Kickboxing Mum Credits Debut Victory to Hypnosis

Mother of three Summer Reedy stormed to victory on her kickboxing debut.

Organised by Yeovil Fight Academy's Giles Richards and held at Club Neo, the hypnotherapist beat opponent Helen Ivey in the first round with a knockout blow after only 39 seconds.

Reedy's triumph is all the more impressive considering she trained from scratch in just 12 weeks.

"I had taken a course in self defence at Yeovil Fight Academy but I was surprised when Giles Richards suggested I train for a fight," she said.

"I love competing and enjoyed watching boxing and Mixed Martial Arts, but never in my life had I been in a fight. I love new challenges so I said yes."

Reedy had to learn the martial art K1, a form of kickboxing which permits blows to the legs and the head. No helmets are worn but she had no apprehension about fighting; her main preoccupation being mastering a complex sport and dealing with her own reactions to being punched and kicked.

"I was worried about how much I could take before I fell down and how I would react during the fight," Reedy said.

"In training I got blows to the stomach, a black eye and a bloody nose - but I had to take it in order to learn. Failure is the way to the techniques of success."

Reedy credits her victory to the hypnotherapy she uses with her clients. "After training, I would come home and practice self-hypnosis, putting myself into a relaxed state of heightened awareness," she said.

"Some might think of it as meditation or mindfulness, or even as prayer. In that state, I would visualise my trainer Giles doing the combination of moves I had learned that day, then visualise myself doing the same - a bit like a tennis player imagining themselves doing Roger Federer's serve.

"Then I would practice imagery, performing that combination in my head, feeling every muscle do what it was supposed to. I think this is what helped me improve so fast."

Self-hypnosis also played an important part in Reedy's preparation on the day itself. As well as anticipating her opponent's fight plan, controlling nerves was a vital part of her strategy.

Read full article: http://www.westerngazette.co.uk/Kickboxing-mum-Summy-Reedy-credits-self-hypnosis/story-28141384-detail/story.html#ixzz3spw8Q5dX

Sports Hypnosis: Pittsburgh Penguins Goaltender

Pittsburgh - Still smarting from a late-season collapse, Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Johan Hedberg has turned to a hypnotist to improve the mental part of his game.

Hedberg, 29, has had two sessions with a sports psychologist in his native Sweden in the past month, and will have one more on Thursday before leaving Sunday for Pittsburgh, where training camp begins Sept. 12. Each two-hour session include 30 minutes of hypnosis.

"I think back on last year and I feel shame. I feel sick," said Hedberg, whose 25-34-7 record set a single-season franchise record for losses. "I didn't just want to work out my body to get rid of it. I wanted to work out my head, as well."

Hedberg's record was 5-15-3 from February on, a major reason the team finished a 28-41-8-5 season by going winless (0-8-1-1) in their final 10 games.

But Hedberg wasn't just sick over losing - he was losing his composure, breaking his sticks over the net. He's hoping the hypnosis will help him regain control of his temper as well as his game.

"I think this is going to help me. I'm learning to be more patient, how to handle everything better," Hedberg said. "You have to have control of your emotions in my position."

Hedberg said he's also focusing on game situations, like breakaways and tough shots, and visualizing how he'll handle them.

He hopes the hypnosis and two on-ice sessions each day - including one in which he simply faces a puck shooting machine - will combine to pay dividends.

"My big concentration has been with the machine and closing up holes, making my style more compact," Hedberg said.

"There is no worse goal you can imagine than one that goes under your arm or between your legs. If you have the angle on a shot, you should stop it every time."

Hedberg said he can't wait for training camp to start, to test his new mind-and-body regimen - and to erase the ugliest memories of last season, the first time in 12 seasons the Penguins missed the play-offs.

"We didn't win any of our last 10 games and it's not easy to forget about that. It was ugly and disgraceful. That was the worst month I've ever had in my hockey career." Hedberg said. "I'm very anxious to get there and get started."

https://hypnosis.edu/articles/hedberg