I don’t claim to have a perfect record in muay Thai, but I’ve taken fights on short notice against much higher ranked fighters than myself and I still gotten what I wanted out of it. Here’s what I think there is to take from a fight, even if you walk away with a loss.

Gained Experience

Ring experience is invaluable, something all fighters strive for, and until recently hard to come by here in the United States unless you were an amateur boxer. I’m particularly lucky as California is a hotbed for muay Thai and kickboxing competitions, but it’s getting better overall here in North America.

The most critical thing you should be asking yourself after your first loss is, “Did I learn something new?” I’ve learned the most in fights where I came away with a draw or loss. Sure, I felt like crud after losing, even suffering bouts of depression because I didn’t know how to cope. But as a result, I’ve gone as far as to take techniques that were used effectively against me and worked them into my own training and class curriculum to better myself as a fighter. You’ll either win – or you’ll learn.

Living to Fight Another Day

Realize that you lost. Even if it’s a bad decision from the judges, you should still treat this the same as if you were knocked out. The bottom line is that at the end of the day, all people will hear is that you lost. But don’t let this bother you. It really won’t matter to you in the long run.

Only you (and perhaps your coaches) know what led up to this point in your career. Not everyone sees the whole picture. Your real friends won’t like you less for having lost, and if they do, it speaks a lot about how you should view those relationships. You will get back to training and you will live to fight another day.

A Review of Your Fight

Having a recording of your fight is essential, as you won’t always remember your whole experience. When you are ready to sit down and watch the fight, try to be as unbiased as possible. Think of yourself as your coach. What would you fix about your fighting style?

I always try to look for how my balance is at all times, how I’m returning and counter striking. I look at my defense and my position in the ring or cage. These factors will all play into how you fight. Maybe you don’t have access to a boxing ring during training and you found yourself with your back to the ropes too many times during the actual fight. There are many ways to fix that, but footwork would be a good place to start.

Find the holes in your game and ask your coach about what to change. It would be even better if you could sit down with your coach and review the fight together, as he or she will most likely see things that you don’t and vice versa. Reviewing your fight is a vital part of your experience in the ring.

Getting Back on the Train

If you’re not injured in a manner that prevents you from training, then get back to it as soon as possible. Be honest with yourself here. If you have another fight coming up and your knee is a little sore, just work around it. Communicate with your coach about how you are feeling – mentally and physically – as he or she should be able to give you some advice on how to deal with most issues you might encounter.

Worse case scenario, you show up to training and watch everyone train. The habit I see fighters break most after a fight is simply showing up in the gym. I’ve had people who completely disappeared from the gym after their first fight, even if they won!

Don’t let this be you, stay the course and keep that habit going, even if you just stop by to say hello. It makes it easier when you are ready to return and get back on the train.

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

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Believe

I have many students who ask me about which strike they should try to land or what game plan to use for their first fight, when the truth is, your training should do that for you. You fight like you train, and you train like you fight. 

I’ve heard people coach “being confident” in the ring, but how can you expect someone to be confident when this is his or her first time fighting? You have to believe in your training and believe in your techniques.

Ask your coach to work with you a little bit on fight-specific training, such as a mock-fight in your sparring, where he or she corners and talks to you between rounds.

Embrace

There is a very distinct feeling you will get as soon as you step off the scale for weigh-ins at your event. It’s like your mind realizes what it’s getting itself into and tries to talk you out of it. I’ve heard many names given to this feeling, such as “the darkness” or “bitchassness,” and I believe giving this feeling a name is a great way to recognize and embrace it.

Everyone has this feeling, all the way up until the point of entering the boxing ring, cage, or mat. It’s a fundamental part of competition that you will learn to enjoy with experience.

Get Comfortable

Being comfortable in your space is vital to believing in your techniques and embracing what it is that you are about to do. I personally like to walk out to the ring before an event and practice entering it, imagining how it will look and feel with an audience present. I’ll do some light shadow boxing to help create a mental anchor for what I’m picturing in my mind. This way when it comes time to compete, I’ll have the proper reaction if I experience that point in a fight.

Getting comfortable and practicing in the ring is vital. I suggest working it into your training. Get comfortable with the competition setting.

The last, but most important part, is to remember to have fun and enjoy this experience. I had one of my coaches tell me as I entered the ring, “Enjoy every second of this, remember how much you love to be in there.” Hearing him say that, it felt like I was back in the gym, relaxed and ready to fight. I went back to my mental anchor from training, I got comfortable, embraced my feelings, and believed in my technique.

When you can take yourself through this process, you will outperform yourself, which is the ultimate goal. After all, our greatest enemies are ourselves.

Photos “Amateur Muay Thai” by Attribution-NonCommercial License.

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