Pre-Fight Nerves: The Full Guide

Your hands are shaking. Your stomach is in knots. A voice in your head keeps asking: what if I lose? What if I embarrass myself in front of everyone?

I know that voice. Right before my first amateur fight, the Florida State Golden Gloves, I was shaking so bad I told my dad I wanted to go hide in a corner and cry.

Since then I've fought in a national tournament and made it to my fourth fight undefeated as an amateur. I still get scared. What changed is I learned how to keep the fear from hurting my performance.

This guide is everything I learned along the way, with nothing held back.

Imagine walking out with your head quiet, your eyes on your corner, and your mind telling you "I did the work. I deserve to be here."

What's inside

• The thoughts that keep you up at night, and exactly what I say back to them
• What to do when you wake up at 3 AM and can't fall back asleep
• How I handle weigh-ins and what I eat before the fight
• The music, videos and visualization that put me in my war headspace
• How to lock in on your coach's voice when the crowd is screaming
• What I tell myself on the walkout and in the first 30 seconds
• The mistake that made my fear worse, and what I told myself about losing
• A one-page cheat sheet you can look at the morning of

This isn't theory. It's what I actually do, fight after fight.

Your nerves don't have to win the fight before it starts.