For athletes, being in tip-top physical shape is very important. But according to this UFC champ, it takes more than that to compete and win.
To outperform, Georges St-Pierre told Cheddar in an interview on Cheddar Wednesday, that he makes sure that he trains in three categories: physical, tactical, and technical. The middleweight champion is fresh of a titular win at UFC 217 from last Saturday.
“Confidence of a competitor comes from how he prepares himself, and I was very well prepared,” he said. “It’s a little bit like when you study for an exam. If you studied well, you’re very confident that the exam will go well.”
While St-Pierre acknowledges that preparation does not ensure winning, he says it’s required to win.
The martial arts fighter told Cheddar that it’s imperative to view all three components of his training regimen as complementary to each other.
Mental preparation, or the tactical aspect, is about clarity, and focusing on things that the athlete can control. He told Cheddar that a common mistake among athletes is focusing on other people.
Winners don't focus on their fans or critics, he says, but on their opponents instead. He encourages athletes to focus only on what they can control, “especially leading up to a fight.”
On the flip side, the physical preparation or being in shape, is the foundation, according to St-Pierre.
Technicality is one’s ability to understand and excel in the sport, ie, knowing things such as chokes or counterattack strategies.
The combination of these three elements ultimately results in one thing, St-Pierre says: focusing on yourself.
Xavier Gutierrez, the president and CEO of the NHL's Arizona Coyotes, talked to Cheddar about how the team's approach to COVID safety as it welcomes a reduced number of fans back to the arena.
Buffalo's NFL team is playing its first home game since 1996, and in order to make it work amid a pandemic, the Bills are partnering with BioReference Laboratories in a pilot testing program.
U.S. Soccer and the women’s national team have settled the players’ legal claim over inequitable working conditions, putting to rest a part of the team’s gender discrimination lawsuit.
Jim Weber, CEO of Brooks Running a Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary, talks to Cheddar about the big growth in sales as more people took up running amid the pandemic.
Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Tuesday, November 25, 2020:
Kim Ng, who started her Major League Baseball career as an intern, has become the majors' highest-ranking woman and Asian American in baseball operations.
Justin Turner was removed from Los Angeles’ 3-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 6 of the World Series after registering Major League Baseball’s first positive coronavirus test in 59 days.
Bill Reiter, NBA insider for CBS Sports, joined Cheddar to talk about the trend of big-time athletes like LeBron James entering the big-time business world.
FanDuel CMO, Mike Raffensperger, joined Cheddar to discuss fantasy sports amid the coronavirus pandemic. Raffensperger also discuss how the company is handling bets, particularly in the NFL as players contract the virus.
The Tennessee Titans find themselves back in a waiting mode hoping the NFL allows them back inside their headquarters by Tuesday with their game against the Pittsburgh Steelers postponed until later this season by the league’s first COVID-19 outbreak.
