Issue 141
May 2016
Fighters whose thoughts are as controlled as their movements get their hands raised
Bruce Lee said: “Defeat is a state of mind. No one is ever defeated until defeat has been accepted as a reality.” By developing mental strength and visualizing success, fighters can become champions. Conor McGregor, Jon Jones and Georges St Pierre have made no secret of the benefits they’ve gained from meditative practices.
Steve Maxwell was the first American to earn a black belt under Relson Gracie and the first man to be certified to teach Gracie Jiu-Jitsu in the US. A competitor for more than 25 years, he’s rolled with some of the best in the business and says meditation holds the power to a successful athletic career. Without it, competitors can let their negative thoughts get the better of them, which is the first step towards being knocked out, submitted or losing out on the judges’ scorecards.
“Many people are plagued with what I call the ‘inner mother’, the inner voice,” Maxwell explains to FO. “These are nagging thoughts and ideas that constantly bombard us. Many of these thoughts are not your own. They originated from parents, teachers, clergymen.
“Some voices are also more vicious than others. Once you become aware of them you have to be able to turn them off and shut down all that noise. Meditation is one way, and there are many forms of meditation.
“You can focus on an external object like a flame, a mantra or your breathing. Another is total focus on a physical movement pattern. You don’t have to sit cross-legged in a lotus position to meditate. The most important aspect of it is to get out of your mind, to shut down the noise. We are not our thoughts.”
Maxwell insists this state of mind should be extended into the Octagon. Focusing your thoughts on one clear objective will get you in the zone – by connecting your fighting mind with the mind at peace. “This was discovered by ancient warrior cultures,” he adds. “When one overcomes their fear of death they can be completely in the moment because they aren’t afraid of any consequences. That was the way of the Japanese Samurai. They could attack with complete commitment and concentration.
“(In MMA) you have to be in the moment, you cannot waver. It’s referred to as being ‘in the now’. You’re not in the past, you’re not thinking of the future, you’re 100% committed to what’s going on in the moment. This is a form of meditation, of mindfulness.”
Maxwell says the body is reduced to a primordial state during intense exercise or competition. It sees the activity as a threat to its survival. “If the activity isn’t intense enough, there’s no reason for the body to change, to become stronger and fitter. The exercise must be difficult enough to provide meaningful stress so that the organism is forced to adapt,” he explains.
“Your body is literally looking at the exercise as a threat. You’re asking your body to do things it can’t do. As a result it will tap into the survival mechanism. This is the essence of all physical training. It’s the biological imperative.”
Stress and tension can affect recovery time, but Maxwell insists mastering the mind holds the key to physically and mentally overcoming its negative effects. Staying positive and relaxed is the key.
“People get stressed and anxious because they’re picturing negative events in their mind. When you’re breathing right and you become aware of these negative thoughts, you stay calm, even in an emergency. You retain clear thinking and you’ll then take the right steps to remain unharmed.”
Any method you choose to adopt to strengthen your mind could play a vital part in optimizing both your performance and your health, whether there’s a fist coming at your head or your dome’s resting on your pillow. Maximize your potential. It’s a state of mind.
A matter of self-sabotage
Maxwell says barriers to success can be formed without any outside influence.
“People are fearful of things that don’t exist. It’s like the boogeyman in the dark. They’re actually creating the thing they’re afraid of.
“It’s important for people to think more about what they want and less about what they don’t want.”
Stitch Duran
The fight game’s leading cutman replies to your social media posts and requests to give advice for the corner
Wrapping for royalty
Even regal hands can’t compare to The Last Emperor
Q. Whose hands would you most like to wrap – fighter or even a non-fighter?
A. Wherever I go fans ask me to wrap their hands. I always pick one at each show. I have fulfilled a bucket list: wrapped the hands of royalty in Abu Dhabi, Native American Chiefs, soldiers in Afghanistan, Hollywood actors and just about every major fighter in MMA and boxing.
My biggest thrill was the first time I wrapped Fedor Emelianenko. When I was done wrapping his hands, I asked him how they felt. A man of few words, he looked at them and said simply: “Super. Super.”
I was so excited, I floated out of his dressing room, my feet not even touching the ground. Later we toasted his victory with a shot of Vodka.
Who else would I love to wrap? It would have to be Sylvester Stallone. Having worked six weeks with him on the set of Creed, I got to see how genuine and humble he is, knowing he’s a icon in the movie industry that has also spilled over into combat sports.
Even to this day, some 35 years after it was first released, I still get pumped every time I hear Eye of the Tiger. Someday Rocky, someday!
Q. Does the way you wrap hands change depending on the type of gloves?
A. I have wrapped hands with pretty much every major organization in the world and the gloves are always designed slightly differently, whether it’s MMA or boxing. However, the brand of the gloves has no impact on how we wrap a fighter’s hands.
People often ask if the wraps are different for boxing, but the only difference is that we don’t make a pad for MMA. With 4oz gloves the wrap wouldn’t fit because it would be too thick across the knuckles.
