Thai Boxing Taught Me the Power of the Mind
Both the power of concentration and determination
I couldn’t see anything but my opponent. We were both surrounded by a tight bubble of tension. Our eyes didn’t meet, but our bodies were in intense conversation: the most subtle movement aroused a reaction in the other.
Suddenly, the shoulder started to move, the bicep tightened, and the fist split the air, straight towards my face. Even before I was aware of the action, my own arm reacted and clashed between my cheek and the opponent’s fist. Gloves snapped, jaws tightened, drops of sweat squirted out, and we both returned to our original position. The seconds were ready to stretch again… like rubber bands.
I’ve never been in a “real” ring fight before. I fought but in training. However, it was still fighting.
And I haven’t practiced for years. Only six months. But it was enough to bring me a lot.
Thai boxing taught me the power of the mind.
The mind has several powers. I discovered many of them while practicing this demanding sport. Both in myself and in others.
The first one is the one you can detect at the very beginning of this story. The power of anticipation. That kind of instinct. Which only comes through intense concentration. You enter a state of trance, the essence of what can be called mindfulness of the present moment. Nothing else exists anymore.
All your attention, both physical and mental, is focused on one thing: your opponent. Scanning for his flaws, for the blows you’ll be able to strike; but also for what he may decide to do. Then, you will only have a fraction of a second to protect yourself. It’s either that or the blow. The concentration, or the pain. Instinct.
Then, there is the power of determination. The first time I met this one was in my exercise partner’s eyes. We were following a series of extremely demanding exercises. Several squats chained together with middle kicks, then a series of fast fists that ended with push-ups. All of this a dozen times. Near the end, my partner couldn’t take it anymore. She was literally at the end of her strength and her breath. Her pace slowed down despite my encouragement.
Suddenly, I saw a spark in her eyes. And she transformed. She got on track again and began to strike harder and harder, with a determination as I’d never seen before. It was the power of the mind.
Later, when I was exhausted myself, I thought about it. And I called upon that spark. It answered me. It always gave me the strength to fight twice as hard, to keep going, no matter how hard or painful it was.
Thai boxing taught me strength. Determination. Focus. Trust in my mind and its game-changing powers. The lessons I learned there have spilled over into many areas of my life. I also discovered that combat sports were among the most respectful. And demanding.
It’s all in the head. I’m convinced of that now. The human mind has incredible power.
Nevertheless, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t listen to yourself. But that’s another story.
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