Fear:
Published 1/01/2010
By Gary Spencer
What drives a man/woman to pull a stranger from a burning car, or rush into traffic to rescue an errant toddler? Courage means overcoming your fear, and in doing so it raises you above all creation if only for a moment. Courage is ultraistic. It does not take courage to defend oneself from an attack, but a total void of courage makes you a victim and will get you killed. Firemen, soldiers, and police live and die each day by fear. They must consciously rush into the burning building, charge that hill, or place themselves between a citizen and a criminal with a weapon. This selfless overcoming of fear has led men to create ways to honor such valor because society recognizes the counter intuitive nature of heroism, yet oddly enough most real heroes feel awkward and uncomfortable with the attention. The purpose of this paper is not to speak of heroism, but my hope is that it will become a tool to help the martial artist recognize fear and be able to overcome it.
Fear can drive a person to do things more ugly than a normal man or a woman believes they are capable of doing. Fear leads to hate and prejudice without reason. Man fears the unknown when he should embrace the adventure. Fear slows a fighter’s reaction time. Fear is the fighter’s enemy. Fear is a natural part of the fight or flight response to perceived danger, but it must be controlled. One positive side of fear is the creation of courage. Courage blossoms out of fear, and courage is one of the things that set mankind apart from the remainder of God’s creation. Courage cannot exist without fear. Fear can cause great evil, or it can be an expression of the finest aspect in man’s character.
Fear slows the martial artist’s reaction. You cannot think of two things at one time, so you must forget fear until after the encounter. Give yourself permission to be afraid later. Tell yourself not to be afraid now because you don’t have time. In most battles once the fray has begun you automatically lose your fear, but it is important to remember that many fights end in that first few seconds of the conflagration, so you cannot let fear interfere with your concentration. Don’t let your fear overcome your ability to see what is coming. It has been proven that our vision actually shrinks as we become afraid, or creates what is called tunnel vision. This limited vision gives the attacker and advantage. Most untrained fighters will throw what a country boy calls a haymaker or circular punch. This is an attack that comes in from the side, and if your peripheral vision is impaired you will not see it coming. Stay focused and the opponent will not land that famous lucky punch that occasionally takes a Black Belt down. Control your fear, and do not let it control you.
How do you recognize fear in another person? Observe the opponent’s eyes. When they’re showing fear their eyes will get wider, and their lips will get dry. Sometimes you can see a slight trembling of the hands, or a draining of color from their face. Recognition of the opponent’s fear allows you to control the situation.
It is also necessary to recognize when an assailant moves from fear to an attack mode. Being unable to recognize an attack, can lead to your falling for a surprise assault or what is more commonly titled a sucker punch. A common tactic used to deliver a sucker punch is when the opponent eases your fears slightly to get you to drop your guard, and then he/she hits you without warning. Another tactic is to say, “Let’s take this outside,” and the opponent will turn leading you out the door, but as you step through the door he/she will spin and drive a fist into your face. Never take your eyes off the adversary. If the opponent’s shoulders are back, as he/she posturing before a fight, they are not going to attack. This is called puffing. Animals do this in an attempt to appear larger and threatening. Once an opponent’s shoulders roll forward, this is an indication they’re about strike, so fighting in sin-no-sin mode, means that you strike at the moment you sense an attack is about to be launched. This may look like you’ve thrown the first punched to observers, but the ugly truth is that the fighter that lands the first punch usually wins the fight. Recognition of an attack and appropriate response are necessary for life preservation. . It is more important to recognize an attack than it is to recognize an opponent’s fear.
There are many philosophies of self defense, but no philosophy will work if you concentration is divided between it and fear. Sin-no-sin is a Japanese philosophy that means you strike when you observe the opponent moving into attack mode. In sin-no-sin mode the block and strike are simultaneously delivered. Sin-no-sin mode utilizes conservation of motion. Unfortunately, most karate students are trained in a go-no-sin cadence. Which means the opponent punches and you block first and then counter. That small delay is opportunity for the aggressor, yet it is the way all beginners are taught karate. The sin sin-no-sin philosophy is a preemptive attack, or the best defense is a strong offense. In sin sin-no-sin when you feel an attack is coming, while the opponent is puffing, you strike fast hard and decisive. Which ever philosophy you chose, fear must first be eliminated first, or it will slow you down.
How can you win a battle by simply defusing the opponent’s fear? Anytime you walk away from a fight, you have won the battle. Anytime you walk away from a fight without throwing a punch you’re a master of the art of fighting. Here is an example of fighting without throwing a punch. I had just attended a seminar on winning a confrontation without fighting. As I was going down the road I cut another motorist off in traffic, and he erupted with road rage. Pulling up next to me, he began yelling and motioned for me to pull my car over. Normally, I would have ignored him, but I thought this would be a good time to try the tactics I had just learned, and if this new tact didn’t work I knew a few well-placed kicks and punches might teach him a valuable lesson because the next guy he challenged might have a gun. So I pulled to the shoulder and the guy jumps out of his vehicle and begins shouting, “You cut me off….You cut me off.” I remained calm and said, “You’re right. I did and I apologize for cutting you off.” He once again shouted, “You cut me off….You cut me off.” Again I apologized. He began quaking with rage, and soon he realized that I would not allow him the satisfaction of a confrontation. Slowly he turned and moved back to his vehicle mumbling about how I had cut him off. He drove away, still choking on his anger, while I chuckled. I had forced him drink from the bottle of poison he wanted to give me. The battle was over and I had won without delivering a blow. When I was younger I fought in any street fights. I have won battles and have been knocked on my tail, but no victory was more satisfying than this non-fight. I had won my first fight without a single punch. The Holy Bible says a soft word turns away wrath, but strong words stir-up anger. This bit of wisdom is the essence of fighting without punching by controlling the situation.
In conclusion fear can be useful or it can be debilitating. Fear is as natural as breathing. The Christian is taught to trust in God, and that fear is a lack of trust. They’re also taught to live for each day and to leave the fear of the future or the past alone because neither one can be changed. Fear of life can kill life’s pleasure. Fear in a fight can paralyze you, and lead to your destruction. Fear is part of our fight or flight wiring, but it must be controlled. Unrealistic fear creates stress, and stress kills slowly. The martial artist must exercise control of fear each day. Control fear and do not let it control you.