Many people study martial arts and practice their moves and truly believe that they are ready to inflict harm upon another individual, including death, in defense of their own, or a loved one’s life. They believe that because they have pretended to jab someone eyes with their finger, crush their throat; dislocate their elbow like Steven Seagal, etc, they will be able to do it in a real life and death situation. Let me tell you that reality is nothing like the classroom or dojo. Shadow boxing techniques or pretending in the dojo does not prepare you for the reality of combat.
I remember the first time I saw a man stabbed up close. I was in the 10th grade growing up in Chicago. One of my so called friends used to bully me and another friend. One day my other friend being bullied (we’ll call him John) showed me a knife he had and told me if the bully (we’ll call him Frank) messed with him that day he was going to cut him. I thought John was just blowing smoke, but he wasn’t. Not ten minutes later Frank came down the stairs in our school hall and the first thing he did was push John in his face. In a split second John pull the knife from his pocket and started stabbing Frank with short quick jabs. Frank reached down and grabbed the knife and actually broke the blade from the hilt (cheap knife). The fight continued until others and I broke it up. I was just inches away when this happened. The result was John being expelled from the school, Frank lost the use of several fingers from grabbing the knife, and I never knew what happened to the stomach wounds. I had to go to court as a witness to the whole thing. Since then, I have seen the result of many knife attacks and have been the victim of a knife attack myself and was once even attacked with a sword by a drug dealer when I was an undercover drug agent in Michigan.
Throughout the course of self defense training, there is so much emphasis placed upon learning the specifics of each move that the mental preparation often gets overlooked. However, preparing your mind for combat is just as important as preparing your body. I will tell you that you never know how you will react in battle, but you can mentally prepare yourself for that possibility with proper self defense training.
Here is a closer look at some different ways that the mental aspects of defending yourself will affect your physical abilities. It doesn't matter how much you train, the first time you have to use your techniques in a real situation is unlike anything you have experienced. I remember the first time I dislocated a guy’s finger when he grabbed me in combat. I used a technique I had used many times in mock battle in my Combat Hapkido training. But until now these techniques had been in slow motion. His finger dislocated so quickly and so easily that I actually screamed louder than he did. In true battle your body will get pumped full of adrenaline and your mind will start racing with fear. You will begin to wonder if the techniques you have learned, been practicing, and want to use will actually work. It is at this point that your mind either reacts and draws upon your self defense training or simply overload and freeze. In law enforcement we call this tunnel vision. If your mind freezes, your body has no choice but to hesitate. If you hesitate, your attacker will have the edge over you, which is the last thing you want in a combat situation. Unfortunately, there isn't a lot you can do to prepare for this, however knowing that this will, not might, happen, will help you cope with the adrenaline rush that comes with this fight or flight moment.
It is very important that you practice self defense because this training will make you more prepared for combat than the average citizen who is not used to combat and will fold with the first blow. The unfortunate truth is you will likely be attacked when you least expect it. The attacker will use the element of surprise to gain an immediate advantage over you, which is what he expects with his attack. However, by studying as best you can for such attacks and staying mentally alert of your surroundings, you can eliminate this edge. When I go out to eat at a restaurant I still sit facing the door so that I can see trouble coming. You will be prepared to react immediately to any situation that arises. If you don’t have a good idea of your surroundings, when attacked, your first few moments will be spent analyzing your surroundings and opponent, instead of taking immediate action.
It is very important that you practice self defense because this training will make you more prepared for combat than the average citizen who is not used to combat and will fold with the first blow. The unfortunate truth is you will likely be attacked when you least expect it. The attacker will use the element of surprise to gain an immediate advantage over you, which is what he expects with his attack. However, by studying as best you can for such attacks and staying mentally alert of your surroundings, you can eliminate this edge. When I go out to eat at a restaurant I still sit facing the door so that I can see trouble coming. You will be prepared to react immediately to any situation that arises. If you don’t have a good idea of your surroundings, when attacked, your first few moments will be spent analyzing your surroundings and opponent, instead of taking immediate action.
The biggest consequence of ignoring the mental aspects of self defense is that you will not do what you want to do when attacked. Your mind controls your body’s natural reactions. If you completely ignore the mental aspects associated with defending yourself, your body will simply not be prepared to react to your mind the way that it should and will shut down. Your reaction will not be in unison with your mind. I have been in situations where the adrenaline was pumping and my body was shaking uncontrollably and I could not react as I wanted. Luckily as a special agent I am trained to break that tunnel vision and move on with my attack and defense. When it comes to defending yourself your mind and body need to work in unison.
Hopefully, you now have a better understanding of how mental preparation through self defense training affects your ability to protect yourself. Three benefits of mental preparation include:
Hopefully, you now have a better understanding of how mental preparation through self defense training affects your ability to protect yourself. Three benefits of mental preparation include:
1. Preventing your mind from freezing,
2. Being more aware of your surroundings, and
3. Making sure that your mind and body are in sync
Armed with this new knowledge, you can ensure through your self defense training you are focused on both the physical and mental aspects of defending yourself.
If you want some of the best training to prepare yourself for any self defense situation I of course recommend my courses Special Agent Combative System or Brutal Beyond Belief. In these courses I eliminate the fluff and teach only what works based on my 30 years experience. You can see them on my website at http://www.specialagentcombativesystem.com.
Another great self defense course is “Street Fighting Uncaged”. Jeff Anderson is the creator of this course and like me he is self defense expert, decorated combat veteran, and a security professional. His course teaches the secrets that are only known by hardened gangbangers, prison inmates, and a handful of "dangerous men" who fight for a living and it combines every technique, every move and every strategy you’ll ever need to know to help destroy your opponent in a real life street fight.
No comments:
Post a Comment