Hone your personal blade to be on the cutting edge.
What sets the Warrior apart from the troops... well it is an undying commitment to self perfection, spiritual strength and training beyond the norm. The Warrior breaks free of the typical training and seeks to push beyond barriers and concepts most dare not take on. They push past the accepted boundaries to seek greater... everything and in a natural process evolve to heightened ability.
Pushing Beyond
Environmental and physical extremes with escalating stress during training, is what really focus and sharpen the bodies survival mechanisms. These are what most often save a person from their situation, be it attack or natural events. This occurs with trained expectation, adaptability and experience.
As example most "Martial Artists" believe they are prepared, but have never trained in an alley, elevator or staircase where many attacks occur. They work only in one on one situations in controlled and pre-arranged sequences. The pinicle they reach is in a limited spontaneous exchange called sparring... or "fights" as called in MMA bouts. However there are rules and restrictions, environmental sterility and even a protector (referee). So even these more elite athletes could benefit from a constant change in environment and situational diversity such as multiple person attack and or weapons attack in varying environments.
Most also do not realize that under heavy stress the body undergoes auditory occlusion (hearing loss), tunnel vision (sight loss) and even the loss of fine motor skills (physical movement), yet they imagine they are prepared.
These physical occlusions could place even a highly trained athlete into a "Deer in the Headlight" condition. It is also why "Seasoned" Police and Military personnel jest, push and prod their "Rookies" fresh out of training and not in touch with the realities about to be faced.
Solutions
The only solution is to live with, through and experience the real extremes. But most people will not realize this level of training, however there are ideas to increase their situational response and reflex to bridge this gap to a greater extent.
You must train to NOT BE a victim, you must sharpen your wit, body, spirit and skills beyond everyone else.
Clothing
The first challenge is in clothing... not the unrestricted action wear the Martial Artist is accustomed to such as Gi's, Sweat Clothes, Spandex and custom footwear. We must adapt to more restrictive clothing like form fitting jeans, excessively baggy clothing that needs constant adjusting ("pull up your pants"), or even multiple layers. Footwear that is too loose, tight, heavy or with souls that either slip or grab the ground too much.
We must train in these for the real idea of what can and cannot be done. As an example those fancy kicks over waist height with a pair of lug soul boots, or a head kick wearing sandals, or a spin kick with leather souls... all setting new limitations and dangers. Your serious training in these "Dojo" skills are now a reality danger to you.
How about the hood on your sweatshirt, what about your grabbing skills with gloves... and let us not forget a loss of glasses and sight enhancing eye wear.
So many realities few even consider (except your assailants).
Real Environments
Spacial Challenge
Now we must start removing ourselves from our safe and sterile environments, Dojos and Training facilities. We must adapt our skills in space limited areas like elevators, or rooms clogged with furniture and or other obstructions. Narrow alley ways with unforeseen challenges, animals, uneven grounds or tight barrier with limited escape possibility.
These small and "rugged" areas will challenge your range of motion, peripheral vision, tactics and strategies.
Terrain
That smooth wood floor or soft flat matting has not prepared the Dojo Trainer for the realities of pavement, gravel, sand or varying levels. Sand on pavement is slippery as is wet tile or cement. Curbs, rocks, grass all create their own unique challenges that few consider, let alone train on. And what about snow or ice?
Parking Lots
Women especially, but everyone needs training in this area as it is one of the most used areas by predators for prey... we are tired from work, we have bundles in our hands, we are looking forward searching for our vehicle, but not around the area for these predators.
There are special challenges in tight quarters, many hiding areas, side view mirrors that catch those that choose to run (incorrectly). The Warrior must develop a sense of awareness, obstacle positioning, routes of motion as well as the skills in close combatives.
Cars
Training inside the car is not just for Taxi and Uber drivers, training is for possible abduction, hijack or theft. Training should occur as a driver, passenger, in the back seat with another or one from the front. It should also be trained under the restraint and limitations of wearing a seat belt, trying to be withdrawn from the vehicle with or without the seat belt and many other conditions.
Stairs
Stairs present many difficulties that must be prepared for... this is not the movies where kicks, fancy maneuvers or falls are possible. We must train ascending and descending, using the particular advantages in both situations as we learn the pitfalls of each. We need to know when to hug the sides or use the center of the stairs for advantage. We must be aware of balance, weight and even the slip factor of your footwear on the surface of the stairs... falling on a flight of stairs is not an option.
Stresses
Then there are stresses like; multiple assailants, weapons (guns, knives, bludgeons), environment, lighting surrounding areas... and situation. Did you get caught in a flash mob, fight on a subway, a riot breaks out...think of Black Friday or Antifa. Did the economy just crash like Argentina, Venezuela and all the other tragedies that have been with us from the beginning of "Society".
Is there a black out situation, where people are panicking, do you know the issues of motion, balance, fear of working in the dark. Do you know that you must, or how to keep any light behind you, or how to work with advantage in lighting extremes.
Have you ever trained using a strobe light, or more realistically the flashing strobing lights on Police, Ambulance or Fire vehicles, where people are panicked, running and there is commotion and mayhem.
Flashing lights must be adapted to,whether you are facing them or have them behind you. The Police and Emergency people get used to them with experience but most people have never been under this condition. Your depth perception, timing, balance and many other physical normalcies are compromised... you may even become nauseous. If you have never trained under these conditions, you will not be prepared and you will not understand what you can do and can not do without jeopardizing yourself. As just one example, throwing that high kick in a rushed situation, facing a strobe light with many fast moving people or conditions is only going to hurt you all those wasted hours perfecting a physical action for a sterile environment,strict rules of distance and timing, under perfect conditions is a waste of your efforts if real self protection is your goal.
Terrorism is becoming a global event with increasing frequency.
Typically in crowded spaces and events, like the recent concert massacres and similar events. Society is going (well I would say gone) over the deep end. There is no compassion of others, it has become a renegade mentality where people go rogue with frustration, fear, desperation.
This is just a small smattering of ideas and possibilities, be it for life or even business. You must sharpen yourself and become the one that is aware,adaptable and able to better handle the oncoming stresses better than those around you. Your family, business and own life may depend on it.
Become the Warrior
With reality, not fiction
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