This is a topic very near and dear to me. While many have said that I look calm and focus before a match, beneath the surface I am fighting a tidal wave of emotion and anxiety.

Explanation:

While Pre-Fight Anxiety can make you feel weak or inferior on the inside, no one can see what is going on in your head, and those pains of anxiety serve to pump your veins with Adrenaline. Adrenaline is a chemical that super charges your bodies abilities, is has even been known to give a mother the ability to life a car to save a trapped child (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/extreme-fear/201011/yes-you-really-can-lift-car-trapped-child). Not only can your opponent not see what is going on in your head, but when they look at you, the mental anguish that this anxiety grips one with usually serves to make them appear angry and intimidating. The next thing to consider is that most people are probably going through this process, some are gripped with the jitters more than others but make no mistake they all feel it to some degree. So what is it, what is causing us to feel this way?

Elaboration:

Pre-Fight Jitters or "Butterfly's" are caused by your brain telling your adrenal glad that there is impeding danger and to release adrenaline into your body. This process is designed for what the scientist call your "Fight or Flight" response, your body is making you ready to ether fight against the danger or to run away. Which every action is chosen the body is making sure that you will do it to the maximum of your potential. Now while this process can improve your power, speed and awareness it can also drain your energy quickly. Have you ever noticed that while training people can go round after round with no issue, but on competition day they seem so drained after 1 round? Or have you noticed how some people perform okay in the gym but are super stars at completion while others are the exact opposite? All of these anomalies can by explained by the way some people respond to adrenaline, it can be the tank of NOS in your car that rockets you into the lead, or it can burn out your pistons and ruin your engine. While adrenaline response can not be turned off like NOS can, there are some ways to help you utilize it to your advantage.

Tips:

Before I get into all of the tips on how to try lessen the inrush of adrenaline, for your must consider if the situation calls for lessening it or not. For example if you are being attacked in the street by one or two attackers, this is not the time to try and suppress your adrenaline, let it help you strike to your maximum potential. However if you are about to fight a multi round fight or in a multi opponent tournament you might want to consider not dumping your adrenaline in the first match. Remember how I mentioned earlier that adrenaline can allow a mother to lift a car to save their child? Well I did not mention that while she was able to lift the car, in many cases she slipped disks in her spine while tearing muscles, ligaments and tendons in the process. Pain and self preservation normally prevent us from such self inflicted injury but when that super chemical is loose in the blood all bets are off. So without further ado here are some techniques to convince your brain to signal the adrenal gland for less of the power serum.

• Take Imodium for your stomach about an hour before your match, you will not get this advice anywhere else but I am saying it and I will tell you why. One of the biggest symptoms of Pre-Fight Jitters is a very odd sensation in your stomach caused by blood flowing there to keep your core warm, this feeling can make you feel nauseous. Once you feel nauseous it actually increases your symptoms of anxiety so by treating this one of the worst symptoms you can relax more there by help eliminate jitters.
• Take Valerian root or Kava to reduce your anxiety without slowing your performance.
• Avoid Caffeine or energy drinks, until right before finals.
• Simply knowing of the process of how your body is responding to this situation and creating a mental image of your brain sending impulses to the adrenal glands just on top of your kidneys can reduce jitters.
• Positive self talk on how hard your trained and how good you are will help.
• Breath slowly and deeply, focus on your heart rate and tell yourself to slow it down.
• Listen to soothing music, not lets get pumped for battle music.
• Sleep if you can up to 30 mins before match, not many people can myself included.
• While warming up you need positive reinforcement from your team, not getting all pumped up and crazy but calm reinforcement, save that other stuff for when you are in a tough spot or are close to a finish.
• Stay Warm, literally! If you feel cold you will feel anxious so stay warm, where a hoodie leggins whatever you need, you want to keep a light sweat going for 30 mins before the match.
  Now many will talk about all of these weird rituals and superstitions, at the end of the day you must use what works for you.

At the early stage of my combat sports career I was very disheartened by my pre-fight anxiety and now I am very happy to have more control and understanding of it. I hope this article servers to help other who are afflicted as I was.

I am not a dietitian, a doctor or a nutritionist. Talk to a doctor before taking any supplements or medication, my suggestions are based on what I have done and has worked for me.

Please commend below and let me know what works for you!