subject: Hand To Hand Combat Training: It's All In Your Head [print this page] The human mind is an amazing thing, capable of visualizing everything from what to eat for dinner to detailed hand to hand combat training. Most people in the Western world, however, have no idea what that means. It means, in essence, that you can obtain a definitive advantage over your opponents -- both in the dojo and in out-and-out combat self defense situations -- by sitting still and imagining.
Want proof? Here's an exercise.
Imagine you are standing in whatever class you take for your hand to hand combat training. Try to picture it as clearly as you can. Do you feel a change come over your body? Are you getting tense, relaxed, pumped up, or determined and gritty while you sit there and read? Chances are good that you feel something -- because the body can't always determine what is being visualized and what is actually being seen, heard, and smelled.
So what?
So, as anyone who has had any hand to hand combat training knows, repetition is the key to developing muscle memory. But the body doesn't know the difference between what is seen and what is visualized, so visualization builds muscle memory. That means that visualization is on par with actual practice for building effective techniques. But that's not even the most amazing part of this revelation.
Ask any major athlete about the power of visualization, and you will here several anecdotes about how visualizing success creates success in action. It's true, too -- major scientific studies have been done to prove it. No one can tell you why, but the simple fact is that if you can see yourself succeeding clearly in your mind, your ability to succeed improves.
Interestingly, this seems to apply even more to complex physical acts, from basketball free throws to combat self defense situations. The body has a 'knowledge' of how to achieve a certain goal, and visualizing that goal being achieved unlocks the body's knowledge and allows it to become reality. So in a very real sense, hand to hand combat training can be reinforced and even strongly amplified by proper visualization.
So what is 'proper' visualization?
Here's an example of a visualization technique that works for millions of people across the world:
First, decide what you want to achieve. Don't decide how, just what. Even if it's a flawless victory over your sifu, don't hold back -- just decide.
Take twenty minutes or so. Relax, turn off any and all distractions, take the phone off the hook -- whatever you have to do to ensure you get those twenty minutes all to yourself. Lie down, take a few slow, deep breaths, and then let your breathing become shallower naturally. Take any contrary or distracting thoughts that crop up, ponder them for a moment, and then let them go.
Imagine yourself having already succeeded at your goal. Imagine the feeling of elation and accomplishment that you will have when you succeed, and let yourself feel it as though you already have. Feeling successful is the single most important part of the exercise. Then, ask yourself how you did it, and pay attention to whatever images and ideas follow.
This technique can be used to 'practice' anything from breaking boards to actual combat self defense. It's a fallacy to say that it can be used to replace actual hand-to-hand combat training, but it can go a long way toward making it much more effective.
