Believe in yourself

This weekend I attended the IBJJF European Open Championships in Lisbon, Portugal.
The organisers said there were about 1500 Athletes fighting for medals.

I competed myself and whilst warming up got into a brief conversation with a fellow competitor about their belief in their chances of victory.

He had just recovered from an injury, so felt he hadn't done enough sparring at his Academy. Also he had only been promoted 6 months ago so felt he really stood no chance of winning anything.

I was taken aback by his admission; this is the Europeans - one of the most prestigious tournaments in the World. To fight here and do well isn't that everyone's goal ?

OK,it is normal to feel a little anxious - I know I did, but to achieve success you must believe that you can achieve it.

I took a moment out of my preparation to help this guy.
I won't share the details of our conversation, but what I'll say is what he needed maybe is something you too might need for success in your martial training.


You may ask, Steve what exactly do you mean ? Be more specific.

Firstly you must set a goal - be it get through the first round, or get a specific medal, pass your next grading, or simply face your fears.
Then have a plan on how you are going to achieve this goal.
Finally say the right things to yourself. By saying positive things, your mind will eventually start to believe it and help you find a way to action your plan and achieve our goal.

Once you have this you have a starting point to achieve success that you can apply not just to your training but your whole life.

Putting my words into action, my own belief helped me to win Gold on Friday.


I believe in you. Go make a start.