Jeff Jordan from Fight Brain Joins us for Episode #60
Its that time of year…people have a desire to achieve new goals, overcome obstacles and perform better than they have in previous years. All of us want to improve, but wanting to change and actually creating change are two different things. In this week’s podcast, we talk with Jeff Jordan, from Fight Brain. Jeff walks us through his system for helping people laser focus on the habits, goals and big events that are happening in their life.
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Jeff Jordan is a UFC Mental Coach, Hypnotist and Martial Artist. He specializes in helping mixed martial arts fighters achieve peak levels of performance to fight their best and win. You can see what his clients say about him at fightbrain.com/results.
Full Transcription of Our Podcast with Jeff Jordan
Interview with Jeff Jordan from Fight Brain talking about his system to achieve the amount of focus you need to win a fight
Corey Beasley [00:00:01]: Hey guys, is Corey Beasley with fight camp conditioning. I’m on the phone here with Jeff Jordan. Jeff, how are you?
Jeff Jordan [00:00:08]:I’m fantastic. How are you Corey?
Corey Beasley [00:00:10]: I’m doing great man. Thanks so much for joining us guys. For everybody that’s listening, Jeff is the creator and founder of a fightbrain.com. So you guys talk about that little guy on your shoulder talking to you before your fights and during practices and all that type of stuff. Jeff is the man, he developed a pretty kick ass system that’s going to help you guys get your mind right. So Jeff, thanks man. I appreciate you joining us sounds like you got some good things going.
Jeff Jordan [00:00:38]:Yeah, I just got, actually I got pretty excited just hearing you say that, that’s super nice of you to say. I kind of been working on some fun stuff. I’ve been working with some fighters and it’s been so much fun the mind and what we can achieve with the proper amount of focus and determinations just fascinates me. And it always has.
Corey Beasley [00:01:07]: Yeah, absolutely. I think a lot of guys they talk about being technically proficient, which I think is hugely important. By no means is a discount, but as well as just being big and strong. And then those seem to be the two things that everybody seems to talk about and that gets dominated. But I think you and I both know just dealing with high level athletes and stuff like that. When you do get to those high levels, most people skill sets are pretty damn good. Most guys are strong. But the little dude on this shoulder can kick their ass if they don’t let, they don’t watch it.
Jeff Jordan [00:01:47]:Yeah, I agree at the top levels guys are doing so many things, guys, girls, athletes are doing so many things so well. It is so competitive. There is just that extra gear that all the top performers have. Physically that have been doing the reps right that have been putting in the time and the hard work and the discipline and those guys that can just put it together a little bit better with that focus that whatever it is with that mindset, there’s these terms, it’s so funny, mindsets one of those terms, that comes up champions mindset, and I think about that as well. What does it mean to mindset? To me it means kind of like a set of beliefs, that you can just adopt from somebody else who’s already a champion pretty much at its basic level at mindset’s justyou can adopt these champions, but the good thing for everybody anyway, the benefit for everybody is that that beliefs and mindset, you can just adopt them. You can model them from other successful champions that you admire.
Corey Beasley [00:02:57]: Now, people have asked you before as well, but from my perspective mindset is kind of similar to a muscle and you kind of try to point it in the right direction and then you train that muscle over and over and over, day in, day out, weekend, week out and over the course of months and years, just like with skill, just like with strength, just like with everything else, you become more powerful you’re better at that particular it just skill and just like strength, just like any technique. And as people do focus on the mental side of things I would imagine that it gets better and it improves just like everything out.
Jeff Jordan [00:03:49]:You’re 100% correct there’s these all these cliché sayings that are like popping into my mind, like what gets measured gets managed that sort of thing. But in simple terms, in simple terms, what we keep sight of, if it’s writing down goals, if it’s keeping sight of our goals, repeating them, writing them down every day daily. If it’s going over our strategies, going over our plans, our training, those metrics recording grading ourselves in our training sessions. Whether it’s strength conditioning, whether it’s striking, whether it’s grappling, whether even just training your diet and your recovery, it’s what we keep sight of. We certainly do improve upon.
