If you’re an athlete you’ve probably heard “push to failure”. What does that really mean? I suppose in different sports it means other things. In my sport it meant to push yourself till you can’t anymore. If that meant keep punching the bag till you can’t lift your arms any more or sprint till you throw up. As of late I’ve made ridiculous request of my fighters. I have begun asking them to push past failure. I believe in this sport, and others like it, fighters reach a point in a match or during sparring where there is nothing in left “in the tank” or the to the point that a fighter shells up in his or her defense because they can’t muster enough strength to throw another punch. It is at this point that a fighter chooses to keep fight or loose by referee stoppage or something amazing happens. Something similar to a runner's high. The unbelievable second wind that seems impossible that pushes a fighter into being a warrior. The most basic of instincts of fight or flight kick in. A fighter is suddenly able dig deeper in himself or herself and gather the strength to give that final push, unlocking the berserker within to make the unbelieve comeback that makes the stadium roar in excitement. You can see it for yourself in Carilllo vs Castillo, Casamayor vs Katsidis, Hearns vs Leonard, Foreman vs Moorer, one of my favorites Potter vs Williams (if you haven't seen it check it out). Some will see these as comebacks, but if you really look at the how impossible these wins are you will see what I have seen in fighters time and time again. The warrior instinct to leave it all in the ring, to be pushed to failure and dig into one's heart for the push. The desire to unlock this in my fighters outside the ring and in regular practice may be an impossible request, but if it is possible we’re creating more than fighters… we’re creating warriors.