How do you cope with fatigue?

[yamesu]

If you want to perform while fatigued, you need to train while fatigued...

In the words of my first tennis coach=

"Practice does not make perfect... Perfect practice makes perfect!!"

[ShoriKid]

-Points up- For condition to cut down the times you're "really, really tired", refer to the above. It extends the time before you get into that really fatigued position.

The mental side of it, is much harder to train. The only way I can think of that reliably works, for me, is to regularly get pushed to that point of exhaustion and train from there. If you don't know what it feels like to have to fight while spent, you are going to be more panicked when you get there. Which blows even more energy because you'll not relax, you'll not think and make good decisions about how to use the energy you have left.

I could be wrong, and many here with more years of training than me can (and, I hope, will) point to flaws in the ideology that is as follows. Get well acquainted with being exhausted. Make it an old friend and training partner. Then you will know how to physically manage your resources at that time and how to mentally handle the feeling. It will be a case of "Okay, I've been here before. I can do this if I stay cool and use the things I've done before."

[Jay]

Mentally the only thing I can think of is the old saying 'Train the body and the mind will follow' there more you put yourself in the position the better you will be handling it.