Corey Beasley [00:04:38]: When you talking about the mindset of things, I mean, some people like, like me, I’ll always say like the little guy in your shoulder that’s just kind of your inner voice or whatever it may be. And I know the internet flooded with motivational quotes and stuff like that that’s out there floating around. Where does someone get started? I’ve got to guess if someone comes to you, whether they’re a high school wrestler or a professional fighter, it doesn’t really matter, I imagine, but where do you start with them?
Jeff Jordan [00:05:12]:It’s gotten to the point where right now, I’ve kind of developed a system, a mental training system and the first step is goal setting. There’s lots of different areas we can focus on of course. In the system there’s five different areas that we can kind of use as a diagnostic tool to gauge five different parts of their mental skills training. But goal setting is number one and it’s sort of one of those, those just huge steps that so many fighters miss. If you ask,you might not be surprised but if you were to ask your fighters and the fighters you work with and train with on when they’re preparing for a fight have they committed to a clear goal to win? Meaning, have they written down their goal to win their fight? I’m sort of no longer surprised, but the majority of fighters have not taken that first step to just write down a clear goal that they’re going win their fight in simple terms, just like that. That I will win my fight on December 25th. So goal setting is a huge one. And that’s the first step of keeping sight of what’s important I fighting is life threatening. Fighting it’s critical to win it. It’s critical to your work, to a fighter’s health, to their future, to their wellbeing, to win. So goal setting becomes in almost every case, it’s always the first step.
Corey Beasley [00:06:55]: Cool. And then from there, I mean, it seems really basic. I mean I wouldn’t be surprised if the majority of people didn’t say that. Because I think maybe the goal setting thing is tedious or maybe seems like something that like a business would do or a business guy would do or some kind of a motivational speaker type thing. Where they’re trying to get somebody going. You know what I mean? But it is important. We got punch your brain in the right direction. Start thinking that, thinking the right way, I think at the right direction.
Jeff Jordan [00:07:32]:Yeah. I guess you’re right that is an interesting point. And goal setting doesn’t have to be you know yell and scream, type of like a sales club. I certainly don’t want it to make it sound like I’m trying to motivate a sales team here, but the importance of even just writing your goal down. It’s an exercise in discipline is what it is. It’s an exercise in discipline and in focus right there when you write your goal down sometimes, if you do that if you use that same discipline and your training and your diet and your recovery and your sleep and you’re learning, it carries over. It’s a simple exercise in discipline and the accumulation of it over a week’s time. Especially when you write it down, you see yourself writing it, you see it written, you feel yourself writing it as well. When you say your goal out loud, you hear yourself saying it, you feel yourself. You feel yourself saying you get to say it, you get to say it out loud and hear it and feel it. So it further reinforces in your neurology that that’s the expectation. That’s what’s going to happen. So it is a simple and tedious. I agree. It’s a simple and tedious exercise, but it’s an exercise in discipline that can just set the tone for that discipline kind of carrying over into other aspects of training, I believe.
Corey Beasley [00:09:03]: Well, when you wake up, you have a reason to wake up. You’re going to get up early. You’re going to roll out of bed, beat up probably sore as hell, probably a few bumps and bruises and aches and pains and shit like that. I mean you need that right when from the get go you need to realize and remember why you’re doing it. So that’s kind of the first step. Once kind of somebody, they get that the goal set writing them down or saying them and like you’re talking about and stuff like that. What’s next?
Jeff Jordan [00:09:37]:So you actually just lead into it, you just let them to it. When you wake up with bumps and bruises and to remind yourself of why you’re doing it. That’s in fact the first step isn’t the why. The first step is just the what? Like what do we want? What do you want? What do you want for your fight? Because how many fighters have told you I don’t know. I’m going to slug it out. I’m going to see what happens. That’s many fighters current game plan right now, I’m going to see what happens, you signed up for a fight, you’re going to see what happened. That doesn’t like a healthy mindset to me. So that’s just the start. But the second step, you’re dead on, the why. It’s about the why and the simplest in the simplest terms as well for everyone, it’s a little bit different for some people, the why is for a better future I mean, most fighters, most every fighter values, human accomplishment. Human accomplishment in fighting is one of the greatest tests of human accomplishment. So fighters certainly values the ultimate you only going in there with your own abilities. No one’s going in there with you and nothing’s ever guaranteed. So in my opinion, one of the most greatest tests of human accomplishment. So fighters value that, but they also value what fighting, give them? Some money gives opportunity, gives pride, gives recognition, gives challenge. It gives being able to promise yourself that you’re going to do something and do it. So fighters are fighting for all kinds of reasons and yes, you have to understand what, why is it so important to win or why is it so important to fight and win? That’s the next step. Finding out why and practicing that as well. That’s the key part of that.
