Tim,

Is there a training method to help a student over-ride the reflex of shutting their eyes when punches come towards the face. I know it is important to keep your eyes on your opponent but I can't seem to keep my eyes from shutting as soon as anything rapidly approaches my face.

It sounds like your letting your opponent get too close to you. Keep moving and stay out of range until you see an opening then cross the gap and get on him. Practice triangle blocks against your partner's punches. To do a triangle block rest the insides of your wrists on your temples and bring your elbows together in front of your face.

Try filling a basin with cold water. Splash the water repeatedly into your eyes while keeping them open . This will help overcome the reflex of closing your eyes. Then have a partner (one that can be trusted) throw punches at you stopping just short of hitting you, while you do nothing but watch. This will improve your ability to read the punches while training the eyes not to blink. This is my suggestion, I am not trying to answer for Tim. Actually I'm looking forward to his response to this one. Good Luck, Bob

Try this, put on some headgear that has a face mask. Stand in front of your partner, and have him slap the mask lightly as you focus on staring straight at his chest without blinking. When you can keep your eyes open and focused on your partner's chest, take off the headgear and stare at your partner's chest as he lightly slaps the sides of your face and forehead while you focus on not blinking or flinching. It is not so important not to blink momentarily as a blow lands, it is most important not to turn the head away (don't turn your head and look away) when blows are thrown at you.

Try this for around 5 minutes or more each day:
Light a candle. Sit in front of it quite close. Watch the flame with a meditative mind, not taking your eyes off the flame and trying not to blink. Try and notice every tiny movement the flame makes. This helps alert the mind, sharpen the eyes, and helps stop blinking.

Any suggestions for speeding the re-growth of eye-lashes and eye-brows?

I can't go out looking like this!!!

In India there is a Barber that that is charging extra to have a cow lick the head of balding men to force hair growth.
Apply a paste of honey and sphagnum on your forehead to attract the cow to lick your forehead and there will be a tremendous growth of hair. Guuuuuuuuuuuuaranteed.

common sense, sit around a metre from the candle.

Bob#2,
Why can't you go out like that. I always thought you should shave off that single eyebrow you had anyway or at lease shave a gap in the middle. If anyone laughs, slap em with a nub.

Dan,

In all fairness you said "quite close" in your first post. A meter isn't "quite close".

You would either go blind or become cross eyed. No thanks.

I went for that treatment in India. My treatment was a little different, it was a hide lick...

- I went back twice.

Sum Guye,

Since this thread was semi-resurrected. Did the suggestions help you with this problem? If so which ones and how long did it take until you noticed a significant change?

Regards
Bob Shores

Bob,

In all honesty I haven't tried any of them.
(although when I do spar at class I've been trying to keep'em open- I'm still a major blinker) I have so little free time (and lack motivation)-that I'm lucky to practice the forms, power exercises and one or two Yi Chuan postures a couple of times a week. I keep thinking something will happen and I'll turn into gung-ho-martial-training guy- but I'm not.

They all sound like good suggestions.
Although, I have enjoyed staring at a flickering candle or fire(with a meditative mind) fairly regularly my entire life.... so I don't think that one counts for much for my needs. It is relaxing and hypnotic though.

Ahh motivation! That is a tough one. I have only known two people in the last 30 years that are as dedicated and self motivated as Tim, and he is one of them. Next time you wash your face you might try the water splashing one. It doesn't require great motivation or time. Good luck. Thanks for the honest answer.
Bob

Wash my face?!! But this layer of crud pads impact.

(actually, I have been trying to keep the peepers open when I wash my face- soap is stingy though.)

Besides just setting my mind to not blink as my prime area of work, this helped me...

I box, so I commonly use 16oz. gloves, they're not brutal on your face and they don't get into your eye sockets like the 4 oz. mma gloves do.

Have a friend throw some half assed punches at your face with these 16 oz.ers, either stand there and take them like a champ with your eyes open, or practice ducking and weaving with your hands behind your back... which FORCES you to keep your eyes open. You'll notice you get hit a LOT less when your eyes are open, and it improves your weave game.

Another huge trap if you box or do any sport where a good defense may be to temporarily lean forward... You may learn to take shots on the forehead, but develop a tendency to lean your head down too far so you can't see AT ALL. I ate a lot of punches before I figured out to both keep my eyes open and my face up.

Either way, practicing 1 of these techniques will beat out 100 techniques if you're only reading them. Get to it, and rock on

i wouldnt recommend taking headshots as a way for conditioning against a knock out, there are better ways, ou can also stand slightly beyond arms reach and let your partner throw punches at your face, this will also help you overcome the natural blinking reaction.