Loren Christensen - Psyching Up

Whether you’re about to face a formidable martial arts opponent, serve a high-risk warrant, or search a house in some hot, dusty town in the Middle East, there are several ways to charge your mind and your body for the task. Some call it “getting psyched” or “psyching up.” Psychologists refer to it as “levels of arousal.” Hmm. I’m not sure about that last term. Should someone ask what you’re doing, do you really want to say, “I’m getting aroused”? Best to stay with “psyching up.”

By whatever term you choose, getting psyched up can be key to functioning at your optimum. Here are a few ways to do it.


Selected Association

This is a psychological term that refers to being with others who already have the level of arousal you need. This isn’t the time to avoid those hyped-up, obnoxious loudmouths. The time to avoid these people is when you want to calm down after an event. But to get psyched up, seize the moment to soak up their enthusiasm.

A good teacher, coach, sergeant, and captain know how to use their words, body language, and energy to charge those about to do a difficult task



Cue Words

I like this method and use it to calm myself — psyche down, if you will — as well as to psyche up. I’ll bare my soul here and tell you my two words. Please don’t tell anyone. To calm myself, I whisper or think sink. Over the years, I have learned to relate that word to letting go of all my tension and stress.

To psyche up, I whisper or think the word samurai. I’ve been training in the martial arts for nearly 50 years, so the word has a powerful suggestibility to me. I’ve seen many samurai movies, visited exhibits, watched demonstrations, and read lots on the subject. When I say or think “samurai,” it conjures in me a warrior of extraordinary skill ready to do what needs to be done.

Words have meaning. The right one(s) invokes powerful psychological, emotional, and physical reactions. In short, the right word or words psyche you up.


Cue Images

These are your mental images — call them movies if you want — of you performing at your best. For example, if you’re trying to improve your running speed, you might think of a cheetah ripping across a plain. If you want to work on your quick draw, you might “see” in your mind the late Bob Munden, who could draw, shoot, hit the target (sometimes two targets), and reholster faster than the blink of an eye. Literally.

If not a cheetah, your cue image might be another fighter who has qualities that you admire. It might be a fellow officer who does an excellent job on felony stops, or a fellow soldier who exhibits all the warrior qualities you want to emulate.


Physical Warm-Ups

This is easier for martial artists to do but cops and soldiers should do it when they have the opportunity. In my martial art class, we do the same warm-up every time. This works as a physical and mental bridge from the students’ workday or school day, to practicing the fighting arts. The loosening exercises are martial arts specific to help bridge that gap.

Cops and soldiers might have to go off by themselves for a few minutes to physically warm up. Should someone make a comment, just say that your back and shoulders are bothering you and you need to get your blood flowing a little.

In the end, know that because your mind and body are connected, physical activation will spur psychological activation.


Self-Confidence Statements 

Many warriors use statements such as the following — whispered to themselves, said aloud, or simply thought — to instill a powerful sense of self-assurance.

• “I will perform at my best.”
• “I am ready to do this.”
• “I’m anxious to do this.”
• “I’m feeling good.”
• “I’m strong.”
• “I’m full of courage.”
• “I know how to do this.”

Always state your self-confidence mantras in the positive. For example, don’t say, “I am not weak,” because your subconscious tends to ignore the negative word “not.” In other words, it hears “I am weak.” So keep it positive: “I am strong.”


Anger Transformation

Using anger to psyche up yourself is controversial. Advocates believe that it energizes and psyches one to perform at his/her optimum. Others believe that it can be detrimental, in that it tightens muscles and clouds thinking.

I’ve found it to be detrimental, at least as it pertains to hand-to-hand combat. I’ve been in situations where I was angry in the extreme and found that I lost my fine-motor skills and my thinking was restricted. Conversely, when I responded with a cool head, my techniques were cleaner, faster, and my thinking less prehistoric.

Among psychologists, to include sports psychologists, there is little support for using anger to psyche oneself. Wait, there is one.

