|
Overcoming
Fear in a Self-Defense Situation
How
do you overcome fear in a self-defense situation? Basically you
don't, you learn to use the fear instead. Making it a tool that
you shape not allowing fear to control you. All fine and dandy,
but how do you go about learning how to use fear?
Let's
examine what fear is. Fear is an emotional response to stimuli
either eternal or internal. Fear has certain physiological
responses.
Increased
heart rate
Increased
respiration
Introduction
of epinephrines into the body which constrict capillaries,
increase strength and increase speed.
There
are various mental responses to fear
Freezing
up. Not being able to move at all though your mind may be telling
to run, block, fight!
Anger.
Anger and fear are very closely related. A reaction to fear of
anger will at the very least help you to survive better than
freezing up, but it could also inhibit your thought processes and
get you killed.
Trained
reaction to fear. Your body relaxes, your mind focuses. Adrenaline
increases your strength and speed making you a very dangerous
individual.
I've
personally spent a long time studying fear and it's various
physiological and psychological effects on individuals. I've
developed a very good method of dealing and working with the fear
response, which directly and indirectly over the years has saved
my life from avoiding car collisions to defending my life.
There
are two different ways of training to use fear.
1.
Place yourself in life threatening situations on a regular basis.
This
method has the disadvantage of ending your training career at an
early start.
2.
Place yourself in life threatening situations on a regular basis
mentally.
This
method has the advantage of extending your training career while
at the same time possibly saving your life.
Many
martial artists spend their lives learning to block and strike.
Going through situation after situation. Attacks from the front
attacks from behind, from the side, multiple attackers.
Some
martial artists don't even practice these scenarios. Assuming the
same defensive reaction from the front will work from the side and
from attacks from behind. Some martial arts instructors when asked
"what if" by their students will simply say, "just
don't put yourself in that position". If that were the answer
there would be no need to take self-defense at all. Just don't put
yourself in that position.
For
those martial artists who do practice situational self-defense
training, many of you are not allowing for the mental aspect of a
physical attack.
Mental
preparedness for a physical attack, I believe, is even more
important than the physical side of preparing for an attack. Why
do you think it is that a trained martial artist would fear a
seasoned street fighter (weird term). Because the street fighter
has been in real fights. The few tricks he's picked up to win a
street brawl have actually been executed by him under the mental
stress of a life and death situation Most martial artists,
fortunately, have not had this misfortune.
My
Method of Emulating Fear
Let's
look back at the physiological effects of fear once again.
Increased
heart rate and respiration are two major physiological responses
to fear.
A
tensing of voluntary muscle groups is another, more so in the
untrained individual.
If
you emulate these three physiological responses to fear, you will
be on your way to emulating it mentally as well.
So
first a slight tension of voluntary muscle groups. Now increase
your breathing. Short shallow breaths are best to emulate this
physiological response.
Now
to The Mental Aspect
You
need a padded up live partner. For this drill I would often take
an air shield and tie it to the front on an advanced student.
You
need to have enough mental control to remember to strike only the
air shield of your partner.
Now
your partner must do some acting as well. He/She must look both in
the face and body language as though they intend to hit you and
hurt you. Even emulating the foul language you might hear from an
attacker in an attempt to intimidate you would help.
Now
you put it in your mind that your partner is not your partner.
He's a stranger that intends on doing you harm, mugging you,
raping, beating you senseless and unless you defend yourself and
hit this !@#$ just as hard as you can and don't get hit yourself
that's just what's going to happen.
Start
with a prearranged attack and counter-attack, but, put it out of
your mind that you actually know what's going to happen. Feel the
fear and tension before the attack, then block or evade like you
mean it, like your life depends on it and counter-attack
(eventually at the same time naturally). Takes turns doing this
with your partner. Be careful not to get so carried away you hurt
him. Remember it's his turn next.
Now
from here perform the same mental and physical preparedness and
move to my one step sparring variations you can find in my
printable ebook Bringing
The Martial Artist Out from Within.
