By Orlando Jimenez | Fight Rope Illustrated
The fight doesn’t start when the cage door closes. It doesn’t begin when the whistle blows or when the first bell rings. The real battle starts in the mind. Every elite athlete knows that physical performance is only as strong as mental sharpness. A fighter can train for years, but if his mind fails under pressure, his body will follow. That’s where Cognitive Athletics comes in—training the mind the same way we train the body.
For years, I focused solely on physical training—jumping rope, running sprints, wrestling, and striking. I lived by the Fight Rope Fitness motto: Walk. Run. Jump. But what if I told you that physical movement equals mental movement? That training the body is only half the battle? That true performance comes from synchronizing the brain with the body?
This is what Cognitive Athletics has taught me.
Fighters, Athletes, and Warfighters: The Need for Cognitive Speed
Whether you’re inside the cage, on the mat, or stepping onto a battlefield, one thing is constant—split-second decision-making determines victory or defeat.
In MMA, a fraction of a second determines whether a punch lands or you slip it clean. In wrestling, reaction time dictates whether you sprawl in time or get taken down. In military combat, rapid cognitive processing means the difference between staying ahead of danger or getting caught off guard. Your mind has to be faster than your opponent, or you lose.
That’s why cognition is the next frontier in athletic training. Strength, endurance, and power mean nothing if your reaction time, focus, and processing speed can’t keep up.
Discovering the Future of Athletic Training
I was introduced to Cognitive Athletics at the GAMMA US Nationals in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in February 2024. As a former GAMMA athlete and a current GAMMA USA Board of Directors member, I was there supporting Team USA MMA when I met Nir and Zamir, the visionaries behind Cognitive Athletics.
They introduced me to the Cognitive Athletics SmartPad, a system designed to enhance reaction time, mental processing, and decision-making under pressure.
I watched elite-level athletes engage with the SmartPad—their eyes locked in, hands firing at light-speed, their brains adapting with every flashing target. This wasn’t just a reaction test—it was fight simulation at the neurological level. It forced them to make real-time decisions in milliseconds.
Then, I had a realization:
If this could push athletes beyond their physical limits, could it also help me break through my mental barriers?
From Combat Sports to Combat Mindset
I have spent years training my body—pushing my lungs past their breaking point, grinding through grappling wars, drilling my footwork endlessly with Fight Rope workouts. But what if my mind needed the same level of training?
For years, I struggled with the lingering effects of war—PTSD, social anxiety, depression, and hyperactivity. The aftermath of combat had left me stuck in mental quicksand. But when I started using Cognitive Athletics, I found something I had lost—a way to train my brain to move as fast as my body.
Through drills with the SmartPad, I sharpened my focus, controlled my reactions, and taught my mind to keep up with my movements. Instead of freezing in moments of stress, my brain started responding faster, sharper, stronger—just like my body in a fight.
Mental agility became just as important as physical agility.
Fighting Smarter: The Edge in Competition
I wasn’t the only one seeing results. Fighters, wrestlers, and athletes at all levels started using Cognitive Athletics to take their game to the next level.
🔥 Wrestlers improved their takedown counters and reaction time.
🔥 Strikers enhanced their ability to read opponents and slip punches.
🔥 Sprinters optimized their explosive starts and reaction to gunfire.
🔥 MMA fighters learned to process information faster and react instinctively.
Athletics is no longer just about strength, endurance, and skill. The best athletes in the world are training their minds as intensely as their bodies.
That’s the future. That’s what separates the good from the great.
Bringing Cognitive Training to the Next Generation
Because of the success I’ve had with Cognitive Athletics, I’ve integrated it into my Fight Rope Fitness programs and my veteran-owned coffee shop, Dos Bros Coffee (1150 E. Florence Blvd., Casa Grande, Arizona 85122).
We launched “Coffee & Cognition”, a program where athletes, law enforcement, veterans, and students come together to train their bodies and minds while sharing a cup of coffee.
I’ve also introduced Cognitive Athletics training into the Vista Grande High School wrestling program, where wrestlers now incorporate SmartPad drills to enhance their tactical thinking, reaction time, and in-match adjustments.
This is the next evolution of training.
Beyond the Fight: A Mission to Train, Heal, and Perform
The Cognitive Athletics SmartPad isn’t just for fighters or athletes—it’s been used to help:
✅ Veterans battling PTSD rewire their responses to stress
✅ Parkinson’s patients improve their coordination and motor function
✅ Dementia & Alzheimer’s patients strengthen their cognitive processing
✅ Children with ADHD learn to improve focus and attention
At its core, Cognitive Athletics is movement-based brain training—a method that proves physical movement fuels mental movement.
Why I Will Always Be an Advocate
I will forever stand behind Cognitive Athletics, because I know it’s the reason I am still here today. It gave me the peace I had been searching for—a peace I now know was always inside me.
To Nir and Zamir—thank you for having the vision to create a tool that’s changing the way we train, fight, and think. I am forever grateful.
The Future of Athletic Training Is Here
We are looking to partner, collaborate, and connect with organizations that believe in this next level of performance training. Whether you're a:
✅ Combat sports athlete looking for a competitive edge
✅ Coach seeking to enhance reaction time and decision-making
✅ Military or law enforcement agency optimizing performance under pressure
✅ Veteran advocacy group focused on mental resilience
We want to work with you.
The future of human performance is here. Let’s move faster, think sharper, and fight smarter—together.
Walk. Run. Jump. Train the body. Train the mind. Perform at the highest level.
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