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Positive thinking should always be present in an athlete. Even when you’re not sure, you have to keep telling yourself and believing that you will get through this test, you can beat your opponent. Taking that builds up over a very long road. Discipline is key, and good coaching is indispensable in this process. He will explain each step to you as many times as it takes to master it. In karate kyokushin, it is important for the trainer to be humble and calm so he can teach you discipline. Discipline is built in the gym, and when it is built there, you learn self-discipline.

First of all, you have to be positive, even if you don’t do the task today, you have to mentally adjust and know that tomorrow you will do it. Stress is everywhere—not only in the gym or at competitions, but also in everyday life. But how to deal with it and overcome failures? What is required of the trainee is not to give up in the face of difficulties. When you enter the gym you have to put that stress aside. The gym should be your sanctuary where you focus solely on training and self-improvement.

 

How are failures overcome? Difficult. There are failures everywhere, you have to be aware enough to be able to get up and move on. You have no right to give up after putting in so much effort just because you have failed. Don’t. It’s those failures that build you up as a strong character. With each failure you don’t become weaker, but on the contrary, you gain new skills and knowledge.

What do we mean by a healthy lifestyle? Balanced nutrition and hydration are the two essentials, and the third is having an effective training regime. But what actually is an effective training regime? That’s what we ask the trainers about. They create that training regimen and you get used to it. After some time you will be able to design your own training regime using the knowledge and skills you have gained. You will know what your weaknesses are and you will work on them in your own way. Absolutely, there should always be a balance between training and rest, that’s one of the main problems. Many exercisers don’t give their bodies enough rest, which only makes them feel exhausted and left without any strength for the next challenges. There has to be a balance to have maximum performance, to feel good. Being a good athlete doesn’t mean you have to deprive yourself of absolutely everything – there always has to be a balance to be able to preserve yourself mentally and physically.

 

During a competition the most important thing is self-control, being focused on what you have trained for. To come out with confidence, with knowledge and with the will you have. You shouldn’t think of losing as the worst thing that can happen. Well no, it isn’t. A loss or a win, whichever it is – you’re always gathering experience, always striving for something more, wanting to prove yourself again and again and a loss shouldn’t stop you from doing what you love. It can only teach you how to deal with the downs and how to stand up even stronger.

In Kyokushin karate before every competition you first of all analyze your game, you start thinking about the times you lost and how you would overcome it this time. You learn from your mistakes so that next time you can be even stronger and overcome your opponent. Karate, being an individual sport, again teamwork and communication is important here. Even if this sport is individual, you train together and you have to contribute to the success of this team. You have to help others as they help you. In karate, respect is very important. Teamwork during the competitions and not only is very well developed, you compete as a team and its support is one of the most important things. No matter how nervous you are, if you find someone to talk to and reassure you with his words, it makes you more confident. Because during training you are together all the time, you know each other’s abilities, you know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, but you can always be confident and trust the people around you because they are there to help you as you are there to help them.

 

In order to be of help to someone you have to be a good teammate. But how do you become one? When you help the other person to overcome a difficulty, just as he would help you. Being a good teammate and being a good competitor are probably two pretty close and equal things. First of all you have to train and help with heart, secondly you have to be considerate, and thirdly you have to show respect – both to the younger and to the older.

Every competition is a challenging goal, but it is a realistic one to achieve. You know what you’ve put in, how you’ve given it your all first to get to this race, second to have the courage to go out and third to get the fight. To come together and show all that knowledge from training is probably the most important things to be a successful racer. Motivation can’t be throughout a racing career, it gets lost. It is lost sometime because you feel weak and exhausted, frustrated after a loss and for a bunch of other reasons. But it always comes back in time when you go to practice and see that you can do this thing, you can handle it, you enjoy it. Ethics and sportsmanship, too, should be mentioned. It is your duty to uphold fair play and ethical standards. Above all, you must maintain respect for yourself and your opponent. In Kyokushin Karate, respect is extremely important and it is no coincidence that after every match (fight) you congratulate both your opponent and his coach, no matter if you won or lost.

 

Being a successful competitor requires not only physical skills but also mental strength, self-discipline and dedication. Throughout the training process, coaches and teammates are essential, but ultimately your success is up to you. Stress, failure and loss are inevitable, but they should be viewed as opportunities for growth and improvement. Maintaining a balance between training, rest and a healthy lifestyle, as well as adhering to ethical standards, are essential steps to achieving competitive peaks. Ultimately, true victory lies in the ability to learn and grow, regardless of the challenges along the way.

In this article, Stilyana Merazova, multiple Bulgarian Kyokushin karate champion, Eastern European vice-champion, and World vice-champion, shares her thoughts and experiences with you.