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What Do You Need To Be A Fighter?
When I talk about being a good fighter, I mean "competitive fighting." Competitive fighting is different from street fighting. Street fighting is a no-holds barred proposition where any dirty tactic will do. On the streets, you fight to ward off a non-deadly attack or to kill when dealing with a deadly confrontation. In the dojo or ring it's different.
So what makes a good competitive fighter? First you absolutely need to have the raw physical qualities that can be developed by a good instructor/trainer. Coordination, balance, strength, flexibility and stamina are good straits to start off with. A good instructor can take it from there to give you the skills you need in the ring.
In my many years of teaching fighters, I can tell you that the individuals who want to work hard and are basically in good shape are a dime a dozen. The most important quality you must possess to be a good competitive fighter is heart and temperament. Without heart and temperament, there is nothing.
Heart goes beyond the willingness and commitment to work hard. It is the courage to step into a ring and do battle with another human being. It is the ability to face your fears and push yourself to whole other level, both physically and mentally. I've seen many young people in my school that have the physical skills, but without heart, they are just nice kids training in the dojo.
Temperament has to do a lot with your personal traits and predispositions. If you've been punched in the face, kicked in the stomach or cut by your opponent, you may not be too happy about it. Your temperament however, will depend on how you handle this situation. Understand that your reaction will cause you to either win or lose the fight. You can't strike back in anger. Emotionality will destroy your ability to recover and get back into the ring with any opportunity for success.
What happens when you get hit? Do you lose it or are you able to shake it off? What does "regaining your composure" actually mean? It means that you must quickly make a conscious effort to refocus your attention on your goal. You are there to win. In order to do that, you can't come back with a flurry of kicks and punches. This type of reaction will cause you to lose the match.
In order to re-gain your composure, you need to catch your wind and return to a state of balance. Breathe deeply, re-focus on your goal and when re-entering the fight, move with slow deliberation. It is important at this time to fight strategically and logically. Returning to the ring with a flurry of punches to get your "revenge" will throw you off.
Remember, being a good fighter takes more than physical skill. In order to be successful, you'll have to cultivate the qualities of a winner.
About the Author Calasanz has taught both competitive fighters and street fighters for over 30 years. Check out his martial arts videos here: Martial Arts Videos
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