Training in your sleep...

bluemtn

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I'm not sure where to post this, so here it is... Has anyone had dreams where they're physically defending themselves? I've had about three of them so far. Most recently, a lady at a new job that was around my age was jealous of me over something, and she kept trying to punch me. I would tell her not to do it again, but she just wouldn't stop. Finally, she said "here's something I know!"- she threw a roundhouse kick at me, and I trapped it and threw her to the floor. She started yelling, cussing, and acting like a big baby. Everything I was doing was in slow motion. Thankfully, it was just a dream. Of course, the next day I got sick. It might have been one of those weird dreams you get when you're sick.
 

Navarre

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I think that most ppl dream of events related to their daily lives. For instance, I dream I'm at work often.

Dreaming about training would therefore be common. It wouldn't take much of a mental push to turn the whole scenario into one of combat.

I think this is especially true since we train to defend ourselves from threats. In the mental realm taking the anger, frustraion, etc of our daily challenges and translating them into a combat model would seem likely.

Yes, I've had similar dreams. The context varies but theirs rarely any discernable connection between the events in the dream and events/people in real life.

What I've paid closer attention to is how well I could resolve the conflict with my martial arts techniques. During periods when I've had less confidence about my abilities or when I'm struggling with personal issues, I've found I have these dreams more frequently.

I also often find my skills to be ineffective in the dream. For example, I will unleash my most powerful kick and nail the antagonist but he just laughs it off.

This is when I take time to examine why my self-esteem seems damaged. Dreams are a good indicator of many things going on with us of which we might be unaware.
 
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bluemtn

bluemtn

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It seems to happen to me when something new (good or bad) comes up- I learn something new in ma class, start a new job, or something stressfull happens in real life. It's funny- I never been successfull in my dreams in that sense, until I started this new class (not meaning to be egotistical or anything- just observing).
 
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bluemtn

bluemtn

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Maybe I feel more confident with the class?
 

Navarre

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Yes, I think that is very possible. I certainly have found my mental state reflected in my dreams. I imagine most do.

As a child and even an adult I would sometimes dream I could fly. It was always the very best of dreams for me. To be completely free, to rise above all the world's struggles, was literally uplifting.

I would awake refreshed and with a renewed spirit. I miss those dreams terribly.
 

Sam

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I don't dream of actual karate, but rather of my instructors as really odd people. (Spider-man? my captor?)

However, I've heard of this. One of my instructors had a dream once where he had to defend himself, and he did a thrust kick to the guy's groin. In bed, his foot passed over his wife and put a hole in the wall, which pretty much shook the whole house. Now he teaches solely thrust kicks to the groin, rather than snap, because if he had snap kicked the wall he probably would have broke his foot in several places.

This is a 6th degree black belt I'm speaking about, although he was nidan or so at the time - which goes to show, you may always have the dreams. I agree that I dream about what I think about a lot in real life, so I wouldnt be surprised if you always had dreams like that.
 

Simon Curran

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I quite often wake up from those dreams when my body tries to enact the dream, but the funniest thing is, in my dream I may be throwing a left, and I wake up having thrown a right or vice-versa
 

Ceicei

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I almost always dream of martial arts and/or shooting with my firearms in one way or another. Sometimes it is going over the material learned, sometimes it is an issue I have with someone, sometimes it is a re-enactment of what-if situations and playing out to see what may happen, sometimes it is an expression of success or failure (depending on what happens in the day), and yes, can also be an expression of intimacy. Basically, there is rarely a night I may not dream of anything that doesn't involve something martial. :idunno:

- Ceicei
 

Navarre

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Sam said:
I don't dream of actual karate, but rather of my instructors

I'm sure you do dream of your instructor. lol Clearly you are taking those things you desire in your life and emotionally transferring those attributes onto someone close to you, elevating them to a status of adoration.

*pokes at Sam* I'm just kidding because I know you know I'm doing the same thing, just not with my instructor. (continues to collect pennies to pay for therapy sessions)

At least you'd have a chance with the object of your desire should he become detached from his current relationship. Rub it in why don't you? lol
 

OnlyAnEgg

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Over the years, I've had several dreams of defense. Mostly, I end up rising above outlandish odds and deadly attacks.

One of the few MA dreams was just about 3 nights ago. We were all practicing at what seemed to be Angkor Wat or something from Tomb Raider or Indiana Jones. Everyone else was in formation and I was outside the formation. They all had real nice bos and I had a long twig.

*shrug*...dreams.
 

Henderson

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Anytime someone asks my teacher, "Sensei, when do you know you're good?", his response is always.....

"When the dreams stop."
 

IcemanSK

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Very early in my TKD carreer, I would dream I was doing Ki-Bon (1st form) all the time. By the time I hit BB, I started dreaming I was teaching Ki-Bon. By the time I hit 2nd Dan I dreamt of teaching higher rank forms.

When I was a Senior in high school (& a BB) I used to dream of beating up this schlub of a kid that everyone (except me) picked on. It was a recurring dream. I'd wake up feeling so badly, I went out of my way to treat him nicely.
 

Sam

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Navarre said:
I'm sure you do dream of your instructor. lol Clearly you are taking those things you desire in your life and emotionally transferring those attributes onto someone close to you, elevating them to a status of adoration.

*pokes at Sam* I'm just kidding because I know you know I'm doing the same thing, just not with my instructor. (continues to collect pennies to pay for therapy sessions)

At least you'd have a chance with the object of your desire should he become detached from his current relationship. Rub it in why don't you? lol

:whip:

Thats not what I meant at all!
 

MartialIntent

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tkdgirl said:
I'm not sure where to post this, so here it is... Has anyone had dreams where they're physically defending themselves? I've had about three of them so far. Most recently, a lady at a new job that was around my age was jealous of me over something, and she kept trying to punch me. I would tell her not to do it again, but she just wouldn't stop. Finally, she said "here's something I know!"- she threw a roundhouse kick at me, and I trapped it and threw her to the floor. She started yelling, cussing, and acting like a big baby. Everything I was doing was in slow motion. Thankfully, it was just a dream. Of course, the next day I got sick. It might have been one of those weird dreams you get when you're sick.

I often have dreams of being shot. My fight dreams are normally reflections of my slumber paralysis as I can never get a proper punch or kick off. Always slow, lumbering and useless hits. If I hit like that itRW, everybody would stand about laughing... Though hang on, that's what does happen hehe.

Seriously, recently I've been experimenting with Lucid Dreaming - whereby you realise you're dreaming while you're dreaming. I've succeeded three times, become aware within my dream and managed to fly out my window... Wheeeee!
 

Navarre

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arnisador said:
Well, I don't dream about my instructor.

I find this vaguely reassuring, Arni, though I support your right to dream about whomever you choose.
 

Aikikitty

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I've had several dreams where I'm defending myself. I haven't had any recently, although my mom did have a dream 2 months back that she and I were using Aikido against a bunch of killer ninjas and Jackie Chan suddenly appeared. He didn't help us, just stood back and complemented our techniques. LOL!

I have had funny training dream/nightmares. Like when things move in slow motion or I dreampt I arrived at the dojo right on time, but couldn't get my shoes off to get on the mat! By the time I got them off, class was over. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! The funniest was when I just ordered my hakama and dreamed that I just got it in the mail and was riding in the car to class when I look out my window and see my sensei and the other blackbelts in my class on the sidewalk wearing scottish kilts!
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I was so upset because I just got my hakama and didn't want to wear a kilt.
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:rofl:

Robyn
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