fighting adrenaline...1/2 the battle

[wck dallas]

To make a long question short....I have found myself in violent situations before , sometimes my awareness has tipped me off to the coming danger, only to start a huge rush of adrenaline. Not always a good thing for me.

This huge rush often leaves me half defeated prior to the first strike, shakiness and weakness sets in ... this could be deadly, for sure.

I suppose to a ring fighter, or someone who likes to fight this would not be a problem...because they fight all the time. can anyone give some guidance on this.... Perhaps this effects me more than others, but surely there are ppl here that have experienced similar things. I often think my body dumps too much adrenaline into my veins....but more likely I just need to learn to controll it.

any advice will be appreciated. thanks

 

[Seeker]

Hello,

I believe that once you realize that you are mistaking adrenaline for fear; then you will be able to use it for what it is intended. You are either going to fight or flee and adrenaline is there to help in either case.

If you can, have a friend, training partner come at you with harsh verbal attacks, shoving... all of the pre-fight posturing that usually gets your adrenaline going. It sounded silly to me when I first tried it, although analytically I knew I wasn't in any real danger, the subconscious does not know this and will kick on the adrenaline.

It's one way to learn to manage it in a safe environment.

Good luck.

 

[SilatFan]

To make a long question short....I have found myself in violent situations before , sometimes my awareness has tipped me off to the coming danger, only to start a huge rush of adrenaline. Not always a good thing for me.

This huge rush often leaves me half defeated prior to the first strike, shakiness and weakness sets in ... this could be deadly, for sure.

I suppose to a ring fighter, or someone who likes to fight this would not be a problem...because they fight all the time. can anyone give some guidance on this.... Perhaps this effects me more than others, but surely there are ppl here that have experienced similar things. I often think my body dumps too much adrenaline into my veins....but more likely I just need to learn to controll it.

any advice will be appreciated. thanks

Scenario work like Seeker described is very helpful.

But the best thing I have found to help me become more relaxed when I was about to have to defend myself but could not exit/talk my way out of it has been combat sports (BJJ, MT, Boxing, Sambo, Judo and Wrestling).

Not just training but competing in at least one of them occasionally as well as training with as many different practitioners of different degrees of advancement is priceless. The variation never lets you settle into a comfort zone. Try wrestling with a brand new white belt in BJJ who know "nothing." They spaz out and try to kill you with their best pro-wrestling move all the while you have to take it easy on them. You'll learn how to be the calm center of a hurricane.

Also please keep in mind that fear and adrenaline are our safety nets. We dont want to not have them we just want to be a little more used to experiencing them and still performing. I dont care how tough anyone is. A 225lbs coke head with a knife will get your adrenaline going as well as many less scary situations. Might as well learn to swim in its swirl more comfortably and it will subside to some degree for the situations YOU dont feel are that tough.

Train a lot its a big MA world with a lot of good stuff!

 

[SilatFan]

Oh sorry I forgot. I also think breath work from BJJ, Russian martial art and yoga are REALLY helpful for this issue.

 

[FieldDiscipline]

You are gonna feel scared, shaky and sick. Its all a natural part of the process that has to be accepted. Its your body prepping for a fight (or flight). Adrenaline can reduce, if not elimate pain. Experience and practice will help but the best thing as has been said is to accept it and realise it is not fear. Training hard is good as confidence comes with it.

Supposed to be a very good book (I've read a lot of his articles and one or two of his books, but not this one):

http://www.amazon.com/Fear-Geoff-Th...450545?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1190373381&sr=1-10

 

[bustr]

Here are some videos on th subject.

 

[KamonGuy2]

This is a completely natural reaction, and it basically means you are a good guy. I have had a lot of fights and still get the adrenaline rush/shakes from confrontations.

Adrenaline can also be a very powerful tool. When I get on adrenaline, you don't feel pain as much and it makes you feel confident.

