...What to do when the itch to fight hits and what can happen if that itch isn't scratched.....
I believe God creates certain people with the purpose of being warriors, or protectors,if you prefer a more politically
correct term. This type of person will never be fulfilled in a "regular" job. I am one of these people, and I am hard wired to look for wrongs to right, righteous conflicts to engage in, and people to protect.
When there is no fight to go to, we tend to look for one. This can manifest in several ways according to my observation.
Some just can't get enough of training. The simulated conflict is enough to keep the desire/need to fight at bay. Others have gone to the dark side of that law, where they can choose when and where the conflict takes place. Others join the military, while others try to find civilian jobs that allow them to use their skills and mindset. Things like security and Law Enforcement can be very fulfilling for this type of person.
That said, what we want to address here is what to do when the itch to fight hits. And what can happen if that itch isn't scratched.
Dan Bertin - While you read this your enemy is training
Coming off this amazing week of training with Lee Morrison from Urban Combatives I realized something; I feel FANTASTIC! Maybe not as much physically, but emotionally and even psychologically I feel stable, relaxed, solid, content. A few days
before our training with Lee I couldn't say the same thing.
I have learned a lot about myself and my mindset these past few months, the training with Lee only confirmed what I'd begun to notice about myself; I NEED a challenge, I NEED to be learning, to be training and improving. I can't speak for every warrior out there, but I know, for Dan and I both, if we do not have a challenge we will become irritable and look for a fight. Most often that need for a challenge manifests itself in our relationships with others and normally it isn't in a good way.
Dave Grossman talks about how our insecurities in our training can manifest, in dreams in particular. He refers to it as your "puppy", the mid-brain (the part of your brain that responds and functions in high stress/adrenalized situations), relating its insecurity in your training. The cure for this, he says, is to train until it is satisfied again. I think Grossman's metaphor of a puppy is a good one and that it can be taken a step further. At some point in our training the puppy should become a German shepherd. You are no longer training the puppy how to respond, you are letting the guard dog respond. At this point there is a NEED for the guard dog to put into practice his skills. Even with strict training a lack of release for a live dog can result in the shredding of the couch, the walls, or even the handler. A lack of release for the metaphorical dog can result in irritability, restlessness, depression, and, sometimes, downright aggressiveness.
So what can we do to "release the dog"? What does the dog need?
I know that, for me, the need goes beyond static training, beyond skill training and into realistic training. Sometimes I don't need training at all, sometimes all that I need is a release of aggression. When I get to the point of irritation and frustration I find that I cannot train a skill. My frustration level will only rise every time I perceive that I have failed in skill training, which will then cause me to fail more. When I am in this state of mind I have to blow off some steam before I can focus my energy into a skill. The way I respond at this point is to begin my training with a run, with strength training, or with full contact sparring. Only after I begin to relax can I turn my focus to a skill set.
Discovering this trick of relieving frustration/aggression before training has helped me to increase my ability to learn at each training session. I have learned more skills in these past few months than I have ever known before, simply by relieving agression before training.
Courtney Bertin - The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war
We would love feedback from those of you who also train. Let us know if you have experienced some of the same things we do and how you normally respond to this type of situation.
correct term. This type of person will never be fulfilled in a "regular" job. I am one of these people, and I am hard wired to look for wrongs to right, righteous conflicts to engage in, and people to protect.
When there is no fight to go to, we tend to look for one. This can manifest in several ways according to my observation.
Some just can't get enough of training. The simulated conflict is enough to keep the desire/need to fight at bay. Others have gone to the dark side of that law, where they can choose when and where the conflict takes place. Others join the military, while others try to find civilian jobs that allow them to use their skills and mindset. Things like security and Law Enforcement can be very fulfilling for this type of person.
That said, what we want to address here is what to do when the itch to fight hits. And what can happen if that itch isn't scratched.
Dan Bertin - While you read this your enemy is training
Coming off this amazing week of training with Lee Morrison from Urban Combatives I realized something; I feel FANTASTIC! Maybe not as much physically, but emotionally and even psychologically I feel stable, relaxed, solid, content. A few days
before our training with Lee I couldn't say the same thing.
I have learned a lot about myself and my mindset these past few months, the training with Lee only confirmed what I'd begun to notice about myself; I NEED a challenge, I NEED to be learning, to be training and improving. I can't speak for every warrior out there, but I know, for Dan and I both, if we do not have a challenge we will become irritable and look for a fight. Most often that need for a challenge manifests itself in our relationships with others and normally it isn't in a good way.
Dave Grossman talks about how our insecurities in our training can manifest, in dreams in particular. He refers to it as your "puppy", the mid-brain (the part of your brain that responds and functions in high stress/adrenalized situations), relating its insecurity in your training. The cure for this, he says, is to train until it is satisfied again. I think Grossman's metaphor of a puppy is a good one and that it can be taken a step further. At some point in our training the puppy should become a German shepherd. You are no longer training the puppy how to respond, you are letting the guard dog respond. At this point there is a NEED for the guard dog to put into practice his skills. Even with strict training a lack of release for a live dog can result in the shredding of the couch, the walls, or even the handler. A lack of release for the metaphorical dog can result in irritability, restlessness, depression, and, sometimes, downright aggressiveness.
So what can we do to "release the dog"? What does the dog need?
I know that, for me, the need goes beyond static training, beyond skill training and into realistic training. Sometimes I don't need training at all, sometimes all that I need is a release of aggression. When I get to the point of irritation and frustration I find that I cannot train a skill. My frustration level will only rise every time I perceive that I have failed in skill training, which will then cause me to fail more. When I am in this state of mind I have to blow off some steam before I can focus my energy into a skill. The way I respond at this point is to begin my training with a run, with strength training, or with full contact sparring. Only after I begin to relax can I turn my focus to a skill set.
Discovering this trick of relieving frustration/aggression before training has helped me to increase my ability to learn at each training session. I have learned more skills in these past few months than I have ever known before, simply by relieving agression before training.
Courtney Bertin - The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war
We would love feedback from those of you who also train. Let us know if you have experienced some of the same things we do and how you normally respond to this type of situation.
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