How to toughen up?

[Buka]

You want to toughen up? Get married.

That'll teach ya.

 

[isshinryuronin]

To me flinching is a reflex which tries to protect vital areas of the body. It may not be successful, but it's the best the body has to deal with very fast dangerous stimuli coming at you (or even perceived dangerous stimuli). Just a biological instinct.

This topic of flinching would be a great research paper for a physio-psychologist. That, I am not (though started out in college on that path) so will go with my own experience and thoughts - feel free to differ. I agree with the above quote - flinching is an instinctive reaction to sudden stimuli (the body's default interpretation of this is "danger.") This is not to say the flinch reaction cannot be consciously modified, though it takes a lot of repetition to override this instinct.

The body must be taught certain stimuli are not dangerous. As a beginner, I flinched every time my opponent twitched. Eventually, I learned that a lot of that was not a real threat as the opponent was out of range/position/or just feinting. With experience and repetition my body learned that flinching was not needed in those cases. So, a lot of reasonable sparring can give the mind/body/spirit enough experience to override a good amount of flinching. Flinching is a non-conditioned response - it's instinct. With practice, much (not all) can be modified into a conditioned response of our choice. The body can learn what stimuli to react and not react to.

An experienced fighter will not bite on most feints, staying calm and controlled without flinching or even batting an eye. But if a spider happened to suddenly fall on his arm, chances are he will yell, jump up and wildly flail his arms. His body had much experience with jabs, but not spiders. This shows flinching is threat specific. Each different kind threat-flinch response needs to be dealt with and modified individually - IMO. Experience and repetition - there is no substitute - that's a fact.

 

[_Simon_]

This topic of flinching would be a great research paper for a physio-psychologist. That, I am not (though started out in college on that path) so will go with my own experience and thoughts - feel free to differ. I agree with the above quote - flinching is an instinctive reaction to sudden stimuli (the body's default interpretation of this is "danger.") This is not to say the flinch reaction cannot be consciously modified, though it takes a lot of repetition to override this instinct.

The body must be taught certain stimuli are not dangerous. As a beginner, I flinched every time my opponent twitched. Eventually, I learned that a lot of that was not a real threat as the opponent was out of range/position/or just feinting. With experience and repetition my body learned that flinching was not needed in those cases. So, a lot of reasonable sparring can give the mind/body/spirit enough experience to override a good amount of flinching. Flinching is a non-conditioned response - it's instinct. With practice, much (not all) can be modified into a conditioned response of our choice. The body can learn what stimuli to react and not react to.

An experienced fighter will not bite on most feints, staying calm and controlled without flinching or even batting an eye. But if a spider happened to suddenly fall on his arm, chances are he will yell, jump up and wildly flail his arms. His body had much experience with jabs, but not spiders. This shows flinching is threat specific. Each different kind threat-flinch response needs to be dealt with and modified individually - IMO. Experience and repetition - there is no substitute - that's a fact.

Very well said!

And I would say that flinching is primarily an unconscious surfacing and reflexive thing. I've certainly flinched when a leaf had fallen off a tree in front of my face. CLEARLY not a severe danger (unless it gets caught in my eye haha) but the suddenness of it being very close to my face unanticipated and fast it seemed a PERCEIVED danger.

 

[Tez3]

@_Simon_ talking of self defence stuff and all that, I hope you are safe from the fires?

 

[isshinryuronin]

An experienced fighter will not bite on most feints, staying calm and controlled without flinching or even batting an eye. But if a spider happened to suddenly fall on his arm, chances are he will yell, jump up and wildly flail his arms. His body had much experience with jabs, but not spiders.

I'm going to amend my previous quote: I plan to have as little experience with spiders as humanly possible. I have no desire to eliminate my flinch response to arachnids, and if I did so desire, I doubt it would ever be successful. And I'm OK with that.

 

[_Simon_]

@_Simon_ talking of self defence stuff and all that, I hope you are safe from the fires?

Thanks so much Tez3. Look it's not great.. we're safe for the moment but it's been spreading so very rapidly, have never seen anything like this... my sister-in-law's husband's workplace burned down which isn't too far from here :s. We actually got some rain today which hopefully helped...