If you’re in a survival situation and you’re certain that you’re about to die, especially if you were to give up, that is the time to muster all the unbridled anger and rage to psyche yourself to fight all out.


Music

Tunes are the most popular way to psyche up. During my competition years, I listened to certain songs in my car during my commute to a tournament. When I was a cop working a particularly dangerous part of town, I listened to hard rock, which I detest, while driving to work. As a fiction writer now, I listen to certain movie soundtracks when writing action scenes.

Some of our troops in Afghanistan listen to hard rock in their vehicles when attacking or defending against the enemy. And who can forget that iconic helicopter assault scene in Apocalypse Now when the lead chopper played “Ride of the Valkyries” over its loudspeaker to not only psyche the warriors in the birds, but also to terrorize the Vietcong on the ground.

What kind of music works for you?

 * * *

Studies show that psyching techniques work. What is clear is that different people need different techniques to get results. Music works for Tom, but cue words work best for Kathy. Cue images work for your teacher, but performing some simple warm-ups works best to prepare your mind and body.

Take the time to learn what is in your best interest. You will love the results.

Loren was a military policeman in Saigon during the Vietnam War and retired from the Portland, Oregon, Police Department after more than two decades of service. He can be contacted through his website at www.lwcbooks.com.

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NOTES:

My sincerest gratitude to Loren Christensen for his kind permission in reposting his article to my site.


For other Loren Christensen posts, please check out:

• De-escalation by Loren Christensen
• Loren Christensen - 4 Police Concepts Anyone Can Use
• Loren Christensen - No Stance as a Stance
• Loren Christensen - Combat Breathing

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BOXING: Doug Ward - Finding the Winner in You

Finding the Winner in You

By Doug Ward

What made Michael Jordan unquestionably one of the greatest basketball players ever is that, aside from an unwavering will to win when the game was on the line, he always wanted the ball.  His supreme confidence and extreme competitiveness allowed him to rise to the occasion.  More often than not, his single- mindedness paid off.  He understood how to embrace the anxiety that comes with pressure, how to exploit it and feed off of it.  If you want to succeed in boxing, one of the first things you need to do is perfect the art of performing under pressure.

Our bodies were naturally wired for performance.  They were made to hunt, gather and live under extreme conditions.  As far removed as you may feel from your caveman ancestors, there’s no escaping the generic blueprint you still work from today.  Then and now, you were born to fight.

In the heat of the battle, in those pressure-cooker situations, your body is built to funnel all of its reserves to only those select activities and emotions that are crucial to survival; necessary for winning.  If you let your body do what it does best, without trying to over-analyze it or work against it, it will channel all that is vital to your success and work towards helping you achieve it.  Don’t fight the feelings of being under pressure, but instead allow yourself to be under the gun and welcome the physical response that comes with it.  That means not trying to keep the butterfly wings in your belly from flapping, but use them to propel you onward and upward.
 
The key to performing to your potential, not “choking” or freezing-up is focusing on the activity, not the outcome.  How many times have you effortlessly wadded up a ball of paper and sunk it in the wastebasket for an easy two points?  Then, when someone challenges you to match their toss or do it from the three point zone, every muscle tightens, your breathing becomes labored and all you can think about is “I hope I don’t miss.”  It’s right then when you are acting against your natural inclination to simply perform.  You started thinking.  You started analyzing and you started worrying about whether you would make it or not, instead of zeroing-in on the target and letting it fly…just like you’ve done a thousand times before.