To loosen up, try doing confrontation drills with serious training partners (ie push each other and argue, and get used to that 'confrontational' stage)

 

[brocklee]

To make a long question short....I have found myself in violent situations before , sometimes my awareness has tipped me off to the coming danger, only to start a huge rush of adrenaline. Not always a good thing for me.

This huge rush often leaves me half defeated prior to the first strike, shakiness and weakness sets in ... this could be deadly, for sure.

I suppose to a ring fighter, or someone who likes to fight this would not be a problem...because they fight all the time. can anyone give some guidance on this.... Perhaps this effects me more than others, but surely there are ppl here that have experienced similar things. I often think my body dumps too much adrenaline into my veins....but more likely I just need to learn to controll it.

any advice will be appreciated. thanks

It will go away with practice. In WC you must remain as relaxed as possible, that way your kinetic linking has no resistance. This is what allows you to deliver 100% of the power and still continue to fight as long as the opponent can. If you submit to fear and allow adreneline to kick in, you won't be able to remain relaxed. Just keep practicing. You will develop a fight mode that you automatically pop into and it's very relaxed.
Being relaxed is ultimately the key to successful WC. If you're focusing on being relaxed, you're not focusing of fear or what the other guy may do to you. This enables you to be the best fighter that you could possibly be, no matter who you're going against. Then all you have to do is just get better then everyone else.

A trick that I have always used and is very effective is to say the word "relax' in your head a few times until the voice goes away and your peripherals seem to cover a much broader view. You will notice that as your say it, your shoulders drop and then yer elbows start to pull down. Your pelvic will rotate forward and then your spine will straighten. Next thing you know, you can see very well and your stucture is built up....and the guy infront of you hasn't moved an inch. Also, in fight mode, time seems to slow down and you watch your body do the work.

I think this video is a pretty good demonstration of what I mean about popping into relaxed mode. Watch the dude after he takes his jacket off. He pops into a mode that is very familiar and comfortable to him. I like the video because the dude maintains his structure, even after being picked up. His legs act like pendulums. I actually think this maybe WT and if so, some respek. hehe

This may seem like much or un-realistic at the moment, but as I said, you just need to practice. Not to build confidence, cause confidence is just another element to confuse you during combat, but to honestly know what the moves are and to train the body to move to different music. Alot of young practitioners get into fights too early in their training and end up getting their butts beat because they were over-confident. After the butt kicking they no long have any confidence and blame it on WC. You want to stay away from this type of situation that way you don't waste your time or money. <---that alone is a display of WC btw efficiency.

Oh and if you really want to learn how to fight well, go get your butt kicked really good. It teaches you to not get your but kicked again. It's a way to build up the fight in the fighter. You won't need it, though, if you're a good WC practitioner...or hopefully one day a sifu.

As for having someone yell or scream at you to build up courage, I don't think that's very effective. It's great for practicing fighting with the girl friend but not for WC. In reality, you can tell when a fight's going to happen or it will come with great suprise. People that yell and scream don't want to fight and are attempting to use intimidation to ward you off. A WCer doesn't say a word, because it's a waste of breath, and just walks up and pops the guy a good one You just give him 1 of the million punches you have already thrown.

 

[hungfistron]

BrockLee really had great advice... I would just like to add the best thing that has helped me is to spar. Find or get with a group of guys each week and put on some pads and go at it. You will feel the rush begin why you are stretching most of the time.

This feeling is natural and should not be looked at as a weakness, only as your mind & body is trying to prepare itself for the fight. But the same nervous energy that you experience can be trained to help you concentrate more fully, and seize the moment.

As you begin to spar more, the feeling will subside a bit, but you should strive to control your breathing so that your shaking, sweating will be more regulated.

In time you will build confidence, and you will begin to relish the moment and even like the fact that you feel "the rush..."

 

[Blotan Hunka]

Nothing wrong w/adrenaline. Its your bodies, take this in the event of emergency "power up".

 

[dungeonworks]

There's been a couple times where I actually puked after a huge adrenaline rush during a fight. :barf::xtrmshock