shaky before a fight

[Gungrave]

Alright, I'm only a yellow belt in Bushido-Kai and have only sparred once. But I've nearly gotten in lots of fights and before sparring with my instructor, I always get really shaky. It's not that I'm scared, it's the adrenaline and wondering whether I can throw the right combination of what I know at the right time. What do y'all suggest aside from sparring more?

 

Note: Try not to step into your instructor's hook-kick. Your jaw will hurt for days;)

[Pacificshore]

Clear your mind

[Shorin Ryuu]

Well, there is something they call "mushaburui" in Japanese. This referred to the shaking with excitement that a warrior has before a battle, but I think can nowadays it might be able to mean just shaking with excitement.

 

The characters, by the way, are warrior (musha) and burui (shaking, quaking, trembling). The last part "burui" has three different characters that can be used, depending on how much fear is meant to be attributed, I think.

[White Warlock]

Interesting info Shorin.

 

Gungrave, it might help if you think of it as your engine on idle. At such low rev, it causes the entire vehicle to shake. Once you go into gear, the shaking disappears.

 

The bigger factor is allowing your fear to overtake your sensibilities. From the first moment you encountered a threat, to the time you must decide to act, there is this great anticipation. The shaking, if misunderstood, can undermine your confidence. But, it should not. If what you determined of your assailaint, from the onset of the confrontation, remains the same, then the only thing that can change... is you.

 

And so, if you feel the shakes, realize you are 'ready.' Whether it be ready to fight, or ready for flight... 'should be' dependent on your initial observations, and not on the trepidation obtained during the wait. Whatever the course, realize the shakes as something not negative... even if friggin' annoying. Allow it to 'boost' your confidence, knowing that you are ready and that your body has boosted your physical potential and focused your mind, via the exceedingly potent natural drug of adrenalin.

[EvilTed]

You need to spar with someone of high enough grade that can exercise precise control on their fighting with you and "allow" you to hit them without hurting you back.

 

Once you realise that the other guy isn't going to harm you, you will be more relaxed and think less about getting hit and more on your own technique.

 

This is my experience and the way I spar with lower belts now.

 

Osu!

 

ET

[aefibird]

Try deep-breathing excercises before you spar.

 

Also, sparring more often and with different ablility partners will help you to become a better fighter.

 

Good luck!

[Dijita]

Gungrave,

 

I seem to suffer the same thing at tournaments. My nerves start getting too me, and I start thinking about what I'm going to do, I start shaking, my mouth gets dry, and my stomach does flips. Once I go to fight, all those nerves turn to adrenaline. Suddenly I find myself not fighting the fight that I had in mind.

 

So what can we do about it? Well I was told that with the more tournaments I enter, the more it will help. So I think it's just experience that will aid you in the long run.

 

Calming the mind can be a difficult task so when you figure it out, let me know ok?

[White Warlock]

Dijita, it is rare to fight the fight you had in mind, for a fight is a fight of the bodies. Yours and your opponents. This is not the fault of your jitters, or of adrenalin, it is the case of realizing that theory and practice are two entirely different things. The problem with theory is that it relies on a 'cooperative' partner. In practice, this is never the case.

[Dijita]

Hrmm... ok let me try and rephrase. I don't expect to go into a fight and do every single combo I had in mind of course. I'm thinking more general. For example, fighting someone heavier than me. In my head I'm thinking I need to be patient, and move around a lot. However, I get so nervous when I have to fight someone bigger than me and I end up being overly aggressive in my fight, not thinking about my technique but rather I keep going forward trying to fight toe to toe with this person. In the end I get beat and I know that I shouldn't be trying to go toe to toe against an opponent that is larger than I; the adrenaline kicks in, the brain turns off.

[username9]

Ok - most people suffer this mate. Apparently one of the best things to do is fully exhale and then breath in to the count of ten. Repeat three times!

 

However - by the time you have got half way through the first one the fight might be over and *someone* may have already had their teeth kicked in! (Not saying you! - Just someone!)

 

Good post - although i feel there has been similar ones before. I shall keep an eye on this - thanks for starting it!