Thank you for thinking of us

 

[dvcochran]

Thanks so much Tez3. Look it's not great.. we're safe for the moment but it's been spreading so very rapidly, have never seen anything like this... my sister-in-law's husband's workplace burned down which isn't too far from here :s. We actually got some rain today which hopefully helped...

Thank you for thinking of us

Saying a prayer for you guys tonight.

 

[_Simon_]

Saying a prayer for you guys tonight.

That means alot, thank you so much

 

[Tez3]

That means alot, thank you so much

In the UK we are thinking of you, wishing there was something we could do to help. there's donation sites but we know there needs to be a miracle. Take care.

 

[drop bear]

I'm going to amend my previous quote: I plan to have as little experience with spiders as humanly possible. I have no desire to eliminate my flinch response to arachnids, and if I did so desire, I doubt it would ever be successful. And I'm OK with that.

I own one as a pet in an attempt to
overcome mine.

 

[_Simon_]

In the UK we are thinking of you, wishing there was something we could do to help. there's donation sites but we know there needs to be a miracle. Take care.

Thanks a bunch it means alot... just don't even know how they're tackling these infernos...

Seems alot of us have banded together, it's like when the need arises people just naturally reach out, it's quite touching to see! I ordered pizzas tonight and for every Aussie pizza (ham, cheese, tomato sauce base, bacon, egg) ordered the fellow chucks in a dollar of his own money.

But yes, we're gonna need something!

 

[Tez3]

I own one as a pet in an attempt to
overcome mine.

View attachment 22647

Shouldn't that be a funnel web spider or a red back?

 

[jobo]

You can gradually inc the intensity of sparing

well no you can't, sparing isn't a continuum from next to nothing to flat out. gentle '' sparing'' isn't sparring its playing tag. watch boxer sparring, its very hard to tell the difference between that and actual fighting, which is the point of it. its to practise fighting, if it does not simulate fighting its not doing its job

 

[skribs]

well no you can't, sparing isn't a continuum from next to nothing to flat out. gentle '' sparing'' isn't sparring its playing tag. watch boxer sparring, its very hard to tell the difference between that and actual fighting, which is the point of it. its to practise fighting, if it does not simulate fighting its not doing its job

If boxers went all out as you said, they would have so many concussions they wouldn't live to their first match. Boxers certainly practice light. Sparring is definitely a continuum.

 

[jobo]

If boxers went all out as you said, they would have so many concussions they wouldn't live to their first match. Boxers certainly practice light. Sparring is definitely a continuum.

i didnt say they went all out , did I ?

i said they went a lot harder than playing tag, which is what a lot of TMAs call sparing, if you want to dance about doing little taps that's fine but don't kid yourself its doing anything but making you better at playing tag. the first time someone moves at full speed and wacks you , you will be wondering what happened, the real benefit of sparing is learning how not to get hit when someone actually tries to take your head off, if you cant do that then yes you will get a lot of concussions, but then you shouldn't be in a ring, possibly at all, definitely not with a fighter so much better than you if you cant mostly avoid getting hit

 

[skribs]

i didnt say they went all out , did I /

i said they went a lot harder than playing tag, which is what a lot of TMAs call sparing, if you want to dance about doing little taps that's fine but don't kid yourself its doing anything but making you better at playing tag. the first time someone moves at full speed and wacks you , you will be wondering what happened

In most gyms, the guy with this kind of attitude is the guy nobody wants to spar against.

 

[jobo]

In most gyms, the guy with this kind of attitude is the guy nobody wants to spar against.

that rather depends on the gym/dojo and the type of people it attracts.

but i suspect your correct most tma will not want to spar at anything other than play fight intensity and so will shun a serious athlete, at a boxing gym, as long as there's parity in ability they will form a queue to fight you, as they are there to learn to fight. they can stop home and ''fight'' there little sister if its just play fighting

 

[drop bear]

Shouldn't that be a funnel web spider or a red back?

Tarantula I think. I found it in the laundry.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

I own one as a pet in an attempt to
overcome mine.

View attachment 22647

At least you're feeding him right.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Tarantula I think. I found it in the laundry.

I'd have blown up the laundry room.