'being mentally strong is more important than being physically strong during matches,' says mma fighter ritu phogat
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athletes, coaches and sport psychologists have consistently highlighted mental toughness as one of the most important psychological characteristics related to success in sports. getty
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what does it really take to be at the top of your game in world competition? according to indian mixed martial arts (mma) fighter ritu phogat, mental fortitude is even more important than physical strength.
phogat, dubbed “the indian tigress,” lost the one women’s atomweight world grand prix last december. but after recovering from an injury, she’s back and ready to fight once again — and a big part of her success will be her attitude, she said.
“to win, i try to stick to my plan, which is very important,” phogat, who has an impressive 7-2 record from her first full mma season, told the indian express. “being mentally strong is more important than being physically strong during matches.”
in a sport that takes strength, agility and aggressive moves, mindset is critical. and phogat, 28, says she is mentally stronger than ever.
“the last loss [in december] didn’t affect me mentally at all. winning and losing is a part and parcel of the game, i have endured it during my wrestling days. it pushed me to work harder.”
she also says the break from competition has allowed her to recover from a long-term shoulder injury and revamp her fighting style for the coming match.
as firstpost reports, phogat comes from a famous wrestling family. her father, mahavir singh phogat, is a legendary coach who trained her sisters to the highest levels of the sport, inspiring the 2016 indian sports drama film dangal.
the “tigress” started out in wrestling, where she won three national championships in her native india. in 2016, she won gold at the 2016 commonwealth wrestling championships in singapore. she was expected to represent india at the 2020 olympics, but switched her focus to mma instead. now based in singapore, she hopes to become india’s first mixed martial arts world champion.
does mental strength really play that significant a role in sports?
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the science says phogat is right — her mental focus and fortitude will go a long way in getting her to the top.
athletes, coaches and sport psychologists have consistently highlighted mental toughness as one of the most important psychological characteristics related to success in sports. according to a systematic review of the literature published in the german journal of exercise and sport research in 2019, psychology is often the final determinant that differentiates a winner and a loser in sports.
“research into the relationship between mental toughness and performance has consistently shown that better performances of both cognitive and motor skills are associated with higher levels of mental toughness and those elite athletes have higher mental toughness than lower level performers,” the review says.
when it comes to elite athletes, mental toughness is usually associated with unshakeable self-belief, the ability to rebound after failures and persistence or refusal to quit.
check, check and check for phogat.
the researchers also suggest mental toughness is linked to coping with adversity and extreme pressure, and retaining concentration in the face of potential distractions which certainly happen for athletes competing in front of an audience.
“most contemporary researchers suggest that an individual’s mental toughness will be determined by both inherited characteristics and by learning, experience and environment influences,” the authors note.
interesting, too, that phogat likely has inherited her skill and mental strength from her father.
over recent years, many elite athletes, including superstar gymnast simone biles and tennis pro naomi osaka, have spoken openly about the pressure that international scrutiny can put on mental health — and how that can affect their sport.
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“i just think mental health is more prevalent in sports right now…. we have to protect our minds and our bodies and not just go out and do what the world wants us to do,” biles told reporters when she exited the olympic final for her mental health last summer.
as mma fans are excited to watch phogat in the cage in her next match in tokyo, it’s worth remembering the plan she announced to reporters earlier: “i intend to show a different side of me in this match. applying the principle of fearless combat handed down to me by my father, i will relentlessly apply my techniques and not give my opponent a chance to attack.”
karen hawthorne is a toronto-based writer.
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