Corey Beasley [00:11:35]: Well, and I think that stuffs, you have the what you have the why I’m sure different people, different personality types are going to have different reasons for doing it. Like if you asked me for me personally, to have that public recognition. I honestly could care less, but me personally, inside, I just want to be able to raise my hand if the whole place didn’t clap. I wouldn’t care but other people really do feed on that stuff. So it’s important to find it out.
Jeff Jordan [00:12:14]:It’s so different for everybody. That’s a good contrast. I mean, that’s humility you’re clearly, and that comes across you’re genuine and humble person that comes across clearly Corey, somebody else’s motivation might be yet the glory the goal.
Corey Beasley [00:12:37]: So we have the what, we have the why. What’s next?
Jeff Jordan [00:12:44]:Focus. Developing a laser focus is next. So even just creating a podcast, a perfect example, we’re just in this information overload. And there’s a battle being fought for everyone’s attention constantly. And your focus is valuable, especially in the days and weeks leading up to a fight. Fighters lose focus for personal issues or unknown reasons and completely go off the rails. It is vital and critical to develop a laser focus on just the stuff that’s going to help you win.
Corey Beasley [00:13:25]: Now, what are some, like the real world guys are training every single person you ask, if you ask that an athlete probably you say, are you training hard? I’m training my ass off twice to do two days, three days, whatever it may be. And I must wear it like a badge of honor on their sleeve. That they just grind and do work. But what are from your experience doing this type of stuff and having that laser focus in and what are some ways that people lose focus or just simple examples of how they can lose it? Like what are some common mistakes that guys do?
Jeff Jordan [00:14:29]:I’ve got a great example here. I was on a client call just the other day and we were talking about focus and I could tell my client was a little bit off. We’re on a video call and I could tell he was a little bit off and wasn’t focusing. I asked him what was going on, and he said he just finally got down to, and he’s like kitchens all in disarray. And he showed me his kitchen sink and it was missing and the dishwasher wasn’t connected. And he’s like, I’ve got to drive the whole foods every day at 8:00 AM to buy precooked food for the past three weeks dealing with this stuff. So life gets in the way stuff just like that, true story he’s having to just adapt and it’s throwing off his schedule. And I could tell he was fidgety or something, and so it’s just life stuff. It could be absolutely anything and busy lives, busy world, and you trying to accomplish something things are going to get in the way obstacles. There’s another side to focus as well and I believe most people do believe they’re just grinding it out. But there’s something different about, grinding it out with the intention to improve that level of focus. There’s that level of focus with the intention to improve kind of each repetition. And if we can tap into that kind of power, then we can make some real progress.
Corey Beasley [00:16:09]: Well, tell me if I’m wrong, but that level of focus that you’re talking about where it’s almost the intensity is there without question, but it’s almost like a calm intensity. Almost like some people call flow or they’re in the moment or they’re in the zone or whatever it is. And when obstacles and things pop up, it doesn’t even phase them. They just navigate it commonly. And for fighting and stuff like that and grappling or whatever it is. I mean, it usually doesn’t go exactly the plan, so I would imagine that having, having that level of focus and intention is important to practice.
Jeff Jordan [00:16:56]:Yeah. And just even having the intention of all practices kind of builds expectation. It just if you’re focusing on improving, you’re kind of expecting to improve after a short time build that expectation of things going your way of the ability to just handle whatever pops up. I think that’s when things get crazy around you, you can just you maintain that focus, have that clear cut goal, that clear set goal, understand why it’s so important and just keep moving forward.
Corey Beasley [00:17:33]: Yeah, are there little tips or tricks or something like that? That you have your guys used to I guess it’s like an action item for the focus piece?
