| |
| |
|
Martial Arts Information |
|
|
|
How to Relax During a Fight
I received a returned video from a well meaning, but severely misguided, former customer. This is a rarity since over the past 2 plus years and hundreds upon hundreds of videos shipped; I can only count 3 returns. One was unopened, one included a note that the recipient thought the videos would be something else, but he intended to buy the rest of the videos we offered, hmmm smells a little fishy (incidentally, this person has been banned from buying anything from us again). And lastly, this well-meaning person. The note inside prompted me to write this article. He identified himself that he was an orange belt in Krav Maga and that he has been instructed to "relax" and be loose during a life or death struggle. Now, I have not trained in Krav Maga nor do I know anything about the modern version of it. My focus is on the "relaxing" strategy; which I have heard from a variety of different "experts" during my 30 plus on the mat. For efficiency of movement and economy of energy, there is NO DOUBT, that being relaxed is better. In combative sport it is essential that you conserve your energy and use it when an opportunity presents its self. Unfortunately, that's not how it works when your neck is on the line. There are two instances that "relaxing" in a real fight can happen. The first is you have had hundreds of life and death confrontations. This allows you to be inoculated against the stress (some times). In that case, I want to meet you. Now it is IMPOSSIBLE to replicate fighting for your life in training. You can get intense, but it's not even close. Because deep down, you know you're not going to die, no matter how intense you train. The second is you're a sociopath. In that case you should be arrested. Let's look at a non-fighting example: Most of us drive, some better than others. When you're driving and you get cut off, what happens? A shot of adrenalin and your moving before you can even think about it. Your hear rate increases, you start to breathe rapidly and you spit out the nearest obscenity. Are you "Relaxed?" Most of us drive EVERYDAY. If it's something as mundane as driving (unless you're driving with Clint, in that case it IS a life or death situation) why aren't you able to RELAX when you are about to crash? Simple, because you realize that your life is at risk and your body prepares for the worst. And there's NOTHING you can do about it. Now don't start telling me about some Grand Dragon Wizard Master. I'm talking about you. Here's another example: First responders, people who deal with life and death regularly, Fire Fighters, EMT's, Police and Soldiers all get that gut-churning feeling when they know SOMEONE'S life is at stake. No matter how many times they go to a call, they get the same feeling. That's why training is simple, routine and repeated thousands of times. You need to perform common tasks during uncommon circumstances. And this is the ONLY way to do it. It's only your training that prepares you. And it's the repetition of high percentage techniques that will save you at that critical moment. It has to be instinct. During these times, your body is only going to allow you to perform certain functions. Relaxing is not one of them, pissing your self is. On the site I talk about the effects of your body's mobilization for battle (www.how2fight.com). These are biological functions you can not over ride. IT IS AUTOMATIC. This is where combat sport and real combat part ways. No matter what is "allowed" in competition, you know the other guy is not going to kill you. It doesn't matter if it's the UFC or the Olympics, you may get beat up, but you won't get dead. You will be nervous, tense, and even scared. But deep down you know that if you get into trouble, the fight will be stopped. This is ALL the difference. Men like Carl Cestari, Charlie Nelson, W.E. Fairbairn, EA Sykes, Biddle, Applegate and others all experienced this first hand. Even Bruce Lee talked about using the "straight blast" when really pressed. Why not use the straight blast EVERY time? This is the value of the videos @ www.thetruthaboutselfdefense.com are why they are so successful with military, police and seasoned martial artists. They know the difference. When you fight for your life your body operates in a way that is beyond your control. You need to train in such a way that allows you to operate in this "zone". Did you know that a typical adrenaline blast lasts only 30 seconds? Then you need about 3 minute to "reboot". That is a lifetime when you are fighting the unknown. Weapons, multiple assailants, broken bottles on the ground, snow, sleet- all must be factored in. Standing toe to toe and practicing your contrived techniques?.where does this happen. Even trying to practice your breathing is ludicrous (not the rapper, that's ludakris). How many first hand accounts start with "He came out of no where" or "he suddenly appeared". If you see him or "mark" him, chances are he will pick another victim. He will come out of no where! The other element that should be mentioned is your assailant. Personally, I train for the meanest, toughest SOB I can imagine. I picture him appearing at my door. I think about him coming into the door of my dojo and only one of us is going home. And I guarantee you, if some one is standing between me and my family- there's no question of the outcome. Incidentally, you should feel the same way too. It's easy to practice to beat your training partner; it's easy to do something on your friends or even the local blow-hard down at the pub. That's 70% of the world. You should worry about that psycho 1% and let the other 99% take care of its self. If you think that you ARE trained you will be surprised what happens when you are in this situation. You never think you are going to act the way you think you are. True story: Famous Okinawan Karate man, was serving as a Marine in Viet Nam. This person had trained in Okinawa under Choki Mobotu for several years prior to his deployment in Vietnam. During his training with Mobotu he endured endless hours of makiwara training and bogu fighting. During a firefight in Viet Nam the conflict degraded in to hand to hand. As I am hearing the story, I was waiting to hear how he decimated a V.C. Platoon with a reverse punch, I mean real "One shot- one kill". Since grenades was all he had left and they were too close to throw them, he proceeded to bash people in the head with the grenades. After that, did he start knocking dead with a front kick, no he proceeded to use his helmet as a club and smash guys the enemy in the face. Was his training a waste of time? Definitely not, in fact, it was probably his training that gave him the stones to do what he did. Did he ever imagine his reaction, no. But it worked. The point is even if you think you're "trained, you won't know what