Competition is one of the greatest ways to grow as an MMA athlete, boxer or martial artist. You will face a diverse range of rivals, each of which will present a unique experience in the ring. The unpredictability of an opponent will expose you to areas you may not have known needed improvement. While losing may not feel good, it presents an opportunity to leave with many valuable lessons and to grow as an athlete.
What can you learn after a loss? Read below for 4 lessons to help propel you forward.
- Discover Weaknesses to Improve. Review your experience and focus on your technique. Losing provides a lot of emotional lessons, but ultimately the biggest thing you can take away from losing is learning what technical areas you can train harder in. Do you need to work on your takedown technique or striking? Here’s your chance to fine-tune your training and improve.
- Separate Worth From Outcome. Measure worth in areas outside of the competition. Focus on the strides you have made to be where you are. Think back to all the hard work you put into training and measure your self worth based on the person you were before that hard work. Get inspired by that and think about the person you can be if you continue working hard.
- Be Prepared to Lose. Without failure there is no success. After a loss you realize that it isn’t the end-all-be-all and you are able to prepare yourself better for possible future losses. Losing happens. Even the most successful athletes have lost at one point or another. They wouldn’t be where they are without loss.
- Don't Quit. Disappointment is never easy. It's okay to be upset and maybe even a little angry, but it's what you do with that anger that’s important. Learn to feel that disappointment and persevere. What’s worse than losing? Quitting.
