Body Language & Facial Expressions

[Alan Armstrong]

Martial arts contains many body gestures especially when practicing katas also when facing off with an opponent.

We give away many visual clues to how we are feeling and also clues on our personality.

We can be perceived as a victim type or something similar to a friend or enemy.

Martial art practice is actually building up you body gestures to look and become more confident as a human being.

Sales people (paid on a commission basis) practice smiling in the mirror till it looks natural, as they have learned through experience, that by looking friendly, improves their sales performance.

My older brother once told me as an eleven year old kid, that I need to work on my fierce looking face, while looking in the mirror, as I was looking far too sweet and innocent for my age.

Most successful people are very aware of their body language and of those around them.

My wife often comments that I look more like her body guard than her husband.

While recently out with my professional looking camera, two guys were visually singling me out as a victim, to perhaps steal it.

As I have often been accused by many people on the street as a narc; I can play off on that look for when need be.

Instead of looking away from these two would be robbers, I started to slowly make my way towards them, but not directly, more as flanking them would be a better description, as to get a better look at their faces.

Of course they don't want any part of this and move away from me faster than I am moving towards them.

Body language and facial expressions, are you good at using this to your advantage in every aspect of your life?

It is actually a fun topic to learn and play with, wherever you are.

[MatsuShinshii]

I have never been accused of looking sweet. My face is scarred so looking sweet is pretty hard.

I've never had an issue with being targeted as I tend to look people in the eyes and have a habit of not looking away until they do. I learned this many years ago as a teenager. Most people looking for a victim don't target those that would dare to stare them down. They look instead for those that would look away. It makes them look meek and weak.

Don't get me wrong, there is nothing menacing in my face or in my intentions. Those without their own menacing intentions usually smile or nod and I do the same. Those with other that friendly intentions typically end up looking away.

Knock on wood, I have never been targeted as such to the extent that someone approached me or got within fighting distance.

I think it's because of my rugged good looks.

[Spartacus Maximus]

Without openly and intentionally challenging anyone with one’s facial expressions or body-language, it is possible for some people to have an adavtage in interactions with others. Some people naturally have a certain look and demeanor and most are not consciously aware of it until other people bring it to their attention.

Another interesting part of body-language and facial expressions is that they are culturally-specific in many cases with a few obvious exceptions. Each person unconsciously reads and interprets them based on their culture. Smiling, for example is interpreted in very different ways. For some cultures it can only mean that the person is happy, glad or friendly. In others it could also be an expression of shame, embarrassment, shyness or even mildly threatening.

The best part of this behaviour is that it can be learned by anyone who makes the efforts. Those who are good a observing and mimicking different expressions can usually blend in quickly almost anywhere. There are also several fields of work in which people must adopt certain types of body language to be effective at what they do.

[sensei8]

Body language is everything to me, and so is facial expressions!! Ignoring them or not understanding them are the first mistakes in learning how to defend oneself.

Sizing up an opponent might start with recognizing the body language and/or the facial expression. There's no mistaking them.

Can't recognize them? Then learn them before one even begins to learn the MA.

[DWx]

Kind of related: when I was at university and training at the TKD club there, the instructor would get us to practice our staring face in front of the mirrors. I always felt like a right fool trying to stare myself out.

[MatsuShinshii]

Kind of related: when I was at university and training at the TKD club there, the instructor would get us to practice our staring face in front of the mirrors. I always felt like a right fool trying to stare myself out.

Show us your war face.

[Alan Armstrong]

"How to analyze people on site"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFWGvJy1sus

This is a (free) course, a recording of how to recognize the five personality types.

If you find that understanding body language is interesting than this will surely be of interest to you also.

This recording is almost seven hours long, as it is the complete book/manual.

(There is an explanation of why people fight and the relationship to the jaw contained within this audio book)

[Lupin1]

I do worry that sometimes I look like an easy target. I look much younger than I am and I'm naturally a very sweet, kind, giving person. I have a friendly face and smile a lot. I try to put on my best "don't mess with me" face and try to walk tall and confident when I'm out alone, but I'm not sure how well I pull it off.

[Alan Armstrong]

I do worry that sometimes I look like an easy target. I look much younger than I am and I'm naturally a very sweet, kind, giving person. I have a friendly face and smile a lot. I try to put on my best "don't mess with me" face and try to walk tall and confident when I'm out alone, but I'm not sure how well I pull it off.

It could be helpful to you Lupin 1 and other martial artists, to know which personality type one falls under.

Here it is in book form:

"How to analyze people on site"

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/30601/30601-h/30601-h.htm

Here is a sample from the book:

The Evolution of the Jaw

¶ The jaw is a good illustration of this alliance between the mind and the body. Its muscles and bones are so closely allied to the pugnacity instinct center in the brain that the slightest thought of combat causes the jaw muscles to stiffen. Let the thought of any actual physical encounter go through your mind and your jaw bone will automatically move upward and outward.[Pg 20]

After a lifetime of combat, whether by fists or words, the jaw sets permanently a little more upward and outward—a little more like that of the bulldog. It keeps to this combative mold, "because," says Mother Nature, the great efficiency expert, "if you are going to call on me constantly to stiffen that jaw I'll fix it so it will stay that way and save myself the trouble."