Athena and George Foreman

I can remember very well the first time I fought. Sparred, actually. Free fighting in a tournament. The matches were 2 or 3 minutes long. I had three matches. Each one was the most draining thing I’d ever done, and there were three of them.

At the time, I had no understanding of what made it so hard. I was doing two things wrong.

Do you remember George Foreman? Sure you do. He’s the boxer who destroyed everybody in the heavyweight division until Ali polished him during the Rumble in the Jungle. He quit boxing, returning late in life to make a comeback. He managed to again win the title at age 45. He kept on fighting, finally retiring for good a couple of months shy of 49 years old.

How did he do this? Well, being good helps, as does a jackhammer punch, but neither of those things was the key. In his second career, he was always totally relaxed and comfortable in the ring. Every muscle not in use was resting. His much younger opponents could not match this, and often pooped out before he did. He substituted relaxation for youth. His relaxed self burned half the energy of their tension.

The other key to endurance in fighting is even easier to understand, and a heck of a lot easier to do. One must remember to breath. Not that I didn’t breathe during my first tournament, but I did not breathe right. Wish I’d known that at the time.

Today Sensei had me spar with her daughter for about 20 minutes. She needs to free fight for her upcoming Black Belt exam, and I’m the best one in the club to help her get ready. I presented her with funny angles, different styles, blitzes, and a ton of other stuff. She took it all and dished out plenty back. The best part was that she managed to keep relaxed the entire time. Relaxed, but fully alert and focused. That is exactly what she will need for her exam.

And she never forgot to breathe.