Some people think that talent is the secret sauce that leads to greatness in martial arts, but that’s not how things really work. Consistency beats talent almost every time. Sure, having natural ability can make it easier for some to master techniques than others, but martial arts training is a marathon, not a sprint.
The greatest martial artists often aren’t the most naturally gifted fighters. They’re typically those who consistently show up for their training and grind hard every session. These people are most likely to accomplish great things as martial artists, like becoming a ONE Championship belt holder.
Understanding Why Talent Isn’t Enough To Be Great As A Martial Artist
Talent can make things easier when you first start training in martial arts. For example, a naturally flexible person might find it easier to throw a high roundhouse kick the first time they attempt it compared to someone with limited flexibility. However, these talents fade away without consistent training.
Sticking with the example above, while the flexible person might find it easier to throw a roundhouse the first time it’s shown to them, their technique won’t improve if they don’t keep working at it. Meanwhile, the stiff person who couldn’t raise their leg high enough to throw the roundhouse can improve their flexibility by stretching regularly and go on to master how to throw roundhouse kicks better than the naturally flexible person.
The martial arts world is filled with naturally gifted individuals who never reached their full potential because they relied on talent alone. Such people often get outworked by those more disciplined with their training.
An example of this would be Mike Tyson, who seemingly had all the physical attributes needed to excel as one of boxing’s champions. Despite Tyson’s devastating power and insane hand speed, he lost fights to opponents like Buster Douglas, Lennox Lewis, and Evander Holyfield, who were nowhere as naturally gifted as he was.
If talent is a flashy sports car, consistency is the fuel that keeps it going. Without fuel, the car isn’t going anywhere. No amount of talent makes up for a lack of discipline, dedication, and work ethic.
Martial Artists Who Demonstrate The Power Of Consistency
MMA legend Georges St. Pierre is an excellent example of how many of the most successful martial artists who ever lived worked their way to the top. Georges wasn’t always the MMA champion most people know him as. He was once a skinny kid who was viciously bullied at school.
The bullying was so severe it eventually led to him picking up martial arts to learn how to protect himself. He started with Karate lessons and eventually progressed to wrestling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
St Pierre was widely recognized as one of the best wrestlers in MMA history by the time he retired, but he didn’t pick up wrestling as a child. Georges picked up wrestling later in life when he started competing in MMA, yet he became a better wrestler than many of his opponents who had been wrestling since childhood, like Josh Koscheck, Jake Shields, and Jon Fitch.
The Power Of Habit
Consistency with your martial arts training helps to build good habits, which can be more valuable than technique. For example, always showing up for classes regardless of how you feel mood-wise or if you’re still sore from your previous workout helps to develop mental toughness, which can be beneficial on the mat.
Training consistently also leads to your brain building neural pathways that help to reinforce your skills. Over time, these movements become second nature to you regardless of how challenging you found them when they were first shown to you.
Consistent training leads to being able to execute high-level techniques without having to think about what you’re doing. For example, Floyd Mayweather is one of the most gifted defensive specialists in boxing history, and one of the main reasons his defense is so good is because he has built up the proper muscle memory over the years.
Fighters like Mayweather aren’t consciously thinking about what they’ll do next in the ring; it’s a reflexive action for them. Depending on variables like the type of punch being thrown, how far away his opponent is, and the angle the strike is coming from, Mayweather’s brain automatically figures out the best way to evade it. Muscle memory is like turning on autopilot during a contest. Your body just knows what to do.
Talent Plateaus While Consistency Keeps You Growing
One of the most significant issues martial artists who rely on their talent face is the plateaus it leads to. It’s easy to hit a training wall when you’re used to coasting by on what comes naturally to you. On the other hand, consistency is about showing up and grinding to push past those plateaus. It’s about making small, incremental progress over time.
Let’s use the typical journey of new Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu students to illustrate this point. Some white belts are naturally athletic but don’t take their training as seriously since they can still use their athleticism to dominate other newbies. However, the white belts who show up consistently and focus on improving eventually surpass their abilities. The same white belts they could once dominate with their strength end up becoming way better grapplers than they are.
An old saying in BJJ circles goes, “A black belt is just a white belt who never quit.” The black belts are the people who keep showing up for classes even when they hit roadblocks.
Staying Consistent With Your Training Even When You Don’t Feel Like It
Consistency is about creating a routine that works for you and sticking to it. It doesn’t mean you should burn yourself out by overtraining. Some simple things you can do to get the most out of your martial arts training include:
- Set Small, Attainable Goals: Instead of trying to train seven times a week, start with two or three classes a week and build up from there.
- Hold Yourself Accountable: Tell your training partners and instructors your goals so they can hold you accountable.
- Celebrate Progress: Always find ways to celebrate all your accomplishments in the dojo.
The Grind Always Pays Off
Training hard consistently isn’t always glamorous, but it will always beat relying on your natural talents. Fighters like ONE Championship’s flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson didn’t get there by luck; it took years of consistent hard work to refine their techniques.
Success in martial arts rarely happens by chance; it’s earned through discipline, consistency, and perseverance. Talent might get you noticed early on, but consistency will make you great.
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