Khabib Nurmagomedov, the renowned MMA fighter, recently shared a lighthearted anecdote about his initial training days in the United States. The story revolves around a language misunderstanding that led him to misinterpret the term ‘relax’ as needing to push harder, resulting in a humorous training journey.
Nurmagomedov recounted his early days at the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA), where he received guidance from his coach, Javier Mendez. The language barrier proved to be a challenge, as Khabib’s grasp of English was nearly non-existent. During sparring sessions, Coach Mendez repeatedly advised him to “relax.” However, Khabib mistakenly associated the word with the need to exert more effort.
In his own words, Khabib recollected, “I remember, when I first came to AKA, he let me spar, my English was like, almost zero, and he told me, like, ‘Relax, relax,’ and I’m like, relax sounds like I have to push hard. It’s like, ‘Okay, I have to push hard and all the time…'”
Khabib’s Journey to Understanding the True Meaning of “Relax”
The misconception continued for about a year. Khabib thought he had to maintain a high level of intensity constantly, driven by his interpretation of “relax.” His dedication to training and determination to push harder showcased his commitment to improvement. However, this interpretation differed from his coach’s intention.
After a year of intense training and puzzled by the instructions, Khabib finally realized the true meaning of “relax.” He understood that the term was meant to encourage him to calm down, stay composed, and find balance in his approach. Reflecting on this realization, Khabib approached Coach Mendez and humorously apologized for his earlier misinterpretation.
“I’m sparring, you know, and after one year I realize you have to come down and I come to the coach and I told him, ‘Coach, sorry about that,'” Khabib recounted with a chuckle. “Because I was thinking always like, relax, I have to push hard, and he said, ‘No way.’ … At that time I know, ‘Yes, yes, no, no, let’s go, like, first round,’ this kind of thing. Relax it was something new for me.”
