Martial Arts Competition Guided Imagery for Kickboxing or Muay Thai

This martial arts competition guided imagery script involves mental rehearsal of a kickboxing or Muay Thai competition to help you become comfortable with using combinations and increase your confidence in preparation to compete. This script can be used in combination with the guided imagery for martial arts training script, and is a condensed version that focuses more on combinations rather than on individual techniques.

To begin, find a comfortable position where you can relax and focus for about 15 minutes with your eyes closed. You may want to sit in a chair with your back supported, or lie down on your back on a flat surface.

Allow your eyes to close as you focus your attention inward. Concentrate first on your breathing. Breathe slowly in…and slowly out. Focusing all your attention on the air moving in…and out…

In…and out…

Keep breathing slowly like this. Your breathing allows you to focus…now, as you relax…and later when you train and when you compete in a martial arts competition. Your breathing centers you. Your breath energizes you…provides power and speed…physically and mentally…

The air you breathe is the fuel for your mental and physical performance.

As you breathe, allow yourself to settle into a state of deep relaxation. You can achieve this relaxed state by first relaxing your eyelids. Notice how heavy your eyelids feel…so heavy…so very heavy that it feels like you cannot even open your eyes…but it is a pleasant feeling…a relaxed and calm feeling of heaviness.

Allow your arms to relax as well. Relax from your shoulders to your elbows, your elbows to your wrists, your wrists to your hands…all the way to your fingertips. Allow your arms to become filled with relaxation all the way from your shoulders to the tips of your fingers…so heavy…so relaxed…loose and relaxed….

Relax your legs now from your hips to your knees, your knees to your ankles, your ankles to your feet…all the way to the tips of your toes. Relaxation fills your legs completely from your hips to your toes.

Allow your whole body to relax…unwinding…letting go of tension.

Imagine that you are at the top of a stairway. At the bottom of the stairway is a state of peace, calm, and relaxation.

Take note of how you are feeling right now, at the top of the stairway.

Imagine taking a step down the stairway…a single step closer to relaxation.

Further descend the stairway, taking one more step…going down toward relaxation…down…down…to a state of calm and relaxation.

Take another step…going slowly down the stairway…one step at a time. It is a comfortable, safe descent to a place of relaxation. Move down step by step, at your own pace, becoming more and more relaxed with each step you take.

Take another step down…and another…more deeply relaxed with each step.

You might even become a bit sleepy as you get closer and closer to relaxation. That’s okay. Allow your mind to drift and your body to relax, heavy and comfortable.

Moving down the stairway, down, down…almost to the bottom now…when you reach the bottom you will be pleasantly relaxed.

Take the last few steps down to the bottom of the stairway…only three steps remaining…

Three…

Two…

One…

Reaching the bottom now…reaching a state of calm and relaxation. You are now feeling peaceful and relaxed.

(Pause)

Start to create a picture in your mind. See yourself entering the ring for a kickboxing or Muay Thai martial arts competition.

See all the details of this martial arts competition scene. Imagine facing your opponent. As the martial arts competition begins, see yourself moving with your opponent…responding at the same time as your opponent moves…even before your opponent moves.

See yourself moving and circling…evading your opponent’s strikes…

See yourself block kicks and punches, and as you block, executing offensive moves of your own…

Picture your opponent attacking you with a jab, and imagine your response, evading or blocking…and see how the opponent fails to land the intended blow.

Imagine your opponent using a push kick…see yourself quickly side step and fan block, evading the kick.

Imagine the techniques your opponent may use in the martial arts competition, and see yourself easily responding to every move your opponent makes.

Your opponent may use hooks…

Push kicks…

Roundhouse kick…

Jab, jab, cross.

Cut kick…

Hoon kick…

Side kick…

Uppercut…

Jab to the body…

Knees…

Elbows…

See yourself easily evading each strike…blocking as needed…responding with strikes of your own before your opponent even completes each maneuver.

Imagine blocking effectively as you strike, refusing to leave any opening for your opponent to strike you…

Visualize yourself striking with fast, powerful, effective combinations. See each blow landing exactly as intended to…wearing down your opponent…scoring points…each strike moving you one step closer to winning the martial arts competition.

See in detail the combinations you use in the martial arts competition. Imagine confronting your opponent with combinations. Breathe with each strike. Block effectively with each strike. Keep circling. Eyes open when you block and open when you strike. Deliberately timing your blinking. Fully in control. Maintain good fighting stance. Use your back foot to come in, and your front foot to get out. Move in and out quickly with each combination…moving in with each strike, and then moving out and circling after the combination is complete.

Imagine jab, jab, cross, hook, hook.

Excellent technique. Eyes open.

Push kick, push kick.

Keep breathing…blocking…moving…get in fast…get out fast.

Hoon kick, hook, uppercut.

In and out quickly…circling…good fighting stance.

Jab, cross, cut kick.

Speed and power…focused and confident.

Hook, horizontal elbow, horizontal elbow.

Breathing with each strike. Getting quickly in and out.

Flying knee, clinch, knee, knee, break, push kick.

Moving quickly. Agile. Focused. Powerful.

Jab, cross, jab, cross, hook, uppercut.

Breathe.

Spinning roundhouse, hook.

Keep moving…full of energy and confident.

Side kick, jab, cross.

Eyes open. Breathing. Calm. Focused.

Now imagine other combinations that you can use to attack your opponent. Imagine responding to each opening you see…striking when your opponent is open.

See yourself anticipating each movement your opponent makes. Before your opponent can land a strike, you have already moved…already blocked…already used a strike of your own.

Imagine using combinations.

(Pause)

Let’s relax for a few moments as you allow the techniques and skills to become permanently stored in your memory.

Just relax. Focus your mind completely on these words. Breathing calmly…relaxing even more deeply with each breath.

Sinking deeper…floating…relaxing…drifting…

Feeling so pleasant…so comfortable…completely at ease…confident…

(Pause)

Assuming a fighting stance and doing kickboxing or Muay Thai causes you to perform each movement with precision…causes you to breathe effectively…to keep your eyes open during the movement…to utilize effective blocks.

Entering a ring in a martial arts competition causes you to be energized, confident, and strong.

Your kicks, punches, knees, elbows, movements, breathing, and blocks come naturally, automatically, and easily.

You are in tune with your opponent, responding before your opponent even completes a movement.

You are fully confident and highly skilled.

You have all the energy you need to train, condition, and compete.

Training causes you to feel energetic. Every moment you spend training causes you to feel wonderful.

(Pause)

Doing this martial arts competition relaxation exercise causes you to feel confident and calm and to pursue your scheduled training with confidence and motivation. Each time you do this relaxation exercise you do relax twice as quickly and deeply as the previous time. Listening to this relaxation exercise causes you to feel wonderful.

Now you have completed this guided imagery for preparing for a martial arts competition. It is time to reawaken your mind and body so you can resume your regular activities.

In a moment I will count to three. When you hear the number three you are completely awake and alert, filled with energy and confidence.

One…

Two…

Three.

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