The Result Of Proper Mental Conditioning For Combat

© COPYRIGHT 2010 BY BRADLEY J. STEINER - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Sword and Pen – June 2010 Issue

[Reprinted With Permission]

American Combato
Seattle Combatives



INDIVIDUAL combat is 90% mental and 10% physical. Techniques and the speed and accuracy and strength with which they are executed is important; but these things simply do not work without MINDSET, and the proper degree of psychological/emotional readiness and willingness to apply them immediately, and with relentless fury, until the enemy has been rendered harmless.

Remember that all of the physical skills of individual combat depend upon the voluntary muscles for execution. This means that without the mental command to act, nothing happens. And the reliable conditioning of the mind of the individual so that in a crisis he will in fact ISSUE that command, is the great goal of much of that aspect of "mental conditioning for combat" that we teach and advocate.

Assuming that the process takes; assuming that we are successful in effectively conditioning the student’s mind (and with every student who applies himself to our training properly and in earnest we are successful) what exactly happens? What is it that now occurs in that student’s psyche when the moment of truth arrives, and when self-defensive action is required of him?

Very simply put, we believe that the essence of what flashes through the properly conditioned mind at the time of crisis when an imminent attack is perceived, is “THIS IS WHAT I ANTICIPATED MIGHT HAPPEN SOME DAY, AND I KNOW WHAT TO DO AND WILL NOW DO IT!”

We are obviously unable to describe the exact and the specific self-talk that flashes through the individual’s mind (if in fact there is any ascertainable "self-talk" per se) when, confronting an imminent attack, that individual goes without hesitation into counter-aggressive action. And we are further fairly certain that what transpires mentally is more of a momentary explosion of an awfully difficult to describe IMPULSE TO ATTACK — that manifests as an inner COMMAND. However, the sentence that we presented likely sums up the essence of that which manifests in the conditioned mind of a combatives pupil, if and when he has been trained correctly to do battle in self-defense.

Since the properly conditioned mind ANTICIPATES that violence may one day come to him, it is logical that he would not be so astonished by its appearance that he would freeze; or even that he would take much more than perhaps half a second to act.

Since the properly conditioned mind is CONFIDENT that its possessor can in fact undertake successful (not necessarily "guaranteed" to be 100% perfect, but tactically correct and potentially successful) action, it is logical that “I know what to do” would characterize an aspect of the flash of self-talk or realization that the conditioned mind would experience.

Since the properly conditioned mind is DECISIVELY AGGRESSIVE it is logical that the individual who possesses such a mindset will in fact issue forth the unequivocal emergency command to “Go!” — i.e. to right now DO that which all of his physical training and technical work has drilled into his motor memory.

It took us decades to develop the art of conditioning the combative student’s mind ALONG WITH HIS BODY, during the course of his training with us. We make no claims of perfection — but we certainly make the claim of being SUCCESSFUL; for we have been and are, and when a serious, properly disciplined, attentive individual undertakes his training with us, he may be sure that, in due course, he will be mentally, tactically, physically, and technically ready to defend himself.

Of what does our approach consist?

We have decades of experience in both physical training and hypnosis, as well as in all aspects of armed and unarmed close combat and self-defense. We have studied psychology and elements of psychiatry in depth. By drawing upon all of that, and researches into combat that others in all walks of life have experienced and report, we have drastically revised the method of conducting class sessions in group training in martial arts, and we have incorporated unique ways of jarring and adjusting the prosaic psyche of the (at first!) noncombatant into a battle-ready mode — when and if necessary.

Far from making the student aggressive, belligerent, or "eager to fight", in every single instance we have made our students COMMITTED TO BEING NON-AGGRESSIVE AND TO BEING NONVIOLENT — EXCEPT WHEN ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY FOR LAWFUL AND MORAL DEFENSE PURPOSES.

If we sound proud of our record, we are. But this is something of a digression.

What we wish to describe here for the benefit of our visitors is a kind of touchstone or acid test to determine what marks the end result of correct mental conditioning for combat.

Surely the person who learns and practices the best genuine combat skills, who acquires the tactical know-how, who builds his body and keeps it strong and well conditioned, and who ESTABLISHES THE PROPER COMBAT MIND SET, will stand an excellent chance of prevailing in a dangerous emergency.

With discipline, time, and persistence, YOU can be such a person.