Training and Fight or Flight response

[jeff]

I know a lot of you all out there train to handle yourselves in a combat
situation where one's life may be at stake but I was wondering how some of you train to deal with the natural reaction of the Fight or Flight
response that happens when it's time to roll!??

We all know of the Fight or Flight response and its natural progress
during high stress moments, but how do you train your mind to deal with the stress so that you can relax and control your mental status and body to work as one without losing your edge?

For instance....one of the many ways we train to try and control our mentality during the overload of the adreanal gland; is we will set a goal (one single task only) and then go through overwhelming stress that should wave our concentration. The training excercise is as simple as trying to achieve the goal yet the opposing force is to deter us from that accomplishment. Hard to explain but maybe you get what I'm trying to say.

Anybody else's take on this topic?

[J.M.Mroz]

Are you talking about 'choking'? It just takes practice. Even small step forward is a step.




Jon

[jeff]

Something like choking but also to the level of understanding that when this response takes place, your body pulls blood into large organs and then pumps even more blood into the larger muscle mass as a means of survival. When this happens, it gets very hard to do very intricate movements and to think to apply applications that will take care of the opponent.

Your brain goes through such a traumatic change in an instant that it is very difficult to control how you act and how well you can control the outcome of the situation.

Most styles place a heavy emphisis on meditations, and even though they are good and all, it takes a long, long time to condition and prepare the mind without actually being in a stressful situation. It is basic combat physics and mentality...I'm getting at.

So how do others practise this, how do you start to develop and take that first step? Thats my question!

[J.M.Mroz]

Now I understand. Unfortunately, I don't have experience in that area.

A while back I tried being 'aware' of everything around me, man, I was tired at the end of the day.


Jon

[jeff]

Lol, yeah the awareness thing might make one a little tired.

Here is one of the training scenerio we've used as a basic in understanding and dealing with this reaction....mind you this is a version and anyone can do it any way they choose or create the same goal and choose a different way of obtaining that goal.

We have a tree which is cut down out back, (a long tree), then at the end of the tree we have 2 large stumps in the ground about 5 feet away from each other, and after that we have a smaller thinner tree which is suspended up off the ground a little by some bricks on each end. Making a long obsticle course.

At the first tree, there are 2-3 students with staffs standing beside the tree, on both sides. The stumps, there are two students standing beside each, and on the last thin tree, there is a student standing upon it.

The goal is to get to the other side without falling off the trees or the stumps as effectively as possible. (if you fall off you have to start again, and again, and again until you finish the task) As you walk the first tree, the students with the staff tries to push, or strike you off and basically you have to get past them. On the stumps, the students try to knock you off again, and on the last tree...the person tries to do the same.

Now...this is basic training for dealing with the stress and trying to reach an outcome which you have set for yourself. This is one of many ways we've trained to deal with the Fight or Flight response....anyone else have any others or anything?

[jeff]

hmmmm?

[Jack Time]

OK, I'll venture a responce. I've found Fire Arms generate closest the fight or flight condition. The violent noise of a gun blast and recoil of the weapon can really get the adreanel dump going. Then reloading the fire arm as fast as you can would be the task, not easy.

Then there is always the walk through a bad neighborhood late at night. Task, try and get the key in the car door lock. But here I jest, lol!

[jeff]

Yeah, the Firing of Fire Arms could be a way of training it. I didn't think of that but the military instills that into each soldier....so yeah I guess so.

I don't know about the walking of the dark, damp, violence packed street is such a good thing...I would try to avoid that one until I was completely confident in my skills...and maybe my drawing skills / trigger finger. lol.

-Jeff

[jeff]

Another way of training to deal with this response is to do simple techniques that primarily use the larger muscle groups of the body and not any technical movements. Remember that since the body is flooding the larger muscles with blood, it's harder for the smaller muscles to react as quickly and effective.

For example, doing a technique where you swing your arm out using the large shoulder muscle, then diverting the attack away with a type of swinging/shoving method and finishing off by a straight punch/palm to the face. Simple and effective because your using the major muscle of the shoulder which is primed and ready. This is much easier to learn and do since your using what is happening inside your body and not trying to fight against it with complicated, technical movements.

[mookie]

excellent post

[jeff]

Thanks mookie! I'm just interested how others deal with this or if they even do? Its a physicological and a body mechanical event that takes place in any real life situation. How do you all react to what is happening?

[Riker]

Fa-jing, Jeff?

[jeff]

Hmmm, never really thought about it, but I suppose one could use that.

With Fa-jing you react and (how to word this..) sort of explode with full body power into the opponent. You have to remain relaxed for it to work, so you have to already controlled the natuaral reaction of the body and then make it happen.

Yeah, guess Fa-jing would work, AS LONG as the practioner understands what he or she is training. Lol, I've seen a lot of different Fa-jing demostrations and some grasp it and some just do not.

[Riker]

Groups like this really bother the heck outta me. Wackenhut, anyone?
Funny that I am interested in a lot of the same things, hand to hand fighting, firearms, etc. Is all this 'contracting' justified by low military numbers or what? I'd research it myself, but I just got in from work, have to be back at seven, and I gotta hit the sack.

Erik

[Riker]

Sorry, in a strange twist of internet difficulties, this post was supposed to go to my acoustic guitar forum, and I was to come back to this later. Stinkin' multiple tabs! What sort of surfer am I, after all?

The post to go here went something like this:

There are different levels to fa-jing, of course. Analogous, I think, to going from 'large circle' to 'small circle'. But I think, at some basic point, you're either doing fa-jing or ya ain't. I think being relaxed while doing forms and training methods helps get you into that 'sung' sort of state.

Now I'm gonna hit the sack.

Erik