From the Ross Training Blog

I saw this video and wanted to post it... when you think you have no more...

Take a moment to watch this brief video (you must watch the end to appreciate the significance).

This video reminds me of a famous Thomas Edison quote.  In his words, “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”

I’ve seen truth in these words at all levels.  I know professional fighters who have starred in main event title fights on national television who still doubt their ability.  The physical talent is there, but the mind is still trying to hold them back from reaching their true potential.

The mind is certainly powerful.  There is no denying this fact.  Unfortunately, the mind’s power can work in both directions.  The mind can either propel you forward or hold you back.  More often than not, the physical talent and potential is present, but the mind prevents the athlete from moving forward.

There are times when you need to turn off that little voice inside your head.  Turn it off and go!  Don’t think about what you can or cannot do.  Just go.  Think less and do more.  Challenge yourself.  You’ll be surprised at what you can accomplish.

As mentioned in the past No Excuses article, I often see athletes who constantly search for a new and better plan.  If something isn’t going right, they rarely take personal responsibility.  It must be something else, right?  Wrong!  Often times you simply need a reminder of what REAL work is all about.  Hard work is interpreted differently by different people.  

For a combat specific example, we occassionally call for additional rounds of sparring when the athlete thinks he is in the final round.  For example, the athlete believes he is sparring 6 rounds, but we may call for 8 or 10.  Initially, you may be mentally conditioned to assume that you are fatigued in what you believe to be the last round.  When you are forced to “suck it up” and continue however, you’ll often surprise yourself (and realize that you have more gas in the tank).  Clearly, this isn’t something that the novice should attempt, but as you climb the ladder, you need to do more than is expected of you.

Ross