Innoculate yourself against extreme stress with repeated authentic training; play win-only paintball, train 911-dialing and -reporting.
“The value of Boxing is not in the skill acquired, though that too has real value in hand-to-hand combat, but because it quickly acclimates the body and mind to the violence and shock so foreign to modern day youth, yet so absolutely essential to fighting men.” Boxing manual of US Naval Institute, 1943 and I don’t own a copy, I got this quote second-hand, cannot vouch for its authenticity.
But this is what I have figured out myself, too. I wanted to “man up”, and in mind and heart, not only in body, as I used to be a bit of a body builder when I was young and I understood how looking like a warrior yet not being one can feel completely fake. And I tried to reduce and reduce the essence of manliness or heroism, I ended up with courage, and I asked myself what would be scariest thing I could expose myself to in order to develop my courage, and the answer was to expose myself to 100 punches / minute into the face in the sparring ring. Boxing is courage.zip, it is simply more intense psychologically that than any other martial art including MMA or BJJ or wrestling. The point is, it is not dangerous (on these very amateur levels, with head protection), but it feels so, and that is what matters.
Actually the idea of climbing rocks or parachuting scares me much more, but that is so much scare that I cannot overcome, I would just freeze, this much scare I can cope with and grow with.
The issue with paintball is that you know it cannot hurt you. Of all the possible forms of mostly safe violence you can consent to in order to develop courage, the one that both feels the most real, and is more or less actually real, and is very intense and fast, is a guy trying to beat your face flat in a boxing ring. It is hard to find any sport or activity that is closer to people really trying to hurt each other. For example, in wrestling practice, you know you are not getting hurt, just immobilized. And besides the “is actually real” factor, there is an even higher “feels real” factor: when people try to intimidate each other, they usually promise a knuckle sandwich, not a TKD kick or a grappling hold. So it inoculates against exactly that.
This is a valid point. I just wonder how to limit the danger to the brain in boxing. I’d have suggested other martial arts that also provide experience with injuries but only of the fully healing kind (though I’m not clear on whether there may be long-term effects from any serious injury).
The issue with paintball is that you know it cannot hurt you.
Many things don’t hurt people and they know it and they nonethesless fear it. I’m not sure this is a sufficient criteria.
I hear paintball can hurt bad if it hits you in the face. Not as bad a boxing probably though.
I did choose fencing. No injuries more serious then scratches and bruises. Fast piercing moves.
This is a valid point. I just wonder how to limit the danger to the brain in boxing.
Just don’t spend a whole life going against Evander Holyfield types without head protection. Amateur sparring level with headgear is safe enough. Same difference as Forma 1 racing vs. driving a Camry to work.
If merely looking to elevate into yellow/red levels of arousal through safe means, let me suggest a digital approach: not “ego shooters” but rather 1 vs. 1 competitive Real-Time Strategy (RTS) vs. anonymous human opponents. I’m sure one can build up a tolerance, but a 2-month fling with Starcraft II taught me that stress gets amplified by the following:
1.Complex cognitive demands.
2.Knowing that no-one will come to your aid.
3.Feeling like your opponent has absolutely no reservations about eviscerating you (probably helped by not being able to see them)
I studied the game intently, advanced above the 50th percentile quickly… and had to give it up. By the end of each round I was often too shaky to manipulate my mouse. I would have to run in place and then pace for long periods to lower my heart rate. The clincher, though, was the impact on my temper. I would become enraged at little things, and the mindset could persist for 12 hours or more.
For me, playing felt too much like being a hunted animal. Interestingly, a friend of mine gave up the game for similar reasons—but described his experience as feeling too predatory, like he was stalking and literally killing his opponents, with resulting damage to his own psyche.
“The value of Boxing is not in the skill acquired, though that too has real value in hand-to-hand combat, but because it quickly acclimates the body and mind to the violence and shock so foreign to modern day youth, yet so absolutely essential to fighting men.” Boxing manual of US Naval Institute, 1943 and I don’t own a copy, I got this quote second-hand, cannot vouch for its authenticity.
But this is what I have figured out myself, too. I wanted to “man up”, and in mind and heart, not only in body, as I used to be a bit of a body builder when I was young and I understood how looking like a warrior yet not being one can feel completely fake. And I tried to reduce and reduce the essence of manliness or heroism, I ended up with courage, and I asked myself what would be scariest thing I could expose myself to in order to develop my courage, and the answer was to expose myself to 100 punches / minute into the face in the sparring ring. Boxing is courage.zip, it is simply more intense psychologically that than any other martial art including MMA or BJJ or wrestling. The point is, it is not dangerous (on these very amateur levels, with head protection), but it feels so, and that is what matters.
Actually the idea of climbing rocks or parachuting scares me much more, but that is so much scare that I cannot overcome, I would just freeze, this much scare I can cope with and grow with.
The issue with paintball is that you know it cannot hurt you. Of all the possible forms of mostly safe violence you can consent to in order to develop courage, the one that both feels the most real, and is more or less actually real, and is very intense and fast, is a guy trying to beat your face flat in a boxing ring. It is hard to find any sport or activity that is closer to people really trying to hurt each other. For example, in wrestling practice, you know you are not getting hurt, just immobilized. And besides the “is actually real” factor, there is an even higher “feels real” factor: when people try to intimidate each other, they usually promise a knuckle sandwich, not a TKD kick or a grappling hold. So it inoculates against exactly that.
This is a valid point. I just wonder how to limit the danger to the brain in boxing. I’d have suggested other martial arts that also provide experience with injuries but only of the fully healing kind (though I’m not clear on whether there may be long-term effects from any serious injury).
Many things don’t hurt people and they know it and they nonethesless fear it. I’m not sure this is a sufficient criteria.
I hear paintball can hurt bad if it hits you in the face. Not as bad a boxing probably though.
I did choose fencing. No injuries more serious then scratches and bruises. Fast piercing moves.
Just don’t spend a whole life going against Evander Holyfield types without head protection. Amateur sparring level with headgear is safe enough. Same difference as Forma 1 racing vs. driving a Camry to work.
If merely looking to elevate into yellow/red levels of arousal through safe means, let me suggest a digital approach: not “ego shooters” but rather 1 vs. 1 competitive Real-Time Strategy (RTS) vs. anonymous human opponents. I’m sure one can build up a tolerance, but a 2-month fling with Starcraft II taught me that stress gets amplified by the following:
1.Complex cognitive demands.
2.Knowing that no-one will come to your aid.
3.Feeling like your opponent has absolutely no reservations about eviscerating you (probably helped by not being able to see them)
I studied the game intently, advanced above the 50th percentile quickly… and had to give it up. By the end of each round I was often too shaky to manipulate my mouse. I would have to run in place and then pace for long periods to lower my heart rate. The clincher, though, was the impact on my temper. I would become enraged at little things, and the mindset could persist for 12 hours or more.
For me, playing felt too much like being a hunted animal. Interestingly, a friend of mine gave up the game for similar reasons—but described his experience as feeling too predatory, like he was stalking and literally killing his opponents, with resulting damage to his own psyche.
He may have been better than I was.