"Fighting is 90% mental"

[OneKickWonder]

I think its popular to throw out that 90% number, but I'm not sure how accurate that is, because being in good physical shape is important, as well. But, I do think that the larger portion of the fight is mental, as there are so many mental hurdles to get over in order to actually engage another human in combat.

I tend to agree with bushido_man. Mindset is important but 90% is maybe exagerated, technique, physical shape with the appropriate preparation is very important. I would say a more conservative 50-50% between mind and body (including muscle memory).

Having said that, I think that in martial art schools we do not have enough mindset training.

As martial artists, we tell ourselves and each other things like this. Technique is everything. Physical conditioning is everything. The mindset to put it all together and use it under pressure is everything.

So how come people who have never trained in their lives have tales of survival where they've had to just do whatever they can to fight their way out of a life threatening situation? As an example, I know a lady that was in an abusive relationship. She suffered in silence right up til the point where her much stronger male partner attacked her with a kitchen knife in front of her young children. With no training, no conditioning, no muscle memory, and all the odds stacked against her, she managed to get the knife off him, and stunning him long enough for her to run, grab her kids, and get out of there screaming. She wasn't a trained fighter in any way.

Technique is just a means to train the mind to move the body. Conditioning is just to improve the ability to keep doing that in case the fight lasts more than a few seconds, which they rarely do in reality. Without the mind, there is nothing. If you watch professional fighters, they are at the peak of their game in every respect. Yer if they get knocked out, they do nothing. They still have the same amount of muscle. They still have years of training behind them. But if they're unconscious, their mind has no power of the body, the body just lays there doing nothing.

Mind is everything.

[tallgeese]

"Fighting is 90% mental"

Plenty of fighters have said this but how true is it?

I think it's over used. Is mindset during conflict (sport or SD) important? Totally.

However, all the mindset in the world will not save you when it's go time if you didn't take the time to build a physical skill set.

It's the engrained physical capability, driven by a winning mindset, in conjunction with one another that wins fights.

Now, some have argued that mindset is important in the development of the physical skill set. On this I agree 100 percent. That, to me, is the true disciple of the MAs. Going in day after day, week after week, year after year, to practice something you hope you never need. Getting up time after time. that's the discipline that is truly of value. Not formalized ritual. In this mindset is critical and likely at its most useful.