Doez anyone use strong emotions for power

Looking at it from a by-product point of view anger can be a useful tool. From a combat point of view anger can be useful for altering our mindset and focussing our intent. Anger itself produces a total lack of control and balance. Without those two factors you produce extremely uncontrolled power. Uncontrolled power is not dependable in combat. Anger becomes a useful reference for the experiencing the by-products that can be useful, mindset and intent. Once you have a reference point you can dump the stimulus that gave that reference point for you and concentrate on recreating that mindset and intent deliberately without the need to become angry.

Its also important to remember that not everyone responds positively (in terms of combat) to anger, it can cause people to become extremely introverted and actually have a damaging effect on their mindset and intention. For some people it is fear that gets them going. Again its not the fear that is useful, merely the the by-products of mindset and intention that come from it.

Both anger and fear are products of the ego which has no place in combat, but the psychological processes they kick start are the things that are important and emotional states can be useful in helping us access and understand the mindset required for combat. Once we have that reference point we need to be able to access it without the emotional attachment which can be counter productive in its uncontrollability.

When teaching its important understand that different people respond in different manners. You need to find what floats their boat!

this reminds me of an anime, where they get angry and beat the guy up. lol. but yeh , i think when i get annoyed an frustrated, after ive calmed down abit it makes me more determind, i believe the proper term in my case would be controlled agression. being angry just loses conrol just as the others have said, like when you used to see school fights where both are just swearing and shouting swinging widely and randomly.

Aaron

Doesn't wrestlers use anger as a force?

I've seen some coaches deliberatly pi$$ing the wrestlers off to instill agressiveness into them.

-Taison out

All out aggression makes your movements predictable and undynamic. Good wrestling is about hiding your force and using your opponents force against them. Pretty much like any combative struggle. Anger alters your mindset and your intention and focuses you on a single goal. But anger lacks balance. Once you loose your balance both physically and mentally you can be exploited by a skilful opponent.

I do some wrestling techniques, but I'm no wrestler. I've heard of how coaches makes their wrestlers agressive and angry. I wonder, for what purpose?

-Taison out

I think this is a lack of understanding of what they are producing. To them they see that making there students angry and aggressive produces a better fighter, but they fail to understand what's happening. When you're angry, does it suddenly change your physical make up? Does it increase your ability? IMHO the answer to both those questions is a definite no no. What it does do is change the mindset and intention you put behind your physical abilities. Once you realise that it is the mindset that changes due to the anger, not the physical, you will then glean the all important mindset component of the fight game. Some people can't produce the goods unless they are angry or scared...they're natural mindset just can't slip into that aggressive predatory mindset. Without the correct emotional stimulation they can't produce the goods. Relying on such an unpredictable variable as emotion I see is dangerous and also lacking in mental and emotional skill.

Sure. Great leaders were known to give speeches to their men before battle, same as a coach giving a speech in a locker room before the big game. Motivation is a great tool, but rarely has anything to do with "anger." Usually grief, remorse, shame and/or embarrassment are much stronger emotion and play on peoples fears. Someone needs to believe in what they are fighting for or the cause they are fighting in. When someone truly believes they are hard to beat. It has nothing to do with anger or rage… Anger will get you killed.

anger produces irrational thought. If you can, it's best to experience no feeling at all, or as close as you can get to it. The less you think, the less you'll hesitate. I'm sure someone here knows about that
<--------- hence my name

I think mushin or no mindedness is an often misconceived notion. It's not something you can just switch on, most just stand there like the lights are on but nobody's home. That state of awareness or mindfulness (if you want to get all jedi about it) comes naturally when all the other components are in place.

For the mindset I often liken to an explosive. Most people walk round with some very unstable explosives in their heads. It often goes off at the wrong time or sometimes fails to go off at all. Intent is the explosive behind our moves. I try at get my explosive stock pile as stable and large as possible. Anger, fear and other emotions and jumbled thoughts is like storing your bombs in a cold, damp, hot or whatever sort of conditioned room. Using that analogy have you ever noticed how angry people blow their load (pun intended) really quickly?

I try to store my stockpile in a nice cool, calm, large room. When something starts me off its like lighting a fuse that sets off a very large chain reaction that keeps going.

I work as a Doorman and once you get this chain reaction set off you really have to mentally stamp on the fuse like mad to put it out. The way a lot of people talk about no mindedness reminds of them setting up a lovely cool storage room, but forgetting to load it up to the brim with explosive.

I think emotion more often than not just gets in the way of performance. Kind of like what Dereck was saying. Emotion doesn't keep you calm which when you're not clam, prevents you from being able to think clearly. It also gives you tunnel vision and a lack of kinesthetic sensitivity.

I have a student who just cannot keep his composure (we're talking "training" here folks). His breathing is faster, his muscles are always tense. That's like driving a fast car with the parking brake on. He would probably go to pieces in a fight against a person who was able to keep his cool under fire.

During training, learn to stay calm and poised at all times. Leave emotion COMPLETELY out of the game. Doesn't matter if you're being hit or controlled in a grapple - treat it like it's business as usual and it will more than likely transfer to a "real" situation if you're ever so involved.


-John