How to Increase Your Mental Presence in a Sparring Match

Martial arts isn't always about the kick and the punch: it's about the mental capacity you have to intimidate and defeat your opponent. Self-belief is just as important as skill; if you doubt that you could ever beat your sparring partner, there's a good chance you won't. That's why having a larger mental presence than your opponent is so vital. What exactly is a "mental presence"? That's what you're about to find out.

Mental Presence: A Definition

When you're sparring with someone, you usually have two ways of interpreting their presence. You have what you see (the physical presence), and you have what you don't see (mental presence). The mental presence of your opponent will partially be shaped by your own interpretation of him. If you're scared, their mental presence will be larger. If you're confident, it will grow smaller.

Whoever has the larger mental presence will often have the advantage in a fight. Mental presence is often boosted when the opponent is not sure about you - uncertainty can quickly turn into fear. When you are much faster than your opponent originally estimated, you gain a boost in mental presence.

How to Develop a Larger Mental Presence

The more confidence you build, the more mental presence you'll have. Of course, this is easier said than done. In order to build confidence, you'll have to practice being assertive. In sparring matches, concentrate on being assertive even if it's at the expense of your fighting skills. It will be important to isolate one skill - your fearlessness and assertiveness - in order to build it up for a while. Once you feel comfortable standing tall and being assertive, bring your skills back into the mix. You should find that you perform much better.

Surprise is the quickest way to build mental presence. If you don't appear strong but your moves have the added strength of assertiveness behind them, your opponent will be more in the dark as to your true abilities. The more uncertainty and surprise you can generate in your opponent, the more mental presence you'll have.

Remember that mental presence comes from within. It comes through the self-discipline to work on your confidence and skills. It also comes from understanding your opponent's mind and knowing how human beings typically react when surprised or caught off-guard. To have mental presence, it's important that you take action as opposed to reacting.

Photo Credits: thivierr

Originally posted 2009-08-17 03:37:16.

This post involves:

assertiveness, confidence, fear, fearlessness, good chance, Martial Arts, opponent, physical presence, punch, self belief, sparring partner, surprise, two ways, uncertainty

... and focuses on:

Martial Arts

Posted by Martial Arts Karate Kung Fu on August 16, 2010 in Martial Arts. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.