Hi all,
I'm just interested following the brief discussion we had at the forum seminar, as to how some of you think in terms of perspective before the possibility of violent confrontation?

Some of you may have given this no thought at all then, when any experience you may have had developed, may have just focused your indignation and dealt with it. Conversely to that there are those that may have been stifled in the moment due to the thought of consequences and done nothing.

Either one could be a perfectly natural response, that can be reframmed through understanding. I'm just curious about those who have considered this (before such an event) as part of their mental/physical preparation for conflict and if so HOW DO YOU THINK?

The commonality shared amongst those that can deal with violence (well) such as repeat offending violent criminals/Hard men of reputation like the Roy Shaws' of the world/or Spec Operatives who deal with extremes of violence in a clinical sense; is their perspective before the event.

In short all they think about is what they are going to do and how they will feel when they've done it!

Not what the other guy/s may do or the consequences to the outcome of the event. Such thinking clears all psychological hurdles and allows you to operate at the best of your ability.

So what's your perspective at such a time?

What's this? 30 plus views and not a single comment, guys this is where it's at, or perhaps we should talk about the correct angle of a chin-jab or closed fist vs open hand debate?

Hi Lee,

I wasn't at the seminar so didn't follow the conversation.

I always was stiffled by the thoughts of concequence like what if he falls badly etc...

Realising that the other person has no such consideration towards me made it easier. Further Stevan Plick once said that your thinking has to be done in training. It's hard to plan things, as Mike Tyson said everyone has a plan till they get hit. You can however make the decision that evryone that crosses certain boundaries is going to have some. Ofcourse you have to set these boundaries as well which is hard for people that have been victimised in the past and are seen as easy victims.
I learned from recent experience that pre-emption is also valid in the workarena,and undoubtly in other area's as well, if you don't act first the other one will.

Kind Regards,

Nick Engelen

PS what is the best angle for a chinjab?

Hi Lee

Apart from vouching for the method you prescribe of only thinking about what I am going to do to them and how I will feel afterwards, not what they are going to do to me - I have sometimes thought, just before it goes physical, "How would 'so & so' deal with this?" (bringing to mind somebody who is well versed in dealing with the physical) and then acting on that image/thought. This is all done in a split second and not really that consciously and usually triggered pre-emption and a continuous attack until the threat was eliminated.

Steve

what about you Lee, what do u think just prior and how longand what did u do to arrive at that point ?
Robj

For me, I have always dealt with the aftermath way before any event has ever happened.

You never really have the time to worry about, what if's when the moment to act is upon you.

So all of the what if he comes back, what if he lands funny and doesn't wake up, what if I get beaten, etc etc - all need to be considered and answered in advance of any situation and I don't mean 5 minutes before I mean, answer them now and then you never need to consider it again.

Why do I say this?

Firstly, considering these things helps put your training into perspective. What if I get beaten, what if I'm not capable?, are great ways to encourage you to train harder and more realistically.

The what if he doesn't come round, type questions are great tools for highlighting just how serious any physical confrontation is, and why we should all then do our very best to avoid it at all costs.

If you have clarity in only one thing, make sure it's the realisation of how horrible and dangerous violent confrontation is!

Finally, for me. I then make sure I stop thinking about violence and fighting and what if's. It will only serve to draw it towards me and make my thoughts a reality.

So in a nutshell. Deal with as much as you possibly can now. Leave you mind clear of indecision for when you need it to act decisively and quickly. And then, stop thinking of fighting and start thinking happy thoughts.

Stay Safe - Have Fun

Al x

Hello All, for what its worth, I asked a number of friends of mine who were in combat what they thought about when they were in the fight.Or how the hell did they get the nerve to do some of things they did.The all answered the same thing.When the action started all they thought about and all they could think about was their training."We did as we were trained" After the fight then they thought about what they just did, but when they were in it, it was all the training.Thats why its so important to train the way you will fight, as you will fight the way you train.

I've generally only dealt with control and restraint. I tend to try restraining the opponent, giving them a good enough dose to think twice about coming back, letting them know they've been beaten before it escalates so to speak. As Al said, for me I'm always conscious and worried about how badly things could go wrong as I don't know what I'm capable of as I've never had to test it - I count myself fortunate for it. If it was life or death situation however, i.e. confronted with a knife/gun, then I guess I wouldn't have my pre-conceptions as I'd do whatever it takes to come out of it alive and wouldn't have any bad feeling or regrets afterwards as it was brought to me. If it's a general street brawl I tend to talk it down and walk away, only reacting to physical attack with physical actions.

Hmmm... What does one think of before hand....

Well it all depends on the situation...

If something is brewing I tend to be thinking how can I defuse this before it actually happens.. I'm certainly not thinking about how I may feel after the fact..

If the blood and snot is already flying, then experience and training do take over and I think this applies at all levels.. I think very few of us would have the time to wonder as to what may happen after, we're to busy making sure we come out the other end in one piece.