(Approx 2 minute read)

Confidence is one of those things that can make or break you in the martial arts. You can have all the skill in the world, but if you hesitate, even for a split second, it can throw everything off. I’ve seen it happen – in others, and in myself.
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Back when I used to compete, I struggled with confidence more than I liked to admit. There were times I’d get so nervous before stepping onto the mat to compete that I felt physically sick. My instructor, though, always saw something in me and always seemed to choose me for competitions or dojo challenges. When my confidence was high, I felt great and my skills shined.
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But when my confidence wavered? It was like my body didn’t want to cooperate. My responses slowed, I was tight, my technique failed, not because I didn’t know what to do, but because my mind was working against me.
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Confidence isn’t just about feeling good, it’s about allowing your body to do what it’s been trained to do. When you second-guess yourself, you hesitate. And in the martial arts, in self-defense, hesitation can be costly.
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However, don’t confuse confidence with arrogance. Confidence is quiet. It’s the calm assurance that you’re prepared for what’s ahead. Arrogance, on the other hand, blinds you. It makes you misjudge things – you might think your opponent’s no big deal or believe you’re better than you really are. I’ve seen it happen plenty of times. Fighters walk onto the mat full of swagger, acting like they’ve already won, and then reality hits them hard.
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I’ve seen it outside the dojo too. People thinking they’re tougher than they are, picking fights they didn’t need to, and before they know it, they’re in the ER wondering what went wrong.
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Building confidence isn’t about pretending to be fearless, it’s about facing those nerves head-on. The more you train, the more you step out of your comfort zone, the more you expose yourself to challenging situations, the more you realize you can handle it. You don’t eliminate the fear you have – you learn to move through it.
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I look back at those times that I struggled, and I realize now that those experiences were just as valuable as the ones where I felt great. Confidence isn’t something you magically gain one day and never lose. It’s something you build, moment by moment, every time you step into the dojo, every time you step onto the mat, whether you feel ready or not.
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At the end of the day, your martial art is only as good as you feel. To be able to balance self-confidence and creativity without coming across as boastful can be one of the hardest things to do.
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So trust yourself, and take the time, as just like any other part of your training, being confident takes practice too.
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Written by Adam Carter
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Photo Credit: Stockcake.