Vince Nance: Don't Punch Unless You Mean It
At six-years-old, Vince Nance started TaeKwonDo. From there, martial arts became his life passion.
He has studied Jiu-Jitsu, Tai Chi, JeetKunDo, wrestling, boxing and more. He’s won MMA matches and taken gold at international Jiu-Jitsu competitions.
But after all these accolades, Nance has learned that a strong body is nothing without purpose.
Lesson #1: Leave Your Mark On This World
Now, as a personal trainer, there is one thing that Nance is constantly asking his clients and himself:
“It’s great to be strong but what are you doing with that body before you die to make the world a better place?”
He says that this thought makes him less materialistic and more focused on a legacy that’s about other people, love, and action.
“You take nothing with you. It sounds trite but when you really understand that, it shifts how you prioritize things and what you allocate your time to.”
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How has Nance implemented this philosophy into his own life? For the past seven years, he’s been on a journey to bring self-defense classes to women around the world.
“It’s some of the most worthwhile work I’ve ever done,” said Nance. “One of my goals is to travel around the country and do one free women’s self-defense seminar in each state for just donation. All the donations go to women’s charities.”
This journey started when he was living in Korea. His female friends were getting groped by men and the police weren’t taking it seriously, he says.
“It blew me away how meaningful it was and how inspiring it was to be around these women.”
Lesson #2: Don’t Punch Unless You Mean It
“Don’t punch unless you’re going to hurt someone,” says Nance. “Everything you do, mean it. Because if your hand leaves your face, it better do damage. Otherwise, there’s no point in leaving your face. You should just stay there and block.”
While this is a practical lesson in fighting, Nance also connects it to life and his new business venture, Anarchy Waffles. When he decides he's going to do something, he goes all in.
“If I’m not going to put everything I have into it, then I should be doing something else.”
Lesson #3: Everyone Starts at the Beginning
Nance says that he’s always meeting people who want to start at his gym, but he hears the same excuse over and over again: I’m going to start training as soon as I get in shape. To which he shakes his head.
“Man, you start at the beginning just like everybody else,” says Nance.
“The biggest impediment I have with my clients to get them off the coach is the illusion of starting at the end. They look at someone successful and say I want to be that. But they don’t see the years-long grind that leads up to that.”
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So go ahead, begin now. No matter where your starting line is.
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