WATCH: Itsuki Hirata works on her reflexes ahead of ONE 163

ONE atomweight Itsuki Hirata has come up with a creative way to sharpen her reflexes.

Fighters and coaches perpetually have to think outside the box to prepare themselves for the real-life dangers of MMA. Preparing for her blockbuster fight with Ham Seo Hee on November 19, Itsuki Hirata is putting in work at Longo-Weidman MMA in New York.

In this video posted by Hirata and ONE Championship, she and her coach demonstrate a new challenge: wearing sunglasses while dodging pool noodles.

Watch the innovative training technique below:

Training reflexes with pool noodles is nothing new for MMA fighters. But using a means to compromise vision while doing so adds in another layer of difficulty.

In an MMA fight, swelling around the eyes can also compromise vision. Fighting through minor (or major) injuries is common in fights but difficult to accurately train for. Putting Itsuki Hirata in the headspace of compromised vision could also help her calm down and trust what instincts she still has in times of adversity.

---

Itsuki Hirata believes Ham Seo Ham has “too much to lose”

Hirata takes a massive step up in competition this month against South Korean veteran Ham Seo Hee. The No.2-ranked contender at atomweight, Ham has long been pegged as a future challenger for world champion Angela Lee.

It’s this very expectation that Itsuki Hirata believes will play against her rival. In an interview with ONE Championship, Hirata revealed a mental disadvantage she believes her opponent to have:

“My strong point is [that I have] nothing to lose. I think my opponent has too much to lose. She feels a lot of pressure, I think. She thinks too much about having to win or that she doesn’t want to lose to a young fighter.”

It’s true that very little pressure rests on Hirata’s shoulders to make a statement against Ham. She is still just 23 years old and has only fought seven times as a pro-MMA fighter. 'Android 18' is still at the beginning of her career and has the freedom to lose high-profile fights.

Ham, on the other hand, is one of the top female fighters in the world and a veteran of over 30 pro-fights. A former RIZIN and ROAD FC champion, fans expect her to fight for a ONE world title soon. A loss to the much younger and unranked Itsuki Hirata would be a devastating blow to her career trajectory.

ONE 163 goes down November 19 from Singapore, it'll also feature a bantamweight kickboxing world title fight between Hiroki Akimoto and Thailand’s Petchtanong.