Getting hands taped for the first time: A first MMA fight is never an easy thing. When camp begins, most of the problems are physical – the sheer volume of work is staggering. Much of that work is new, so it has a clumsy, unfamiliar feeling about it. There are myriad small injuries from the punishing training and you don't have time to let them heal so they accumulate over the camp. As The first fight get closer, hard physical training is reduced and usually avoided altogether in the last week. That's when the mental problems start. Self doubt, confidence issues, concerns about the opponent's strength relative to your weaknesses – they all come out. Often they reach a peak in the warm up room. Here, Garry Tonon gets his hands wrapped and certified for the first time just prior to his debut fight last week in Thailand. I remember once at a UFC event, a young fighter in his first event was getting his hands wrapped professionally for the first time and was greatly impressed by the result off having a real professional tape up his fists. When it was done he jumped up and yelled, “my hands feel like they have been dipped into steel!!! When I hit that f**ker he's going to wake up with a busted face and broken jaw!” The professional hand wrapper looked casually at him and quietly remarked, “I wrapped the other guys hands the same way ten minutes ago…” i usually find that the nervousness peaks at the hand wrapping – why? Because, once the hand wrap is complete – THE ACTIVITY OF WARM UP BEGINS, and PURPOSEFUL ACTIVITY is the single best antidote to fear and nervousness that I know of. Shortly after this picture was taken, Mr Tonon went through a solid warm up that brought together all the main themes of the camp helped reduce the natural feelings of nervousness you would expect in a debut MMA performance. Always remember – WHEN YOU FEEL NERVOUS PRIOR TO AN EVENT OF ANY KIND – PURPOSEFUL ACTIVITY RELATED TO THE TASK BEFORE YOU WILL HELP YOU MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE.