Since the classic 1990 fight between Chavez Sr. versus Meldrick Taylor has been a hot topic recently (on the heels of the Chavez Jr. and Sergio Martinez fight), let’s use it as an example.  Chavez was clearly losing that fight.  Going into the last round he needed a knockout to win.  Do you think he tensed-up, began worrying about losing and started the round by throwing all he had with every punch?  Nope.  Instead, he hunkered down, focused on tightening-up his technique, became more intent on delivering every punch as efficiently as possible and zeroed-in on his target.  He stayed the course and continued to do what he had for the previous 11 rounds, only with a little more resolve.  He intently walked Meldrick Taylor down with the sole focus of landing meaningful punches.  A perfectly timed, well-executed right cross ended the fight.  Chavez didn’t fight desperate or over-anxious.  He just fought determined.  The knockout came, not because he was focused on the outcome, but because he focused on execution.  He relied on his skill set and trusted his instincts.

Like anything in boxing, developing that type of confident mindset takes practice.  Make it a goal, every time you walk in the gym or step into the ring to focus solely on the task in front of you.  Embrace the nervous energy.  Acknowledge the head games you play with yourself.  Taste the fear and then let all of the nonsense give way to focusing on doing what you want to do.  Don’t focus on how you feel or what you don’t want to happen, but simply focus on what has to be done.  Don’t think about how you just missed a punch.  Instead, try to fine-tune your technique with every combination.  Don’t get mad at yourself because you just took a clean shot.  Instead, improve your defense each time you get hit.  Concentrate on what you are doing, put forth your best effort and let the results be what they are.  You’ll learn more, perform better and feel better about the activity overall just by living in the moment.

The adrenaline rush you feel when you walk into the gym or step in the ring is part of the thrill of boxing.  If you always remember that’s one of the reasons you compete, and don’t let that emotionally-charged moment become your adversary, the paralyzing bright lights of expectation can instead become a spotlight for your best performance ever.




NOTES

About Doug Ward:  After years of training at some of the most respected gyms in the country and pursuing a brief amateur career in the late 80′s, Doug was able to put that experience to work as Creative Director for a major boxing equipment manufacturer.  During that seven year period he had the great fortune to meet some of boxing’s legendary fighters, learn from some of the ring’s most respected trainers and gain insights into all aspects of the sport…in and outside the ropes.

Bringing along over twenty-five years of experience in the fight game and industry insights he gained during that time, Doug now trains and manages a team of aspiring amateur and professional boxers.  He spends his time split between the gym working one-on-one with a handful of fighters, negotiating on behalf of his stable and continuing to learn all there is from the business of boxing.

Doug is also President and Trainer for the Underground Boxing Company.  Since its inception in 2002, the focus of the UBC has been to preserve the integrity of the sport and protect the financial, physical and spiritual well-being of its athletes. The UBC serves its team of amateur and professional boxers through a comprehensive management/training system…one that is geared towards developing the fighter at every phase of his or her career.


Copied and pasted from:  http://www.titleboxing.com/news/finding-the-winner-in-you/

Photo Credits:  All photos belong to Doug Ward/TitleBoxing.com.

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BOXING: Doug Ward - Mean What You Say

Mean What You Say

By Doug Ward

It has been stated a hundred different ways;  what you confess you possess, your thoughts become actions, what you think about you bring about, but no matter what clever spin you put on it, the simple truth is your mind and mouth have a tremendous impact on what action you take.  You are most likely to do exactly what you think about most and what you say you’re going to.  It’s part science, part psychology and all up to you.

Whether you like him or not, respect his ring generalship or despise his arrogance, think he’s a marketing genius or genuine punk, make no mistake about it…Floyd Mayweather applies some of the best psychological warfare in boxing (or any other sport for that matter).  Either instinctively or well-calculated, Floyd has found the perfect formula for tapping into his own psyche and has transformed it into a boxing dynasty.  So, for one article, put your emotions aside and, love him or hate him, learn something from the five-time world champion.

With the birth of HBOs ground-breaking behind-the-scenes series, 24/7 and Floyd’s own flamboyant personae, boxing fans are getting a look at one of athletics secret weapons like never before.  Other fighters have done this.  It’s not new and may not be as secret as it is just underutilized and misunderstood.  Simply put, It is the power of talking the talk and walking the walk.

