A Player Lesson From Martial Arts

As many great fighters know, a hand-to-hand combat situation isn't always about speed or strength. It's about one's own beliefs, courage, skills, and discipline.

If you're looking to succeed in martial arts [or in basketball] you have to win the interior battle before you can hope to defeat an external opponent. Do you have the mental discipline and know-how to win a battle? Are you willing to put in the time and effort it takes to achieve this type of discipline? If so, it's time for you to learn the most important mental aspects of martial arts.

#1 SELF-DISCIPLINE

There is no achievement without discipline, primarily because without discipline, you won't have the fortitude to continue to work towards a goal. You can't effect a lot of change in your physical or mental fitness if you don't have the discipline to maintain a habit - even when that habit is not necessarily pleasant to maintain. Self-discipline is considered one of the greatest benefits from martial arts - but you also have to find it within yourself.

#2 SELF-CONFIDENCE

If you tell yourself "I can't beat this opponent," then the opponent has already won. When you lack self-confidence, you don't need to do any fighting, because you've already laid out your plan for yourself. You know you're going to lose, and you do. Self-confidence does not necessarily mean that you'll always win, but that you have total belief in yourself. You should trust yourself to perform well.

#3 BELIEF

Do you believe that what you've learned is going to work when it counts? Do you believe that you are one of the best fighters in the room [players on the court]? Do you believe that you're a great martial artist? If not, then you're probably none of these things. Belief can create a self-fulfilling prophecy: if you believe that you are going to win more than your opponent believes it, you stand a good chance at winning.

#4 VISION

If you can't see yourself fighting with strong discipline and courage, then how do you ever expect to achieve that level of confidence? You have to create a vision of yourself as successful before you become successful. You can do this through training and hard work, but you can also put time aside in order to practice visualizing yourself as successful.

#5 PERSISTENCE

Nothing is achieved without persistence. Without it, you aren't able to make any lasting changes in yourself or your environment. If you give up at the most difficult times, you lose opportunities to grow as a person.

- unknown (from icerocket)