interests besides boxing.
It appears that for various reasons Norton was not up for the Shavers fight as much as he could have been. As Arthur Ellen speculated, "Maybe Norton used hypnosis to decide 'Let's get to hell out of it [boxing].'" Regardless of the degree Norton was prepared mentally and physically, let us not forget to give credit to Shavers, who was obviously ready and wanted to win.
If there is a lesson to Norton's experience with hypnosis, perhaps it is this: hypnosis and other mental disciplines can help you perform up to your potential. How your opponent performs depends mainly upon his own mental and physical preparation. Sometimes your opponent will be strongly influenced by your performance, doing well because you are doing well. Quite often, though, he will perform even worse than usual because of a good effort on your part. In athletics many variables enter into the picture, making predictions about outcomes difficult. It is best, therefore, for you to concentrate on your own preparation, trying to maximize your own physical and mental potential. That way, if your opponent wins, it is because he is simply better or lucky— not because of any omission of yours.
The value of adopting this approach was brilliantly demonstrated by Rocky Marciano, the great undefeated heavyweight boxing champion from 1952 to 1956, who scored a record 49 straight victories in his division. In training for a fight Marciano went into a form of isolation, which resulted in the blocking out of all distractions and negative influences. Comments by Rocky's opponents or others that might have unnerved him or created self-doubt in his mind never made it to his eyes or ears. Meanwhile, Marciano injected a positive element into his mental preparation; throughout training camp he used visualization, a close cousin to self-hypnosis. He constantly pictured in his mind: 1) his opponent; and 2) the tactics he needed to employ to defeat the other boxer. This intense use of visualization during training led to Marciano's focus of attention come fight time being fixated on one thing only—winning. Rocky described his pre-fight mental preparation procedure this way:
The last month before a fight I don't even write a letter. The last ten days I see no mail and get no telephone calls and meet no new acquaintances. The week before the fight I'm not allowed to shake hands or go for a ride in a car. Nobody can get into the kitchen, and no new foods are introduced. Even the conversation is watched. By that I mean that the fellas keep it pleasant, with not too much fight talk. My opponent's name is never mentioned, and I don't read the write-ups because somebody might write one idea that might stick in my mind... For two or three months, then, every minute of my life is planned for one purpose. I don't even think about what I'm going to do the day after the fight, because that's going to be like an adventure and exciting. Everything on my part and on the part of everybody else in camp is directed toward one goal—to lick the other man. I see him in front of me when I'm punching the bag. When I run on the road I've got him in my mind, and always I'm working on certain moves and punches that I hope will lick him. . . When you work and work like that with only one purpose in mind for weeks on end there's only one thing you want to do—and that's get out there and try it in a fight. [9]
The way Marciano went about preparing mentally for competition can hardly be improved
upon. By going into isolation while training, he prevented his opponent and others from psyching him out. For example, if he had fought Ken Norton, and Norton, at a press conference a few days before the fight, had boasted that he would "tear Marciano's head off," the comment never would have reached Rocky's attention. In fact, it is doubtful that Marciano would attend the pre-fight press conferences that are so commonly held nowadays before big fights; this is simply because he
It appears that for various reasons Norton was not up for the Shavers fight as much as he could have been. As Arthur Ellen speculated, "Maybe Norton used hypnosis to decide 'Let's get to hell out of it [boxing].'" Regardless of the degree Norton was prepared mentally and physically, let us not forget to give credit to Shavers, who was obviously ready and wanted to win.
If there is a lesson to Norton's experience with hypnosis, perhaps it is this: hypnosis and other mental disciplines can help you perform up to your potential. How your opponent performs depends mainly upon his own mental and physical preparation. Sometimes your opponent will be strongly influenced by your performance, doing well because you are doing well. Quite often, though, he will perform even worse than usual because of a good effort on your part. In athletics many variables enter into the picture, making predictions about outcomes difficult. It is best, therefore, for you to concentrate on your own preparation, trying to maximize your own physical and mental potential. That way, if your opponent wins, it is because he is simply better or lucky— not because of any omission of yours.
The value of adopting this approach was brilliantly demonstrated by Rocky Marciano, the great undefeated heavyweight boxing champion from 1952 to 1956, who scored a record 49 straight victories in his division. In training for a fight Marciano went into a form of isolation, which resulted in the blocking out of all distractions and negative influences. Comments by Rocky's opponents or others that might have unnerved him or created self-doubt in his mind never made it to his eyes or ears. Meanwhile, Marciano injected a positive element into his mental preparation; throughout training camp he used visualization, a close cousin to self-hypnosis. He constantly pictured in his mind: 1) his opponent; and 2) the tactics he needed to employ to defeat the other boxer. This intense use of visualization during training led to Marciano's focus of attention come fight time being fixated on one thing only—winning. Rocky described his pre-fight mental preparation procedure this way:
The last month before a fight I don't even write a letter. The last ten days I see no mail and get no telephone calls and meet no new acquaintances. The week before the fight I'm not allowed to shake hands or go for a ride in a car. Nobody can get into the kitchen, and no new foods are introduced. Even the conversation is watched. By that I mean that the fellas keep it pleasant, with not too much fight talk. My opponent's name is never mentioned, and I don't read the write-ups because somebody might write one idea that might stick in my mind... For two or three months, then, every minute of my life is planned for one purpose. I don't even think about what I'm going to do the day after the fight, because that's going to be like an adventure and exciting. Everything on my part and on the part of everybody else in camp is directed toward one goal—to lick the other man. I see him in front of me when I'm punching the bag. When I run on the road I've got him in my mind, and always I'm working on certain moves and punches that I hope will lick him. . . When you work and work like that with only one purpose in mind for weeks on end there's only one thing you want to do—and that's get out there and try it in a fight. [9]
The way Marciano went about preparing mentally for competition can hardly be improved
upon. By going into isolation while training, he prevented his opponent and others from psyching him out. For example, if he had fought Ken Norton, and Norton, at a press conference a few days before the fight, had boasted that he would "tear Marciano's head off," the comment never would have reached Rocky's attention. In fact, it is doubtful that Marciano would attend the pre-fight press conferences that are so commonly held nowadays before big fights; this is simply because he
Similar Books
