Issue 198
August 2023
Dean Garnett is the co-founder and head coach of Aspire Combat Sports Academy, and a top contender in French MMA promotion Hexagone MMA. Now a renowned coach with experience training all levels, from kids to recreational fighters to elite athletes, including UFC flyweight contender Muhammad Mokaev, the 13-year MMA veteran shares his tips for keeping motivated during the daily grind.
Coming back after a loss, a setback, or time out
I’ve always taken time to process a loss – it’s a healer. If it’s an injury or time out it’s important to ease yourself back in, allowing plenty of time for your body to make the necessary adaptations before hitting higher training loads again. Too much too soon can lead to further injuries or setbacks and have a negative effect on performance and motivation.
Every loss is a chance to learn. It makes me hold up a mirror in a way that winning doesn’t and it helps us determine what we need to do to improve for future performances. I use my trusted coaches and peers who know me well to gain valuable feedback to help with self-reflection. Advice and different perspectives are important but these should work to facilitate our own intrinsic sense of understanding.
Knowing what can be improved is one thing, but doing something with it is another. What will I do to perform better in the future? How will I hold myself accountable to higher standards? It’s important to take lessons learned back to the drawing board and come away with a plan focused on how to build success moving forwards.
Losing and setbacks are integral aspects of sport – I’ve never allowed a loss to define me or how I feel about myself. Every moment spent beating yourself up is time wasted. Not only is this detrimental, it’s time wasted which could be spent more wisely focusing on development strategies.
Getting mentally focused
For me, mental focus comes in the form of mental imagery. Leading up to any fight I spend tens, maybe hundreds of hours visualizing myself performing exactly how I want to on fight night. That also includes visualizing what can go wrong, and focusing on how I want to react in those situations. This helps me place my attention on the things I can control.
The more attention to detail the more powerful: Experiences butterflies and rushes of adrenaline are what help us anchor these visions in the mind. Visualizations have been demonstrated to be as powerful as real-life practice; every moment spent rehearsing your performance is money in the bank.
A sports psychology concept that I first learned of during my university studies was the 4’C’s - Commitment, (emotional) Control, Concentration, and Confidence. If I’ve trained smart and left no stone unturned then I can walk into the cage completely at peace with myself with all four in my back pocket. A perfect recipe for peak physical and mental performance.
Setting goals
From the moment I walked into an MMA gym I knew this was going to be my job. After my second class, I knew I wanted to become a coach. It’s important to be ambitious, but to avoid overwhelming myself I made sure that I figured out what the step-by-step process was going to be to become an industry leader in my field.
As someone new to the sport it was at times overwhelming to the point where the dreams almost seemed out-of-reach but persistence and SMART goals have paid off ( Specific – Measurable – Achievable - Relatable -Timed). I would set short, medium, and longer-term goals which acted as stepping stones to my ultimate goals. I knew short-term goals like training for 2 hours a day or competing in novice bouts would push me towards making my debut.
Building back confidence
I use smaller more achievable goals as a way to build my confidence and keep me motivated during tough training camps. Success should be defined by how much effort, commitment and focus I give to my craft. I celebrate the little wins along the way and give myself credit where it’s due.
The success of the people in your professional network can also have an impact on your confidence, so I surround myself with winners and people who embody the qualities I know are paramount for success. If you want to become elite at anything in life your training/learning environment is key.
How to keep going around life commitments
I remember reading somewhere that we need three activities in life, one to keep us fit, one to allow us to be creative, and one to pay the bills: For me, MMA has become my all three. My vision was always to create a career in something that I had a passion for and that way, my lifestyle would become my occupation.
Over the last 16 years, I’ve always spun several plates simultaneously to make this dream my reality, often one or two plates too many. For example, at the time of my debut fight with the MMA promotion Cage Warriors, I was also working on my university dissertation while in full-time employment in health and social care. Lifelines for me have been structure and routine, ongoing review of performance and planning, and knowing what to prioritize.
Follow Dean on Instagram @deang_
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