KNOWING WHAT YOU WANT

KNOWING WHAT IT TAKES TO ACHIEVE IT and then


PRACTICING WHAT YOU PREACH

What Floyd Mayweather does…the power of saying and doing…is as easy as one, two, and three:

1. Know what you want.  Floyd makes his desires abundantly clear, through his words, actions and even right down to is ring name, “MONEY”.  Decide early on what your ultimate goal is.  It will be your fuel when you’re tired, your will to fight on when you are getting pounded and it will be that one thing that will drive you on to do what others can’t or won’t.  Dig deep and do some soul searching to really tap into what your “emotional driver” is.  It may go deeper than just wanting “things” and almost always does when you look deep enough.  For example, you may say “I want a new car.” When what you really want, if you get to the heart of it, are the feelings that a new car brings.  It isn’t just the leather seats, the chrome bumpers and that new car smell that you hunger.  It’s actually the attention the girls give you, the feelings of self-worth and sense of accomplishment that comes with it.  Sure, the idea a new car is cool, but it’s really the feelings it brings that will motivate you to go that extra mile.  Floyd talks about money, flaunts his money and is eager to show what his riches have bought him, but if you listen to him close enough, what does he talk about at the end of the day?  He talks about providing a lifestyle and level of security for his kids, for his family.  He places his goal in the form of a tangible “something,” but the root of what pushes him has much more substance.  Don’t let his over-the-top personae fool you.  There’s a method to his madness and it works!  Whether Floyd is actually applying science to his approach is questionable, but intuitively he knows what stokes his coals.  The fact is, money actually acts like a drug.  It lights up the brains reward centers just like a drug does and physically changes the way you think.  A study conducted in 2006 found that people reminded of a monetary reward, worked 70 percent longer than their counterparts did, who were only offered “general compensation”.  The study went on to conclude that the visualization of money also aided in boosting the participants self-confidence and provided a level of protection from the pain of rejection.  Money may not be your external motivator, but Floyd Mayweather is onto something that works for him and it makes scientific sense why.  The bottom line is, know what you really want, tangible or not, and you’re more likely to endure what it takes to succeed where others do not.

2.  Know what it’s going to take to get what you want (and be realistic about it).  You can’t spend two days a week at the gym and want to be world champion.  That ain’t happening!  How many times have you seen Floyd Mayweather in the gym training, on TV or in person, leading his team in the mantra “Hard work.  Dedication.”?  He says it, they say it, over and over and over.  He burns that mantra into his brain and creates the neural pathways that he’s going to travel through every time he steps into the gym or hits the road running.  Hard work.  Dedication.  Forget the specific actions, how many rounds, how much sparring, when and what takes place.  They all require the same thing.  Hard work.  Dedication.  Floyd knows what being the best requires, constantly tells himself that and realizes it’s the only way he’ll get what he wants.  Then, he speaks it into reality, time and time again.  Hard work.  Dedication.

3.  Finally, the most important step of all…you have to practice what you preach.  Floyd’s work ethic is unquestionable.  He’s an extremely gifted fighter, but he backs that up with pure hard work and tieless devotion to his sport.  People have some strong opinions and say many things about Floyd Mayweather the person, but have you ever heard anyone say that he is a lazy fighter or that he cuts corners in the gym?  He absolutely doesn’t, if for no other reason, he knows he’s done a lot of talking that he has to back-up with action and that won’t happen with less than all he’s got to give.  So, no matter how bold of a prediction you make or simple statement you make about what you’re going to do, don’t say it if you’re not willing to do it.  And if you are, then go all out and put in 100% effort, 100% of the time. Forget 110%. That’s a stupid, overused cliché.  There is no magic, extra 10%, but by doing ALL that you’re capable of, ALL of the time, what your 100% effort is will grow and so will what you’re then capable of.

