Building a gas tank and pushing through your walls is a mindset, and this video demonstrates it perfectly! I promise! Me and @Charlie Christodoulou did not do this exercise to show off. It was a coincidence(proof in the other post "Beat the clock" ) We have our new post comp class ritual to do. MMA class was already running late, so we had to do it knowing our Head Coach @Carlos Gomes wants to share a message with the group. What we didn't know, what he will be talking about😅 You have to make that choice as you step on the mat, that today, you are in charge of your mindset and self-talk. You gotta commit to yourself and your training partners.

Here is an exercise I do to beat the clock mentally(and improve my cardio). But before I explain what we do in this video, let me tell you why we do it. In the grappling mind, the clock is one of the main distractors and diminishers of your performance. Everyone, unless you train it, keeps on looking at the clock and hopes the round is almost done. Your entire mental energy, in that moment, is directed away from your opponent, and it goes towards the clock. The price you are paying is not just the possibility of being scored. That's not the worst part. Here is the real problem: resisting the urge to look at the clock also bites into your focus and consumes your mental energy. It consumes A LOT of it. You think about how much time is left, which reminds you how tired you are, and you just want it to be over. Then you look at the clock, hoping it's 15 secs left, and you see 45 seconds! Now your mind goes into dark places. Your brain craves certainty, especially when your back is against the wall. That's why you look at the clock. So how do you solve this? Practice being tired and resisting thinking about the time and looking at the clock. The place you want to arrive is noticed and quickly dismissed and need. Which takes me to this exercise: After a long and tough comp class, when everyone is mentally checked out, I set two cones, two minutes on the clock and one goal in mind: Keep on moving! @Charlie Christodoulou joining me was unexpected but a very nice touch. As you can see around 1m15s, my mind had the first urge to look at the clock, but i position myslef in a way that I can't lift my head to see it. I would have to stop the exercise for a second. Yesterday, we beat the clock. That battle was ours! Give it a go. The time you set doesnt have to be 2 mins, it has to be challenging enough to burn your legs and lungs.

I really struggle to take in and remember information - this might be a bit of daft question with no answer but are there any strategies I can use to take in information better that I am being taught on the mat?