There are four distinct attributes that every single champion athlete possesses that put them over the edge in their respective sport and can be carried over into Mixed Martial Arts and other combat sports.  Granted, many great athletes possess natural talent which is a gift, but everyone possesses the ability to gain the skills needed to compete at high levels of competition.  One skill is mental toughness.

Talent and physical skills will only get you so far because they are physical attributes which only make up 50% of our body wholes.  We need to incorporate the other half of ourselves which is our mental game.  The following four attributes are a necessity if you want to become a champion.

1. Be flexible: This means that you must be able to “role with the punches” before, during and after competition.  Being able to change gears mentally and remain poised, positive, and focused.  Being flexible is having the ability to bend with the situations that are out of your control.  Such things as injury, illness, bad officiating, blown game plans, or whatever bad scenario you can imagine can and do happen, but choosing to move forward in the direction that will help your situation, rather than focus on the problem itself is a good indicator of a mentally tough athlete.
2. Be responsive: This is the ability to remain charged, focused, intense and highly connected in moments of extreme pressure.  As the battle heads to the next level, responsive athletes step up their game as the game itself, steps up.  These types of athletes are coined “clutch” players, or “the go to guys”.  They do not withdraw from the challenge and become unresponsive.  This is another indicator of a mentally tough athlete.
3. Be Strong: Mentally and emotionally strong athletes retain the ability to impose and resist immense emotional force while under great pressures which help them sustain their “fighter” mindset.  They are not swayed by “momentum swings” or “bad calls” or mistakes.  They retain the aggression from the beginning to the end, regardless of pain, fatigue, or even the scoreboard.  They keep fighting because it’s putting up the good fight that is important to them.
4. Be resilient: Resilient athletes are able to absorb mishaps and mistakes and bounce back quickly while simultaneously becoming stronger.  They put the unfortunate situations behind them and refocus on the task at hand.  They understand that focusing on the problem only creates more problems, so becoming a solution oriented athlete gives them more options for success.

These four attributes can be consciously made into habits by any athlete.  You do not need to be a superstar to become a superstar.  Just like the physical side of sports, one gets better with “perfect” practice, so does the mental aspect.  One way to develop these four attributes is to recite them over and over again, and consciously try to catch yourself whenever you are not acting within the boundaries.  By consciously conditioning yourself within these four attributes, they will eventually become habitual, and move you toward greatness.

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