| By
Vanessa Bush
The night is all that seems familiar about this part of town.
You suddenly
regret turning down the ride home, thinking to yourself,
"Home's not that
far. I can walk." Paranoia starts to set in as fear begins
to take over
and then, you convince yourself that you're being silly and
that those
footstep sounds are all in your mind. Suddenly, a chill comes
over you and
you realize that it's the cold metal of a stranger's knife
pressed to your
throat. You can't scream, you can't run.
You close your eyes and try to listen; for anything. Your
mind is racing
your heart and you wonder where your instincts have gone.
Several years and
countless hours of martial arts training, and for what? You
can't remember
a single move, a single step, a single punch. So what do you
do?
Many people have preconceived notions about martial artists
and their
ability under pressure. Many people are wrong. These notions
usually
surround the ever coveted Black Belt and the mystical powers
one obtains
when reaching this milestone. Once that belt is placed around
our waist,
there is no fear. We turn into superheroes with powers unlike
any other.
And while some of us wish this were true, the plain truth is
that it isn't.
So how do we ensure that this scenario doesn't happen? That
our training
isn't forgotten when that rubber practice knife suddenly turns
real? Three
words; REALITY BASED TRAINING.
There's only one thing you can be absolutely sure of in a
street attack and
that is unpredictability. Black belt or not, there are
certain biological
effects that happen in a person's body when confronted with an
extremely
hectic situation. Thus, your responses flee when adrenaline
takes over and
the things that you've come to rely so heavily on, such as
motor skills and
awareness, leave you stranded with your attacker. Reality
based training
(RBT) teaches the mind and body how to control and focus
adrenaline in a
stressful state.
The easiest way to start integrating RBT into your training is
to attend a
seminar focused on adrenaline stress training. Several dojo
across the
nation have begun to incorporate reality training programs to
help students
deal with the harsh scenarios that they may come across on a
daily basis.
Probably the most intense and realistic training, however, is
the Jim Wagner
Reality Based Personal Protection program. Mr. Wagner has
not only
revolutionized the way several martial artists look at self
defense, he has
also brought Reality Based Training to the masses by creating
several
courses that help address adrenal stress conditioning.
Another great tool is simulation training. Create different
atmospheres in
a training session to make the simulation as realistic as
possible.
Introduce different variables such as noise, props, multiple
assailants and
fatigue to help you prepare for an unmanageable environment.
Train in
different weather conditions and in different surroundings.
Surprise
attacks and different environments are key to keeping you on
your toes and
in control.
Adrenaline doesn't have to be your downfall; it can be an
immense power. It
can be the greatest weapon of all if you can learn to control
it. Remember,
the more you train under pressure, the more you'll respond
under pressure.
About the author: Vanessa Bush is a freelance writer and a
mixed martial arts instructor. |
