| Many people get involved with martial arts training, | | | | the rage and animosity from a brutal attacker |
| or set out to learn effective self defense - | | | | who wants to beat, break, or kill you. |
| especially in arts like Ninjutsu - the Ninja's self | | | | The question then is, how do you overcome this |
| protection system, only to find out that there is | | | | response in training when you need to learn how |
| something within themselves that may prevent | | | | to produce results - when your partner is another |
| them from ever being able to use what they | | | | "nice person" like yourself? And, how do you train |
| learn. This article discusses, not only this | | | | safely, without hurting your training partners, and |
| dangerous trait, but also some suggestions for | | | | still be able to neutralize an attacker who isn't |
| insuring that this problem doesn't put you flat on | | | | worried about you using self defense on him? |
| your face and at the mercy of a blood-thirsty | | | | What I have found that works for me in regards |
| attacker! | | | | to both is this: |
| The problem that I'm referring to is the issue of | | | | 1) When considering the damage that will need to |
| causing pain to others. I can't tell you how many | | | | be done to an attacker, I found it useful to make |
| students that I've had over the years who just | | | | a simple paradigm shift in perspective. I have no |
| could not bring themselves to even apply a little | | | | problem in putting down a wild animal that is doing, |
| pressure to their partner's pressure point without | | | | or about to do, damage. So, I simply shift my |
| shutting down. | | | | perspective to see an assailant the same way. |
| And, of course, the natural question from these | | | | 2) When considering this part of training with my |
| students is, "Sensei, how do I overcome this | | | | fellow students, it's important to note that there |
| aversion to causing pain so that I can do what I | | | | is a huge difference between "causing pain," and |
| must to survive an attack?" | | | | "hurting" or "damaging" someone. Especially in class |
| After carefully observing this phenomenon over | | | | when, effectively, your partner is "offering" up his |
| the years, I believe that this issue really comes | | | | or her body to "the cause" - to your ability to |
| from both a hard-wired response that most | | | | grasp and understand the technique being learned. |
| humans have to harming others, as well as the | | | | As long as you don't go overboard or get a kick |
| programming you may have received as a child | | | | out of causing pain, this is a natural part of a |
| about "nice people not hurting others." | | | | proper training process. |
| I believe that it is not necessarily a bad thing to | | | | Of course, there is a third consideration. and that |
| have this filter in place. It's what separates us | | | | is... |
| from savages and socio-pathic killers. | | | | 3) Stop training and resign yourself to the idea |
| However, I do agree that, there can be too much | | | | that you will not be able to do what you must to |
| of this "aversion response" - especially if your | | | | properly defend yourself! |
| focus is on being able to defend yourself against | | | | |