Tim,

I've been reading up on the adrenaline dump and how it affects people in different situations, and thinking about how it has affected me in different situations.

Please correct me if I am wrong, but I have read that the adrenaline dump happens regardless of martial ability or experience, and that it's futile to try and stop it from happening, and that you want to find ways to control it, possibly harness it.

So I was wondering if you could maybe talk about your experiences with the adrenaline dump and how you dealt with it, and if you have separate exercises/techniques to help you deal with it.

I've read that one technique is to visualize being in a situation which may cause the adrenaline dump.

The better teachers in the gun discipline find this topic very important. Short version. You get stronger but more uncoordinated. Fine movements become difficult or lost. So what works great in practice often falls apart under stress. For best results, your techniques should mesh with what your body wants to naturally/ instinctively. Not that you only do what is reflexive, (there are no instincts to use firearms) but your weapons techniques must not conflict with reflexes, and small precise movements are better replaced with ones which are larger.

I find it helpful to twist a bath towel, squeeze the ends with both hands while biting the center of towel.

Growling helps too.


Bob#2

Thanks for your input Mark.

Bob #2, i'll keep that method in mind if all else falls.

Craig: Payton Quinn has written much about this in regards to self defense, believe that Bill Kipp has also but I have not read his works. Together, they build self defense programs with this in mind and dealing with psychological problems and inhibitions with hitting and about being hit or threatened. (They teach good de-escalation material too)

Quinn teaches only out of his place in Colorado in 2 to 5 day classes (not cheap). Kipp broke his down into several half day sessions which can be taught independantly and has authorized teachers around the country. Called F.A.S.T. defense.

I think you will find much which is usefull in the books. Quinns books convinced me to take his class but he priced himself out of my range. When I learned that Kipp was presenting the same material in a more convenient manner I was able to attend the basic one, and am looking forward to the others.

Craig,

Mark makes excellent points about the effects of adrenaline on performance.

Everyone gets an adrenaline dump before they fight, how the effects are utilized will depend on genetics, training and experience (remember, the same adrenaline that turns one man's legs to jelly makes another man fight like a tiger).

It is extremely important to train as realistically as possible while adrenalized on a regular basis. Short of actually fighting in the street, challenging drills, contact that induces pain and competition against equally charged opponents in front of a crowd will help.

I think visualization of stress inducing scenarios will help, but my personal opinion is there is no substiute for actual experience when you are pumped full of adrenaline.

Mark brought up another very important point, the greater your stress arousal, the less able you will be to use fine motor skills. Your techniques must be based on natural attributes and reactions, and they also need to be ingrained through repetition at increasing levels of stressful difficulty.

Thanks for both of your posts, Tim and Mark. Both are very helpful.

Craig. I forgot about the book by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman 'On Killing'. Also on tape by him is 'The bullet proof mind'. Both, especially the book are big on your concern and the mindset necessary for defense.

Tim is very right. A big part of preparation is developing your ability to function under stress, so that the 'stress' becomes no longer stressfull.

Cool, thanks for the heads up, I'll have a look into those.

if you are on the east coast, the SPEAR system from Blauer is also built around some of these concepts.

I took an adenaline dump in the bird bath at Cochran.