Jeff Jordan [00:17:43]:Yeah. I’ll be happy to share with you guys. So one of the simplest exercises you can do is if any, and if any of you listeners are doing this, don’t obviously don’t do this while you’re driving, but if you have a piece of paper, you can just draw it. And if you fight in an octagon, you can draw an octagon. And if you’re a grappler and you flight in a circular ring or a boxer and a square ring, you could draw one of those shapes just draw it on a piece of paper, about half the size of the paper or a third of the size of the paper. Cause you’ll put some words inside of it. And when you’ve done that, write down some words inside of this, this is what I want you to write down. I want you to write down everything leading up to your fight that you can control. So stuff like your training, your attitude, your diet, your sleep, all that stuff you can control we’re just pretend people are writing it down. I assume you guys write it down and then outside of that shape, outside that octagon, that square, that circle, write down everything leading up to the fight that you cannot control. Like your opponent’s history, your opponent’s experience. What people are going to say, what people are going to think. Your daughter’s swim lessons at two on Tuesday at three o’clock. You did that always conflicts with that boxing class. You want to take whatever it is, that stuff that, like grandma’s in town, whatever it is, stuff that you can’t control, broken down, flat tire, all that kind of shit. So that should give you a visual perspective of what to focus on. This is an exercise I do repeatedly with my clients and with all kinds of people that I help. Now let me just give you a visual representation of what’s going to help, what you can control and focus on just the stuff that you can control and just let the other stuff kind of go.
Corey Beasley [00:20:08]: Yeah. So that’s three. We’ve got two more parts of the system if I’m correct. So we got the what, the why, we got focus. What the fourth going to be?
Jeff Jordan [00:20:18]:That’s right. And timelines, setting measurable timelines. This is very key. And you wouldn’t be surprised, but how many fighters, our tracking, their metrics, how many fighters are recording training notes. How many fighters have set out a couple of weeks, even a couple of weeks of a training schedule in advance projected out a couple of weeks ahead and thought, okay, I want to be progressing in this way around this time. So setting timelines would be very valuable exercise and these are all fundamentals and the things that fighters can do immediately the system is set up for a fighter to be empowered or even to get a training partner to help them and hold each other accountable. But setting out and setting out a timeline is very important. So tracking important metrics to you and then challenging yourself from week to week to improve.
Corey Beasley [00:21:38]: That’s awesome. So they’re like 12 weeks out. If you’re talking about three weeks out or whatever, a lot of times, like we were talking about before, everybody’s got so much noise in the world from their personal life to training to all this other stuff that’s going on, if there’s media involved with the fight or whatever. So a lot of times if they’re anything like me, you tend to get overwhelmed and there’s just a clutter of things that are running around your brain. And the last couple of things that you’re talking about with the focus drill as well as just a timeline, because trying to help weed out a lot of the excess or the noise. And help you just streamline your focus. You know, you have a clear expectation of where you’re at, what you’re doing and where you’re going. And that can kind of, at least for me, I would call me down because I would know exactly what we’re doing. And what I need to do today, what I’m going to do tomorrow. And that kind of just makes everything a little bit more I guess less noisy or not as busy or confusing or whatever it may be. But I would probably just stream all that out?
Jeff Jordan [00:22:52]:And it will help a fighter feel more in control. I think that’s the overall feeling that you could expect from doing going through this exercise for the fighter to feel more in control of their thoughts, their feelings, their expectations. I think that’s the general, because I kind of assume that a fighters, I have to assume that fighters are doing the hard work in practice, daily disciplined training, the discipline, discipline, practice daily grinding it out and putting in that max effort to improve because I’m not as a mental coach, I’m just here to kind of help you pull it all together, give you a strategy for doing stuff like that.
Corey Beasley [00:23:36]: And then number five?
