High stress situations

You must have been in high stress situations many times and I wondered what strategies you developed to cope.

I'm talking about being in situations completely out of your control were you can't actually do anything and are just waiting to see whether it will turn out ok or horribly wrong.

I'm finding I'm on a constant adrenaline trickle while running through worst case scenarios while working through damage limitation solutions.

Hope for the best and plan for the worst is a good adage but how do you keep yourself from getting stressed and all the bad physical (dodgy bowels etc) and mental problems associated with it.

I can handle getting through bad stuff fine, but waiting for it messes with my head.

Hmmm, waiting is definitely the worst part, which is why I tried never to do to much of it. Remember the fight I mentioned where all the guys turned up and started arming themselves in the parking lot? I ran over and started belting them first, partly to wrest back control from then as to where and when it should take place, and partly because waiting around for it all to kick off sucks.

Doing TMA had to be, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the biggest help in regards to this. I remember reading Mas Ayoob's interview with Dennis Martin in Terry's mag years ago, and he mentioned a correlation with TMA training and the ability to retain one's cool during gun fights. In a good dojo (and I'm not talking about McDojo stuff) you face fear every night when you go in to train, and part of the art form is this development of equanimity in the face of death. The whole samurai resolute acceptance of death angle.

That is why the Koi fish is one of the most popular tattoos amongst Japanese Yakuza...it is the only fish in the world that, when it's put on the chopping block and the chef raises his knife, lies perfectly still and accepts the death. The Samurai - and the Yakuza - believe this epitomizes the Samurai goal of calmness in the face of both battle and death.

Couple of other quick points breathing is the method taught to Hostage Rescue Units stacked in a hallway about to go in and deliver the bad news to some guys inside to calm themselves down. Interestingly enough breath control is a huge part of TMA again...go figure.

Last, adrenalin is not the bogey man a lot of people make it out to be. It's actually a good thing and very helpful in a fight or combat of any nature. Lack of control of it on the other hand is bad. Breath control goes a loooong way in that control.

Nick

Good answer Nick.

Not sure about this bit...

"That is why the Koi fish is one of the most popular tattoos amongst Japanese Yakuza...it is the only fish in the world that, when it's put on the chopping block and the chef raises his knife, lies perfectly still and accepts the death. The Samurai - and the Yakuza - believe this epitomizes the Samurai goal of calmness in the face of both battle and death."

Is there a fish that leaps up at the chef and tries to bite his nose off? I think I'd rather be that fish.


Sean

Nick can you expand a bit on the breathing technique? I always heard "take deep breaths when stressed", but it never really worked for me... lol.

The accepted technique is to breath deeply so that the abdomen actually rises (like an infant breathes) and do it to a count i.e. in for four seconds, hold for four seconds, breathe out for four, hold out for four.

What is happening is that your brain perceives danger and so releases adrenalin which causes (amongst other things) elevated heart rate and blood pressure and shallow breathing. When the brain then picks up on these "symptoms" it says "wow, something is up, more adrenalin" and the release of more augments the aformentioned symptoms and you get caught in a viscious upward spiral, that, if not experienced often, or allowed to get out of control will lead to shock.

By deep breathing in the recommended 4 in, hold 4, 4 out, hold out 4, you trick the brain which registers the slow rhythmic breathing and says "obviously all is calm" and tends to slow things down again.

Nick

PS: (as explained to me by one of the best shots I've ever had the pleasure of knowing who is on our local SWAT team)

Thanks Nick, I'm gonna practice that.

In your experience, how effective is it? Can you calm down even though your mind is going ape shit?

To be completely honest I don't know...all the shooters I know use it but I'm not involved in shennanigans anymore where people are shooting at me. The low key stuff I'm now doing i.e. throwing drunks out of a club never gets me to a point where I get anywhere near going ape-shit.

I do know that breath control is an integral part of shooting well and I know that our local SWAT team use it when doing room entry stuff.

Nick

Atmos,

'Recovery' breathing (also known as 'tactical' breathing by the more 'gung-ho' types!) is extremely effective for what you're talking about - pre/post incident functional management.

As Nick has said, it's used extensively by shooter teams immediately prior to a dynamic entry, and by snipers etc, to dramatically lower the heartrate and control the release of adrenaline and the rest of the chemical cocktail that can adversely affect performance and judgement.

Try it prior to an explosive workout, then immediately afterwards - you'll notice the improvement when starting off with a lower heart rate and you'll be able to recover faster also.

Mick