Controlling adrenaline shakes....

[kickcatcher]

Sevenstar's original points were on track IMO, whether or not everyone agreed with him.

 

Before a fight or confrontation you'll probably feel anyticipatory (slow release) adrenaline. This can affect your voice, make you tremble etc and so, by implication undermine your confidence in the task ahead. Moments before they attack uyou or as they do, you will probably experience a 'dump' (fast release) of adrenaline. If you are not accustomed you might 'freeze' and at any rate, your heartbeat rises so suddenly that fine motors skills (those pretty wrist locks and pressure points?) go out of the winfdow and you get tunnel vision. After the event you will experience a continued slow release -often my voice goes funny even when I've 'won' the encounter. You may even cry a bit.

 

So all in all Adrenaline is a really big issue re self-defence.

 

But don't take my word for it, look up Geoff Thompson's book: Dead or Alive. It covers it in some depth with a very practical slant to it.

 

For the record, I've been in nasty situations and 'frozen' due to adrenaline dump. And I've had tunnel vision at the worst times etc. I'm not proud of that but hopefully people won't make the same mistakes -false sense of security in SD training, that I previously made.

 

Take care,

 

AS

[JerryLove]

It is the reaction to adrenalin that can be controlled, not the actual release of it. Bio feedback training is a form of meditation. Now Jerry, I am not doubting what you say. You make good points. But I want to know if you have ever really been in a true life/death situation.

I've had an adreneline dump because someone was pissy in my general direction. I've managed not to get an adreneline OD from situations where my life was in immenant danger.

 

It's a reaction to your perception. I'm not saying "X works for Y", I'm merely pointing out that the adrenal levels are determend by mental (if normally automatic) stimuli which respond to perception of events.

 

If you don't know you are in danger, you don't get the rush. If you think you are in danger but are not, you do get it. When something becomes lack (lacking a btter word) "scary", you get less of a dump.

I have been in a few, and let me tell you this: you cannot control it in that situation.

Most adreneline junkies have to increase their activites because they loose their fear of what they do... of course, this varies. Some people get stage fright and others do not.

When you step into a ring to fight, you know that (in most sparring situations that are controlled with rules) the worst thing that can happen to you is you can get knocked out, or you will lose. Death is usually not on that person's mind. But if you are walking through a parking lot and a guy comes up to you and pulls a knife on you, and asks for your wallet, you may think you will die a violent death, get cut bad, lose your hard earned cash, etc. That produces a much different effect on your body, trust me.

 

I'm in less danger in an unarmed confontation than I am in a car wreck. I'm in less danger looking out from a high balcony than I am in a fight. Guess which dumps the most adreneline and which the least for me?

 

If dying is on your mind, you really need to refocus. One rule of knife fighting is that if you worry about getting cut, you will be cut.

 

I suggest that anger is a good tool for overcoming fear.

Adrenalin can work for you in those situations- it is not a bad thing, and neither are the shakes.

 

Adreneline is great. It ups your reflexes, increases your strength and endurance, increases your pain tolerance, opens up your airways and constricts blood flow.

 

You'll notice my original advice was on what to do with it, not how to avoid it.

There are not many people here (I think a vast minority) who have actually been in a true life or death situation.

 

Attacked by a dog, in a car wreck, in a narrow miss on a motor-cycle, on a bucking horse, skydiving, encountering a shark, falling off something higher than a house, there are many other life-or-death situations than a fight.

 

Further, ones which do not actually pose threat can have the same effect. Being next to a large carnivore, a well done scary movie, waking up in the middle of the night convinced someone is in the next room, etc.

For the record, I've been in nasty situations and 'frozen' due to adrenaline dump. And I've had tunnel vision at the worst times etc. I'm not proud of that but hopefully people won't make the same mistakes -false sense of security in SD training, that I previously made.

 

I still recomment stomping your feet.

[Rich67]

I never got an adrenaline rush... heard its like coke! haha

Ahhhhh, no. Coke (the drug variety) is illegal, makes you paranoid, causes strokes and organ failure,can kill you and makes you look like the cryptkeeper after prolonged use...I'd say they are a far cry from each other.

[Chocobo_joe]

But what if you get to the point where you think about someone you really dislike, and the adrenaline rush gives you migraines. As well as make you sick to the point where you really feel like throwing up?

[Luckykboxer]

if you get that bad of an adrenaline rush just thinking about someone you dont like, then i recommend going to you rnearest anger management class and seek help.

 

It will do you no good to be that angry at anything.

[Chocobo_joe]

but it's just one person. aside form that nothing's wrong

[June1]

Kiaing might help, combined with an MA technique. Maybe just punching air or kicking might help expell excess energy.

 

I know how you feel. When confronted or when thinking about things that make me really, really angry, I tend to become very dizzy. I hope karate can help me be more prepared to handle things like this. Good luck! Hope the comments help!

[1kickKO]

Adrenaline in a fight is an extremely bad thing. It causes tensing of the muscles, your mind goes crazy, and your body shuts down and thinks of only one think..kill. Doesn't that sound familiar of what your instructor has taught you is an extremely bad thing? It is. You don't want any of that. What happens when your muscles tense? Your lose flexibility and power. What about when your mind goes crazy? You can't think, you lose ability of your reactions causing a slow stimulus/response...and you cannot think clearly, which can ultimately cause you to lose a fight. What about when your body shuts down? Well, that speaks for itself. You need to have a clear mind.

 

There are many great excercises that can help. For example, tai chi. It calms your nerves and gives you a strong mentla aspect. Adrenaline can be a good thing, if you decide to run it can help give you enough energy to run away, but if you fight, it turns bad, cusing everything (including your mind) to shut down.

[Taku-Shimazu]

In my experience adrenaline is good but when it runs out your fudged.

 

I was in this situation quite a while back where there was a group of thugs who were going round looking for trouble and I happened to meet them on the street and they started to do what thugs do and so I say "I don't want any trouble, just leave me alone" and they started pushing me and so I turned round and tripped the nearest guy over and ran, I massively out ran them but then I lost my rush (Luckily I had got away) and my whole body went kind of numb and I could run or even walk properly,(This was my first Adrenaline rush).

 

Could anyone tell me why this happened and is it just your first time or is that what it is always like?

[1kickKO]

That's adrenaline for ya.