Martial Art or too much forum?

[charyuop]

Something happened yesterday that made me realize a thing.
I was in a convinient store waiting in line to pay for gas (I was maybe 6 feet from the door). At a certaing point a man entered. That poor guy might just have gotten off work, so it is not my intention to criticize him, but he was not very clean and not well dressed. What drew mostly my attention was his right hand. While his left hand was loose on his side, his right one was with the thumb in his jeans' pocket turned backwards as if hiding something.
I didn't stare at him, but I continuosly kept myself aware of his presence. I kept my ears and periferical (I guess it is called like this) vision constantly on him. He passed behind me and as soon as he was over me I turned to look at his hand which of course it was empty.

That episode made me realize that this is something that I do always more often. Even at work, when someone I don't like or a group of teenagers passes behind me I keep continuosly their presence very alive in my head...as if I expect an attack or something. I am not scared, nervous or something, I am pretty calm, just I have become more suspicious.

I am wondering if this is happening because I am becoming more confident in my chances to be able to defend myself (still very little hee hee) or I just read too many of your posts hee hee.

 

[Sukerkin]

Hi charyuop

I wonder if the contents of this thread might be of interest to your question?

http://www.martialtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=47429

 

[shesulsa]

Something happened yesterday that made me realize a thing.
I was in a convinient store waiting in line to pay for gas (I was maybe 6 feet from the door). At a certaing point a man entered. That poor guy might just have gotten off work, so it is not my intention to criticize him, but he was not very clean and not well dressed. What drew mostly my attention was his right hand. While his left hand was loose on his side, his right one was with the thumb in his jeans' pocket turned backwards as if hiding something.
I didn't stare at him, but I continuosly kept myself aware of his presence. I kept my ears and periferical (I guess it is called like this) vision constantly on him. He passed behind me and as soon as he was over me I turned to look at his hand which of course it was empty.

That episode made me realize that this is something that I do always more often. Even at work, when someone I don't like or a group of teenagers passes behind me I keep continuosly their presence very alive in my head...as if I expect an attack or something. I am not scared, nervous or something, I am pretty calm, just I have become more suspicious.

I am wondering if this is happening because I am becoming more confident in my chances to be able to defend myself (still very little hee hee) or I just read too many of your posts hee hee.

To have this forum considered as potentially helping someone with their awareness is *great.*

It's very likely that your training is beginning to kick in, but I really believe that discussing personal safety outside the training center is part of the key to making it a way of life.

If being a member here has helped you at all, I think that rocks! Thanks for the mention!!

:asian:

 

[Haze]

I think it is great that you may feel the forum has helped you. The real thing is that your training, as little or great as it has been, has made you aware of things around you. This is definately what MA training is supposed to do. With out conscience thought you notice things that may be out of the ordinary or that you may percieve as a potential threat. It is part of the journey.

 

[stickarts]

Wherever your awareness came from, its a good thing to have.

 

[Kenzan]

A well-respected Uechi-Ryu Sensei once wrote:

"Be prepared to kill everyone you meet."

 

[MetalStorm]

I am starting to notice things similar as well lately, if someone seems kind of sketchy I sort of visualize what I would do in advance if he started something, or if walking down an alley or something and someones behind you I think of where/what I will do if he jumps me, etc.

 

[jks9199]

I am starting to notice things similar as well lately, if someone seems kind of sketchy I sort of visualize what I would do in advance if he started something, or if walking down an alley or something and someones behind you I think of where/what I will do if he jumps me, etc.

Something happened yesterday that made me realize a thing.
I was in a convinient store waiting in line to pay for gas (I was maybe 6 feet from the door). At a certaing point a man entered. That poor guy might just have gotten off work, so it is not my intention to criticize him, but he was not very clean and not well dressed. What drew mostly my attention was his right hand. While his left hand was loose on his side, his right one was with the thumb in his jeans' pocket turned backwards as if hiding something.
I didn't stare at him, but I continuosly kept myself aware of his presence. I kept my ears and periferical (I guess it is called like this) vision constantly on him. He passed behind me and as soon as he was over me I turned to look at his hand which of course it was empty.

That episode made me realize that this is something that I do always more often. Even at work, when someone I don't like or a group of teenagers passes behind me I keep continuosly their presence very alive in my head...as if I expect an attack or something. I am not scared, nervous or something, I am pretty calm, just I have become more suspicious.

I am wondering if this is happening because I am becoming more confident in my chances to be able to defend myself (still very little hee hee) or I just read too many of your posts hee hee.

These are both good examples of how awareness of threats grows through proper practice. Charyup noticed that somebody around them wasn't "right" and instead of ignoring it, or overreacting -- they simply watched and paid attention. Metalstorm is practicing what the some trainers call "what-when" thinking. "What will I do when they do this...?"

Put 'em together -- and you've got the beginning of what we try to teach cops to do all the time so that they go home at the end of the shift.

Good job!

 

[terryl965]

That is great that between the forum and your training everything is kicking in.

 

[tshadowchaser]

being aware, no matter the reason, is great.
If the forum, your art, whatever is the reason be happy
Being paranoid dose not mean they will not jump you, just that you have a better chance of survival

 

[bushidomartialarts]

This is one of the advantages of martial training. Having such things in our minds creates awareness.

In some (especially novices and brown belts) it becomes an obsession or paranoia, which is unfortunate.

