There a reason fighting is compared to chess. It takes real smarts to succeed - street smarts, book smarts, and self-awareness. And both are a lot like life.
“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”
– Sun Tzu, The Art of War
Sam Sheridan is a Harvard grad and a writer. Sam Sheridan is also a fighter. He has a muay Thai fight under his belt, which he wrote about in his well-known 2007 book,A Fighter’s Heart.It’s a great read and nails the essence of why we fight, what it takes physically to do so, and what we fight for – love.Sheridan points out that we fight for those we love, for respect, and more than anything for the love of the fight itself.A Fighter’s Heartis a largely a glimpse (through Sheridan’s own journey) of what it takes to train like a fighter.
While the book does a brilliant job in breaking down what it takes to be a fighter day in and day out,A Fighter’s Heartis more about thewill or heart of a fighterrather than the mind of a fighter. In order to dig deeper into the mind of a fighter, Sheridan followed up his first book withA Fighter’s Mindin 2010.This book is fascinating because many don’t think of fighting as a thinking man’s sport, but in reality, it’s the ultimate thinking man’s sport.Sheridan himself embodies this paradox in fighting – the willingness to display brutal and savage physicality coupled with the ultimate mental challenge – facing our enemy as well as ourselves.
Typically, we tend to think of fighting as a physical action, broken down into physical bits and pieces. I’ve written extensively on the physicality of fighting, discussing topics such ashow to throw the best jab, or how youexecute a great roundhouse kick. Indeed the physicality of the martial arts is the nuts and bolts of fighting. To craft the best weapon and armor we should spend much of our time perfecting these physical tools.However, how and when to deploy our weapons and armor is largely a function of the mind.
We see this in every arena of sport.The greatest champions are those who possess the sweet spot of mental toughness coupled with athleticism and physical tenacity.In fighting, this combination is even more pronounced because the stakes are higher (your life might actually be on the line). It takes both a smart and introspective individual to look at all of the variables and think strategically in a fight. The physicality and tactics used in fighting are nothing without the strategy behind it. As Sun Zu said, “Ponder and deliberate before you make a move. One of the often-used analogies to the fight game is that of chess.It’s a bit ironic given that chess has long been associated with society’s elite and upper crust, whereas fighting sports like boxing are often identified with the poorest parts of the inner city. Boxers literally fight their way out of the slums in some cases. There are rare exceptions to this generality, like former UFC lightweight champBJ Penn, who came from a well-to-do upbringing. The general rule of thumb however is that fighters tend to come from disadvantaged and poor socio-economic backgrounds. There aren’t a lot of Harvard grads or (chess prodigies for that matter) in and around the boxing gyms and MMA schools...
There a reason fighting is compared to chess. It takes real smarts to succeed - street smarts, book smarts, and self-awareness. And both are a lot like life.
“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”
– Sun Tzu, The Art of War
Sam Sheridan is a Harvard grad and a writer. Sam Sheridan is also a fighter. He has a muay Thai fight under his belt, which he wrote about in his well-known 2007 book, A Fighter’s Heart. It’s a great read and nails the essence of why we fight, what it takes physically to do so, and what we fight for – love. Sheridan points out that we fight for those we love, for respect, and more than anything for the love of the fight itself. A Fighter’s Heart is a largely a glimpse (through Sheridan’s own journey) of what it takes to train like a fighter.
While the book does a brilliant job in breaking down what it takes to be a fighter day in and day out, A Fighter’s Heart is more about the will or heart of a fighter rather than the mind of a fighter. In order to dig deeper into the mind of a fighter, Sheridan followed up his first book with A Fighter’s Mind in 2010. This book is fascinating because many don’t think of fighting as a thinking man’s sport, but in reality, it’s the ultimate thinking man’s sport. Sheridan himself embodies this paradox in fighting – the willingness to display brutal and savage physicality coupled with the ultimate mental challenge – facing our enemy as well as ourselves.
Typically, we tend to think of fighting as a physical action, broken down into physical bits and pieces. I’ve written extensively on the physicality of fighting, discussing topics such as how to throw the best jab, or how you execute a great roundhouse kick. Indeed the physicality of the martial arts is the nuts and bolts of fighting. To craft the best weapon and armor we should spend much of our time perfecting these physical tools. However, how and when to deploy our weapons and armor is largely a function of the mind.
We see this in every arena of sport. The greatest champions are those who possess the sweet spot of mental toughness coupled with athleticism and physical tenacity. In fighting, this combination is even more pronounced because the stakes are higher (your life might actually be on the line). It takes both a smart and introspective individual to look at all of the variables and think strategically in a fight. The physicality and tactics used in fighting are nothing without the strategy behind it. As Sun Zu said, “Ponder and deliberate before you make a move. One of the often-used analogies to the fight game is that of chess. It’s a bit ironic given that chess has long been associated with society’s elite and upper crust, whereas fighting sports like boxing are often identified with the poorest parts of the inner city. Boxers literally fight their way out of the slums in some cases. There are rare exceptions to this generality, like former UFC lightweight champ BJ Penn, who came from a well-to-do upbringing. The general rule of thumb however is that fighters tend to come from disadvantaged and poor socio-economic backgrounds. There aren’t a lot of Harvard grads or (chess prodigies for that matter) in and around the boxing gyms and MMA schools...
Why Fighting Is Like Chess, and Both Are Like Life - Breaking Muscle