Harold Smith87 said:Sparring will definitely help you out, though perhaps not quite as much as you might hope, especially when you're up against seasoned pros who spend their sessions just intimidating amateurs until they lose their nerve.
You really need to cultivate a predator's mindset; if you let fear take hold and freeze up, you're finished, whereas you should be looking for ways to stay fluid and aggressive mentally.
Exactly. That’s the crux of it. Though, I have to wonder, how am I supposed to prevent myself from freezing up when the adrenaline hits or when fear starts creeping in? It happens—I just lock up. It’s actually a bit ridiculous; I remember one time a guy caught me with three or four heavy shots to the head, and during the fight, I didn't feel a single thing, but later on, I looked in the mirror and realized I was covered in bruises and swelling.