Best mindset for fighting

[IronFist]

I'll keep this short. I've heard two different theories:

1. Stay calm. By not giving in to anger, and staying calm, you can better react to what your opponent does and emerge victorious.

2. Go into primal/instinct mode. By going crazy and not thinking (like an animal fighting instinctively) you will be better suited to dealing with someone who is not in this "mode." This is similiar to what Erle Montaigue refers to as the Reptile brain, I think.

So, what do you think?

IronFist

[SevenStar]

I think it varies depending on the person. I tend to stay calm, in the ring and street. I get so calm my blood pressure tends to drop. before one of my fights, the paramedc took my blood pressure 3 times because he said with the readings he was getting, I should've been dead. At my last judo tourney, people told me afterward that I looked like I was nervous and scared when I went out, because I was just motionless and staring at nothing. I wasn't scared at all, just calming myself.

[OdderMensch]

but have not been in a life or death struggle, so who knows. I have a round face, with heavy eyelids and when I realy concentrate on one person doing chi sau or sparring, my opponents often tell me I look like i'm half asleep.

[Water Dragon]

Predatorial. You shouldn't hate your prey, it is just something that must be eaten.

[dnc101]

Kill, but do it calmly.

[TaoBoy]

I guess calm would be where I would aim but it would depend on the situation. I haven't been in a situation for a while - the last was in high school but I stayed pretty calm. It's never been life or death for me so I can't really comment. In class, I tend to go into a zone of intense focus. A lot of people have told me I just look plain scary at that point. That has to be some kinda bonus.

[neptunesfall]

don't think, don't form a mindset, just do what needs to be done.

[joedoe]

Calm but with ferocity.

[LEGEND]

DRUNK!

[Laughing Cow]

Calm, but all your actions need to show full intent.

[Serpent]

Wu wei.

[Chang Style Novice]

Legend -

Drunk loses to dusted every time.:rolleyes:

[yu shan]

Perpetual training with your Shrfu, so-called "fighting" with anyone else, should be fun.

[philly]

go crazy...

I'm quite calm person but the fights i've been in I noticed that i became very angry , so I just kind of used it...

[SifuAbel]

Originally posted by neptunesfall
don't think, don't form a mindset, just do what needs to be done.

[Leon]

When you fight, know you are much better than your opponent, the opponent is nothing, now, prove it :cool:

[GunnedDownAtrocity]

good topic. i have often wondered the same thing myself.

i figure id be number 1 for most situations (or at least i was in my few scuffles).

i'd probably be number 2 if i had an emotional reason for wanting to hurt the guy (he just smacked my kid in the mouth). this may be a lack of control, but i just figure this is what would happen.

[Qi dup]

Calm like a bomb.

[Ging Mo Fighter]

awareness is the spirit
attack is the foundation of thought

concentrate

[Serpent]

This thread seems to be generating a lot of fortune cookie philosophy.

[Blackspear]

brings a chair and some beer from the 18 taoist palms thread and decides to listen and luagh at the keyboarded assasins

[TkdWarrior]

i go for calmness..
i was in couple of fights
totally calm(looked like much on afraid side but i was ffurious)
couple of times in heated exchange...dumb guy couldn't even dare to look into my eye...
i think in exchange words u can loose ur calm without loosing it(i mean much in show off)
-TkdWarrior-

[TjD]

always calmness, but calmness with total determination to get my job done :)

[Mr Punch]

:D dnc101!

:thumbs up: Neptunesfall.

:o hearing Legend!


Blackspear
luagh(sic)at Balckspear luaghing at everyone else!

I have found I usually stay too calm unless there is a serious verbal escalation beforehand. And then if there is, I sometimes find it difficult to channel my adrenaline into a useful (animal) response, rather than a flight response... especially if I'm trying to defuse the situation (which I almost always have been I think).

[TAO YIN]

For what kind of fighting?

I'll bet nine times out of ten in a life or death situation the person going Speed Adrenalized Primal Mental Death Face Now You Die will be ok. I am not going to be very calm if someone is smashing my neck in with fists, fingers, and feet. If you are getting bashed and try to remain calm, you'll probably end up sleeping.



TY






"If someone gets you in a wrist lock, break your own wrist and jerk their eye out with the other hand!"

[IronFist]

Ok Tao Yin, what about before the fight begins then, when you're looking at each other and you know something's about to go down. Are you calm or are you crazy?

