Feeling Tired During Fights Isn’t The Same As Being Tired

There’s a difference between feeling tired during fights and being tired…

Competing as a fighter is stressful, and the cocktail of neurochemicals and hormones this dumps into your body drastically affects how you feel. Especially early in a fight career, nervousness, anxiety, or even all-out fear, will leave you feeling exhausted without even exerting yourself!

But, I’ve found there can be a disparity between the sensations you feel, and the performance you can produce if you can override them. From the top down, emotion affects posture. And from the bottom up, posture affects emotion. If your training has built good postural habits, then despite how tired you feel, you may well not look it!

Don’t assume because you feel tired, and are facing an exhausted-looking opponent, that you look just as exhausted during the fight too.

Reviewing your own fight footage allows you to cross-reference your feelings of fatigue during the fight with your postural appearance. And compare that to the posture of your opponent. Having your corner team honestly review if your opponent “looks tired” (i.e. more tired than you do) between rounds, will give you a psychological boost and help you pace your efforts to better affect.

When Feeling Tired Is A Lie

Don Heatrick · Muay Thai Performance Coachby Don Heatrick
@donheatrick

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Video Summary

Feeling Tired? It Might Not Be What You Think

In the heat of a fight, fatigue can feel overwhelming. When I first started competing, I often felt exhausted, assuming that my energy levels were running on empty. This feeling of being worn out made me hesitant to press the attack, especially when I saw my opponent looking drained. However, my perception of fatigue wasn’t always accurate, and this led me to miss crucial opportunities in the ring.

The Eye-Opening Truth: Reviewing Fight Footage

A game-changing realization came when I started reviewing fight footage. I noticed that while I felt incredibly tired, I didn’t actually look as fatigued on camera – and looked far less drained than my opponent did! The contrast between how tired I felt and how fresh I appeared allowed me to reassess my strategy. I learned that my feeling of exhaustion wasn’t always a true reflection of my physical state. By recognizing this discrepancy, I was able to push harder and exploit my opponent’s weaknesses more effectively.

The Power of Corner Feedback

An essential part of refining my approach was involving my corner team. I made it a point to ask them to give me honest feedback about my appearance compared to my opponent’s. When they consistently told me I looked better than my opponent, it boosted my confidence and helped me adjust my pacing. This external perspective was crucial in managing my energy and maintaining a competitive edge, even when I felt like I was running on empty.

Practical Tips: Adjust Based on Reality, Not Perception

Here’s how you can use these insights to your advantage: When you’re in a fight and feeling tired, remember that your perception might not align with reality. Use video analysis and feedback from your corner to get a true sense of how you’re holding up. This will help you gauge whether you can maintain or increase your pace. By aligning your perceived fatigue with actual visual evidence, you can make more informed decisions and improve your performance in the ring.

Embrace these strategies to turn your perception of tiredness into a tool for success. Keep pushing your limits and stay sharp—because feeling tired doesn’t always mean you’re at your breaking point.

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Don Heatrick · Muay Thai Performance Coach

Don Heatrick

Founder of Heatrick Muay Thai Performance

Don Heatrick is a Level 4 Strength & Conditioning Coach and former pro Muay Thai fighter who helps practitioners turn limited training time into real Muay Thai performance gains.

With 25 years of Muay Thai coaching experience and an engineering background, he creates systematic, science-backed Muay Thai performance programs that cut through the confusion and deliver real progress without burnout. Learn more about Don’s approach →

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