Neither of you is the same person in the tenth minute of a tough match as you were in the first minute: Everyone feels tough in the first minute. It's natural to be intimidated by the initial clash with an opponent who feels like Hercules when you first get a hold of him. Have faith. Understand that as time passes his strength and explosiveness will diminish. Even mental attributes such as aggression will be affected by the passage of time. Note that this goes both ways. You too, will be affected by the passage of time. Feeling of physical fatigue can start an inner voice pushing you towards panic and defeatism. Your job is control your own inner voices while activating your opponents. How to do this is a huge topic, but it starts with the simple realization that YOU MUST NOT BE OVERLY INTIMIDATED BY YOUR INITIAL assessment OF YOUR OPPONENTS POWER AND AGGRESSION BECAUSE TIME WILL MAKE IT WANE. If your opponent feels like he has the strength and aggression of a wild animal, take heart and know that with every passing second things get better not worse. Most matches will be decided by who you and your opponent are in the tenth minute – not the first.
