RULES OF ENGAGEMENT.

… training is training, and violence is violence, and ne’re the two shall meet.

Let’s talk about engaging the opponent.

Here is the thing, as far as training goes, that is all anyone can do- talk about it, because there is simply no way we can simulate the emotional and physiological changes that we will experience when facing violence.

This is not a Wing Chun thing, it is not a Kung Fu thing, it is not even a Martial Art writ large thing, it is simply what is…

… training is training, and violence is violence, and ne’re the two shall meet.

In my first 20 years in martial arts, I was involved in combat sports, and even the most robust sparring session pales in comparison to an actual bout for the same reasons.

Variables in our mindset, emotions and physiology.

Every experience of violence is one of a kind, but there is a constant, and that constant is ourselves, and that is where the work needs to be done.

On us being the best us we can be and working hard to maintain it.

Engaging the opponent comes in two flavours, imaginary and real.

The imaginary we can work on, while the real we can only ever experience.

Working on the imaginary is, of course, a mental practice, a thought exercise where we build a scenario and look for possible solutions, which we will then use to direct our physical training.

BUILDING THE SCENARIO.

Are we defending or are we attacking? 

Keep it simple: who throws the first punch and why?

I have helped hundreds of people with their training, and the consensus is that the other guy throws the first punch, often after a heated argument that boils over.

Think about this situation, it does not begin with the conscious thought of engaging in violence, even if it goes south quickly, this was not the aim, in fact, we may not have even started off arguing, just exchanging opinions, so when the violence happens, there will be some measure of surprise.

It is dealing with this surprise that will determine the outcome far more than any Kung Fu training.

What does surprise do?

First up, we have an Adrenalin dump, [the consequences of which are many and varied, so do some research], our heart rate will instantly jump to somewhere north of 200 b.p.m.

This is why this data point is important.

Heart Rate Range [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]	Affected Skills & Physiological Changes	Impacted Actions
60 – 80 bpm	Normal resting heart rate.	Full manual dexterity.
115 bpm	Fine motor skill deterioration. Vasoconstriction begins, redirecting blood from extremities to major organs.	Typing, handwriting, operating small tools, and threading needles.
145 bpm	Complex motor skills deteriorate. Multi-muscle coordination breaks down.	Tracking targets, precision driving, or coordinating simultaneous arm/leg movements.
150 – 175 bpm	Visual and cognitive processing breakdown.	Tunneled vision, depth perception loss, and auditory exclusion (temporary tunnel hearing).
Over 175 bpm	Total cognitive decay and behavior freeze. Gross motor skills are at maximum efficiency.	Running, charging, or lifting heavy objects.

For a deeper dive, check this out, 

This is quite a headful, so I will leave it here for the minute, but it should be obvious that if we are surprised, we may not get over it.

On the brighter side, if we do not get surprised and can turn the tables on our attacker, you can bet the house that he will be surprised.

More to come, stay frosty.