Fooling the other guy is not only psychologically uplifting, but has another benefit as well. When a fake-out results in a punch or kick, the impact is at least twice as severe. There’s a multiplier effect at play, increasing the damage that paves the way to your adversary’s defeat. This is true simply because the other guy isn’t expecting what’s heading his way.
After defeat and severe pain, surprise is the third biggest fear of most fighters.
It generally can be said that the better a fighter is, the less likely he will be taken by surprise. This rule can be equally applied to those who make their living outside the octagon. The sharpest individuals I know are those who exercise consistently good judgment in the daily management of their private lives. Life doesn’t often catch them in a chokehold. When it comes to common sense, humanity seems to be divided into those who usually see trouble coming and those who don’t.
Many surprises in life are not happy ones. So there’s an ocean of heartache awaiting those who often find themselves in painful predicaments. In the fight arena and out, there are some who never develop the ability to read danger. They’re always vulnerable to getting blindsided.
Those who are unaware seem to experience their on-going, unpleasant surprises as coming from some invisible, tricky nowhere. They fail to appreciate the role they play in allowing disaster to enter their lives. Leaping from frying pan to frying pan is a lousy way to go through life.
UFC pros, and those who are professionals in the art of living, often see the shape of things quickly and clearly - before a guillotine choke locks on them. I well know that not all surprises can be avoided, inside or outside the ring. Sometimes I get sandbagged, whether I’m fighting or just trying to navigate through my personal life. But having a knack for anticipation goes a long way towards keeping hazards fromroutinely dropping you to the mat.
Exercising good judgment is the ticket to a peaceful life. And at the heart of good judgment is the ability to anticipate problems before they happen. Anticipation is the hallmark of the clever fighter and the intelligent person.
Consequences that are foreseen and avoided are the best kind of all. Often, a simple dodge is all it takes to escape.
