Unleashing Willpower: How Martial Arts Training Helps Build Mental Resilience

Willpower: the force that empowers us to control our actions, emotions, and urges. It's something many of us wish we had more of, especially when faced with life's temptations and challenges.

You’ve felt it every time you went on a new diet, tried to get yourself up early for a workout, or had to bite your tongue to stop yourself from making that situation worse! Willpower is tested when we have a choice to make. We must decide in a moment whether we go left or right, say yes or no, react or revert. We all have willpower within us, but I am certain you have often wondered why some people seem to use it more effectively than others. Willpower can indeed be trained and it is absolutely tested daily.

One of the most significant influencers on our willpower is a familiar foe: stress. When stress takes hold, our bodies kick into fight or flight mode. This physiological response is designed to help us react quickly to perceived threats, but it comes at a cost. The prefrontal cortex, the part of our brain responsible for decision-making and self-control, shuts down under stress. This leaves us at the mercy of our impulses and cravings, which become more intense as stress hormones flood our system, making dopamine receptors more sensitive. Now you know why you those chips look so good at the end of a stressful week!

In this state, making proactive, thoughtful decisions becomes a monumental task. Snapping at your co-worker or partner and by-passing the oh so important filter you have worked so hard to develop for the smallest little thing is an example of how this might show up in your everyday life. Stress essentially puts a roadblock in front of our willpower engine, making it harder to navigate life's challenges with grace and self-control.

So, what are we to do? How do we strengthen our willpower to avoid these regretful situations?

Consider, for a moment, the controlled chaos of a martial arts match. Picture yourself in the ring, adrenaline pumping, heart racing, faced with a flurry of punches and kicks flying towards you. In this intense moment, you must not only react but also remain composed and strategic. Martial arts serve as the ultimate training ground for willpower. Despite the intense emotions and physical strain, you're required to regulate your responses, resisting the urge to simply react and instead, responding with calculated precision. You get hit and your initial reaction is to hit back. But should you? Is it smart to rush back in? You need to be strategic. Controlling your emotions takes a lot of practice, but you learn quick when you react at the wrong time and get caught again! We train specific movements and responses in drills outside of the real fight, in order to prepare ourselves to react better. This is will power training. We are putting ourselves in vulnerable opportunities in order to practice how we respond effectively.

Now, do you have to learn to fight to train your own willpower? No. You can do this in your everyday life as well by practicing saying no to things, building small simple habits that are proactive toward a goal that you have set, or pausing before responding in a conversation.

Think about a time when you faced a challenge that tested your willpower. Maybe it was resisting the urge to indulge in unhealthy habits when stressed or staying composed in a high-pressure situation. How did you navigate that moment? Did stress impact your decision in that moment? What strategies did you use to maintain control over your actions, emotions, and urges? Now, consider how often you spend time training your willpower. Are you consciously trying to grow that willpower muscle? Are you creating opportunities to flex your willpower in small ways?

Share your experiences in the comments below. Your story could inspire others to tap into their own reservoirs of willpower and face life's challenges with strength and resilience.

If you are not sure how to start training that will power, reach out and let’s talk!

Written by: Kyle Craik