I love reading about Samurai warriors and watching films about them too. Samurais trained relentlessly and made it an inherent part of their lives. It was not just physical training though, they prepared the mind in a wide variety of ways too. They strongly believed you should always “be prepared” (like Robert Baden Powell with a sword) and research shows that preparation reduces fear because when things get tense, you don’t have to think. The Samurai would mentally rehearse victory as well as loss in their minds. I think these days, everyone knows how important it is to nail the mental game when it comes to martial arts, boxing, sporting performance and much more besides. That is what this blog article is all about.

My good friend, graduate of this college, diploma course assistant here and coaching supremo Lucy Hyde has taken up boxing. That is, in a couple of weeks time she is going to be in a ring with a real-life opponent in a formal boxing match. Having lost her Mum to cancer last year, she is doing it to raise funds for charity.

You can go and read her story here, she is candid about her concerns, her motivations and is very open about who and how she is, while your re there, do sponsor her too, she has trained so hard for this and her transformation in recent months has been amazing.

Sponsorship page of Lucy Hyde

I wanted to help and along the way have done my best to offer support that friend’s give to each other, but I don’t really know anything about boxing other than I often shout “go on, hit him” when watching world title fights on the telly. Knowing what a great self-hypnotist Lucy is, I devised and composed a self-hypnosis session for her to use in her preparations and Lucy was o.k. with me sharing that publicly here too.

This self-hypnosis technique can be used by anyone who really wants to draw upon their full resources, who really wants to be able to perform at their best during any kind of sporting event or a performance of any kind, heck, there are many other ways it can be adapted too.

Learn more about improving your sporting performance:
Helpful Hints and Ideas for Using Mental Imagery to Enhance Your Sporting Performance
Using Performance Enhancing Hypnosis Drugs

 

Before sharing the technique, firstly you need to watch this video clip from the film Gladiator, from right at the beginning of the film. Don’t watch it passively, properly engage in it and listen in detail to what is being said and the underpinning sentiment and thought process that exists while the words are spoken.

Invest the full 3 minutes. Pay particular notice to the following:

– “On my signal, unleash hell.”

– “What we do in life, echoes in eternity.”

– The framing of the speech to his men – “In 3 weeks time, I’ll be harvesting my crops, imagine where you will be and it will be so” – assuming the victory, knowing the eventual outcome in the grander scheme of things.

– The roar of charging into battle with “strength and honour.”

Here is the clip:

Having watched the full clip, Now follow these steps.

Step One: Induce hypnosis.

You can do so by any means you desire or know of. You can use the process in my Science of self-hypnosis book, use the free audio we give away on this website to practice or have a look at the following articles as and when you need them; they are basic processes to help you simply open the door of your mind:

Heavy Arm Self-Hypnosis Induction Method
Using Eye Fixation for Self-Hypnosis
The Chiasson Self-Hypnosis Method
Hand to Face Self-Hypnosis Induction
Using Magnetic Hands for Self-Hypnosis
The Coin Drop Self-Hypnosis Induction

Once you have induced hypnosis, proceed to step two.

Step Two: Imagine yourself on the night of your fight, walking in to ringside and stepping up to and into the ring.

Each imagined step you take focuses you more and takes you deeper into hypnosis. Adopt the hypnotic mindset fully. (For those who have not read my self-hypnosis book who do not know specifically what is meant by the very evidence based notion of the hypnotic mindset, adopt the role of hypnotised subject, expect the outcomes you imagine to happen, have a favourable attitude and be appropriately motivated to be hypnotised – but do go read my book)

Guide yourself through the process of everything that happens that takes you into the ring.

Then start to consider how you’ll celebrate, think about how you’ll announce your victory, how you’ll write about it and communicate about it, and know how you’ll feel when you’ve won. Be positively thoughtful and reflective about how your life is going to be with victory under your belt. Believe it undeniably.

Every thought, every image takes you deeper into hypnosis. When you have fully engaged in this step, when you are invested fully in the belief, move on to the next step.

