What does it take to be a fighter?

Martial arts techniques and training in the various areas of striking, grappling, and clinching are a definite necessity for someone who wishes to be a good fighter in many ranges.

What seem to be little talked about however are the other components needed to make a good fighter. What do you believe the most important qualities making up a good fighter are?

 

mindset!!!!!

 

Being athletic is one of the most important factors, if you don't have natural kenesthetic ability you probably wont make it very far.

I also think the scramble is extremely underated (especially in amature competitions) and its something thats very hard to learn/teach.

 

Having a sadistic desire to hurt other people, perhaps?
Those with pacifistic tendencies or who are afraid to throw a punch seldom do well against your average psychopath who has no problems whatsoever with such things. In otherwords, well-adjusted people probably make bad fighters on average

 

Balls

 

Being a vulnerable area, I would think that would be more of a disadvantage

 

I was talking more about the metaphorical balls required to be a fighter

 

Of course you were

 

Of course you need the skills to fight, but if you don’t have the confidence and a ruthless mentality it can really hinder how far you progress.

Im sure there are many boxers, MMA and kick boxers out there who have more than enough talent to be the best they just lack the mental strength and self belief to make it when it counts.

Your own mind can be the thing that beats you, not so much the other guy/woman.

 

It's definitely mental as well as the physical side. I am in no way a fighter, I just play at it really and I often lack the mental ability to be able to go for the attack and not bottle it. You could say I lack the metaphorical balls on some occasions

 

I think IMHO that the two most important qualities mentally are:

1. The willingness to take the fight to the enemy even when they are more powerful than you
2. Knowing when to retreat

 

In terms of mental attributes, I think the hunger to prove yourself is a big plus. If it isn't important to you to be bestfighter, you won't have the motivation to train at a high level or keep fighting when the chips are down.

If anything, this is more important than being well-rounded (in terms of clinch, striking, grappling etc). Physical attributes being equal, I would bet on a "hungry" guy with one discipline over an apathetic MMAer.

 

by climbing over the cage/ropes? I dont think anyone ever won a title for his/her ability to make a crafty retreat.

I'm just picturing someone like GSP or Rampage fleeing the arena to a roaring applaus.

 

Competitively?

Work ethic.

 

No I'm not talking competitively. I'm talking about amazing real-world martial artists like Gozo Shioda, Miyamoto Musashi, Yim Wing Chun, and other real world fighters who fought life or death in the real world and constantly came out on top, or enough of the time that they fought alot and died old.

I know some people may say that those people are embellishments but I'm not talking about sport fighters and I'm using those people more as character demonstrations of amazing skill.

What do you think it takes mentally to be an amazing real world fighter?

 

I've been reading some of your other posts and I have to ask, do you get the majority of your information from legends and movies? People don't fist fight 'to the death', it just doesn't happen. This would involve either choking or beating your opponent to death after he clearly can't defend himself anymore, and thats basically murder. If anyone out there is beating people to death it probably wont be long before the authorities arrest them.

If you are asking what it takes to regularly kill people with your bare hands I'd say some type of mental disorder and the ability to avoid the law. If you are asking what it takes to be a fighter, in your case a good dose of reality would be a fair start.

 

I was going to post this :ban:

He stole my answer before I'd even posted

 

I know two people that have done this. Both out walking the streets now.