Photo by Rodolfo Clix

In combat sports like MMA and boxing, it might be surprising to learn that there are benefits of meditation for fighters. Athletes prepare for countless hours before a fight. You train all year long and go into intense training camps in preparation for your next contest. Still, even with the relentless physical preparation, your greatest asset during a fight is your mindset. 

As the fight progresses, even if you are physically conditioned, you’ll likely start to fatigue. It’s why you spend time on strategies to maintain your energy throughout the fight. For example, you likely monitor your energy in each round so that you don’t gas out by doing things like maintaining a desired pace or with strategies like not throwing unnecessary or uncontrolled strikes. It’s a constant real-time, split-second decision balance between reserving energy and seizing opportunities. As your energy level inevitably lowers as the fight progresses, you’ll need to rely even more on your training to be in the moment and make smart decisions. 

This is when fighters can lean on mental training and tools like mindfulness and meditation. Mental performance training allows you to create optimal space in your thought process to be nonreactive to noises like the crowd, or even your own self-doubt, so that you maintain a sense of flow and control during the bout. 

Fighters, You Only Have This Moment

“Forever is comprised of nows.” – Emily Dickenson

“The future happens in the present.” – Misty Buck

As a fighter, you know just how crucial each and every moment is. You know how quickly a fight can change. And, you know how quickly it can end in a TKO or a submission. One decision can change the course of the contest. 

Practicing meditation and mindfulness trains you to be in the moment, fully focused, and in a flow state. It’s an advantage that not every competitor trains for making it even more rewarding for those who do. 

While it may seem like slowing down your thoughts and cultivating inner stillness is the total opposite of a fighter mentality, think about how each moment has led you to where you are now. In other words, you only have control of the present. You can not change the past, and you can not control the future or unknowns. All you can do is prepare, train, and practice to make the most of each moment. 

10 Benefits of Meditation for Fighters

Whether you’re mentally preparing for an MMA fight, a boxing match, a martial arts tournament, or another competition, meditation has a number of benefits.

In an article with Sports Illustrated, Heavyweight Boxing Champion Deontay Wilder talks about his meditation and visualization practice saying, “I wanted to try something different and I found that it allowed me to come to peace.” 

In the article, Wilder shares how he uses visualization techniques to speak things into the universe by being very specific with what he envisions before a fight. He adds, “It’s almost like cheating a bit.”

While I know fighters who shy away from anything that might take away their “edge,” I remind them that the peace that they feel has less to do with being in a zen and relaxed state, and more about being in control and fully focused.

Some benefits of meditation for fighters include: 

1. Visualize your matches to mentally rehearse your performance
2. Build confidence and mental preparation 
3. Manage your emotions
4. Minimize noise and distractions 
5. Amplify focus
6. Release tension in your body 
7. Build your ability to trust your instincts 
8. Improve discipline 
9. Create greater self-awareness 
10. Learn how to be present and in flow during fights

How to visualize before a fight

Visuazling before a fight can help you mentally prepare for competition. By creating vivid mental images of your success, you can boost your confidence, improve your performance, and increase your chances of victory.

Steps to visualize your fight:

1. Choose your ideal setting and time: Find a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed. You may want to do your visualization first thing in the morning, or before you head to the facility where the match is taking place. Practice this technique in a couple of different scenarios as part of your training routine to start to get an idea of what works best for you. 
2. Relax your body: Take a few deep breaths and relax your muscles. Start from your feet and visualize relaxing each muscle group all the way to the top of your head. The goal is to relax your body, but also notice if there is any tension that you can use your breathing to help release. 
3. Create a vivid image: Imagine yourself in the ring, cage, or on the mat, performing at your best. See yourself executing your techniques perfectly, dominating your opponent, and celebrating your victory. Take your time and go through the fight in detail.
4. Use all your senses: Engage your senses as you visualize. Imagine the feel of the gloves, the sound of the crowd, feel your heart beating and muscles at work, and the smell of the match. Fully immerse yourself as if you are there.
5. Experience victory: Experience the emotions associated with your success. Hear the words of affirmation when your name is called as the winner and people are cheering for you. Celebrate with your corner and loved ones. Feel the excitement, the pride, and the sense of accomplishment.
6. Repeat regularly: Practice visualization regularly to reinforce the positive mental images in your mind.

Here’s a great morning meditation visualization for fighters from Insight Timer:

This meditation is less about a fight or training, and more about visualizing and connecting to start your day with a positive intention. 