Note: If you are not planning on boxing, this can be adapted to the specifics of your event, performance or other situation, scenario or circumstance.

Step Three: Now dig deep inside yourself to that place of inner strength and resource, Dig deep to the place that you go to draw upon all your training, all your knowledge, all your ability, all your strength and all your power.

Imagine it building up within you like a reservoir. Maybe give it a colour and let it spread through the body. Imagine it has a sound that resonates throughout you. Imagine it building up undeniably and powerfully, like a bottle of fizzy drink that has been shaken strongly, but sits still and calm upon a shelf, and so no-one outside has any idea of the power residing beneath and within.

Spend time building it up, creating a force deep inside, let the adrenaline serve you well and imagine it all creating a super force that brings together so much of who you are at this time. Then move on to the next step.

Step Four: Repeat to yourself…..

“When the bell rings, I unleash hell….”

Each time you repeat it, it builds up more strength and power within you. It builds up in a sober fashion, a controlled fashion, a disciplined fashion, a cool fashion. This is not reckless, frenzied unleashing, but a force of absolute laser beam precision brilliance.

When you have repeated it enough times that you can tell it is ready to pour out, move on to the next step.

Step Five: The bell rings.

As you hear and feel the bell ring, everything you have trained for comes together beautifully. Your strength feels multiplied, your power is like nothing you have felt before.

The right shots are thunderous when you want them to be, you are more and more agile, dextrous and evasive, you seem to be lighter and lighter on your feet, your speed gathers momentum and you box as well as you can… In a fleeting moment you are filled with all of this and it is accompanied with a moment of understanding, appreciating and recognising all of this about yourself. You see it. You are illuminated in mind and body.

You unleash hell upon your opponent.

Play this through, imagine whatever you need to imagine that signals to you that you are in peak psychological and emotional condition when the bell rings, and then just know deeply within yourself “this is going to happen.” Repeat that sentiment.

Take your time with this, get it right. Enjoy that feeling, embed it, then move on to the next step.

Step Six: Exit hypnosis.

If you follow the process in my own science of self-hypnosis book, then count from one through to five to bring yourself up and out of hypnosis. Otherwise, take some deep breaths, wiggle your fingers and toes and open your eyes to reorient yourself with your surroundings. There you have it.

I wrote and said to Lucy at the end of the above outline- “I have not suggested that you imagine the fight itself, that is too unpredictable for me to want to make suggestions in that regard. I just wanted to devise something that will have you metaphorically roaring into battle in optimal fashion. Roar deep inside as you step out into the brink.

Respect your opponent before and after, but when that bell rings… Give her no quarter until victory is secured.

Practice this process regularly, tweak it to suit if need be, but make sure you are tuned in to that mindset when the bell rings. Use every aspect of the environment to enhance your internal state and make it a resource.

Enjoy.”

Lucy has been using it and has reported back to me about how well it has been working for her and I cannot wait to hear about her boxing match later this month, whatever happens, this experience has been a massive victory for her.

Adapt it and I hope it serves you just as well.

Have some of themes here resonated with you? Then have a read of these pages:

1. Do you need help or support in a particular area of your life?
Coaching with Adam Eason Or Hypnotherapy with Adam Eason
2. Would you like a satisfying and meaningful career as a hypnotherapist helping others? Are you a hypnotherapist looking for stimulating and career enhancing continued professional development and advanced studies?
Adam Eason’s Anglo European training college.
3. Are you a hypnotherapist looking to fulfil your ambitions or advance your career?
Hypnotherapist Mentoring with Adam Eason.

Likewise, if you’d like to learn more about self-hypnosis, understand the evidence based principles of it from a scientific perspective and learn how to apply it to many areas of your life while having fun and in a safe environment and have the opportunity to test everything you learn, then come and join me for my one day seminar which does all that and more, have a read here: The Science of Self-Hypnosis Seminar.