Law #1: Every particle moves in a straight line at constant speed unless compelled to change this motion by forces acting on it.

Focus Foremost: When someone first learns the combative arts, one of the most important first lessons to learn is focus. There isn’t a single person who doesn't want to learn the martial arts, kickboxing or boxing quickly. People want to get good and they want to do it fast. The first lesson in focus is to get good with your techniques first then worry about getting fast. In the long run this will help you achieve your goals much quicker. When it comes to sparring, most rookies will focus on their opponents’ gloves, which is a big mistake. Chances are if you focus on the glove you'll get hit by the glove. When you stand infront of an opponent you need to focus on the body of the opponent so that you can read the body language of the attack. As far as Newton’s first law goes, this means you'll know when the attack is coming so that you can parry, block, or deflect the strike so you don't get hurt. Managing this inside the ring takes time, patience, and practice.

Managing focus outside the ring is much more difficult. Being the owner of a kickboxing and boxing studio I often run into eager young men and women who come to me with grand ideas, lofty goals, and a desire to be a champion. Every one of these individuals has the potential to become a great champion, but sadly most of them never come close. The reason for this is simple... becoming a champion is difficult to accomplish. There are many obstacles, tons of distractions, and loads of peer pressure, from family and friends, to contend with. Simply put life manages to get in the way. The difference between those that make it and those that don't is a champion will continue straight forward despite the forces being acted on them. They remain focused on their mission to become a champion. The obstacles, hazards, and pitfalls that come up from time to time aren't strong enough to slow a champion down. Champions have the “do it at all costs” attitude and navigate their course so they adapt to the challenges, but...don’t let the challenges determine the direction.

Law #2: When a force acts on a particle, the motion of the particle is changed in the direction in which the forced acts, and the acceleration of the particle is proportional to the force.

The Courage to Win:  In boxing there's an expression called “rolling with the punches” which applies directly to Newton's second law of motion. In the ring when punches or kicks are thrown at you if you stand tall and rigid you won't last very long. For example, the only reason a person doing karate can break the board is because the board is rigid. If the board was made of rubber, the board would never break. A rubber board would bend along with the force being applied to it. The more force being applied means that the rubber board will simply bend more until it could return to its original state.

Rolling with the punches never happens when it’s smooth sailing. It's when you step into the ring and you’re being challenged by someone who is bigger, stronger, and faster than you, that the true measure of your courage and your ability to roll with the punches is being tested. Courage is defined as “the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear”. Becoming a champion means you must become an expert at dealing with difficulty, danger, pain and your fears. When you learn to roll with the punches in the ring it only works if you remain calm and relaxed despite all hell breaking loose around you. 

Outside the ring you can't become a champion unless you learn to roll with the punches that life throws at you. There will always be tough times. Every great champion will tell you that there were days when they didn’t feel like going for a run, but they did anyways. That they wanted to stay out late with their friends, but they went to bed early instead. That they didn’t have enough money to support their dream of becoming a champion, but they managed to make it work anyways. If you want to become a champion you need the courage to do what is necessary both in victory and defeat. Learn to roll with the punches during the tough times and when the dust settles, you’ll still be standing waiting for the next round. It doesn't come easy and nobody will ever pass you a title belt for nothing. If you want a title belt you have to have the courage to take it.

Law #3: To every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction.

Determination Beats Natural Talent: When it comes to fighting the first person who taught me about this concept was my mother. My mother grew up in London during the Second World War where spending nights in a bomb shelter was not uncommon.  She grew up during a tough time surrounded by tough people. When I was young I was bullied often and after coming home crying one too many times my mother straightened me out. She told me “if somebody hits you once hard...you hit them back twice, twice as hard.” Her message stuck with me and shortly thereafter I didn’t come home crying anymore. Problem solved.

The concept of fighting is simple really. If you want to win a match you have to hit your opponent more times than they hit you. If they hit you hard you have to try and hit them back twice as hard. This way, as my saint of a mother would say ‘they won’t want to play with you anymore’. The challenge with this concept is it takes a mountain of determination to see it through to the end. No opponent of any decent calibre will allow you to simply walk in and hit them at will, and if you hit them back hard...they’re going to do the same thing to you. You must be more determined to win than your opponent. No matter how tired you are, you must believe that they are more tired and you will continue on.

For sixteen years I’ve trained many people that have come and gone  and if there’s one thing I’ve learnt about training champions it’s that natural talent doesn’t amount to squat unless its backed up by determination. In fact, I’d rather have someone come to me with loads of determination and not a lick of talent because talent is something that can be taught.  True determination cannot be developed from hitting a bag, the mitts, or from sparring alone. Determination begins with the decision to do more, to be more, and to achieve more. It's tested on a daily basis. A champion must do the things others don't. I champion knows that for every sacrifice they make, for every party they miss, and for every good time they could've had, the rewards for their determination are just too great to give up. Parties, relationships, and even friends come and go, but becoming a champion is something you own for a lifetime.

When it comes to Newtons third law of motion this means that for every action you take towards becoming a champion their will be an equal reaction. Do all the right things and you will become the champion!

When it comes to the sweet science of fighting, trust in Newton’s Laws of Motion, to help you find your path. Focus, courage, and determination are only three of the many and much needed ingredients to becoming a champion. Make sure these ingredients are part of your daily life and your training regime and you'll find that becoming a champion is within your grasp.

Author: John McMahon - Head Instructor
Nomad Kickboxing & Boxing

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