Staying lucid under pressure

Staying lucid under pressure? In this article, you will learn how.

Lucidity refers to an individual's ability to judge their behavior clearly. Lucidity is the number one survival condition for a fighter in the ring.

In a fight, boxers are exposed to repeated crises in an uncertain and complex context. They have highly developed physical abilities and perfect technical gestures, but they must rely on their situational intelligence. This ability is the key to winning.

In boxing, losing face is a possibility.

Sandra shares her experience with combat sports and explains what went through her mind when she won the World Championship of Boxing by knockout.

It was a superb demonstration of situational intelligence, even in a critical and risky combat position!

Situational intelligence

Having a vision that drives you toward what you want is critical. This requires deep questioning, but it also allows you to overcome obstacles. Sandra's vision was "I want to be strong; I want to be confident and change what I do not like!"

You must identify a vision for projects to gather people around the same goal and prevent your teammates from fleeing through the bathroom window when your opponent approaches. You don't want them to escape before the fight!

Disassociated serenity

Sandra explains that this means entering a mode in which she moves quickly while remaining calm and lucid. In a fight, this allows her to observe signals sent by the opponent to find faults and openings.

This serenity provides a broader awareness of the environment while maintaining intense activity and concentration on the objective.

To learn more, visit: https://maximumcomposure.com

Crisis decision-making

In a crisis, the natural tendency is to do more of the same thing due to the activation of our automatic mental mode.

However, this is not recommended in a combat situation because our movements become predictable and potentially dangerous. Breaking the rhythm is the most effective response to get out of a crisis.

And it can work even in the middle of a conflict.

What you need is audacity, and it must be cultivated. Audacity is vital for developing the adaptive mental mode.

The first key to big audacious goals is to look elsewhere; step out of your comfort zone and study what others do in different training camps, organizations, or even different sports. Find ways to incorporate their best practices into your training. Sandra explains that the wealth of her experience in a multitude of combat sports was the key to her victory in the world championship.

Vigilance, a precious quality for an athlete exposed to blows, is only an illusion if one's lucidity falters.

In sports science, it is common to observe differences in cognitive performance based on the complexity of the problem to be solved (memorizing, calculating, anticipating, adapting, etc.), the intensity of the exercise, the individual's training level, and their level of fatigue, hydration, or environmental conditions. In other words, the ability to choose quickly and wisely is personal, and it never happens the same way twice.

What happens to cognitive performance under pressure?

The ability to maintain lucidity can be improved with practice. This means that at the beginning of a race, the same technical or tactical choice (adjusting the stride, swimming speed, launching, or reacting to an offensive move) can be executed more quickly and wisely.

As stress on the body increases (internal heat build-up, depletion of energy stores, muscle trauma, etc.), initial cognition gradually dissipates. The individual becomes more impulsive, and reactions are slower. The frontal part of the brain receives too much information from the body, hindering its decision-making efficiency for a competing task.

If the effort continues, cognitive decline occurs. The ability to regulate emotions and behavior decreases, often leading to improper movements, injuries, and a significant decline in performance in endurance sports.

Indeed, we now understand that individuals with strong mental resilience and emotional intelligence are the ones who can handle stress during performances most effectively.

Hence the saying, "Hard training, easy competition."

Staying lucid under pressure? Our experiences remind us of key moments in our competitions. Those moments when lucidity made the difference for the win. Admittedly, some of these moments are attributable to superior physiological qualities, such as maintaining a position or sustaining strength for longer. However, these moments often require tactical decisions or, conversely, unexplained behaviors. For example, good lucidity can be observed during transitions in a triathlon (manipulating equipment), making tactical choices (anticipating the rest of the course), and executing sprints (maintaining technical efficiency). On the other hand, a loss of lucidity can be seen in mistakes during trail running (daydreaming), a decrease in cycling cadence, or forgetting to refuel as necessary.

To learn more, visit: https://mentalaccelerator.com/resource/lucidity/i-lost-my-lucidity