Self defense training allows you to learn techniques adapted to real-life situations. The techniques and the underlying concepts are broken down and then trained with a partner to reach the most efficiency.
However, so that the training – and the discipline in itself – bear fruit, it is important, once the technical acquisition phase is over, to script the sessions!
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Script your training in order to recalibrate your brain
As we’ve seen in previous articles: our brain does not know how to make the difference between an experienced memory and a mental image you created from scratch. When we mentioned the importance of visualization in self defense, or the interest in creating a déjà vu effect during training, we were already talking about the staging of training sessions.
But concretely, how does it work? Why should you bother staging yourself?
Scripting your training consists of playing the role of a real aggressor, which entails insults, pushes, slaps, anything that allows you to try to get into the role whenever you can, and when you are familiar enough with your training partner. Indeed, it goes without saying that this could be a bit tricky to set up when working with someone you are not comfortable with.
We are used to being complacent in training. Unfortunately, it creates counter-productive cognitive biases in the long run. You must understand that associating the image of an aggression with a weak, insignificant stop won’t prepare you to deal with what happens in the street. These errors impede your brain from preparing to react because it hasn’t “experienced” the situation.
Violence is the reality, this is what you have to imitate it, at least in your talking in order to help your mind get prepared for this eventuality and anchor it in its memory.
Although you do not need to practice this systematically (even if it cannot hurt, in absolute terms!), it is crucial to get used to scripting your training from time to time!
Script your training in order to fix your mistakes
Simulating a conflict situation is helpful since it helps you manage your stress better in case of a real conflict. Indeed, since you will already have experienced the situation (although it was fictitious) you will be on home soil. But you still need to know how to react precisely!
Another great advantage of setting up a scenario is that it allows you to test your own reactions under different conditions.
This way, you’ll see straight away if you adopt the right initiatives. Was it a good idea to trigger the action at that particular moment? Did I even see it coming? What if I had acted another way? Would I have had enough time to act? Would it have been wiser to run away? Did I respect the limits of legitimate defense? And so on and so forth…
Of course, you can always question his techniques and everything won’t happen as you would like, but the most important is that you do your best during your training sessions so that you have the time to correct yourself. Indeed, you still have time at that stage!
To script an attack remains the best way to test yourself “in condition” and benefit from your coach’s feedback to improve some points. The idea is to polish up your reactions since we work on the assumption that you master the technique and that there are only details to polish.
It’s also a golden opportunity to enhance your improvisation capacity. As you’ll discover soon enough, it becomes much more complicated to react when you cannot anticipate from where the punch is going to come, nor when.
And because you don’t want to remain paralyzed, you’ll need to go on with something else in the heat of the action.
Unfortunately, this exercise is taught when you are already at a high level, which is upsetting since nothing impedes new entrants to practice under these conditions! I would even say sooner the better!
