In the recent weeks I’ve been ruminating over the many ways my athletes perform outside of controlled drills. Often, during sparring, I watch my athletes place themselves in disadvantageous positions because they are “doing too much” -- too much in the sense of trying to force an interaction with an opponent, to be something that it is not, or trying to force the engagement into fitting a mental picture that they have created.
It’s easy for us -- as people and athletes -- to remain relaxed and composed when we know the parameters and variables within a drill or a situation in life. We are taught in life and, in our boxing, to exert control over situations; for a lack of better verbiage we “make our opponent do what we want them to do.”
Here’s something to consider: control is “not real.”
In actuality, the idea of controlling our opponent hinders us from fully engaging in the interaction that we are having with them. In a verbal discourse, as in boxing, it is almost impossible to predict what the other person is going to say. We may be able guess to a degree what they may want to express, or how they may possibly respond, but we cannot predict the exact words they will use. Having a conversation with this type of mindset creates a jerky conversation where smooth discourse is impossible to create. Instead, you are left speaking in half-phrases, constantly interjecting and never realizing the fullness of the interaction.
The exact same thing happens when we box with the idea of trying to control our opponent’s actions and movements. We are constantly attempting to predict the unpredictable, causing us to defend punches that may never really be coming or moving to places we do not need to be, thus placing ourselves at the disadvantage and harm’s way.
Instead, it would behoove us to invite our opponent to feel free to move and to feel confident that they are able to reach us when and where they want. It is only in this way that we can most effectively counter their offensive.. Any offensive initiative presented to us by our opponent should not be viewed as a threat, but rather as a gift. A gift in the sense that any movement they make to reach us creates openings for us to counter. With this in mind, our counter can only be truly effective if we let our opponent feel confident enough to reach out and touch us, therefore creating avenues for us to counter.
“You see, from your thought to your fist, how much time was lost”
This mindset moves our need for control away from controlling our opponent and into the realm of focusing on our emotions and our tactical mindset.
So the next time you find yourself sparring and your opponent poses a question to you in the form of a punch, allow it to come to you and appropriately respond to it by saying “thank you” and punching them in the face for their troubles.
As always, keep it simple and keep on punching.