Being Set on a Plan

Our minds are like computers.  When we are attacked or find ourselves in a threatening situation, our minds tend to boot up.  As you advance in belts you will learn various techniques and katas and more.  Your mind will sort through all of this as you are trying to study your possible opponent.  And then—you are hit and hurt.  Why?   You were analyzing what was occurring around you, what your opponent may or may not have had in mind.  You were sorting through the hundreds of techniques you may have learned.  While this is going on, your mind is booting up like a slow operating system and you end up with at least one more opponent you have to contend with—yourself.

The answer to this is simple.  You should have a plan about what to do if your house is on fire.  You should have a plan about what to do if your business or school is threatened with a tornado.  You should have a plan if you are faced with danger.  It doesn’t have to be the right plan.  You may have developed something for a knife attack and your opponent has a chain.  The fact that you have a plan at all sends a signal to the attacker on a subconscious level.  It makes them hesitate.  This hesitation buys you time necessary to change your plan or to escape from the situation.

Once you have a plan of some kind, practice it.  Make it second nature to you.  Constant practice and preparedness will shorten the time you need to change your plan, should you have to, and limit the need to go through the motions to execute your plan.  Time is of the essence in a street fight, just as it is in a competition ring.  It is not the friend of the defender, unless the defender causes the attacker to hesitate, and this is only done by being  set on a plan.

Thank you for reading and please visit www.davidalanlucas.com for information on the stories and blogs I write.  David Alan Lucas is a second degree Black Belt in Chinese Kenpo.