5 Ways To Get Rid Of Pre-Fight Nerves

Stepping into the ring, the adrenaline coursing through your veins…

The spotlight shining brightly upon you – it's fight night. 

As a boxer, feeling nervous before a fight is a common experience. In fact, it's entirely normal. The surge of nervous energy can be a powerful ally if harnessed correctly.

In this article, we'll explore the dynamics of pre-fight nerves, delve into the psychology behind them, and provide you with five effective ways to manage and even leverage those butterflies in your stomach.

Is Feeling Nervous Normal Before A Fight?

Nerves are an integral part of the fight game. 

They're a testament to how much you care about your performance and the outcome. Contrary to popular belief, feeling nervous before a fight isn't inherently negative. Instead, it's an opportunity waiting to be seized.

Those pre-fight jitters, if channeled properly, can act as a catalyst, enhancing your focus, increasing your adrenaline, and boosting your overall performance.

However, there's a fine line between beneficial nervousness and overwhelming anxiety. 

If your nerves lead to numbness, fatigue, or uncontrollable shaking, it's crucial to address them. 

Some athletes might become over-aroused, resulting in a rapid heart rate, excessive excitement, and racing thoughts. Striking the right balance is key – you want your nervousness to enhance your performance, not hinder it. The best professional boxers in the world still get pre-fight nerves.

There is research indicates that emotions, whether positive or negative, don't always impact athletic performance as expected. It's the ability to control and channel these emotions that sets elite performers apart.

Stress and coping mechanisms have taken center stage in sports psychology over the past decade. Coping with stress efficiently is a critical component of excelling in the demanding realm of elite sports, especially boxing. 

Now, let's dive into five effective techniques to manage pre-fight nerves:

1. Establish A Good Pre-Fight & Warm Up Routine

The best way to offset some of the tension, and to retain more flexibility is by having a good warm-up.

Take a resistance and do ‘monster walks’ to warm up your glutes. Use a foam roller to get rid of some tension in the neck, back, and glutes as well. Do dynamic stretching, to release as much tension as possible from the hips and glutes. You want to release as much tension as you can from your body.

If you’re one of the last fights on the card or if you find yourself pacing around with your thoughts hours before your fight, shut off the mind by taking a nap. Floyd Mayweather Jr. as well as many professional fighters take naps before they start their warm-up routine to rest and shut the mind off.

In between, talk to your coach or experienced people in your team to help ease your worries. They have probably watched boxers step into the ring hundreds of times, so asking him/her questions and getting some insight can be a worthwhile thing to do. 

Before your fight, make sure to keep warm with plenty of layers, sip a carbohydrate drink when you warm up to avoid dehydration, and slowly build up the intensity of your warm-up so that around 30 minutes before the fight you are doing a 100% round on the pads. Keep warm and keep moving until you are called out for your fight, the more you’re in motion the less you’re in your head, thinking.

2. Meditation & Controlled Breathing Techniques

Sounds cliche, but it does work.

Controlled breathing can be your anchor during high-stress situations. 

Stress often triggers shallow breathing, which spikes your heart rate and contributes to panic. Combat this by practicing deep breathing exercises.

Inhale through your nose for a count of four and exhale through your mouth for another count of four. These deep breaths redirect your focus from stressors to your breathing, creating a sense of calm and control.

3. Visualization

Visualization is a potent tool for managing pre-fight nerves. 

Start as soon as possible before your fight, and visit your fight venue if possible. Visualize the walk to the ring, the stare-down, the bell going, the walkout, and the actual fight. Visualize this every day if possible for 10-20 minutes. Not only does this calm your nerves, but this is a key to victory.

While practicing, close your eyes and engage all your senses in imagining a positive outcome. 

Whether it's the feel of the mat beneath you or the roar of the crowd, vividly imagine every detail, and make sure it is crystal-clear in your mind.

Your brain and body don’t know the difference between having an actual experience in your life and just thinking about the experience — neurochemically, it’s the same. So visualization can literally trick your body into practicing fight night.

So when the big day comes, you’ll feel like you’ve already done this a million times before.

4. Practice Feeling Nervous

Like anything in life, repetition breeds mastery.

Consider incorporating training and sparring sessions that simulate the presence of friends or having a small 'audience' if it's within reach. Surprisingly, research shows that deliberate practice executed under anxiety-like conditions can enhance performance in high-stress scenarios (link to study here). 

To make the most of this approach, stick to the basics and avoid overwhelming yourself with new techniques. It's important to recognize that anxiety tends to narrow our focus, which is why, especially if it’s your first couple of fights, concentrating on mastering fundamental elements is paramount. 

This process isn't about getting rid of nervousness; it's about cultivating a relationship with it. 

By familiarizing yourself with the sensation of feeling nervous and skillfully channeling its energy, you're effectively harnessing it as a powerful tool for achieving excellence in the ring.

5. Journaling for Clarity and Perspective

Journaling is an outlet for your thoughts and feelings. 

It's a technique that can help you understand your triggers and manage your responses. When pre-fight nerves strike, jot down your feelings and thoughts. This act of reflection often offers clarity on the root causes of your nervousness. Mindset is everything in this sport (and in life) so reframe negative thoughts into positive affirmations and witness the transformation in your mindset.

If You Liked This, You May Also Like…

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• THE BOXERS MENTALITY: FULL BREAKDOWN OF MENTAL TOUGHNESS IN BOXING

Summary.

Trust in your training, your routines, and your techniques. 

Don’t focus on the actual outcome. This will help you focus on what you need to do in the run-up to and during the fight. Mentally, don’t let your in-ring performance become entangled with your self-worth. Keep it separate, and be humble in victory and defeat. 

Fight because you want to test your skills, not because you want to brag about winning.

Remember, feeling nervous is a sign that you care deeply about your craft; with the right strategies we outlined in this article, you can harness all this built-up energy into a catalyst for in-ring success.

Want more boxing tips and news? Check out our full list of articles here.

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