people don't fight like they're in an anime

My coach said something to me that's been bouncing around in my head. This was before I started seriously sparring, as I was doing some shadowboxing. I wanted to get more into the mental aspect of it, so I was imagining my opponent fighting back and working around them.

The issue was that I kept imagining my imaginary opponent imaginary countering me. It got to the point that I was almost afraid to throw a jab at an imaginary opponent, out of fear of getting imaginary slip-countered.

To throw any punch would involve putting down half of your guard for the duration of the punch, and some people can predict the timing of your punches (or they can react that fast) and throw punches in anticipation for the hole in your defense the forms.

I go to my coach and tell him how I'm worried about getting constantly countered and out maneuvered and he said something that has left permanent scars in my psyche.

What the fuck? You're not in an anime bro, no one can throw counters or think ahead like the way characters in manga do, that stuff is all positioning and timing and not some casual bop bop. Quit reading so much of that shit.

Or like Miyata Ichiro said from my favorite manga Hajime no Ippo:

Remember, the secret to a perfect counter is timing ...and heart