Issue 099

March 2013

Psychological warfare is rife inside the Octagon. Here are three of the most successful techniques – and ways to combat them 

Joe Bell

Chartered sport psychologist and one of few mental performance coaches specialising in combat sport, each issue he provides tips to improve your approach

Around 2,600 years ago, legendary Chinese warfare strategist Sun Tzu inscribed his rules of warfare in his immortal manuscript, The Art of War. The messages that flow through the main artery of the book are, “know your enemy,” “war is based on deception,” “take advantage of their unpreparedness and strike him where he has taken no precautions.”  

Today these cutthroat lessons appear to have incarnated new hosts in the form of the MMA elite. There were some colourful psychological mind games launched from both sides of the Octagon over the past 12 months, and here are Fighters Only’s top three from 2012. 

SMILING ASSASSIN

The energiser bunny of the flyweight division, the acrobatic John ‘The Magician’ Dodson, whether intentional or not, is utilising a highly deceptive and devastating stratagem. By lulling his rivals into a false sense of security in the build-up to a bout (weigh-ins in particular) he is poised to unleash a ferocious and calculated attack they might not always see coming. 

With his overly hyped-up jovial way and smile implants, opponents can often misinterpret this as weakness and friendship. Friendship implies give and take. The only thing Dodson has given his opponents so far is a beating, and the only thing he’s taken from them is their pride. “War is based on deception,” writes Sun Tzu. ‘The Magician’ is living up to his craft. 

Counter Psych Tip: This technique messes with our cognitive processes. In this case, the way we interpret and respond to stimuli. If humans don’t recognise a threat, the mind won’t register it. As a fighter, your job is to learn to override this and read any signs of friendship as a possible ruse. Whether it’s your best friend, mother, or brother, if you face them in the Octagon, treat them all with caution and respect. 

VERBAL VOLLEY

Chael Sonnen might be the undisputed king of trash talk, but Ronda Rousey is definitely the queen. If snapping Miesha Tate’s arm wasn’t a strong enough a message to the division that she’s someone not to be messed with, her silver tongue certainly clarifies her intention that she aims to reign for a long, long time. 

Her verbal jabs at opponents have pin-point accuracy which target both the jugular and the ego. She recently hammered a nail in the coffin when stated she doesn’t care if Cris Cyborg is “injecting horse semen into her eyeballs, as long as she makes 135.” “Know your enemy,” writes Sun Tzu – Rousey’s certainly does and she’s exploiting it to her advantage. 

Counter Psych Tip: Trash talk sets light to the primitive command centre (the limbic system). When someone riles us our instinctive drive and impulses take hold and we react emotionally rather than logically. As a consequence, emotions cloud focus and we become easy pickings for the trained fighter. Take a leaf out of Chuck ‘The Iceman’ Liddell’s book; he was invulnerable to his opponent’s pot-shots. Think laid back and Californian cool. It’ll put you back in the driver’s seat.

Confidence Killer

At UFC 153 in Rio de Janeiro, pound-for-pound kingpin Anderson Silva took Stephen Bonnar into waters he’d never swam in before. “Take advantage of their unpreparedness and strike him where he has taken no precautions,” writes Sun Tzu. Bonnar spent the majority of the first round pinning Silva against the cage, something ‘The Spider’ quite happily indulged.

When they separated what confused Bonnar was the fact Silva stepped back to the fence, dropped his guard, propped his weight up against the wall and waited for Bonnar to return, swinging. 

This unorthodox method screams ‘you are of no consequence and your skill-set is beneath me, take your best shot.’ Bonnar tried and failed, and was soon stopped, slumped on the canvas.

Counter Psych Tip: Silva is the master of this rarest of techniques that severs the cord between confidence and fight ability of his counterparts. When confidence is destroyed it drains vital energy stores, focus and drive, and gives the illusion you are actually weakening. 

When an opponent does something so radical and unorthodox that isn’t in your playbook, your best line of defence is to do something equally unorthodox to level the playing field and to snap them out of it. It will prevent you falling foul to a potential confidence killer.