6/8: WHO’S IN YOUR CORNER?

This weekend I did my first every Muay Thai competition.  It was something I had been wanting to do for years, but other priorities took precedence the other times students went to events.  One of the things that had kept me away in the past was the concern over injuries.  With my responsibilities to my family, the gym and work, it is something I have had to weigh very carefully.  The structure of this IKF event and the fact that other students had gone there before gave me the confidence that it was a controlled environment and worth the risk.  It was a great experience and one that I hope other students embark on as well.  While I have plenty of experience in grappling competitions, there was plenty to learn about a striking competition, and even this one experience taught me so much.

I was extremely happy that I won my match against a competitor ½ my age.  I was once again the oldest competitor of the entire event.  I lost the first round but won the final 2.  I can tell you without a doubt that there was no way I was winning that match if it wasn’t for having my friend, and former student, Ahmed Atia, in my corner.  After the first round, I will admit I was much more tired than I expected.  Given that this was my first striking competition experience, I did not have a clear understanding of what I needed to adjust for the second round.  I listened to Ahmed as he instructed me on what to change.  In the back of my mind, I also remembered the story of when Royce Gracie fought Kazushi Sakuraba.  Royce said he stopped thinking on his own and entirely trusted what his corner team was telling him.  He simply became the vehicle to execute the strategy his team told him.  I knew I needed to do the same.

The entire second round I simply tried to execute what Ahmed instructed……and it worked.  Going into the final round I was absolutely exhausted.  Ahmed adjusted the strategy one more time and I executed to the best of my ability, and along with my determination to fight past my exhaustion, it was enough to win the match.  Ahmed was able to see what was going on in the match and help me capitalize on the tendencies of my opponent.  Without his instruction, I do not win.

After the match, the organizers asked me if I wanted a second match.  While I was tired, I felt good and agreed.  Ahmed was next to me when they introduced me to who my opponent would be.  The individual was a 24-year-old with MMA experience.  I knew it would be a very difficult challenge, but I am not one to shy away from challenges….as you might know.  Ahmed pulled me aside and showed me some of his footage and suggested that I skip this fight.  Having taken his advice in the match, I trusted his judgement and went back to decline the fight.  While I would have loved to have seen how I fared against someone at that level, I was still in Royce mode and turned over my decision-making ability to Ahmed because I trusted him completely to make the best decision for me.  While I definitely would have liked the opportunity, when I woke up this morning to my first ever “day after” experience from an intense striking competition, it was 100% the right decision to skip a second fight.  The software for the organizers kept putting my name up on the fight board as if I had a second match with 2 different opponents, so I kept having to repeat to them I was done.  I truly believe it was God testing me to continue to trust in my corner.  My day would have been completely different, and definitely for the worse, had I not had a cornerman that was looking out for my best interest.  It was honestly one of the most impactful experiences of my martial arts competition life.

Who do you have in your corner giving you advice?  It is incredibly important to have the RIGHT person in your corner, not someone you feel obligated to have.  The people in your corner may not be the people you initially think about.  The people in your corner will most likely change given the circumstance you are facing.  While I love my wife, she would not have been the right person in my corner during the fight.

Whoever is in your corner can make you or break you, so choose wisely.  Only have people in your corner that want the best for you, those that are even going to be excited for you if you surpass them.  The moment you doubt your corner is the moment to need to replace them, as difficult as it might be.  Choose wisely and start the process of finding the right cornermen for your life.