Why do I forget my training in the heat of battle?

[Angwilwileth]

Thank you for all this information people. I have been having the same problem, and this information will be greatly appreciated.

[Inquartata]

Originally Posted by parrythis

Yes. Absolutely. I have been studying and practicing the "mushin", empty mind techniques, and while it helps, it is also part of the problem. When I empty my mind, that's when I fall back into the old bad habits.

You have not drilled, practiced and used the actions ( correctly ) enough, then. Adrenaline does specific, predictable things to us. One of those is what some people have been talking about above as 'psychological arousal'; another is attenuation of fine motor skills. These can only be come by ingraining the actions in muscle memory, or at least in the subconscious.

When I was in the academy, the firearms instructors told us that in a gunfight "You will shoot the way you train", and therefore they trained the dickens out of us. But it has to be correct training. They highlighted the point with a sobering anecdote about a police officer killed in a shootout with an armed robbery suspect because he behaved the way he trained...and the training had a faulty aspect.

He had been trained that when emptying the casings from his revolver he should put them in his pocket. This meant no picking up brass on the range. But it also meant several wasted seconds between emptying the casings and inserting a fresh speedloader. He emptied his weapon and before he could reload the bad guy ran up to him and shot him dead. His body was found with his empty gun beside him---but all the spent brass in his pocket, just as if he were on the shooting range.

Train in those actions, but train them in correctly.

[VELISARIOS]

This come from your stress and from phychological pressure. Try to be calm and relax. This is the only way.
And a suggestion try to feel your training like tournament. It helps.

[DJ Apostrophe]

Originally Posted by Gav

Anyway my personal battlecry [for those uncomfortable where are the backups meetings] is always "It's Dell's fault".

Its surpising how often you can invoke that... (And be right!)

-w

[Mr Epee]

I have nothing to add to the contributions of Dote and Jason... so I will merely suggest that "Your rack a disciprine"

Oh, and to perform under stress you need to practice under stress.

[parrythis]

One of the things that leads me to post this thread is that drilling, no matter how many hours you do it, is fundamentally different than bouting. When a person drills, they are doing a particular move in a particular way because that's what they're supposed to do at that moment in time. There are no choices to make, there is no timing, just do the move over and over. Done - perfect!

Programming the muscle memory is great but it is not the entire answer. The difference between drilling and bouting is that in bouting we have to make choices and choose to invoke the correct muscle memory at the correct time.

Perhaps an example would help. Some attacks should be made with a suppinated hand. Some should be made with a pronated hand. I can practice both ad nauseum. The other night, I noticed that I was using a pronated hand for most of my attacks whether it was right to do so or not. In this example, both the "suppinated attack" muscle memory and the "pronated attack" muscle memory are programmed. The problem is the wrong muscle memory is being used at the wrong time. So, sometimes, it's not knowing how to make the move right, its knowing when to make the right move.

One of the things we sometimes do in our salle to help with this is to do simulated bouts with peer and/or coach critique. It's a three step process. First we bout for a few touches with peers and/or the coach watching. Then we stop and listen to observers' comments about what we're doing right (positive reinforcement) and what we're doing wrong (and how it could be done better - positive again). After the comments we resume bouting and attempt to implement the suggestions. The tight loop between learning and practicing/implementing helps to burn the lesson in faster/better.

[oiuyt]

Originally Posted by parrythis

When a person drills, they are doing a particular move in a particular way because that's what they're supposed to do at that moment in time. There are no choices to make, there is no timing, just do the move over and over. Done - perfect!

Depends on the design of the drill. There are certainly choice-reaction drills.

There's a whole spectrum from blocked individual action technical drills through controlled bouting and eventually up to tournament bouting. And there are appropriate ways of creating drills all along that continuum. If you only drill at the most basic level it shouldn't be surprising that there's minimal transference of the skill to open bouting.

-B

[Jason]

Originally Posted by parrythis

When a person drills, they are doing a particular move in a particular way because that's what they're supposed to do at that moment in time. There are no choices to make, there is no timing, just do the move over and over.

Then you are drilling poorly.

You need choices, variety, change of rhythm, surprises, etc., in your fencing exercises (drills), or you else you're just spending a lot of time paving a long road to Scrubtown.

[parrythis]

Thanks to everyone who responded. Lot's of good advice here.

One of the recurring themes of the advice is to drill more and to do drills that more closely emulate competition situations. I cited one drill that we do that attempts to do that. Does anyone have any suggestions for specific drills that will help to achieve these goals? What I'm looking for here are drills that go beyond the basic "do this move" genre and address timing, distance, tactical choices, and anything else of importance.

[RITFencing]

I do, and I teach them, but for some reason I'm drawing a blank right now. RIT's brain no work. More later.

[keith]

Originally Posted by parrythis

Thanks to everyone who responded. Lot's of good advice here.

One of the recurring themes of the advice is to drill more and to do drills that more closely emulate competition situations. I cited one drill that we do that attempts to do that. Does anyone have any suggestions for specific drills that will help to achieve these goals? What I'm looking for here are drills that go beyond the basic "do this move" genre and address timing, distance, tactical choices, and anything else of importance.

unhelpful comment;

This is why you use a coach. Choice/reaction/etc drills are very hard to just do (as opposed to fixed action drills).

If you don't have a coach to do this then a couple of suggestions;

Do these drills with one partner, so the two of you actually become at least semi-competent.

Keep the drills simple. Do no more than distance, and timing of the simple attack/parry riposte.


A very simple type of drill would be;

Pick the leader.

At lunge distance leader steps forward with no extension of the arm in the first instance.

On the movement of the front foot the follower either (leaders response in parantheses);

makes a simple attack (parry riposte)

makes no movement (lunge direct)

steps back. (the leader completes their step to maintain distance and we begin again).

If you do this slowly often enough you can begin to make the actions from step lunge, add in extensions during the leaders step and even include the beat attack etc. But never overcomplicate the drill.

This is not an easy drill to do properly.

EDIT;

Here is another one (assuming you know 5 attacks). With a partner keep distance until they present their blade, you then attack but must cycle through the 5 attacks. If you repeat before that change over.

[slowgraffiti515]

videotaping yourself in a tournament situation would definatley help you...especially if you know something is wrong but you arent exactly sure what that is. good luck!