Written by Bruce Lee, Tao of Jeet Kune Do
The state of an athlete’s mind as he faces his event determines the degree of excess tension he will carry into the event. The athlete free from tension as he awaits his performance is typically self-confident. He has what is commonly known as,
A winning attitude.
He sees himself as a master of the athletic situation confronting him. To many athletes, being a champion is a matter of ‘psychological necessity.’ Fed by previous success and having completely rationalised previous failure, he feels himself a triton among minnows.
As an event approaches, the athlete notices a feeling of weakness in his midsection (butterflies in his stomach), feels nauseated and may vomit; his heart pounds, he may experience pain in his lower back. The experienced athlete recognises these sensations not as an inner weakness, but as an inner surplus. These signs indicate a preparedness for violent activity. In fact, the athlete who expresses a feeling of euphoria before an event is probably in a poor state of readiness. Many athletes call it ‘adrenal burger,’ a condition affected by adrenomedullary activity, augmented by the stimulating effect of the competitive situation, also known as our primal ‘flight or fight’ fear mechanism.