Ivan
Black Belt
I have been munching on this issue for a very long time now. As someone who loves martial arts of all sorts (excluding bullshido of course
) I am looking forward to competing for the first time. By competing, I mean fighting as well as forms, but I mostly fighting.
I have been involved in martial arts since I was young, on and off, and I remember my first time fighting as a 13 year old kid being winded by a punch to the solar plexus in the ring by a man in his late 20s, early 30s. I have always ended up boxing opponents larger than me, due to not having anyone my age at the boxing gym over the majority of the 5 or so years. However, regardless of how many punches I have eaten, and how trained my reflexes are against flinching, I always feel nervous to spar, and the thought of competing makes me even fear the thought, as much as I want to compete.
I feel as if I lack the confidence of a fighter, the feeling that regardless of what happens, I will always come out on top. I don't know how to gain that. And I also don't know why I don't have it. I lack severe confidence in the idea that I could come out on top in a competition, especially when I see how hard and fast people hit each other in MMA and Street Beefs. I have the idea that someday I might even try to compete professionally. But I know that regardless of my physical and martial preparation, doubt like this will cripple my chances before preparation has even begun. I wish to nip this in the bud before it becomes an actual problem. How can I do this? How do I gain more confidence in my abilities to compete, and perhaps even to fight, when I have never been given the chance to?

I have been involved in martial arts since I was young, on and off, and I remember my first time fighting as a 13 year old kid being winded by a punch to the solar plexus in the ring by a man in his late 20s, early 30s. I have always ended up boxing opponents larger than me, due to not having anyone my age at the boxing gym over the majority of the 5 or so years. However, regardless of how many punches I have eaten, and how trained my reflexes are against flinching, I always feel nervous to spar, and the thought of competing makes me even fear the thought, as much as I want to compete.
I feel as if I lack the confidence of a fighter, the feeling that regardless of what happens, I will always come out on top. I don't know how to gain that. And I also don't know why I don't have it. I lack severe confidence in the idea that I could come out on top in a competition, especially when I see how hard and fast people hit each other in MMA and Street Beefs. I have the idea that someday I might even try to compete professionally. But I know that regardless of my physical and martial preparation, doubt like this will cripple my chances before preparation has even begun. I wish to nip this in the bud before it becomes an actual problem. How can I do this? How do I gain more confidence in my abilities to compete, and perhaps even to fight, when I have never been given the chance to?