There is something about performing a task when we’re alone versus doing it while people are watching us. It could be anything. It could be tasks at work or sparring at the gym. This phenomenon is way more common than you think, especially in sports. Have you ever heard someone say that they are great at something, then a crowd gathers to watch, and they can’t do it? It’s possible that they never could and were just bragging, or it could be something different.

 

There has been a lot of research done in the world of sports psychology around the concepts of social inhibition and social facilitation. In a nutshell, those that suffer from social inhibition are unable to perform simple tasks that they normally could in the presence of others. Have you ever shot hoops, made a few in a row, then when people watch, you can’t make a shot from anywhere? This is a symptom of social inhibition.

In the fight game, this is extremely common. I’ve seen it. People who train hard, listen to their coaches, and do the right things are even susceptible. This is especially true in grappling and sparring sessions. When it’s just a small group of people in a gym, there are less people, so statistically, you have a lower chance of experiencing feelings like being judged, embarrassed, or rejected. And for many people, making a mistake in front of 5 people does not seem as bad as a mistake made in front of 50 people.

 

But does that really make sense? The mistakes are the same, but if more people are watching, then all of a sudden, the mistakes are worse? The truth is they aren’t, but our perception is. If you were submitted quickly, there was a reason for it, and blaming the crowd isn’t going to cut it. Understandably, people inherently do not want to be criticized. It hurts our feelings of self-worth. People are also highly protective of their self-image, and many are perfectionists to an almost unrealistic level.

 

If this sounds like you, or if you have diagnosed yourself with a few of these issues, then understand that performance anxiety is an opponent you have to meet head-on if you’re going to have any success in combat sports. If you sign up for a tournament, or if you decide to take a fight at an upcoming event, guess what? You’re going to be out there in front of people wearing nothing but shorts and gloves, exposed for everyone to see.

Not only do you need time to learn the basics, but you need to learn the mental aspects of fighting as well. You might love sparring at the gym when there are only a few people, but on fight night, your opponent has family and friends who will be there and most likely they will be cheering against you. Not in a bad way (most of the time), but this is something fighters must accept. Performance anxiety and social inhibition are real, and while they can affect your performance, they don’t have to. It can be defeated.

 

While there aren’t any magic words or supplements to make the nerves go away, what you focus on can change everything. If you look out and see a few hundred people in the crowd yelling and hollering, it can be intimidating because of our fear of failure and ridicule. It is this exact moment where you need to stop and interrupt those thoughts. You can do this by starting an internal dialogue with yourself that opens with a question: “What is making me nervous, the crowd or my opponent? Am I prepared as I should be?” You ask these questions because you need to know the exact reason to overcome it.

While I can sit here and tell you that the crowd doesn’t matter, when you’re new to MMA or boxing, it is a part of the sport you need to get used to. Remember, you’re not fighting the crowd, you are fighting a trained opponent that is just as nervous and ready as you are. That is all you need to be thinking about.

 

I have talked about topics in the past like visualization and thought stopping and this is a perfect situation for both of those skills. This is also where mindfulness and meditation help the fighting mindset. There are many parts of fighting you must accept, and crowds are one of those things. By visualizing it all happening before it actually does, helps take the mystery out of it.

 

For those of you that are fans of Max “Blessed” Holloway, he is one of the biggest believers in visualization and he actually visualizes everything from walking out of the dressing room, to the pre-fight introductions, to the interviews after it’s over. When nothing is a surprise, then it’s easier for him to react calmly to a situation. 

 

 

By using this technique, you can clear your mind of outside distractions and focus on acceptance of what is present. This can include thinking ahead to an upcoming fight or event. As you envision the fight and think about your strategy, remind yourself that a crowd is there, but they do not matter. They will make a lot of noise, but that doesn’t matter either. They can be acknowledged when the task is done, and the fight is over.

 

This is a technique that comes from the psychology industry. This method involves listing your fears or stressors in order from the ones that make you the most anxious to the least. Pay attention to your answers too. Are you more afraid of losing to your opponent, or losing in front of a crowd of people? Once you have your list, expose yourself to these stressors starting with the easiest at the bottom of the list and work your way up. With forced exposure comes comfort in understanding and knowing how we deal with specific stressful situations, and you build a list that shows progress.

 

Real fight fans and fighters also know how difficult the sport is and how much courage it takes just to step foot on a mat, in the cage, or in the ring. Once you’ve made it that far, and stepped in to toe the line, you’ve made it! So many people make excuses out of fear that they never get that far.

 

Once you’ve got to this point, your training will take over as long as you listen to your coach. You’ll hear a lot of voices in the crowd, but having a communication strategy with your coach can fix all of that, and before you know it, the only thing you’ll hear is the ref and your coach. That is when you are in a place where you can concentrate and perform at a high-level with the intense focus you need to win.

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