THE MIND OF THE WARRIOR 

I hate to get hit. To be honest with you, I’m afraid to get hit. So, of course, I get out on the mat, I flinch, I cower and... I get hit. A wise man once told me, “In order to be a better fighter you must empty your cup.” Meaning, I needed to forget about my fear and let my training and reflexes take over. Some days this is easier than others but it never ceases to amaze me how quickly my cup fills back up. In fact, my cup runneth over. So, I decided to find out what it means to have the mentality of a fighter.

Whether a physical confrontation takes place in a controlled environment, such as the boxing ring, or out on the street in an unexpected violent attack, certain variables will always affect an individual’s performance in either of these situations. The two most important factors are the physical conditioning and mental state of the combatants. Physical fitness and mental toughness are inseparable and interdependent. One is of little use without the other. Although mental toughness is an intangible quality making it virtually impossible to measure it is something that can be improved upon. Just as one can become physically stronger, one can become mentally stronger.

Many martial artists and individuals experienced with self-defense, including police officers, recommend visualization as a way to prepare for combat. When a martial arts practitioner is training it is important to visualize an attacker or opponent in front of oneself. This helps to achieve a realistic understanding of the techniques and how they can be used. Visualizing various combat scenarios can help condition the mind to respond to the stress and shock of fighting. When clear and strong mental images are invoked the body produces the same response as an actual fight. Using visual imagery consistently can help to desensitize oneself to combat. Use your imagination. Visualize confrontations at various paces, in different environments, even with multiple adversaries, and change the circumstances often.

To prepare themselves mentally for competition, professional fighters rely on focus, confidence and aggression. Whereas an individual training in the martial arts is striving to achieve a mental state free from thought. Bruce Lee said, “Turn yourself into a doll made of wood - it has no ego, it thinks nothing - and let the body and limbs work themselves out in accordance with the discipline they have undergone. This is the way to win.” This is the idea behind wu-wei or “non doing”. The goal is to react spontaneously without thinking or trying, relieving oneself from striving and straining. The practice of meditation can help to achieve this state of mind.

Even if one attains a great level of self confidence or is able to reach the martial artist’s goal of true enlightenment there is still one very important variable in any combat situation – the brain’s response to stress. When the brain perceives a threat it initiates an automatic response process that has both a psychological and physiological effect to the body. First, the heart rate increases. At 115 beats per minute (bpm) most people will lose their fine complex motor skills and at 145 bpm most people will lose their complex motor skills. Without complex motor skills it is difficult to execute many martial arts techniques. To make matters worse, the part of the brain that hears, also shuts down at this point. At 175 bpm a person will experience tunnel vision and visual tracking can become difficult making the individual open to multiple attacks. On average a person will experience a 70% decrease in their visual field during a violent attack. Depth perception now begins to be lost and “Critical Stress Amnesia” can occur causing a person to forget up to 70% of the encounter. At 185bpm most people will go into a state of “hyper vigilance”. Meaning, they will go into the “deer in headlights” mode. The situation usually only worsens from here. So, now that we are deaf, blind and paralyzed, what can we do? Pray. To avoid being in this situation experts recommend stimulus response training. The goal is for a threat to trigger a trained response. However, it is important for these responses to be gross motor based since complex motor skills will likely be lost in a confrontation. Breathing exercises can also be implemented to help bring down the heart rate.

It is likely that the study and practice of the fore mentioned techniques will help one to obtain the mind of the warrior but not enough can be said about the heart of the warrior. One must be diligent and always strive to improve even in the face of adversity. It is in this constant struggle to develop ourselves that true mental strength is achieved.