The Essence of Fighting
Words to Live and Train by
Understand the expressions below, dissect them, internalize them and you are sure to grow as a fighter.
I have written my understanding, just below each of the expressions on this page.
I get a lot from them and I hope you will too.
ENJOY!
It’s alway good to hit them, where they can’t hit you
Don’t just hit, set it up. Move your head, move your feet, create the angle, sit down in your punch and hit with mean intentions, from a position of safety.
Slow is smooth, smooth is fast
Be sure to slow way down, when you are first learning. Once you are smooth in execution, then you can add speed. Smooth speed is leveling up.
Let's go defense
Defense is 50% of fighting, it keeps you safe.
People only train defense 25% of the time, and they wonder why they get hit twice as much.
Worktime
If you want to grow, put in the work.
Hit hard, be hard to hit
Hit with mean intentions, be defensively responsible.
Make’em miss, make’em pay
Have good defense, control distance and timing, make sure you counter each time you make them miss.
You don’t box with your hands, you box with your feet
You need footwork to become a pugilist.
Offense wins fights, defense wins championships
You need both offense and defense.
Defense gives you the confidence to deliver your offense.
Training makes habit
You fight the way you train.
Dropping your hands is a bad habit.
Having your hand up is a good habit.
Develop good habits.
Excellence is not an act, Excellence is a habit
Just performing a skill is not sufficient.
You must do repetitions with focus, perfect mechanics, perfect form, great timing, real intent and repeat this, until you have obtained the muscle memory, so it becomes impossible to do it wrong.
Fighting is not an emotion, it’s a mechanic
Emotions alone does not win fights. You need solid mechanics.
Solid mechanics are your tools in both defense and offense.
Your mechanics define your options, controlled emotions support your intent.
You need mechanics aka physical skills to hold your own, with a skilled fighter.
In fighting you can get lucky, but luck is not skill
An uppercut is a good example.
It's not easy to land an uppercut, so when you do, it feels great.
But if your uppercuts connects only once in a blue moon, then it's luck.
If you can connect with an uppercut consistently, then it's a skill.
That's an important distinction.
Warrior’s path is the quickest way to enlightenment
A fighter gets to know himself.
You can’t hide your flaws in a fight.
You can’t fake it, when you are in a fight, with a skilled opponent.
Understanding yourself is the first step to enlightenment.
The path that leads to truth, is littered with the bodies of the ignorant
If you are devoted to mastery, by seeking the right knowledge and putting in the necessary repetitions, with the right focus and intent, then you will find out the truth about yourself.
Those that do less, will fall along the way.
Study the knowledge
Learning the correct answer is not enough.
You must understand the reasons behind your answer.
You must be able to apply that knowledge, when called upon.
This is exactly the same, when it comes to learning skills, skill sets, concepts and tactics.
Follow the process
Have a set program to follow. Perform the necessary activities with the right focus on a daily basis.
Embrace the process
Take pride in your efforts to develop your craft.