The steps to success are not easy to climb, but they are simple.  By knowing what you want, what it will take to get there and being willing to endure whatever stands in your way, you can reach the pinnacle.  Once those decisions are made, the events and how they materialize are secondary.  Whether you want more “stuff”, the respect of others or just a sense of accomplishment, be willing to put your money where your mouth is.




NOTES

About Doug Ward:  After years of training at some of the most respected gyms in the country and pursuing a brief amateur career in the late 80′s, Doug was able to put that experience to work as Creative Director for a major boxing equipment manufacturer.  During that seven year period he had the great fortune to meet some of boxing’s legendary fighters, learn from some of the ring’s most respected trainers and gain insights into all aspects of the sport…in and outside the ropes.

Bringing along over twenty-five years of experience in the fight game and industry insights he gained during that time, Doug now trains and manages a team of aspiring amateur and professional boxers.  He spends his time split between the gym working one-on-one with a handful of fighters, negotiating on behalf of his stable and continuing to learn all there is from the business of boxing.

Doug is also President and Trainer for the Underground Boxing Company.  Since its inception in 2002, the focus of the UBC has been to preserve the integrity of the sport and protect the financial, physical and spiritual well-being of its athletes. The UBC serves its team of amateur and professional boxers through a comprehensive management/training system…one that is geared towards developing the fighter at every phase of his or her career.


Copied and pasted from:  http://www.titleboxing.com/news/mean-what-you-say/

Photo Credits:  All photos belong to Doug Ward/TitleBoxing.com.

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BOXING: Doug Ward - Don't Hold Back

Don't Hold Back

By Doug Ward

If you’ve spent countless hours toiling-away in the gym, left gallons of sweat on the ring canvas and have gone through more ice healing your wounds than 7-Eleven sells for Big Gulps in a week and you still aren’t any closer to becoming the fighter you think and know you should be, then it’s likely that there are one of three things holding you back.  You are either being suppressed by the internal, limiting beliefs that you and only you have placed on yourself.  You are succumbing to, or are allowing yourself, to be restrained by external influencers, the people you surround yourself with.  Or, the people around you are actually physically and mentally operating in a way that is holding you back.

If it’s you that’s placing your own limits on your ability, how you see yourself and what you truly believe you’re capable of, you’re not alone.  Self defeating behaviors and thought processes are a common trait in most people, not just fighters.  Some people just inherently figure out how to overcome them or have a desire so strong that it diminishes the power of their own negative thinking.  This goes back to your ongoing inner dialogue, a set of fixed beliefs you have about yourself or what you feel your worthy or not worthy of.
It gets fairly involved to go too much in-depth into each characteristic, but you need to be sure that the scenarios you play out in your head and the way you react to yourself are benefitting you.  You will become what you think about most of the time. Good thoughts about who you are and what you do will manifest themselves by producing good, positive actions.  On the other hand, constantly being down on yourself because you’re not fighting the way you think you should be will keep you doing just that.  Good or bad, you will subconsciously fulfill the image you have of yourself.  “What you think about, you bring about.”  It’s as simple as that.

You also have a set of fixed beliefs about who or what you are and those beliefs can play a crucial role in what you allow yourself to accomplish.

“I’m too old to be an elite professional fighter.”

“I don’t have the connections to make it big in this sport.”

“I’m the wrong color, nationality, social status, religion, race, size, shape…to be a successful fighter.” The list of reasons “why you can’t” are endless, but they all lead to a negative outcome.  So why not let go of a few rules and just believe that it is possible. Belief is the most important attribute of success and, once you figure that out, the details don’t matter.  How much weight you give your life rules is what makes the real difference.

