KEEP IT TOGETHER

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 Regardless of the vast amounts of techniques that you may learn from a self defense course or Martial Arts class with out being able to maintain your mental composure all of those techniques will be useless.

 Your greatest asset in self protection is your mind. Violent conflicts will increase your stress level which can make it difficult to respond to an attack effectively.  Stress can cause you to hesitate, become frozen or panic either one can be detrimental to the out come of the confrontation. The main lesson here is keep it together. 

Nothing works better than a relaxed mind and body.  That is why we focus on the mental training first. Keep your wits about you, this will play an essential part in your survival during an attack. You must train your mind to stay calm and not panic. This skill will aid you in your personal life as well as in a self defense engagement. I have found myself in some very dangerous  situations where keeping my mind calm allowed me to quickly access the situation, respond and make it home. 

One exercise to help you maintain a focused mind during conflict is to visualize different scenarios that can happen and the options that you have to overcome them. The scenario can be a verbal conflict, a mugging, a break in, or carjacking. This can help you develop your skill.

 In conclusion, take a deep breath and pull yourself together. Stay in the now, deal with the immediate threat.  Be aware of your surroundings and identify possible threats that will give you a few extra seconds to pull it together. 

                                                       STRIKE - CREATE SPACE - ESCAPE