IronFist

[Martial Joe]

no concence.

[GunnedDownAtrocity]

"Ok Tao Yin, what about before the fight begins then, when you're looking at each other and you know something's about to go down. Are you calm or are you crazy?"

personally im scared. when i said calm thats when the first punch has already been thrown .... i felt really calm after things were actually under way.

[Stacey]

best mindset?

drunk

[TAO YIN]

Again what kind of fighting?

Before the fight begins? Are you talking about a challenge, a ring fight, or what? I am assuming that you are talking about knowing you are about to fight. So a standoff. If the attacker isn't in range, calm, nothingness, but alert, heck even might be friendly trying to talk my way out of it. As soon as he moves into range though destroy, pulverize, kill. There are no second chances. I am just saying that if you get too comfortable, you might get dead, but you might get dead anyway. I just believe for the most part that in a life or death situation it is human nature to lose it and go mental. And I believe that for the most part if a human knows death is near, they won't be chilling out.

Good posts guys! Thanks

TY


"I don't value your life or my own, let's begin."

[neptunesfall]

don't bother arguing. it's pointless, distracting and can call unwanted attention to the situation.

he steps towards you, take a step back and try to de escalate.
he steps towards you again, take a step back and try to de escalate.
he steps towards you again, hit him.

[Former castleva]

Do not bother to play the criminal´s game.Just do what is appropriate to cease offensive action.

[GunnedDownAtrocity]

i guess im a pu ssy. or honest.

i'm an honest pu ssy.

[desertwingchun2]

I think any time you face possible injury there is going to be some sort of reaction physically. The trick is to control those reactions and focus on what needs to be done. Before my martial arts training I had alot of ghetto training. People would think we were loonie when we boxed because we were mostly smiling and relaxed. The thing is if you are in a physical confrontation pain is part and parcel. Accept that as fact and relaxation comes on its own. Then when its time to do your thing the focus changes to getting it over as soon as possible. I think the "animal" intent is there it just may not be apparent to an outside observer.

I think that was three cents

-David

[_William_]

I gotta ask everyone, can you repel someone with the glare of your eyes?

Since I'm still in school, there have been lots of times people have tried to bait me, and sometimes(rarely), my friends tell me I get this really angry look on my face, and everyone just kinda quiets down. I don't even notice it when I do it, it just kinda appears on my face.

Problem is, I don't quite know how to "trigger" this expression on my face. The few times it popped up, people just started backing away. I wasn't even that angry at the time.

[SevenStar]

I do that. being big helps to facilitate that though. Intimidation tactics are kind of a "built in" self defense. If you don't look like the type to be pushed around, many people will think twice before they try you.

[Lowlynobody]

LOL @ Tao Yin.
If he steps towards you - Kill him.

[Mr Punch]

Originally posted by TAO YIN
Again what kind of fighting?
... Are you talking about a challenge, a ring fight, or what? ... So a standoff.

a challenge: in the movies, or in your school? Either way, not realistic, and the chances are, no-one's really gonna be trying to lay you out and dance on you.

a ring 'fight': is NOT. It is a competition.

or what?: is what?!

a standoff: is a waste of time. Either you de-escalate, leave (sometimes not an option) or you fight. A standoff usually results in increasing the chances of your attacker getting the better of you psychologically... getting to that point where your adrenaline is not working for you, it's working against you because you've neither run nor fought.

Neptunesfall has nailed it extremely accurately on this thread twice

[Mr Punch]

Originally posted by _William_
I gotta ask everyone, can you repel someone with the glare of your eyes?

I find the nipple rays work better. Or a waft of my armpits, but I have a UN inspectorate on my back about that now.


Control your face!

Watch that glare. I've always been said to have quite a fierce looking face, and it seems to have got me out of a couple of scrapes in the past. But, as you grandmother probably said, when the wind changes, it sets! As you get older, if you don't notice your frown thing happening, it will land you in more trouble than it'll get you out of. Eg, I've just been gazing into space waiting at the bar for my drink to be poured and been rudely alerted to the fact that the 'space' was an 8 foot gorilla from hell wondering wtf my problem was!

[Lowlynobody]

If I was American I would shoot u in your fierce looking face. Puhhhh. :p

Chalenges aren't realistic? How about when the little japanese guy you just challenged bows to you with his eyes closed and punches you in the throat? Then you wake up with several broken ribs and a messed up face. Nahhh that's unrealistic...