“I see martial arts as moving forms of meditation. When you’re sparring or drilling techniques, you can’t think of anything else.” Joe Rogan

How to build concentration and flow with meditation:

Whether your sport is MMA, boxing, or martial arts, you can follow some simple techniques to get started with gaining benefits from meditation. With this type of meditation, you can use it to build concentration, focus, and flow by learning to stay present. We’re going to do this by focusing on your breathing. 

1. Find a space where you can focus without distraction.
2. Sit comfortably. Try not to be too rigid or too relaxed, but just alert enough to be comfortable.
3. Take a couple of slow, deep breaths at your pace releasing any tension, worry, or thoughts. As you breathe out, relax commonly tense areas like your jaw and shoulders. 
4. Make a commitment to train your mind by thinking or saying out loud: “Right now I am committed to training my mind.”
5. Let everything go just for a few moments. If you feel thoughts arise, that’s normal. Release them and let them be. You can always return later. Right now, there is nowhere to go and nothing to achieve. 
6. Focus on your breath. Inhale, exhale and pause in between. At each stage of this three-point concentration training practice, focus only on what you are doing in the moment. For example, “Right now I am inhaling. Right now I am exhaling. Right now I am resting or pausing.” Feel the stillness within you as you connect and balance mind, body, and soul. 
7. Do this for several minutes as long as you like. The goal is quality over quantity, so if you can only sit for a few minutes at first, that’s totally okay.
8. When you’re done, open your eyes, take a couple of deep breaths, and allow yourself to see how you feel. Go slow and connect with yourself. Check in on what you’re feeling and make a note before immediately moving to your next task of the day.

Affirmation meditation for fighters

Another option is an affirmation meditation. This is similar to the breathing meditation above, but this time, you’re going to focus on an affirmation instead of your breath.

Follow the steps above, but as you inhale and exhale say or think about your affirmations. Here are some options you can try:

• I breathe in positive energy. I exhale negative energy.
• I breathe in courage. I exhale fear.
• I breathe in energy. I exhale exhaustion. 
• Inhale: I am grounded, centered, and ready. Exhale: I am grounded, centered, and ready.
• Inhale: I trust myself. Exhale: I trust myself.
• Inhale: I am a fighter. Exhale: I am a fighter. 

How to meditate before a fight:

Prior to a fight, you have likely already done your visualization exercise and you have prepared your mind and body through training. Now, it’s important to get into the mindset and mentally to compete. Keep in mind that successful meditation isn’t about the absence of thoughts or emotions, but rather the ability to notice them so you can let go of whatever doesn’t serve you.

1. Find a comfortable position: Sit in a way that feels relaxed and supported.
2. Focus on your breath: Take slow, deep breaths, feeling your chest and abdomen rise and fall. Feel the air as it flows in and out of your nose. Connect to your body. See what you feel mind, body, and soul including emotions. 
3. Release tension: Scan your body for areas of tension. If you find an area that feels tight, simply focus on breathing in and out of the spot loosening up any tension. 
4. Clear emotional blocks: If you notice any negative emotions or blocks like self-doubt or worry, allow yourself to notice them without judgment. Acknowledge them, observe them, and let them be. As you allow yourself to observe emotions, they become smaller and smaller. See where you feel them in your body and allow yourself to release them. The key is not to attach yourself to them, but rather allow them to be and acknowledge you can change them because emotions are ever-changing. For example, if you feel nervous acknowledge that and allow it to be without judgment. To do this, you can change your language from “I am nervous” to “I feel nervous.” This is important because we know feelings come and go, whereas “I am” is more like you’re attaching your identity to the emotion. You can also direct the emotion, such as, “I feel nervous, but I know I am ready and I am confident that I will perform well.” 
5. Center your mind: Bring your attention to the present moment, letting go of worries about the past or future. Be here now. Feel yourself focused and clear in the state of a fighter who is in total flow. As thoughts or emotions arise, you are able to allow them to float away so you can focus almost effortlessly.
6. Feel your performance: Connect to feeling ready to perform. Imagine a time when you felt the most ready to perform and you had your best performance. The memory is not as important as the feeling. Allow yourself to sit with that. 
7. Ground yourself in strength: Take a few final breaths, as many as you like, feeling yourself centered, grounded, balanced, and strong. Connect to your flow state. 
8. Refocus on the present: When you’re done, slowly open your eyes and focus on where you are. Feel yourself sitting wherever you are. Feel your body loose, yet grounded in the moment. Observe the room from a space of flow where you are fully present and aware.

If you’re a fighter, martial artist, or coach who would like more help with meditation and mindfulness training, please contact us here to inquire about our programs.