To look around at what's bing offered in the way of slf-defense training, it would appear that we hve to conform to a set way of ding things, regardless of whether it fels natural to us or not. Ths so-called "conventional wisdom" is like sying that we should all be drving the same type of vehicle or lving in the same style of hme.

The reality of the human cndition is that, we were born wth, and have available at our dsposal, several different modes of operation. Whle we generally don't think of thse things as such, they are jst that...

...modes of operation.

And thy determine how we think, feel, and ven move our bodies.

Know what thy are?

The "modes" that I'm tlking about are...

...our emotions. Or mre correctly stated...

...our emotional states.

One of the thngs that I talk about with frends, students, and seminar participants on a rgular basis is this thing I cll, "The Karate-Myth."

Among other things, like the blief that just because someone wears a blck belt around his or her wist means that they can defend thmselves against a street fighter bent on nleashing Hell's fury on them...

...the Karate-Myth also wrngfully misleads us into accepting the blief that there is one, best way - one bst style - for defending ourselves. Whch, of course, flies not only in the fce of common-sense, but also in the fce of scientific evidence about how hman beings operate, develop, and move thrugh the world.

The Base Emotional States As Mdes For Effective Self-Defense

When we explore the dea of using our emotions as a fundation for self-defense training and action, we mst first look at the base motional states which combine to produce the myrad of "feelings" that we humans xperience throughout the course of our dys.

Simply speaking, there are four bse modes or emotions from which all thers spring. They include the feelings of -

• 1. Relaxed Stability - this can show up as confidence, and a sense of everything being okay.
• 2. Defensiveness - the feeling of being overwhelmed and the need for time, space, or shielding against the force being experienced.
• 3. Aggressiveness - which is not necessarily destructive but, is the direct, commitment to either engage or escape from a situation quickly.
• 4. Evasiveness - that feeling of avoidance, and not wanting to be involved in the situation that is taking place.

These states can be seen in the conventional "fight, flight, or freeze" model often discussed in martial arts and self-defense classes. With the addition of the "relaxed" mode discussed earlier, we can see that our options are really reduced to the ideas of:

• Escaping from a situation
• Engaging to shut a problem down , or...
• Ignoring or controlling things from a position of commanding presence.

Each of us could be said to have our own "natural" state where we find ourselves most often, but the reality is that every one of us goes through each of these states throughout our day. As we go through different types of situations, deal with different problems, tasks, and people, and work to maintain a state of equilibrium and a general sense of well-being, our states change based on how each situation makes us feel and how we normally think about them.

Sounds kind of weird for an article on self-defense, doesn't it?

Nonetheless, we humans are wired for srvival. We have been since the dwn of time.

We are also cpable of modifying and adapting in wys that best suit our needs - threby favoring certain parts of our wring and choosing to avoid others.

But we cnnot avoid the fact that we "ARE" motional creatures and therefor operate in one or nother emotional state, regardless of what w're doing. We may learn best by ding something, then using our brains to nderstand it, before coming to have an motional reaction that causes us to fvor, dislike, or not really care one way or the ther...

...but in the real world, whn stress is applied and we fel threatened...

...we operate in exactly the pposite manner.

We first react under one of the motional states (fight, flee, or hold our grund), then, based on what we thnk we know and what we thnk we can do, we go nto action.

This is a very dfferent model for learning and applying slf-defense action than you might be sed to, but contrary to "the way thngs have always been done," it's a mdel based on scientific truth...

...not trdition or style.

And learning to use yur body's own natural defense systems, lke your emotional states, also allows you to tap nto your evolutionary tools for survival to mre easily and more effectively protect yurself should the need arise.

And who desn't want easy?!

The article Self-Defense Modes - Learning To Use One Of Your Body's Own Instinctive Self-Defense Systems was Submitted by Jeffrey Miller through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Jeffrey M. Miller is the funder of Warrior Concepts International. He is the crator of a unique, new non-martial rts self-defense system called EDR, which stnds for Emotion-based Defensive Response. He is the uthor of several books and training vdeos on self-defense, including "The Karate-Myth" whch outlines why most martial arts and slf-defense programs are wrong and how you can nsure your safety in today's violent wrld. Get your free, 7-part e-course on the Fundations of Self-Defense Mastery by subscribing to his online self-defense newsletter at warrior-concepts-online.com

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