This is the third instalment on how to defend yourself the smart way. We have covered the biggest mistake in self defense and the secret to winning against an attacker twice your size. This article is about how to address your fear.
Fear
Fear is a natural reaction when you know your safety is in danger.
It is not unusual to experience some of the following:
Your heart is pounding at a hundred miles per hour in your ears.
Your breathing is short and sharp.
You have tunnel vision.
You start to sweat.
You start to shake.
You can't even hear yourself think.
Hell, you don't even know what you are thinking.
You are starting to panic.
You may even wet your pants and freeze.
The Adrenaline Dump
Things happen fast, very fast, in a physical confrontation.
A lot of things are also happening in your body.
Your fear causes your nervous system to flood your body with an adrenaline dump. This is the body's way to prepare you for fight or flight.
Adrenaline can be a friend or an enemy.
A friend in that it makes you stronger.
An enemy, because it limits your movements to only broad gross motor movements.
If you want to be able to control your fear you need to understand your 3 brains.
Your 3 Brains *
You have 3 brains.
Human Brain
Monkey Brain
Lizard Brain
Human Brain controls reason and logic.
Monkey Brain controls feelings and emotions.
Lizard Brain controls movement and coordination.
Fear is controlled by your Monkey Brain.
The problem is that when your Monkey Brain is in control, reason and logic are out the window. You are incapable of taking decisive actions, only impulsive ones.
Impulsive actions are not good when your life could be at stake.
As you don't have the faculty of reason and logic, you don't see any other alternative than to fight back desperately and blindly. Even when escape is an option, you will be blinded to it by your Monkey Brain.
The situation is compounded by the fact there is not one Monkey Brain at play but two.
You are affected by fear and your attacker is consumed with rage.
Two Monkey Brains at war, the result is not good. For you.
There is a reason why you cannot talk your way out of trouble.
You cannot reason with a Monkey Brain.
The most intelligent decision you can make in a physical confrontation is to engage your Lizard Brain and start walking away; if it is an option.
Controlling Your Monkey Brain
The secret to controlling fear is to control your Monkey Brain.
The best way to control your Monkey Brain is with this breathing exercise.
Breathe in for a count of 8, hold for 8 and breathe out for 10.
This kills two birds with one stone.
Buys you the time for your Human Brain to regain control.
Supercharges all your cells with oxygen to get you mentally and physically ready for extreme action.
Focus on the things you can win
Controlling your Monkey Brain is crucial. You need your Human Brain operating fully to have any chance.
The things you are afraid of about your attacker are his size, strength and aggression.
Do not focus on the things you cannot win.
The strongest man is only as strong as weakest links. His eyes, ears, throat and groin are his weakest links.
The secret to fear no man is to focus on his weakest links!
You have more than ample strength to destroy them.
When push comes to shove you can stop him in his tracks.
Focusing on those weak links will give you the confidence that you can control the situation.
In the next post, I will cover the biggest challenge you face in a physical confrontation.
* Marc McYoung from Nononsenseselfdefense.com covers the 3 Brains very well.
For a Free Report on "How to Stop an Attack Before it Happens" go to www.selfdefensethesmartway.com
Sifu Kim Goh (B.Com) started his training in martial arts when he was knee high in his local Buddhist Temple in Malaysia. His passion and thirst for knowledge saw him graduate through a wide range of martial arts; Karate, Judo, Tae Kwan Do, Chinese Kung Fu traditional styles like Tong Long (Praying Mantis), Lee Kar Shao Lin and non-classical Chinese kung fu styles like Tong Kune Do.
He is continuously learning and evolving his knowledge and has synthesized over 40 years of experience in the field into what he believes is the holy grail of martial arts – Speed and Power. He developed his proprietary 13 Gears Of Motion based on the 3 Laws of Motion and Body Mechanics to enable Black belts to leverage their strength to hit 20 to 40 times harder.
He has given seminars in the US, taught Hollywood stars like Ernie Reyes Snr (star of Surf Ninjas), Ernie Reyes Jnr (star of Ninja Turtles, Welcome back to the Jungle), Daniel Goddard (star of the Beastmaster).