#1.   Control Your Input:

Do not let anyone poison your mind with that four letter word --- “can’t”. Remember that your opponent is made of flesh and blood, just like you. They can be defeated. Your opponent can lose and you can win, if you do the right things at the right time. You must believe this. Just as important as controlling what people say to you is what you say to your self. Do not become your own worst enemy. Do not allow your self to think you cannot win.
The word (can’t) is no longer part of your vocabulary. You can win. Do not wait until the night before a fight to embrace this idea, but accept it as fact. What you see is just as important as what you say. This brings us to our second mindset.



#2.   Always Visualize Yourself Winning:

When you watch people sparring or fighting in the ring and they look tough, do not imagine them hurting you, but rather imagine what techniques you would use to hurt them. Then visualize yourself doing it. At first this might be hard, however; if you discipline yourself to visualize, the rewards will become obvious. Always use this technique to visualize defeating everyone in your weight class. You may find yourself facing them in the ring and this will give you an edge.



#3.   A Professional Attitude:

A professional performs no matter how he feels inside. Do not let your emotions control what you do; this is true with all of your emotions including fear, anger or nervousness. Think of yourself as a professional and force yourself to perform at your best despite your feelings.



#4.  There is Always Something left:

You can always kick one more time. If you are not dead or out cold, remember there is always something left. Exercise this attitude at all times during training. When you run you can practice this by running as fast as you can, as long as you can and when you run out of breath, just slow down, then give yourself another push and run fast again for an extra distance. By losing control of your breath and gaining it back, you learn to stay in control of your breath. Also, get into the habit of doing what you say you are going to do regarding your workouts. If you plan to work the bag for 15 rounds and spar 5 rounds, make sure you do, even if you want to quit. Commit this attitude to memory and when you are tired, say to yourself, “There is always something left.”



#5.  Don’t Be Surprised If You Feel Pain:

If you are lucky, you may get through a few fights without getting hurt. Eventually you will feel pain. This is the test of every fighter. What will you do? If you do not expect to get hit hard sometimes, then you can be shocked and taken off guard by it.
If you do expect pain you will not be disturbed by it, but rather, you will ignore it and continue as if it did not happen. In fact, never let your opponents know you are hurt. There is also a great reward of continuing after you have been hit extremely hard. Not only do you prove to yourself you can endure, but you create the opposite of fear --- confidence. Win or lose if you prove this to yourself, you are truly a fighter.



#6.  Turn Fear into Aggression:

Many fighters use fear to increase aggression. This means that if you have fear or nervousness then use it to your advantage. Nervousness can make you sharper. Like a shot of adrenaline, use the nervous energy to hit your opponent hard and fast with a sense of urgency. Remember, if you feel fear get aggressive and turn it into a positive.



#7.  Stay Calm Under Pressure:

To have the greatest chance for success in the ring you must stay calm under pressure. When you are under attack, look through your gloves at you opponent and pick your shots. If you get angry



#8.  Know That You have Trained:

You cannot sell yourself short when it comes to training. Say you have three weeks before your fight. Don’t think you can sleep in and ignore your running. Training is hard but you must persist to become the best. You owe it to yourself. If you train hard outside the ring, you will do your best in the ring. Consequently you will become more confident in the ring. This cannot be overemphasized enough. Know that you have been true to yourself.



#9.  Think of It Like Sparring, but with Full Power:

Days before the event do not think of your fight as a fight but as a sparring match. Just as you spar everyday in the gym, it will be no big deal, even the night before and when you enter the ring. This will keep you from stressing out and wasting energy. Once you enter the ring do not get excited: just get into sparring mode then let go and hit hard like you hit the bags…with full power. This is a good technique to stay calm and relaxed under pressure.



#10. Focus on The Goal:

Why are you fighting? Focus on the goal. This is the most important mindset of all. Your personal goal is the reason you are fighting in the first place. Your reason may be different from someone else's reason. What is driving you? What is motivating you? If you can figure out what that is, it can be your strongest mental asset.
For example, if your goal is to win a championship belt, then you will do what it takes. That is hard work and takes a lot of determination. Focus on money if that is your motivation. Maybe its wanting to experience the thrill of having your hand raised in the center of the ring. Hone in on it and let it drive you mentally and physically. Figure out what’s driving you, then make it work for you.