In order that training can be realistic, focus pads should be used to provide a reasonable facsimile of a human target rather than simply being held up…
… that way strikes can be trained the same way they will be thrown in a fight.
Nobody’s head is three feet wide…
… so the pads should be kept together rather than being allowed to drift apart as the strikes come in.
The pad-holder needs to shift quickly and crisply as the striker runs through a combination…
… offering the right target at the right time.
Good pad-setting is something of an art form….
… and is as much a part of good training as throwing the strikes themselves.
The Psychological Dimension
One of history’s greatest generals commented that the “moral” (i.e. psychological) aspect was three times as important as the physical. He was talking about warfare, but the principles of personal combat are very similar. A relatively poor fighter who is willing to hold his ground and do his best will usually beat a half-hearted but more skilled opponent. Where the fighters are well matched, then psychological factors will usually decide the bout.
This fact has been known for centuries, and is understood on an instinctive level by most people. Generally speaking, many “street” aggressors will use threats and minor physical violence like grabbing and pushing to try to achieve dominance over their opponent. Some sport fighters do much the same thing with pre-fight intimidation, displays of prowess while entering the ring, trash talk to the cameras before the show, and so forth. In both cases, a fighter who is excessively fearful of the opponent will be dominated and has little chance of winning.
It is important that a fighter be trained to deal with these attempts to defeat him psychologically. Confidence is the best tool for countering intimidation, and this is built through good training. A fighter who is regularly tested and can meet the challenges put in front of him develops a habit of winning, and this confidence in his abilities will help him overcome the stress and uncertainty of the fight environment.
If a fighter is going to perform in front of an audience, then he needs to be prepared for this. He needs to be able to either forget about the onlookers and focus on his opponent, or to be able to accept that he is being watched and not become self-conscious. One way to achieve this is to train where outsiders can see from time to time, or to point out to the fighter that he is being watched while he trains whenever someone goes by. Familiarity with an audience can reduce the stress of fight night. So can being an inveterate show-off, but not every fighter has the sort of personality that relishes an audience.
“Stress inoculation” is a useful technique for training both self-defense and sport fighting. Scenario work is used by many self-defense trainers, and can benefit the sport fighter too. One common scenario is to restrict the fighter to responding only if the “aggressor” launches an actual attack. The aggressor (often using body armor and boxing gloves) then postures aggressively, shouts threats and abuse at the fighter, and tries to intimidate him. The fighter must make an intelligent choice under stress to respond effectively if and when an attack occurs, or to observe what the aggressor is doing and make a “no-shoot” decision if he does not attack.
Competition bouts are normally matched for skill, experience, and body mass, but there’s a lot to be said for training against people who are bigger, stronger, and infinitely more scary than you are. If you can handle battling monsters then the prospect of fighting a well-matched opponent should not disturb you much.
Do not underestimate the psychological dimension. A wild swing should be easy to see coming and avoid or counter, but the berserk intent of the attacker can sometimes cause a fighter to freeze and get hit. Good training will change your reaction from “Help! He’s trying to hurt me!” to “Oh, look, a haymaker. Is that all you’ve got?”
There are many variations on this theme. The “aggressor” can make sudden attacks which may not be all that physically painful but look intimidating (e.g. big wild swings, grabbing the fighter and shaking or shoving him, and so forth), all of which forces the fighter to try to respond intelligently despite the stress. These techniques are used extensively by law enforcement trainers and reality-based self-defense instructors, but can also be applied to the sport fighter’s training. Being able to deal with aggression without becoming intimidated is a vital part of fight preparation.
More conventional approaches like sparring or rolling can also be used for the same purpose, of course. Sparring can be set up to put the fighter under extreme pressure, perhaps by using a rotation of fresh opponents with no break for the fighter. As he becomes more tired, his will is eroded and his determination to win will be sorely tested. It is important not to push the fighter too far, but used with care this approach can build fighting spirit.
One useful trick is to mess with the fighter’s expectations. Tell him that he is doing three 1-minute rounds with fresh opponents, then keep going after the three. Or allow the bouts to run on for more than the expected minute. The lesson the fighter needs to learn (more accurately, his subconscious needs to learn) is that “it’s not over until it’s over.” Too many fighters let go towards the end of a bout or ease up when they think they’ve done enough to win. The fighter has to be able to keep at it until the end, or maybe to get back into the fight when his flagging opponent (who may think he’s won and be easing up) gives him an opportunity.
If you lose your head, you’ll lose the fight. A good fighter is capable of acting intelligently even when things go wrong. Gary (on top) is bigger and stronger and I’ve just been taken down pretty hard.
To prevent matters getting any worse for me, I control Gary’s head and try to hook one of his legs. If I can prevent him from transitioning to a fully dominant position, I’ll give myself a chance to improve the situation.
The fight for position begins in earnest. Gary pushes down on my shoulder to break my grip on his head as he tries to move around to the side.
He
