Rebellion regular Joanne La is back on stage. The Melbourne athlete faces Karolina Arm on November 18th at Rebellion 30.
Coming Back From Injury
The Rebellion veteran went through a layoff this year. She was sidelined with a hamstring injury.
“It was a massive setback,” La said.
While sparring La felt a sharp pain in her glute. She was unable to train for a few weeks and took time to restrengthen the hamstring back up.
“Then it was building back the basics. First boxing, then being able to knee again then being able to kick,” La said.
Each segment of activity took a couple of weeks. The sideline in activity happens in the sport. Many athletes suffer ring rust, or nerves when there are long periods of inactivity.
A Winning Mindset
But La has built herself mind and body back up. The confidence comes from outworking any self doubt.
“it's getting easier mindset wise, because I've done a lot of work in the previous fights,
putting in the work every day,” La said. “I show up present at training. I put it all I can in each session.”
Presence is the first thing. The second is stopping the negative thoughts. Thoughts structure action so La is careful.
“I try to be more wary of thoughts. So if I say, ‘am I good enough?’ I tell myself ‘I put in the work. I’m ready.’”
Getting rid of negative statements is a primary factor in creating a positive mindset.
“And when people ask me, ‘How do you feel about this fight?’
I say, ‘I'm excited.’
Not ‘I am nervous.’
I never say I'm nervous because of course, Nick, um, those two feelings are exactly the same. One is more negative and one is more positive.”
The excitement is mounting for this fight. It is a litmus test for La.
The Rebellion Stage
She is pushing herself to the international level. Her opponent Karolina Arm fought extensively in Thailand. She’s challenged athletes like Kwankhao Por Muangpetch.
“If I push a little bit harder, I could try to like catch up,” La said.
La is speeding up. She bested Zehra Dogan in her last Rebellion outing. Previously she took on Aida Looksaikongdin, and Barbara Aguiara. All three of La’s opponents are at the top of the female division.
Her world class competition are just opponents for La.
“Leading up to fights now, it's another opponent,” La said.
The Fight Is A Test: La vs La
Her ability to stay calm is part of her bulletproof mindset. She’s not worried about who she will fight. She’s concerned about what she will do.
As ultimately for La this fight is a fight against herself. She’s looking to be a better fighter and athlete than she was in the past.
“If I'm able to showcase what I've learned in this camp that's the most important part for me,” La said.
La showcases her skills on November 18th at Rebellion 30. She faces Karolina Arm from Estonia in an international battle.