We all have preconceived notions of what our day will or will not hold due to routine and rote practice, so much so that said actions almost become muscle memory. We sail through every day on “auto-pilot,” until something happens that challenges our common circumstances and forces us into a position in which we must act immediately with little or no time to “think” about what to do, but only react. One must be able to perform without panic and always with the most open mind possible.

Fight or Flight

When the Human Body is subjected to a terror or life-threatening situation, it immediately triggers what is known as a “Fight or Flight” fear response. In this response, different things happen inside your body that can make some individuals “freeze” because they are not prepared mentally for the task at hand. Fear is a chain reaction in the brain that starts with a stressful stimulus and ends with the release of chemicals that cause a racing heart, fast breathing and energized muscles. To not panic in a hostile situation would truly be a challenge, but not an impossible one. It is imperative that one is able use the natural reactions of their body in the stress situation to their benefit by keeping their mind focused on their immediate task: survival.

It is for this reason that martial artists study daily to “program” their bodies to “react” by continuing to study forms, katas, and sparring drills. These are all good ideas to start from; however, these “techniques” leave something to be desired because the real world is not as predictable as a sparring partner can be. A world renowned martial artist named Bruce Lee created an entire fighting style around the idea that one could not prepare for any real confrontation by wrote practice (Jeet Kune Do), but through different and spontaneous means of defending and attacking an opponent. He did this by studying not only other martial arts, but also the human body as a whole and how it functioned. The Ninja too studied the human body and also the great arts of stealth. It is not well known however that Ninja spent long hours to train their mind.

Most Powerful Weapon

The most powerful weapon you have, is your mind.

I want you to take a minute and think about that statement before you continue reading. Most of our minds are not as powerful as we would like them to be (whether you admit it, realize it, or not). This is because we have preconceived notions about whatever the subject matter at hand is.

For example, when one learns math, one will often learn the 'base-10' system (meaning there are ten symbols used to represent each digit, 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8, and 9). As everyone knows, with base-10, you can only count 0-9 before you must add another digit to represent larger numbers. However, most of us do not fully realize what this means and, therefore, how our base ten system truly works. 1 = 1x10⁰ and 14 = ( 1x10¹ ) + (4x10⁰) ... confusing? To help with illustrating my point, let us consider for a moment that in our base ten system there are shapes you could use to help you really understand what you see.

So, you see, the number 1 can be represented as one unit, or 1x10⁰. You can further see that the number eleven, can be represented as one rod (1x10¹) and one unit. If you have the number 183, you have one flat (1x10²), eight rods (8x10¹), and three units (3x10⁰). If you're still following, then hopefully you'll be able to see how this can be used to understand numbers in different base systems. This same logic can then be used to help us determine the base-10 equivalent of a number in base-2 (binary). Think of the number in binary of 10, in base-10, this is simply ten, but in base-2 this is ... the number 2. Again, let's think of 10 in base-2 as being a rod and an unit, but this time, since we are in base-2, a rod and a unit are 1x2⁰ and 1x2¹ respectively. Here is an illustration to help with understanding this:

The concepts discussed are difficult to understand at first, but when given a teaching tool and the application of prior knowledge, you can use the understanding to innovate and learn in new ways.

I have an exercise for you to try right now: I want you to look about your immediate surrounding and think about what you see; you will want to do this for about 20 seconds. Now, close your eyes (after reading the rest of this line of course) and I want you to picture in your mind the exact images around you and recall everything in your mind exactly as it is. Could you remember and see everything? Did you make a note of the nearest exit, entrance, windows, furniture, and possible weapons? Could you make your way to the bathroom or the exit without looking?

We all too often comprehend events and objects just as they are. For example, a broom stick is just a broom stick to most, but when you think creatively, that same wooden broomstick can be a bow staff, a fishing rod, a walking stick, or a makeshift spear. Most people who wield or have wielded a sword forget that a pommel is not just a decorative item, but a blunt weapon. A small handheld flashlight that protrudes from either side of your hand just slightly can be used as a kubotan. Even a common ink pen or pencil can be a weapon if used in the proper manner. It is not the object that should form the perception but the possibilities that the object has to offer which should inform our perception. In another example, a window is not just a window but can be an exit or entrance in a crunch, something to keep in mind when one may have to get out of someplace in a hurry and a door is not close by. To give further a further example, a barstool can be used as a seat or an effective impromptu weapon, or it could be used to put distance between you and an attacker by keeping it between you and any opponant.

I want you to look around again and pick one item, focus on it, and then picture in your mind some of the obvious uses of said item. Now, I want you to try and think deeper and imagine some (if not all) of the other uses of it. You may even want to write a few of them down so to serve as a reminder of all the uses you came up with so far. It could be a game you play all the time everyday with everything if you wanted it to be.

Practice Makes Perfect

Now, here is the tricky part, one has to train the mind to think outside of the predetermined “norm” on a regular basis because it is proven that those individuals who work on keeping their mind working and thinking are the same individuals who can adapt to any situation and these are the ones who will survive. Exercises for this are easy to find and are not very difficult to perform. One only has to open up a newspaper to a crossword puzzle and presto, you are training your mind. There is also the tried and true Memory game where you have cards on a table in pairs turned face down and you have to remember which ones are pairs by flipping them over and matching them to their pair. The popular Nintendo Dual Screen system has capitalized on this same idea with the introduction of the games “Brain Age”1 and 2 (which are a huge hit with younger and older crowds alike) so if you are “video game nut” this may be an option to consider.

Brain training doesn’t stop at the “memory department” because we must train ourselves to concentrate and be aware of our bodies as well. Martial artists, yoga instructors, and psychologists will tell you that when you control your breathing, you are forcing your body to remain calm; your body sends calming endorphins to your nervous system when you use any type of slow, controlled deep breathing. This fact is also part of the reason that martial artists are told to exhale when they attacking. Ever wonder why a martial artist will “scream” when they attack someone? The answer to this question is that the martial artist is using this “scream” to help them focus and “scare the hell” out of their opponent. This “scream” is more often known as a kia (key-ah) and helps the martial artist to redirect his/her “chi” (also known as ki) energy into a more powerful and focused strike. In a situation where the “fight or flight” response kicks in, the martial artist uses the “scream” to help push themselves through their own fear of their assailant so this may also be something you will want to incorporate in your own preparation. The Ninja studied a silent form of this “scream” so that they could get the drop on their enemies without alerting their foes of the Ninja’s presence. (More information on the “silent scream” can be found in the book The Nine Halls of Death: Ninja Secrets of Mind Mastery by Dr. Haha Lung).

Last, but certainly not least, we have to train our imagination. How can one ever see all the possibilities of a “mere stick” if we never allow our mind to get away from the “it is just a stick” mentality? A stick can be a spike if sharpened or it can become a weapon immediately by throwing it at something. The same stick could be used as a splint in a bad situation. A whole bunch of sticks “put-together” over a large hole in the ground have effectively become a “trap door”. There are so many uses for so many items in and around our everyday lives that have far more than their intended uses. My challenge to you is to let your imagination “run wild” and find these different ideas and options NOW. Preparation is the best prevention but if something cannot be prevented, wouldn’t it be nice to already have imagined what good a “broom stick” could be. Do not limit yourself; your only limitation should be your own imagination and judgment on how to or not to use anything you can get your hands on to survive.

In closing, I hope that this gave some new insight into some techniques and practices that can be employed daily to better ourselves. The best benefit of all of this is when you start training your brain; you also start to learn how you learn and how your brain works. This means you can teach yourself to do new things even more efficiently. There is a process called “discovery” in which people come to understand certain concepts, actions, and ideas almost internally without the need of a “teacher.” This discovery process is brought about when an individual actively teaches him or herself through intuitive thought and action. This is your goal. To unlock your power of Discovery!