As I walk up to the judo mat, I’m trying to relax my body and rid myself of the sick feeling in my stomach. I try to take my mind away from the upcoming match by concentrating on peaceful and relaxing thoughts. Images such as wooded areas or flowing water help to ease my mind.

Before the competition, I wait in the red standing area that surrounds the green tatami (straw matting floor covering). Before I step on the mat, there is a ritual bow to the honored field of battle. I’m usually imagining as if this were 1,000 years ago. The bow to the mat is a traditional thing to show respect for the battlefield. Men have fought on it before me and will fight on it long after me.

Now I’m standing on the mat, the battlefield, in my judo gi (uniform) in bare feet. I know that I’m either going to bury somebody or I’m going to get buried. But I remind myself that I’m not fighting a competitor, I’m striving to do the best judo I can. I don’t want the opponent to disturb my flow. I know he’s going to try to off-balance me, and my job is to be the best I can be. If I can do that, then I’ll be successful.

I review the techniques I’ve practiced a thousand times and visualize the details. When I come in to use the seinage (exploding up in the traditional shoulder throw), I make sure my knees are bent. When I come in for ouchigari (when you make your opponent do the splits and throw him on his back), I want to make sure I’m turning a certain way, that my plant leg is behind my other leg, and I’m spinning into my opponent and not going to the side.

The mental side is very quick. In full speed, I now review four or five perfect seinages, perfect ouchigaris, perfect taiatoshis—the various attacks I do. I check my balance.

I bow to my opponent, and then the referee begins the match. In a split second, I remind myself to give everything I have, calling on my body to remember all those years of training when I hit the wall.

There’s a feeling of, "Oh, here I am in battle again. This is going to hurt." I know that it’s going to feel like going through hell throughout the match. But when it’s all over, I’m going to have pride in myself.

Damon Keeve represented the United States in judo at the 1996 Summer Olympics.