Jeff Jordan [00:23:40]:Number five, visualizing winning. So Corey, I am also a hypnotist, a hypnotherapists and I’ll tell you, but just briefly how I got into that, because whenever I say I’m a hypnotist, usually people if I’m in person will say, don’t look in my eyes. And cover their eyes like faint. I actually got into hypnotherapy cause I was training for a fight. I was training for a grappling notch train for grappling match in Vegas. And I tore my meniscus and I had to have, I got an MRI and I decided to have surgery. And I knew that if I could somehow visualize my knee healing throughout the surgery, I could affect my body’s healing. And so I looked for a hypnotist and I found a hypnotist in a strip mall in Vegas. And nice enough guy. But he was like your dad’s hypnotist, I mean, he didn’t swing a watch in front of my face. And I figured there was something to it. And I just became fascinated with hypnosis. it was kind of cool even though whatever he did I just became fascinated with hypnosis, sort of just learning and training, going on live trainings and certification courses in Las Vegas and San Diego even. And just became obsessed with helping people, started helping people quit smoking and lose weight and get over fears and phobias. And just realized that hypnosis has some pretty powerful results. But the bottom line is that if a person can visualize themselves with that outcome, they can affect how they’re going to prepare for that outcome. If a person can see a clear picture of themselves in having that outcome, fighting their best fight and winning the steps are going to start to fill themselves in of what need to happen for that to take place the beliefs that the steps, the momentum, the commitment, the focus, they start to really become more powerful, more real for that person when they can see that. And hypnosis really helps people the techniques I use really help people get a crystal clear image of themselves fighting their best and winning. And then I help them just practice visualizing on their own.
Corey Beasley [00:26:22]: So we started out with the, what they’re wanting to accomplish, why they’re wanting to accomplish it. You had the focus element, you had the timeline and then you had the visualization. Now you’ve been doing this for how long now?
Jeff Jordan [00:26:48]:So I’ve been working with fighters for a couple of years now. I’ve been doing the hypnosis coaching people for about, and I even do entertainment stuff. I do like a stage show. And I’ve been doing that for about seven years now and I’ve got like some fun stuff coming up in Ireland just this month. And it works in fighters and helps some people as well help some people with some anxieties. There’s a magician over there, my friend Liam O’Neill, he’s one of Ireland’s greatest magicians. He also has a performance coach. We’ve got some fun stuff coming up. But the fight brain stuff to this point right now, it’s just a startup still just a startup still just so new. I’ve opened this website and been working with sliders, but notice what they weren’t doing. And that’s why the system exists because these are the things that they weren’t doing before we started working together.
Corey Beasley [00:27:52]: Very cool. Now, if people are wanting to learn more about what you’re doing. Where do they go?
Jeff Jordan [00:28:01]:To fightbrain.com or on Instagram.
Corey Beasley [00:28:04]: And I know I think you mentioned that you have a new kind of a program that you going to putting together almost ready to launch?
Jeff Jordan [00:28:14]:Yes. It’s going to launch this week. I’m just editing the videos right now, just adding, putting some components together and it’s going to launch as a membership service.
Corey Beasley [00:28:26]: Very cool. So if people they go to the site, they wanted to learn more about what you’re doing they want to maybe start using some of these tactics or strategies, they go to the site, what can they expect?
Jeff Jordan [00:28:41]:That’s such a good question. Because I got in this to help fighters cause I really love fighters. I’ve been doing martial arts for over 12 years and so I’m trying to put together the best offer and I think the best offers, just a free offer. So I’m going to give everybody at least like a free seven day trial and just give it to them free no obligation to keep it, but if it provides value for it stay on, I’m going to add more content. I know I’m going to have to improve the content and I’m dedicated to helping fighters. So I’m a support the membership service with live calls, video coaching calls, DMS, whatever it takes to help these fighters. But I think a free offer will be in the works. We’ll be available.
Corey Beasley [00:29:39]: Well guys, as soon as this is all the links to fightbrain.com as well as to that new program I’ll be sure to put that stuff down below. And Jeff, again, thanks for joining us. I appreciate you sharing your system with us and given us some ideas to think on and work on. And then guys, again, if you’re struggling with this aspect to your game, definitely get over there to fightbrain.com. Check that thing out and you guys will be on your way.
Jeff Jordan [00:30:10]:Hey Corey, thank you a million. I mean, really this is awesome. It’s great talking to you. I love what you do. I think you’re really doing cool stuff and I want to get together and train with you. I’ve got to get back out to the West coast and come out and see and we got to hang out and train, do some cool stuff.
Corey Beasley [00:30:26]: You’re welcome. Anytime you want, man will always here.
Jeff Jordan [00:30:30]:Awesome. Thank you.
Corey Beasley [00:30:32]: Will guys have a great day. We’ll talk to you soon.
