i know what you mean, mark. an athletes job is never done, unless he retires/ dies. there's always more to learn. different styles, newer styles coming out everyday. countless attacks, counters, and combinations to learn. learning how to block everything out, just do the job. also, i think a big part of the game, is learning when to push first, how hard to push back, when to swing first, etc. if you're always the first to attack, someones going to find a way around it, look at ali vs. foreman. he waited until foreman, the attacker, was worn out. then he took his turn. i think a big part of ali's victory was switching his game plan. the way he used to fight, he wouldn't allow himself to be a target, he'd land a punch or two, then move before the counter came, no target, no points. then against foreman, he became the target to use foremans energy against him. wear him out, physically, and to a point, mentally. i know i'm off the music topic, but as far as focusing goes, you have to learn to focus on any part of the game that's required against a particular fighter, to get the job done. i think classical can help expand the mind, make you look at things differently, find new solutions.

i hope i made some sense. almost 3 am here, had a hard day, sometimes i ramble on and on about nothing in particular.