step that includes doing things like mitt work, hitting the bag, shadow boxing, demonstrating moves on an unresisting opponent and is something that most studying combat sports do.
The part of the class where the instructor demonstrates a move or shows a combination and then you repeat it on the bag/pads/partner to get the mechanics down pat. This also includes drilling aspects. This contains much of the “rote memorization” which is critically to truly developing a skill, though it can be boring. This is the time to make little tweaks that really make your technique shine. Get it perfect because during other portions it’ll be large by instinct that such things are done. Take time with this part and get it right.
Step #2 – The Fighting Portion
Bruce Lee supposedly once said (true even if he didn’t) “If you want to beat a martial artist who’s trained for 15 years box and wrestle for one.” Now what did he mean by this quote? Essentially because of the training methods (most martial arts only focus on the practice portion and have little to no live training portion) make them ineffective for developing actual fighting ability. In order to develop real fighting ability you actually have to fight. Sounds obvious but if you’re dipping out on sparring/rolling and wondering why you’re not improving, well I think you just answered your own question.
You have to do the actual thing to get good at it. This doesn’t mean getting into ego based gym wars every day. Rather that you need “live fire” training that closely replicated fight conditions as much as possible. This means full contact fighting, even if you’re not trying to kill each other. If you had two people and one did nothing but the practice portion and the other nothing but the fighting portion (live training) the guy who only did the fighting portion would beat the ever loving stuffing out of the guy who only did the practice portion (though doing both obviously is best).
Step #3 – The Study Portion
However there is one third component that can really make the difference and is neglected by far too many fighters. And that is the study portion. This involves understanding the “Why” behind fighting and various techniques and strategies. The practice portion is the “how” and the fighting portion is the application of the “how” then the study portion is the “why” that makes the application of the how that much better. This involves things like understanding strategy and mechanics but also something else, something deeper.
It also involves the subconscious and soaking in high level skill. You’d be hard pressed to find a fighter at the top of his game that doesn’t watch film. Film is critical for really understanding things at a subconscious level and filling in all those little gaps that are left by the practice and fighting portion of the craft. Film study also allows for creativity and showing one the grey areas of the game. Not to mention modeling things that are hard to model standing in a classroom. Watching film is paramount to being the best that you can be.
Strength By Symbiosis
Doing all of these things together makes them far more powerful than doing them one at a time. The results become exponential. Meaning if you’re serious about this stuff at all then you won’t miss a single facet. You’ll do the practice portion, the fighting portion, and the study portion and each will reinforce the other making them better. Thereby rapidly accelerating your progress compared to what it would be.
Doesn’t mean you’ll be world champ or even the toughest dude at your gym (and it’s not about those things anyways, especially the second one) but rather it’ll ensure that you are excelling at the most efficient and effective rate possible, for you (for you being the key words there). Which is what this is all about anyways. Bettering oneself, overcoming challenges, and gaining a valuable skill in the process. So apply these things and see how they work for you, something tells me you may be surprised just how effective they can be when taken as a whole.
If anything I said here interests you I’d highly recommend you check out The Ultimate Alpha Collection which is a compilation of 16 of my books for the price of 5. It covers everything from being a man to making money to getting the right mindset to getting girls to fighting and more and is a resource no man should be without. Pick up your copy today!
-Charles Sledge