But well done to you. Your training is beginning to take hold.

 

[Touch Of Death]

Something happened yesterday that made me realize a thing.
I was in a convinient store waiting in line to pay for gas (I was maybe 6 feet from the door). At a certaing point a man entered. That poor guy might just have gotten off work, so it is not my intention to criticize him, but he was not very clean and not well dressed. What drew mostly my attention was his right hand. While his left hand was loose on his side, his right one was with the thumb in his jeans' pocket turned backwards as if hiding something.
I didn't stare at him, but I continuosly kept myself aware of his presence. I kept my ears and periferical (I guess it is called like this) vision constantly on him. He passed behind me and as soon as he was over me I turned to look at his hand which of course it was empty.

That episode made me realize that this is something that I do always more often. Even at work, when someone I don't like or a group of teenagers passes behind me I keep continuosly their presence very alive in my head...as if I expect an attack or something. I am not scared, nervous or something, I am pretty calm, just I have become more suspicious.

I am wondering if this is happening because I am becoming more confident in my chances to be able to defend myself (still very little hee hee) or I just read too many of your posts hee hee.

Tsall good. It means you are playing the game.
Sean

 

[MJS]

Something happened yesterday that made me realize a thing.
I was in a convinient store waiting in line to pay for gas (I was maybe 6 feet from the door). At a certaing point a man entered. That poor guy might just have gotten off work, so it is not my intention to criticize him, but he was not very clean and not well dressed. What drew mostly my attention was his right hand. While his left hand was loose on his side, his right one was with the thumb in his jeans' pocket turned backwards as if hiding something.
I didn't stare at him, but I continuosly kept myself aware of his presence. I kept my ears and periferical (I guess it is called like this) vision constantly on him. He passed behind me and as soon as he was over me I turned to look at his hand which of course it was empty.

That episode made me realize that this is something that I do always more often. Even at work, when someone I don't like or a group of teenagers passes behind me I keep continuosly their presence very alive in my head...as if I expect an attack or something. I am not scared, nervous or something, I am pretty calm, just I have become more suspicious.

I am wondering if this is happening because I am becoming more confident in my chances to be able to defend myself (still very little hee hee) or I just read too many of your posts hee hee.

There are a number of great posts on this forum as well as some fantastic, knowledgeable members who've made them. If reading and applying something in RL that someone on here wrote, thats great!! Certainly nothing to be ashamed of.

Mike

 

[KempoFlow]

It's funny you posted this because I find myself doing the same things lately.

For example I was walking with my husband out of the mall the other day, and I vaguely noticed an odd looking character, odd in the way he was acting not his looks. I kept an eye on him out of the corner of my eyes until we got to the car. I asked my husband what he thought about him, and DH never noticed him at all. As we pulled out of the lot I pointed the fella out to him, and he agreed that he was acting strangely.

I find it interesting that I picked up on it and my husband didn't.

 

[charyuop]

I had noticed in the past changes in me due to MA, but those were understandable. For example when I trip on something in the dark I do not fall, I manage my bodyweight so that I remain up. When an object falls my hand is immediately under that obect to catch it (I might not grab it, but the hand is there ready).

But this thing that I noticed about awerness kinda struck me with surprise. At first I started thinking...I am getting paranoid, I read too much about people being attacked that I see attackers around me now. While keeping an eye on myself I noticed that it is not paranoia because my attention is drawn only by certain people and not all of them.
Seeing that this is something other beginners start to feel makes me feel more "part of the game" hee hee.

 

[jks9199]

I had noticed in the past changes in me due to MA, but those were understandable. For example when I trip on something in the dark I do not fall, I manage my bodyweight so that I remain up. When an object falls my hand is immediately under that obect to catch it (I might not grab it, but the hand is there ready).

But this thing that I noticed about awerness kinda struck me with surprise. At first I started thinking...I am getting paranoid, I read too much about people being attacked that I see attackers around me now. While keeping an eye on myself I noticed that it is not paranoia because my attention is drawn only by certain people and not all of them.
Seeing that this is something other beginners start to feel makes me feel more "part of the game" hee hee.

2 points...

First -- automatically catching falling objects is NOT a wise habit. I've seen people reach and catch falling knives, resulting in stitches. Before you catch something that's falling -- make sure you know what it is!

Second -- There's a fine line between paranoia and reasonable awareness or alertness. It's one thing if you notice someone that doesn't seem right; it's another if NOTHING seems right around you anymore. I'm pretty sure that this was covered in a couple of places on MT over the last few months.

 

[INDYFIGHTER]

Being a little paranoid is not a bad thing. A lot of situations can be avoided by simply crossing to the other side of the street. And there is nothing wrong with being aware of the person walking behind you on the sidewalk. Long before I ever joined MA I was credited by my friends as having great situational awareness. Last summer while walking through the parking lot at my day job I noticed a man taking a strange path across the lot. Once I passed infront of him he quickly changed coarse and began to follow me which inturn made me change my coarse and stop to observe where this guy was going. Turns out he had just stolen a few hundred dollars of merchandise from the Menards store next door and thrown them over the back fence and was now trying to slip between our buildings to recover his loot. Once I brought it to the attention of my manager and we went to approach the guy now behind our building he bolted and left the merchandise lying on the ground.

It's nice to think most people are good, honest citizens that mean you no harm but there's nothing wrong with knowing that SOME people are not.