A second possibility is that you are letting others create your world for you.  Consciously or subconsciously you are allowing their perception of you to dictate your environment.  Consider this:  Although most goldfish you see are relatively small, they are actually capable of growing 100 times their normal size.  Because they are confined to the limitations of a small bowl, they adapt to their surroundings?  Their normal, average size becomes far less than their potential and it is all because they adapt to the environment that is created for them.  They become as big as they are allowed to…and no more.  If a goldfish thought bigger and filled its confining bowl to capacity, do you think his or her owner would get a larger bowl?  If you’ve heard the expression “Never let someone else create your world because they will always make it too small.”  Guess what?  It’s true, but only because you allow it.  Don’t let others program you to believe that you have limitations and that you only possess a certain amount of control over your life. You own every part of it.

The third limiting behavior is much more blatant.  It has been called numerous things, but the most common is Crab Mentality.  It is intentional and it emanates from the people you surround yourself with. Crab Mentality is a metaphor, but it’s real.  This reference is typically used to describe people who subscribe to a holding others back for no apparent reason, other than selfishness and jealousy.  Did you know that if a crab is alone in a pot, it can easily escape?  But, if you put that same crab in a pot with several other crabs, the others grab him and pull him back, preventing him from succeeding. This doesn’t save them or improve their chances for survival.  It only ensures their collective demise.   Do you share your “pot”, your environment, with other “crabs”…people who diminish your successes, remind you of your failures and do everything they can, verbally and mentally, to hold you back?  If you have the desire to succeed, be better and do better, be sure you have people around you, business and personal, that share and support a healthy, unified desire to achieve more.

Whether it’s in business, athletics or life in general, successful people work through a mindset of belief.  They don’t try, they don’t think, they don’t hope.  With 100 percent commitment, they BELIEVE THAT THEY WILL SUCCEED.  They remove all obstacles, physical or mental and then reap the rewards of their commitment.  If you are willing to examine what might be holding you back and keeping you from experiencing success for yourself, then all it takes from there is letting go of anyone or anything that is in the way of your ultimate goal.  The short time pain might be worth the long term gain.  It almost always is.




NOTES

About Doug Ward:  After years of training at some of the most respected gyms in the country and pursuing a brief amateur career in the late 80′s, Doug was able to put that experience to work as Creative Director for a major boxing equipment manufacturer.  During that seven year period he had the great fortune to meet some of boxing’s legendary fighters, learn from some of the ring’s most respected trainers and gain insights into all aspects of the sport…in and outside the ropes.

Bringing along over twenty-five years of experience in the fight game and industry insights he gained during that time, Doug now trains and manages a team of aspiring amateur and professional boxers.  He spends his time split between the gym working one-on-one with a handful of fighters, negotiating on behalf of his stable and continuing to learn all there is from the business of boxing.

Doug is also President and Trainer for the Underground Boxing Company.  Since its inception in 2002, the focus of the UBC has been to preserve the integrity of the sport and protect the financial, physical and spiritual well-being of its athletes. The UBC serves its team of amateur and professional boxers through a comprehensive management/training system…one that is geared towards developing the fighter at every phase of his or her career.


Copied and pasted from:  http://www.titleboxing.com/news/dont-hold-back-2

Photo Credits:  All photos belong to Doug Ward/TitleBoxing.com.

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MENTAL EDGE: Mental Training by Xen Nova

My friend Xen Nova is training to be a MMA fighter. He was asked: "When did you know you were ready to fight?"

Below is his article-length reply lol. 

Enjoy!

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This is entirely based on your psychology and what you need to do to prepare yourself. 

You say you're former SpecOps, did you see any action? Have you been in very high stress situations before? Most people haven't so the jitters are very new to them. If you're familiar with it then you know what to expect and how to prepare. 

The thing is there is always a moment where you DON"T WANT TO BE THERE... Where you wonder "What the f@ck am I doing!", but that is the point that decides whether you're a man or a b!tch and it's hard to replicate this in the gym. 

If you bust your nose the sparring stops you call a "chill-dog" rule, go clean up, and you're fine. But in a fight, you're going to get hit pretty f@cking hard and you NEED to know if you can just mentally carry yourself through that. 

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