Will Your Self Defense or Defensive Tactics Function Under Stress?

A Closer Look at Heart Rate and Performing Tactical or Defensive Tactics/Self Defense Under Stress
By John D. Nottingham, founder Nottingham Sword & Shield Security & Training, co-director of training at HelixTactical.com

Sources:
Bruce Siddle "Sharpening the Warriors Edge: The Psychology and Science of Training"
Loren W. Christensen "Defensive Tactics: Modern Arrest and Control Techniques for Today's Police Warrior"
Dr. Hal Breedlove "Survival Stress Reaction"
Lt. Col. Dave Grossman "On Combat"

• Why is it that trained law enforcement, military, and even Black Belts can have difficulty performing under stress- when it matters most?  

• What are the effects of adrenaline induced stress response of the human body?

Let's look at it from a physiological point of view...

Notice: The following statistics are based on an average person and exceptions do exist.  Training and other factors can influence the functionality, response and duration of these effects.

Around 115 BPM (Heart Beats Per Minute)
Loss of fine motor skills ie finger dexterity and eye-hand coordination.
Result: Difficulty in unlocking coded door lock, locate, select and manipulate a key to open a door.  Multitasking difficult.

Around 145 bpm
Loss of complex motor skills IE movements involving a series of muscle groups such as eye-hand coordination, precise tracking of movement and precision timing.

Around 175 bpm
Tunnel vision and loss of depth perception, initial loss of memory of what took place (though reports indicated there is usually a 30% recall ofter the first 24 hours, 50% after two days, and 75-95% after three to four days.)

185-220 bmp range
Hyper-vigilance IE "deer in headlights".  Often characterized by performing actions that are functionally useless such as continuing to turn a doorknob on a locked door.  Often, individuals are unable to move or scream.  If they do move, they sometimes do irrationally by leaving their place of cover.

In my next article I will discuss some factors that influence the natural human reaction to survival stress and how training can not only reduce these effects but agents can inoculate themselves to be able to perform even during times of stress elevated heart rates.


http://NottinghamSwordandShieldSecurity.com
http://USA-MartialArts.com

Sources and recommended reading:

Bruce Siddle "Sharpening the Warriors Edge: The Psychology and Science of Training"

Loren W. Christensen "Defensive Tactics: Modern Arrest and Control Techniques for Today's Police Warrior"

Dr. Hal Breedlove "Survival Stress Reaction"

Lt. Col. Dave Grossman "On Combat"

How Effective is Your DT Really? Can You Perform When It Most Counts?

Will You Be Able To Perform Under Stress When It Most Counts and Your Life Is On The Line?

Bodyguards, Police, Security and Protective Agents - A Nagging Question
Every LEO Police, Guard or Close Protection Agent (bodyguard) needs to have confidence in his or her ability to get the job done and go home safe to one's family.  When push comes to shove, do you really have what it takes do avoid injury and liability?

Learn The Truth About Your Real Abilities

This blog article is not designed to disparage any training method you have had, rather it is to encourage operators to ask honest questions that get to the truth and purpose of their training.  It could be a starting point that eventually saves your life, or that of another person.

Are you learning proven, effective techniques and strategies that are best for you?  

A scientific method or process is considered fundamental to the scientific investigation and acquisition of new knowledge based upon physical evidence. Scientists use observations, hypotheses and deductions to propose explanations for natural phenomena in the form of theories. Predictions from these theories are tested by experiment. If a prediction turns out to be correct, the theory survives. Any theory which is cogent enough to make predictions can then be tested reproducibly in this way. The method is commonly taken as the underlying logic of scientific practice. A scientific method is essentially an extremely cautious means of building a supportable, evidence-based understanding of our natural world.

The basis of all of my firms training is efficacy.  

That is, it doesn't matter what big name teacher you had, what "undefeatable" system you learned or if you tow the blue line with the minimum Academy training.  It doesn't matter how cool your gear looks, what muscles you have built or that you "can float like a butterfly and sting like a bee." Knowledge is never to be confused with ability.

Just because you know something doesn't mean you can use it.  

Knowledge without ability to implement is nothing more than persuasive conversation and interesting trivia.  YOUR ability is the factor that matters most.  When push comes to shove, can you deliver when needed? Can your partners and buddies depend on you?  Can you depend on your ability to execute good judgement and skills and bring to bear the necessary attributes to survive or properly manage a violent encounter?

