| As a predator attacks, your body will go into an | | | | understandable, and believable potentially reduces |
| adrenal state. You are flooded with adrenaline | | | | the non-adaptive effects of [human behavior]. In |
| (epinephrine), noradrenalin and cortisol. The good | | | | preparing for a highly-charged emotional event, |
| news is these chemicals perform several positive | | | | effective and realistic training can reduce its |
| actions in the body that make them very | | | | intensity (levels of arousal), allowing higher |
| effective. They dilate the pupils to increase the | | | | cognitive functioning to prevail." - Violent |
| amount of light that enters the eyes, they cause | | | | Encounters (U.S. Dept. of Justice; 2006) |
| sweating to help dissipate heat, they increase the | | | | The Answer to fighting through the Freeze |
| heart rate and force contraction, which will | | | | Until fairly recently, students of self defense were |
| increase blood flow to the muscles so they are | | | | not trained under mental or emotional duress, nor |
| ready to move, and they make glucose available | | | | were they taught to deal with verbal |
| in the blood for use by other organs. All these | | | | confrontation. Let's use common sense - usually |
| hormones work together in conjunction to assure | | | | what proceeds' a physical attack are biological |
| that we can both engage in a physical altercation | | | | giveaways that can and often do include verbal |
| (Fight) or escape and avoid (Flight). Despite our | | | | aggression and body posturing. So the obvious |
| bodies' best efforts, however, without proper | | | | step in training is to cover those scenarios, right? |
| training a surge of these chemicals can cause the | | | | Unfortunately, stories abound of black belts and |
| body to freeze. | | | | others who were engaged by aggressors and |
| The Danger of the Freeze | | | | would freeze because they could just not process |
| When hormones and emotions spin out of control, | | | | the information before them. |
| we freeze, making it impossible to perform | | | | So first things first; once we learn the critical |
| complicated and detailed movements. As our mind | | | | aspect of verbal engagement and body posturing, |
| recognizes stimuli from an aggressor, it starts to | | | | then we can move on to physical engagement. In |
| evaluate potential outcomes and will execute the | | | | order to physically defend ourselves, we need to |
| response most needed to ensure survival, | | | | be prepared to utilize gross motor skills and simple |
| whether that is fight of flight. All of this occurs | | | | techniques under duress. |
| within a fraction of a second. But if we are not | | | | Finally, from that basis, we can build on more |
| prepared for this situation, we may experience | | | | detailed techniques that ensure a complete arsenal |
| the Freeze. Most violent attacks are over within | | | | of self defense tools. Techniques added along the |
| seconds and you have to act quickly with | | | | way must be instinctive, natural movements as |
| instinctive principles and techniques. You cannot | | | | these are always efficient and effective and can |
| afford to freeze when your most valuable asset, | | | | be parlayed into devastating strikes that decimate |
| your life, is at stake. | | | | the aggressor(s). |
| What the F.B.I. Says: The Need to Fight through | | | | We know this: self-defense is not a complicated |
| the Freeze | | | | mathematical equation. Virtually anyone can learn |
| "It is extremely difficult to control one's biological, | | | | to defend himself, but we must be taught in a |
| psychological, and emotional reactions to life and | | | | logical manner that considers the body's natural |
| death circumstances. But it is even more difficult | | | | reactions - fight, flight, or freeze - to aggressive |
| to do so without adequate, realistic, and prior | | | | confrontation. This type of self defense is street |
| training--along with proper mental and physical | | | | relevant and practical because it considers the |
| preparation. Training often determines which | | | | mental, emotional, and physical challenges we face |
| persons survive and which ones suffer injury or | | | | when dealing with a threat. |
| death. Training that is realistic, repetitive, | | | | |