When someone squares up to you, and you think oh **** its gonna kick off, several changes happen to your body.. Your legs go to jelly and your mouth goes dry for starters right?
You may find you lose the power of speech, and maybe of movement.. The adrenaline your body has released into your system makes a jellyfish of all of us.
Adrenaline is referred to the “Fear Fright Fight or Flight” hormone. You know the old joke- ” I don’t need to outrun the tiger, I just need to outrun YOU!”.. adrenaline is the Nitrous oxide of the body.. it gives us super powers and super energy, but if left unused does all sorts of damage as well.. It is released to prepare and energize us for the perceived threat, and the action needed.
The main issue is NOT stopping you feeling that way, because nothing will.. the main thing to address is to HANDLE it well.. I remember watching Roger Black before a race, and there was some delay, and the commentators watched and talked about the breathing exercises and movements he performed to keep his body limber and ready and to keep his adrenaline in check. Adrenaline is your friend.. too much is counterproductive. It can literally paralyze you with fear.. rabbit in headlights and no use to yourself and anyone else.. We don’t want that.
adrenaline fuels your body, but your fine motor system is overridden. this is why so many fights end up as a slug-fest. even seasoned skilled fighters just go wild. Your mind closes down, your vision narrows, and your heart rate goes up all to prep you for something.
some animals have a defence mechanism where they poo under duress.. its unpleasant, and other anomals leave them be. we talk about “s**t8ing” yourself, etc.. it is the adrenaline response being uncontrolled. Your body wants to be lighter, and not worry about digesting food- it wants to stay alive.. being lighter and not wasting energy is a good start.
If you want to outrun the tiger good luck, but adrenaline gives you a couple of extra yards. In a fight scenario, that may be all you need. It allows you to react faster and move faster. Thats useful in a fight, unless you are paralysed..
Your vision gets narrower. thats great if you are dealing with a tiger.. they are solitary hunters. Man, is not.. he hunts in packs so you NEED to override this tunnel vision. some ways of doing this are to move and move sideways so you get to look behind you and dont get snuck up on.. Some people say tigers dont attack from the front so natives in tiger countries wear a mask on the back of their heads.. as a human though we have an amazing ability to see behind us. Did you know that we can see over 180 degrees. so we can almost literally see behind us. there is a trick to do this though. In silat we dont look at our opponent. we dont look someone in the eyes.. it just winds them up, and may make you MORE frightened. we look down, maybe 6 foot or so in front.. doing that allows the natural shape of your face to see behind you. try it!!
So how do you keep yourself in the “just right ” zone for adrenaline? its hard while other issues may need to be dealt with- aggressors, verbal and non verbal queues need to be read.. One of the simplest and easiest is to… Breathe!! We tense.. so we dont breathe, so we get MORE tense. that reduces our ability to respond.. try holding your breath and punching.. see how long you go for.. So BREATHE.. get some air into your body.. deep breaths do a couple of things- get OXYGEN into your body, and muscles to allow them to work.. your body has about 40 seconds worth of oxygen if you go full pelt and ARE still breathing, and about 10 seconds if you arent.
i once raced a friend while i had chewing gum in my mouth.. i had to stop breathing to swallow and move the gum etc, and a guy i would beat by 3 yards, beat me just cos i had gum in my mouth and had stopped breathing to swallow.. oxygen is your friend.. Use it.
The other thing to do is MOVE.. moving does 2 things- gets blood fowing to your muscles, warms them up and loosens them up so you ae less likely to injure yourslef, and secondly adrenaline is preparing you to DO something. if you dont, it just stays there- keeping you on higher than maximum alertness.. Moving starts to USE UP the adrenaline, which will lower levels and allow you to stay in the zone..
2 top tips that may help you stay alive, or help you win a world title..
till next time.. take a deep breath, and relax!