Military, Law Enforcement, Police, SWAT, Security, Corrections Training In Phoenix Arizona

So how do you know if you can actually perform in the 4-6 most critical seconds of your life?

One of the best methods we've found is through continual testing.  This reveals one's ability to think under stress, assess situations, and match skills and a strategy to the problems.  Some of the most important elements in our training include Adrenal Stress Conditioning, Stress Inoculation Training, Situational Strategy Selection in Scenario Based Training.  Although simulating combat is never the same as actual combat, we've found it to be the best way to safely training and quickly improve an individuals skills and abilities.  

You'll find this is a consistent training pursuit among elite units such as SWAT, Special Forces and other Special Operations units.  Why?  It provides quick and accurate feedback for adjustment.  It eliminates a lot of guesswork and the human emotions and opinions that often cloud feedback.  

Hand to Hand Combat, Patrol Combatives, Police Defensive Tactics, Use of Force Options, Close Quarters Combat, Street Survival Training 

Experiential education trumps all others.  The idea is to immerse the individual in the situation so that they have real time problems to solve.  Then, using after action reviews (acrostic AAR in military jargon) the individual is given the opportunity to critique themselves before the instructors do and build on the experience.  The instructors can then provide solutions and suggestions for the individual to try on the next round and immediately implement the corrections.  It is not only highly effective, but highly rewarding because it builds confidence through competence.

If you would like to test your skills or sharpen your abilities I invite you to visit http://ScottsdaleExecutiveSecurity.com for some internet training specials and upcoming course dates.  Mission specific and force specific training solutions are developed on a case-by-case basis.  

About

John Nottingham works under contract with HELIX Tactical , Arizona Security Professionals and other agencies to provide cutting-edge training and testing for "Protectors", ie Military, Law Enforcement, Security and Corrections.  He is the owner of Nottingham Sword & Shield Security tactical training and executive protection firm based in Scottsdale/Phoenix Arizona USA. http://scottsdaleexecutivesecurity.com

Separate Fantasy from Fact in Defensive Tactics and Survive

Separate Fantasy from Fact in Defensive Tactics

Your Survival Could Depend On It

By John D. Nottingham, EPS, PI, 6th Dan

One of the key difference in my approach and methodology in training military, law enforcement, security, first responders or individuals is that I am less technique focused. Thousands of hours of research and watching scenarios and actual footage of assaults clearly shows that technique is of less importance than the will to act, the approach to using physical intervention and the strategy in which it is implemented.

The elderly woman who sticks her thumb in the eye of her attacker isn’t doing a technique in the classical sense that most athletes, martial artists and DT trainers would have you believe is key. The eye gouge isn’t a technique in my book. It is a tactic based on an available vulnerable target. Her mechanical approach to gouging the eyeball isn’t as important as the fact that she actually created a traumatic injury. So much for YouTube learned Kung Fu-lery snake technique death touch.

It’s not what you do. It’s how you approach what you do. Are you spending all your time discussing the better mouse-trap or are you dealing with the rodent problem?

In this article I will share a key element to increasing officer/individual effectiveness in a short period of time. My goal is not to teach a martial art “style” or a particular collection of favorite “moves”. A bit of research will reveal that is in fact the majority of what is out there – “tricks”. Although that is highly popular and what sells, it has less do do with actual ability to protect one’s self than most realize. What is entertaining is not necessarily what is most effective.

My advice is not based on personal preference. Rather it is based on my professional recommendations for the mission, context, operator, environment and objectives of my clients.

My focus is to provide tools and experiences to alter belief system of the operator and adopt a mindset that lends itself to problem solving in a crisis situation. The goal is to have the brain recognize a particular reference point and from there be able to optimize a response with the tools, environment and context at hand.

This is usually done in the form of providing accurate information in conjunction with immersion training experiences to reinforce the concepts and principles. For example, we might set up a scenario for law enforcement that has them approaching a suspicious vehicle to make contact. We provide them with limited information and allow them to influence the context of the situation, or be influenced by the context of the situation.

In the end, each operator/agent is more readily able to prioritize the important survival information and separate out noise. They begin to make better, smarter decisions that enhance officer/individual safety and put the odds on the good guys side.

It all comes back to what my old Special Forces mentors taught me. Mindset, mindset, mindset. Where do you get it? Training, training, training.

ABOUT
John Nottingham is a Scottsdale Arizona based security training and protection specialist. His unique concepts have lead him to teach over 10,000 students in his career from all walks of life. He has dedicated himself to training those who protect others and create a more peaceful world.