Continue to strike just the air shield for
now.
Now
put some pads on and remove the air shield. Do one step variations
again. Same mental stress of a real situation, but strike anywhere
and pull the technique so you don't hurt your partner.
The
combination of striking the air shield full contact and pulling
the techniques on your partner when striking anywhere help prepare
you both mentally and physically to strike full contact anywhere
on your attacker, under the stress of a life threatening
situation.
Ready
to Become More Dangerous?
Start
again with all of your self-defense drills. Emulate your fear for
at least 10 seconds to put yourself in a life-threatening mental
attitude.
Now
consciously relax your muscles. Make your breathing slightly
faster than normal to emulate a threat, but make it deeper as well
as if you were trying to control rapid breathing.
Now
start again and add a mental aspect to begin working with your
fear and stress. Begin again with your drills and this time take
your fear and turn it into anger. It's not the final solution yet,
but it will give you a better chance of survival than being frozen
in place solid.
Turning
fear into anger takes practice, but isn't that hard to accomplish.
As I said earlier the two emotions are very similar. Basically
this can be accomplished with an example such as this;
Instead
of, "Oh my gosh, this stranger wants to hurt me!"
You
change it to something like, "WHAT!? THIS SCUMBAG LOWLIFE
WANTS TO HURT ME! I'LL SHOW THIS !@#$!"
Now
add your rapid breathing to this and slight muscular tension and
remember YOU'RE ANGRY!
Now
do your steps to relax and attempt to control your breathing while
remaining angry.
After
you can successfully emulate anger whenever you want to now take
your final step.
Start
again with your self-defense drills. Follow all of my above steps,
but now empty your mind! Void it of emotion. Let your well trained
reflexes from various scenarios take over guided by subtle
consciousness and thought. You may need to practice a meditation
exercise for this which you can find in my printable ebook
Step
by Step Learn Internal Energy Strikes with
the bonus section Taking Strikes and Coming Back for More.
You
must be careful not to hurt your partner during any of these drill
phases.
Don't
forget other scenarios as well adding the fear factor to them as
well.
With
shoes
Without
shoes
Street
clothes on
Small
space
large
space
Those
of you who have read my printable ebook Solo
Martial Arts Drills, when
you do your 10 minute workout, do you always make sure you have
enough room and everything is out of the way? Always? Why? Is that
the way it will be if a burglar enters your home.
"Just
a minute I have to move this chair"
Do
you ever grab a nearby "weapon" (a shoe, a belt,
whatever) and begin using it as part of your training?
Think
think think.
The
more situations you can think of the more you will be ready for as
many situations as possible both mentally and physically. To a
slightly smaller degree, you can also apply your fear training to
your solo drills training as well.
 This
training method, when done properly, will take a lot out of you. I
do not recommend using this method all of the time, but definitely
put it in your training schedule and practice the method on a
regular basis.
Enjoy,
Rick
Sensei
J. Richard Kirkham B.Sc.
About
the Author
J.
Richard Kirkham is a dual certified teacher and martial
arts instructor. He has expertise in
alternative
teaching methods and positive
reinforcement methodology. He's written several books in the
printable electronic format and has made downloadable videos and
DVDs. He currently resides in Honolulu with his wife Jan and son
Hunter. Feel free to visit Mr. Kirkham's website at
http://KirkhamsEbooks.com/MartialArts/
or you may email him at
help@kirkhamsebooks.com
You may post this article in its entirety.
Get
FREE Kwik Self-Defense and Fitness Tips and Newsletter delivered
conveniently by email. Don't forget to approve the Yahoo double
check email.
Self_Defense_Tips-
subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Get
FREE Education and Behavior Problem Tips Newsletters and Share
Your Questions. Don't forget to approve the Yahoo double check
email.
EducationProblemsNSolutions-
subscribe@yahoogroups.com
|
Author
Topic: Overcoming Fear in a Self-Defense Situation by Sensei J. Richard Kirkham B.Sc. (Read 1237 times)