The Punisher speaks… on the importance of the mental side of the game

This week Cathal Pendred explains why being mentally strong is vital in all sports but especially MMA.

My training schedule varies from day to day. Depending on how far out I am from a fight and what particular areas of my game I am working on at any time will determine what sessions I may have from one day to the next. Yesterday, my training schedule included a mental skills training session with David Mullins. I have been working with Dave for about three-and-a-half years now. He works with many athletes as part of Conquer Mental Skills Training. I consider my work with him just as important as my physical training such as boxing, BJJ and strength and conditioning. All sportspeople require a strong mind, especially in times of pressure. However, having played many sports growing up I can tell you with absolute certainty that there is no sports that require mental strength more than combat sports. Walking down to a ring/octagon to face off against another man in a fight is something that requires a lot of training, courage, confidence and a level-head. Of the four things I mentioned, only one is a physical requirement, the others are all mental aspects. What I’m trying to explain is that in going into a fight situation being mentally prepared nearly outweighs the physical preparation. I have seen fighters who were phenomenally skilled in the gym, kicking everyone’s ass in sparring, but when it came to an actual fight they completely crumbled and lost to fighters who were not at their level. In order to reach the top in the sport of MMA your mind must be really strong. In a football game overcoming adversity might mean coming back from being two goals down or regrouping after one of your team has been sent off. In an MMA situation, overcoming adversity means coming back after almost being knocked out, surviving a submission attempt where you were nearly choked unconscious or had one of your limbs nearly broken. Coming back from those sorts of situations require huge mental strength. When your body is beaten, it takes a really strong mind to overcome the natural desire of the body to give up.

In an MMA situation, overcoming adversity means coming back after almost being knocked out, surviving a submission attempt where you were nearly choked unconscious or had one of your limbs nearly broken.

A strong mind is not only required in the fight situation, you must also possess a strong belief in yourself and your abilities. This goes for all sports. Nobody at the top of any sport got their by accident. They believed they were going to get there. If they didn’t believe that then it would be impossible to push themselves through all the training and make all the sacrifices it takes to get there. Tiger Woods, LeBron James, Tom Brady, Brian O’Driscoll, Michael Phelps, Floyd Mayweather; these people didn’t get to where they are now without first visualising themselves at the top of their sports and most importantly believing they could get there. I didn’t get to where I am now without visualising and believing it! Like the guys I just mentioned I have had people that didn’t believe in me. These people don’t matter though, this is where your strong mind must come into play; you don’t let these people’s opinions interfere with your own beliefs. Tom Brady was the seventh quarterback picked in the 2000 NFL draft, meaning there were six college quarterbacks chosen in favour of him. He was described as being not good enough for the NFL because he was too slow, too weak and of not having a brilliant pass. After he was selected by the New England Patriots as pick number 199 that year, he ended up being the fourth-choice quarterback on the team. If Tom Brady didn’t have a strong mind, he would’ve accepted people’s criticism of him not being good enough and he would not now be one of the most successful NFL players of all time. The same goes for Brian O’Driscoll. He was a substitute on his school rugby team for most of his early years. He was described as being too small. His strong mind allowed him to ignore his critics. He became one of the greatest rugby players in the world because he believed he could. The more successful you get; the more critics you have to ignore and the greater your self-belief has to become. Just like I believed I would get to where I am in the sport of MMA now, I also believe I will reach the greatest of heights. That belief is what drives me to wake up every day and bust my ass in the gym, doing multiple sessions per day, training through my pain barrier, sacrificing my social life, dieting intensely. I know that all of this will pay off and get me to where I want to be. I have been looking forward to writing about the mental side of sport in my blog for a while. I think the top athletes in the world are given too much credit for their physical attributes and not nearly enough credit for how strong their minds are. For every athlete at the top of each sport, there are dozens of others that had the same potential. The difference between the guys who made it to the top and the guys that didn’t is, yes you guessed it, their strength of mind. Finishing up I’d just like to say to any athlete of any sport: BELIEVE in yourself and ignore the critics. Focus and visualise on what you want to do in your sport. Use that belief to put in the hard work and make the sacrifices and then what you visualised will unfold in front of you.