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THE TOP 10 SKILLS OF PEAK PERFORMING MIXED MARTIAL ARTISTS

THE TOP 10 SKILLS OF PEAK PERFORMING MIXED MARTIAL ARTISTS

Brian Cain
Special to The MMA Digest

10) Don’t Count The Days, Make The Days Count
“I have learned the importance of TODAY and how today + today + today = your career,” Cain said. “I have come to realize that many fighters waste a lot of great opportunities to get better because they are too busy counting the days instead of finding ways to make the days count. With taking Personal Responsibility In Daily Excellence, you find ways to set daily goals that help you improve and stay focused in the grind of training to be a great fighter.”

9) FOCUS ON THE THE NEXT 200FT
“If you were to drive from Burlington, Vermont to Vegas and you left at midnight, and the sun decided never to come up until you arrive in Vegas, so it was dark for your entire trip, could you still drive across the country?,” Cain asked? “The answer is yes. What is it you have in your truck that will help you most along your journey? Obviously having a GPS will provide you with direction, but having HEADLIGHTS are what will allow you to see your path.”
“Headlights do not let you see from Vermont to Vegas, but they do let you see the next 200FT of the road. What you are to do is drive the next 200 FT over and over and over again until you get to your final destination, whatever that may be as a UFC Champion or as a practicing martial artist. FOCUS on the next 200 FT – be relentless in your pursuit of excellence on a daily basis and let the results then take care of themselves.

8 ) UNDERSTAND COKE & PEPSI THEORY
Most of us think about Coke and Pepsi when we think about the soft drink industry. Yet if we were to take a blind taste test with Coke, Pepsi and 25 cent Sam’s Cola from Wal-Mart, we would not be able to tell the difference. So why is it that we think about Coke and Pepsi when we think soft drinks? The reason is advertisement.
“I want the fighters I work with to post things that they should be thinking about, mental toughness statements, confidence conditioning etc. around their room and on their mirror so that those things become their dominant thought process and engrained.
“I wanted something that people could give an answer to when asked ‘What do you mean you are doing mental training?’,“ Cain said. “Much like Coke and Pepsi advertise so you remember, I think as coaches when we can use acronyms to help paint pictures, it helps our athletes to remember and take ownership more. It is not what we know as coaches that makes us smart; it is what we can teach to our athletes and fighters and what they can use that makes us brilliant.”

7) LIVE IN THE PRESENT MOMENT
The first P of PRIDE is that of the present moment and the video gives you some activities you can use such as the concentration grid to help you as a fighter learn to stay in the present.
“Living in the present moment or keeping your mind in the moment is one of the fundamental elements of successful people.” Cain said. “In PRIDE there are videos and examples of people who have played and fought in the present moment and what they look like when compared and contrasted with those who do not. As a coach if you can learn to see when your players are in the moment and when they are not by establishing some “mental check points”.

6) FOCUS ON THE PROCESS OVER THE OUTCOME – THAT WILL TAKE CARE OF IT SELF
The second P discusses developing a process over an outcome mindset. Cain gives examples of why it is important to focus on only the things you can control while letting go of and releasing the things you cannot.”
“One of the major obstacles I see in athletics today is that people are far too caught up in things that they can not control and when they do that, they are beating themselves.” Cain said. “Law one of sport psychology is do not beat yourself, make the opponent beat you and when you focus on things you can not control, you are beating yourself. The process section also discusses how you can structure your practice so that you place a greater emphasis on the process and get your athletes to fight with a process over outcome mentality.”

5) KEEP A CHAMPIONS PERSPECTIVE/PHILOSOPHY
The third P discusses how we can develop a championship perspective and also the importance of knowing your WHY. Cain is a firm believer that all great performers have a very clear why.
“When we have a big enough reason why, we can always find a way how.” Cain said. “In this portion of the program you will learn how to get your athletes to refine and refocus their why. You also find out why Federal Express is able to deliver the world on time and continue to move in the right direction. Why do you fight? How committed are you?”

4) STAY POSITIVE
The fourth P discusses how to maintain a positive mentality in a sport filled with failure.
“Being able to focus on what you want, rather than what you are trying to avoid is huge.” Cain said. “Becoming more aware of the language you use when talking with yourself during training or competition and using your self-talk to your advantage will allow you to unleash your potential and fight to the best of your ability.”

3) QUALITY PREPARATION – USE THE HOUR GLASS
The fifth P is that of preparation. Cain agrees with legendary UCLA Basketball coach John Wooden that failing to prepare is preparing to fail.
“Some of the best performers in the world including UFC Champions, award-winning actors and top flight surgeons learn that having a hourglass system for preparation allows us be where we need to be when we need to be there doing what we need to be doing in the moment to allow us to get the most out of each moment.” Cain said. “Preparation is an essential key to confidence and learning how to prepare properly will keep you at your best when it is needed the most, each and every pitch.”

2) CONFIDENCE BUILDING ROUTINES
With much emphasis on routines by sport psychologists working, Cain felt that it was important to dedicate a section to developing performance routines.
“Habits and routines lead to familiarity. Familiarity leads to confidence. Any coach or fighter knows how critical confidence is to success.” Cain said. “I know fighters that lose confidence in the lockeroom and then go out and lose to an inferior opponent. Routines are the life jacket of Peak Performance. In fight and training routines allow you to “have something to go to” when the pressure is on, your back is against the wall and you feel like your heart will pound out of your chest. Pre-fight and pre-training routines allow you to fight closer to your potential on a consistent basis. We are a product of our routines, unfortunately many coaches and fighters do not know how to structure productive confidence building routines.”

1) UNBREAKABLE WILL = GREAT RESPONSE-ABILITY
Choosing ones own way or making the choice to take response ability is a common trait among peak performers.
“Victor Frankel, in his great book Man’s Search For Meaning tells the story of living hell on earth and how he survived the Nazi Concentration Camps during WWII.” Cain said. “Frankel discusses how you can take everything from a man except the last of his freedoms, the ability to choose his own way or his ability to choose his response-ability.”
“We use the three words, “Compared To What” when talking about response-ability and also with perspective. You can always respond in a way that will be most beneficial for you and your teammates, but often we get frustrated instead of fascinated with adversity and give away our response-ability too easily because we think we are up against insurmountable odds or too tough of a challenge. Compared to what Victor Frankel or Jackie Robinson went through, most of us have it pretty easy. Remember that you GET TO fight, not that you HAVE TO fight.”

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Cain Creates P.R.I.D.E. Program
Personal Responsibility In Daily Excellence Video Program Puts The Same Peak Performance Training Program Used By UFC Champions Including GSP & Franklin At Your Fingertips

“Don’t get me wrong. There are no cookie cutter approaches to sport psychology or peak performance, but I firmly believe that the best of the best are all utilizing some fundamental skills that I try to teach in the PRIDE program.”

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