How I Build Confidence Before a Fight
November 8, 2021 | WORDS BY BENJI SILVA
A huge part of both my confidence and mindset pre-competition start with the day-to-day work I put in for weeks, months, and even years before an event.
Having the ability to track my daily workouts with the NCFIT App is a game-changer mentally and physically. As a professional athlete, having a physical representation of the countless hours of work I’ve put in helps build both my confidence and mental fortitude.
I see the athletes that clearly have to try and hype themselves up before matches. Over the years, I’ve trained my mind to remember all of the grueling hours that were invested up until that competition—I don’t need to hype myself to be confident because with this mindset, the confidence is already there.
For example, if I know I have a tough fight coming up and that my opponent is going to bring a fast pace, I look back on my training. My confidence soars from being able to see the training load I completed leading up to the event. It solidifies that I have enough in the gas tank, the prerequisite strength, and the endurance needed to take out anyone standing in front of me. It allows me to walk into a match knowing I can push hard from start to finish, without my subconscious mind worrying about getting too tired or going at an explosive pace. That thought never crosses my mind when I have all of the data to prove to me otherwise.
One year, at No-Gi World Championship, I went up a weight class. This meant bigger and stronger opponents than I was used to in competition. My preparation for months leading up to the event was to put on size and become stronger. I knew that every day I used the NCFIT programming, my strength would increase from the lifting section and time under tension, and that the metcon would improve my conditioning.
Scanning the app and looking back at completed workouts reminded me that I put in the blood, sweat, and tears to achieve my goals. I was able to win five out of the six 10-minute matches that day. One of those matches was the semi-final match, and I took out a big name opponent that most people thought I might lose to.
Having the strong mind and confidence that was built months before allowed me to smile at my coaches with certainty and say, “I got this.”
I was able to go out there and put on a show of high-level techniques, explosiveness, and strength. To me, it was one of my best performances as a black belt to date. The match showcased me: a well-rounded, top professional athlete in the sport.
Like I mentioned before, I attribute a lot of these successes over the years to my confidence that was built in the gym and in the weight room. No corners cut—just honest hard work and dedication to my craft. Earning the confidence through the hard work invested for an event will be all the hype you need to be your own motivation. Only you know if you put in the time and effort, which will make having your hand raised in victory that much more meaningful.
Effort is everything in combat sports, so leave it all out there in every training session.
