This has been beat to death at this point and most of the posts are correct. It's such a compelling subject though that I couldn't resist responding to it. Even if I just cover the same ground again.
I've been practicing martial arts for 23 years now. I've been in maybe two actual real world engagements since learning it. One was absolutely life and death with a weapon involved.
No amount of training makes fear go away. Both times I was terrified! All I can say is just keep breathing, in and out, in and out. It's okay to run away. On my last and most dangerous encounter I couldn’t run away because I had my two small children with me. I had no choice but to fight. I was scared for myself and scared even more so for my kids.
I think the thing that helped me most was the feeling that okay I have to fight and I could die but that's okay. The only thing that matters is my kids. At that moment much of the fear burned off because I accepted the possibility of death and dismissed it as not really a big deal, not compared to my kids.
Try to buy yourself some time. Keep moving. Most engagements are pretty brief, they feel like an eternity but I bet most are less than two minutes long.
The adrenalin is really going wreck refined motor skills. You have greater strength but less fine motor. Protect your core and your head. If you have to catch something nasty it's better to get in an arm.
Don’t try a bunch of fancy moves. Breath in, breath out, chin down, hands up, and keep your balance. Don't be afraid to grab the nearest chair and use it as a shield. Make your moves count, you might only get one or two.
Also I suggest getting a friend in your class to grab you once in awhile and drag you around the room, push you into things, say terrible things to you. Rough you up and make life hard for you. Essentially desensitize you to some of the things that trigger terror. With my students' I occasionally step it up to near real world and make them afraid. You can see the fear response. A couple of times I've had to ask them not to hurt me and to remind them that I am merely teaching them. I tell them that I am going to play act like a bully, mugger, rapist, bar drunk, etc. Then we role play it out. I shout at them and do what I think that evil person might do. Then after words we talk about what happened and how it might have gone differently. We are all still friendly after words and it gives them confidence for when these nasty little incidences crop up in the real world, that they have seen this before and they know what to do.
I've been practicing martial arts for 23 years now. I've been in maybe two actual real world engagements since learning it. One was absolutely life and death with a weapon involved.
No amount of training makes fear go away. Both times I was terrified! All I can say is just keep breathing, in and out, in and out. It's okay to run away. On my last and most dangerous encounter I couldn’t run away because I had my two small children with me. I had no choice but to fight. I was scared for myself and scared even more so for my kids.
I think the thing that helped me most was the feeling that okay I have to fight and I could die but that's okay. The only thing that matters is my kids. At that moment much of the fear burned off because I accepted the possibility of death and dismissed it as not really a big deal, not compared to my kids.
Try to buy yourself some time. Keep moving. Most engagements are pretty brief, they feel like an eternity but I bet most are less than two minutes long.
The adrenalin is really going wreck refined motor skills. You have greater strength but less fine motor. Protect your core and your head. If you have to catch something nasty it's better to get in an arm.
Don’t try a bunch of fancy moves. Breath in, breath out, chin down, hands up, and keep your balance. Don't be afraid to grab the nearest chair and use it as a shield. Make your moves count, you might only get one or two.
Also I suggest getting a friend in your class to grab you once in awhile and drag you around the room, push you into things, say terrible things to you. Rough you up and make life hard for you. Essentially desensitize you to some of the things that trigger terror. With my students' I occasionally step it up to near real world and make them afraid. You can see the fear response. A couple of times I've had to ask them not to hurt me and to remind them that I am merely teaching them. I tell them that I am going to play act like a bully, mugger, rapist, bar drunk, etc. Then we role play it out. I shout at them and do what I think that evil person might do. Then after words we talk about what happened and how it might have gone differently. We are all still friendly after words and it gives them confidence for when these nasty little incidences crop up in the real world, that they have seen this before and they know what to do.
