Co-authored with Dr. Kevin L. Polk
The stress experienced by fighters may trump that experienced by athletes in any other professional sport across the world. Concerns about performing well in front of a crowd under the added pressure of an opponent attempting to inflict bodily harm creates great pressure that progressively increases and peaks up to the moment before the bell rings. While some stress has been found to optimize performance, too much stress has adverse effects.
Fear and anxiety are often recognized by fighters as the largest and most difficult challenges to navigate. Too much of either can result in a self-fulfilling prophecy as the very things the fighter feared come to fruition as the result of a performance killing “adrenaline dump” in the early moments of a fight.