The Fear factor

[hc]

Was having a discussion recently with a friend of mine, (Black belt (Tae Kwon do) around competing in competiton. He replied that he used to, however these days does not..On probing more hs said that the fear factor had kicked in...And only recently, and he could not put a finger on why. It got me thinking about fear myself, recollection of playing football when younger, and the belly would be doing somersaults...However once kick off started and the 1st tackle went in, it was all gone. Now I have not had much opportunity to spar, however I am sure that sparring and in competition, it would be a similar feeling...And would be interested in understanding how people deal with this ? So how do you deal with your fear.

Henry

[jlaw]

Hey Henry,

Fear and nerves is not something that most competitors usually talk about or deal with properly but it's a major part of competition, especially when starting out. Everybody gets nervous before a competition, or even at the thought of one! It's perfectly normal and when they are dealt with properly, they can actually help you perform better.
So, if competition is something that interests you, it would be a shame to hold yourself back from achieveing that goal because of nerves or fear of perfroming (or not performing!) in front of a crowd. Get started by getting some sparring done and it will become a natural progression.

[philliptwyford]

Hi Henry,

Jamie is spot on with his advice and I should listen to it myself. Self confidence, looking like an idiot if a move does not come off and the fear of getting smacked in face have curtailed my involvement in sparring. I am trying to work on this with the guys and I hope to spar in an MAI tournament in the near future. I fought when Rob sparred the 100 men for charity and I aged 10 years waiting to get in. Once I was in there all the nerves went and when I left I wanted to get back in.

Its the waiting to get is the hard part.

Cheers
Phillip

[Stuey.K]

Hi all,
I know the feeling of having the butterflies in my stomach before fighting, but you just gotta swallow your fear, you more than likely wont take permanment damage, get in and focus on the fight not fear or else your too busy thinking of it and it will cost you!
Thats my best advice.
Thanks
Stuey.K
Stuey

[dkidd]

Good post. Fear is a useful emotion in sparring as it prevents you from being rash and getting hurt. I personally use the Billy Blanks fear psychology. I imagine my opponent is a great big kentucky fried turkey and man I love fried turkey so I don't just want to beat him I want to eat him.