Mental Tenacity

Mental toughness, positivity and resilience are key to a fighter’s spirit. A fighter’s spirit is like bone, the more damage done to it; the more it will calcify and become stronger. They can then carry this through to their everyday life where problems will come to seem less significant and easier to control though focus and a mindset that has become more adapt to pressure.

As with many sports, regular training/practice in a sport (whether it is a combat sport or not) can lead to advancements in other areas of the athletes life, whether it is quality of life, life satisfaction or discipline.

Discipline is also increased through learning new skill sets in a practical way. Learning an unfamiliar skill to use in a combat sport it is perhaps the most practical due to it concerning ones' own safety. You are forced into intense focus on these new skills, because if you do not adapt quickly you will come to physical harm. You are forced to put ego aside and focus on the necessary, which i believe is extremely useful in today's society where you are often rewarded for arrogance. In a gym, you learn that there is always someone who can punch faster, choke harder and kick stronger than yourself.

The traditional martial art of Thailand is Muay Thai. Fighters often start training and fighting from the age of 12, many foreigners consider this too young of an age someone to start training. But coming from a country where many people live in poverty and do not go to school, Muay Thai not only provides a chance for these children to train alongside national heroes, but to make money to provide for their family and perhaps even become a national hero themselves.

In this video, you will find a boxing trainer talking about the positives he introduces into peoples' lives through boxing. It also includes people who train there talking about the positive impact that boxing has had in their lives.

Astoria -- short documentary from Alex Poutiainen on Vimeo.