This thread is not about how relaxation methods are futile on their own as I believe they have health merits but it does question those systems or training approaches where the whole martial method is anchored in being as relaxed as possible.
Under real world violence your body will tense up. You can walk
around the kwoon in slow mo all day long grasping the sparrows tail but it will not stop your body from responding to that extreme stress with our pre-programmed "flight or fight" response mechanism. This mechanism being the one which has the capacity to alter muscular, hormonal, and mental states under extreme stress so we can face that threat with a greater degree of force.
When faced with a stressor the brains hypothalamus is activated and sets in train a series of hormonal reactions which lead to the release of adrenaline and noradrenaline from the adrenal medulla to the bloodstream. The pituitary gland gets into the act by releasing adrenocorticotropic hormone which when circulated through the kidneys is converted into cortisol. The cortisol stimulates the livers release of the body's principal fuel, glucose.
How does a "soft" stylist purpose to relax when the psychological effect of this stress reaction is tensing up and often very debilitating as well as empowering?
With the blood draining to your muscles there is a danger of going into shock and being mentally paralysed by the unfamiliar sensations occuring in the body. Tensing up, confusion, anxiety, and even physical weakness can occur. So why fight the body's natural reaction to a stressor?
Why not take advantage of this natural response like a lot of fighting hard stylists who incorporate forward drive, tension, and sparring or those like at Peyton Quinns academy who work with reality based adrenal stress training?
Again this is just a question and it does not concern the healing methods of relaxation, be it chi kung, pranayama yoga, Gurdjieff exercises, Russian breathwork, meditation, weightlifting or even a cup of warm cup of tea.