Fear

[ShadowGoomba]

There was once a topic awhile on this, but it was on the fear of hurting the other guy too much. If someone tries to mug me, my last concern is that of the attacker's (I wouldn't want to hurt them to the point of critical injury however). My main fear is of being too afraid of the attacker to think straight. How do you prepare against losing your cool besides having people routinely mug you?

[CsrCrz88]

I've been in two fights after i been in MA. I never lose my cool but i show no mercy to my enemy. It's something that i've been training for.

[Karate Kid]

Although my experience in such situations is limited, I must say the major downfall of many martial arts practitioners is that they panic during a fight. This may seem obvious, but what I am saying is that they will forget about one aspect in particular when fighting: that is maybe to keep their guard up; to watch for the opponants retaliation; or they may pull their attacks as they wish to avoid getting too close to the opponant. The primary remedies for such problems are confidence, experience, and skill. Make sure you train as if tomorrow you will be attacked by a group aiming to take your life, and to focus on speed, precision, and power when practicing basic techniques.

 

P.S., this is my first time here.

[foreveryoung001]

Welcome Karate Kid!

 

My signature is a true story about my instructors first master who was so scared during an encounter at a tavern, that he hit the guy with a chair rather than relying on what he knew. There are two lessons that I tried to learn from that. One: Practice like it is the real thing, so that when the real things comes, you may be able to control the fear better... and TWO: if it comes down to fighting fair, or hitting aguy with a chair, I'll hit the guy with a chair.

 

The Master was so freaked out that he told his students that had all gone out for a drink together that he couldn't remember how to throw a punch or kick, and grabbed the chair without thinking. Practice until you don't have to think. Practice until your techniques are a natural movement... I believe it's called muscle memory, but someone can correct me if I am wrong.

[Little Dragon]

I was watching this show called REAL TV.

 

And there was a clip of these two pimps getting into a fight...and a group of a men came to stop the fight.One pimp got really pissed at this white guy and his hooker tried to hold him back,but he ripped off his shirt and went towards the man...next thing you see,the man backfists the pimp right across the face and knocks him out.the narrator anounces that his name was..uh..i think it was jason lee..and he was a karate champion that was visiting a police department for a lesson on self defense.The pimp couldnt stand up...his hookers helped him walk to his car..hahahaha..and u see (jason?) shrug to the police man next to him

[dear john]

i may get yeld at for what im about to say but O'well.

 

you guys ever seen fight club with brad pitt?

 

do something similar to this.

 

the first time i boxed somebody i couldnt think straight. i was getting hit so hard my mind was almost shutting down. finally i got knocked down. things went all black like for a few seconds. then i got up and kept on going. after i got back up my head stayed clear. i had never been hit like that. most who have been in any type of situation like this usually have the fear you talk about. do this and most of the fear will pass.

 

but then again i have felt better after every fight i have ever been in whether i won or lost. could just be who you are. live and learn. dont stay ignorant. im not saying get the crap beat out of you...... okay so maybe i am. fin some way to stress yourself to the point where you cant take it. you'll do better afterwards.

[karatekid1975]

When I was in a self defense situation, I was scared (I'm not going to lie), but I kept my cool (somehow ... thank God). I used just enough force to put the guy down, and get away unhurt. That's all I needed.

[White Warlock]

In competitions, or during sparring, you take gambles. You experiment and you 'try' things. But, when your life is on the line... and there's no referee to keep someone from ripping off your testicles... EVERYTHING changes. Instead, you resort to that which you feel innately comfortable with. That which has been soaked into your muscles. I.e., muscle-memory.

 

In every physical confrontation i've had, that i can remember, fear was definitely in the mix. In every case, i felt myself doing only what i truly felt would work. In my earlier years, i would find myself 'locking' into a safe zone. Getting my opponent to a point where we were stalemated. As time went by, and my skills became more ingrained, locking became less frequent.

 

Never quite went away, and i know that... if opposing a sufficiently qualified or dangerous opponent... i may end up once again in a stalemated situation, which is why i still train. Every day i train, physically or mentally, i work to decrease the gap of what i know... and what i think i know.

[GrrrArg]

P.S., this is my first time here.

 

Welcome

 

Why not pop across to the into section and say hi:

 

http://www.karateforums.com/viewforum.php?f=8&sid=99a256d6d1e35f264ddda1388b97872c

[Kevin K.]

I'm currently reading (and about to finish) Dead or alive

 

Geoffthompon makes many great points about encountering fear and how to overcome it. I recommend it.

 

http://www.geoffthompson.com/