will happen when your life is on the line. When your gross motor skills kick in and you CAN'T EVEN SPEAK, do you think you will be able to "RELAX". ©2005 www.thetruthaboutselfdefense.com Damian Ross is the owner of Zenshin and instructor of Tekkenryu jujutsu and Kodokan Judo. He started competing in the combative sport of wrestling in 1975 at the age of 7 and began his study of Asian martial arts with Moo Duk Kwan Tae Kwon Do at the age of 16 in 1984. In 1989, Shinan Cestari gave a seminar at Sensei Ross's dojo. Sensei Ross has trained under Shinan Cestari's direction ever since. In addition to Tekkenryu Jujutsu, Judo and Tae Kwon Do, Sensei Ross has also studied Bando. Sensei Ross continues his study of Judo under the direction of 8th degree black belt Yoshisada Yonezuka and Tekkenryu Jujutsu under it's founder, Carl Cestari. Below are is a list of some of his title ranks Yodan (fourth degree black belt) Tekkenryu Jujutsu under Carl Cestari Shodan (First degree black belt) Kodokan Judo under Yoshisada Yonezuka Varsity Wrestling Lehigh University under Thad Turner 2nd Degree Black Belt Tae Kwon Do http://www.thetruthaboutselfdefense.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Martial-Arts - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Have No Misconceptions I just received an Email from a woman who has a child (3 year old) and about to have another. Considering my wife is in a similar situation, this question couldn't be more relevant. Samurai Swords - Choosing a Sword to Buy It's undeniable that a well placed and mounted samurai sword or samurai sword set looks fantastic and an ads character to any room of the home, but is it worth spending upwards of $650 on such a sword or sword set? This all depends on your reasons for buying a samurai sword.If you are merely purchasing a samurai sword for display purposes and positioning it as a focal point in a room then you certainly don't need to spend anything like the amount suggested above, you can just go for a relatively cheap manufactured replica with the necessary sword stand. Martial Arts and The Bible As a Christian and a martial arts student, I have often wrestled with the idea of self-defense. Does God expect me to defend my family and myself when physically attacked or am I to "turn the other cheek" and endure it in the name of Jesus? As I considered the many comments I encountered on this topic, I became even more confused. Martial Arts Strength Training According to various sources on the internet, a 1996 article in Iron Man Magazine revealed Bruce Lee's workout. In addition to his cardio and karate workouts, Lee lifted weights three times a week and performed the following routine: clean and presses 2 x 8 squats 2 x 12 barbell pullovers 2 x 8 bench presses 2 x 6 good mornings 2 x 8 barbell curls 2 x 8 Unfortunately, he injured his back doing good mornings, which nearly ruined his career. The Shocking Truth About Stun Guns If you are outside the world of law enforcement, chances are you haven't had much "hands on" work with stun guns. Stun guns are as popular today as they have ever been and with the newer smaller packages like cell phone/stun guns, their popularity continues to grow. Judo Nagewaza (Throwing Technique) In The Street How practical are throwing techniques (nagewaza) for self-defense or street-fighting? NOT VERY!The Japanese themselves have a saying, "One year for newaza (ground technique), TEN YEARS for nagewaza (Throwing technique)". It takes ten times as long to become proficient at throwing than it does at ground fighting. Tae Kwon Do As A Means To Stay In Shape Becoming a martial artist is a fanatastic method of fitness. While there are many martial art forms to choose from, taekwondo is clearly the most beneficial, and the most practical. The Acronym That Saved My Life Frequently, I get asked about certifications, systems or methods. We made a decision a long time ago of purposely staying away from things like this. Tai-Chi for the Masses--and Others Kuang Ping was the T'ai-chi set favored by Yang Lu-Chan, the man who brought forward the "Yang" style in the mid-1800's, now so popular throughout the world. Kuang Ping is what the man trained with himself. Applying Law of Gravity to Judo In judo it is important to throw your opponent by making use of his loss of balance, the law at work here is the law of gravity. We know that Sir Isaac Newton discovered the law of gravitation by seeing an apple fall from a tree. COMBATIVES A Rose by Any Other Name?....Part 2 The advent of World War One (the war to END all wars) brought warfare into a new and foreboding era of man to man killing and slaughter. Air power, mechanized warfare, chemical warfare and the general widespread use of machine guns changed the face of battle almost completely. Basic Drills We all have a good foundation in the basic blows and combinations.Think about adding the following drills to your basic syllabus. Learning the Modern Dynamics of Judo You may have the erroneous idea that force is not necessary in judo, especially when you see a sixty-year-old instructor throwing many young- and strong men seemingly without effort. Dynamics, however, denies this illusion. Combatives This is our last installment on "defining" the parameters of COMBATIVES.The point, I am sure, will be missed by some but it must be emphasized that this material is historical fact and is accurate in substance and detail. John Styers Most people have only been exposed to John Styers work through the book "Cold Steel".It is important to remember that first and foremost this book outlines a BASIC course of close-combat instruction. What To Expect When You Least Expect It The time you will be attacked you will most likely be:Distracted Out numbered Alone There will be no back up You will be in the fight of your life. Specific Defenses don't work. Martial Arts and The Zone On the occasions you delivered the perfect strike; blocked without the need to think or performed a near flawless kata, did it feel difficult? Or did you get the sense it happened by itself? The 'zone' is a place where athletes describe this sort of experience. Studies suggest its a state of 'effortless merging of action and awareness'. A Beginning History of Old School Jujutsu - Part 1 Over the next couple of day's I will writing an article of the history of Pre-WWII Japanese Jujitsu/Judo. I wasn't sure where to start, but here I am so let's get started. Aikido Philosophy: An Oriental Concept of Energy, Self, and Mind PrefaceThere are many different ways to understand Aikido philosophy and perceive, utilize, and benefit from energy. What I offer here is one of many ways. Break the Bones "HONE O ORERU" is a Japanese term that translates literally as "BREAK THE BONES". It is an essential concept of true SHUGYO and a central theme of a true Budo Dojo.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |