Combat Psychology: Zone Theory and Types Violence
For purposes of this discussion, an area or a situation, can be described as "Green", "Yellow", or "Red". Green is a safe zone. You can relax. Yellow is an alert zone. Be on guard and prepared for potential violence. Red is a danger zone. Shit's going down.
Likewise, for the purposes of this discussion, we have three different types of violence. Sudden violence, unexpected violence and anticipated violence. Understanding and adjusting your natural reaction in each zone, and in each situation is key to survival.
Sudden violence will be defined as violence that takes place in a yellow or red zone without warning or notice. Ironically, for the well trained, sudden violence is the easiest type to deal with. There is no room for nervousness, for exotic plans or strategy, for fear, or any of the other things that tend to sabotage actions in violent situations. Your reaction, fight or flight, will most likely be instantaneous in this setting. If you wish to change your reaction, drilling is key.
Unexpected violence will be defined as sudden violence in a green zone. This can be a particularly dangerous scenario as it can cause a "What the fuck?" reaction instead of a proper fight or flight response. This is due to deactivating the combat protocols in the anticipation of safety. This effect can be particularly devastating to security professionals. "Clocking out" is of course necessary, but if you're still in the area which you were securing, you want to remain on yellow.
Finally, we have anticipated violence. This is violence that you can see coming a mile away. While advanced notice can seem like an advantage, it can also lead to a decrease in performance. By allowing for nerves, doubt as to the course of action, doubt as to whether or not violence will actually occur, anticipation can lead errors in judgement.
Now, the psychology spoken of here isn't universal, but each martial artist should understand their own unique reactions with these different zones and scenarios. If you don't know, then your technical ability is virtually useless.
For purposes of this discussion, an area or a situation, can be described as "Green", "Yellow", or "Red". Green is a safe zone. You can relax. Yellow is an alert zone. Be on guard and prepared for potential violence. Red is a danger zone. Shit's going down.
Likewise, for the purposes of this discussion, we have three different types of violence. Sudden violence, unexpected violence and anticipated violence. Understanding and adjusting your natural reaction in each zone, and in each situation is key to survival.
Sudden violence will be defined as violence that takes place in a yellow or red zone without warning or notice. Ironically, for the well trained, sudden violence is the easiest type to deal with. There is no room for nervousness, for exotic plans or strategy, for fear, or any of the other things that tend to sabotage actions in violent situations. Your reaction, fight or flight, will most likely be instantaneous in this setting. If you wish to change your reaction, drilling is key.
Unexpected violence will be defined as sudden violence in a green zone. This can be a particularly dangerous scenario as it can cause a "What the fuck?" reaction instead of a proper fight or flight response. This is due to deactivating the combat protocols in the anticipation of safety. This effect can be particularly devastating to security professionals. "Clocking out" is of course necessary, but if you're still in the area which you were securing, you want to remain on yellow.
Finally, we have anticipated violence. This is violence that you can see coming a mile away. While advanced notice can seem like an advantage, it can also lead to a decrease in performance. By allowing for nerves, doubt as to the course of action, doubt as to whether or not violence will actually occur, anticipation can lead errors in judgement.
Now, the psychology spoken of here isn't universal, but each martial artist should understand their own unique reactions with these different zones and scenarios. If you don't know, then your technical ability is virtually useless.
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