Don't hold your breath if somebody attacks you!

"Another critical factor towards controlling
yourself during a confrontation, is through
controlling your breathing.

In stressful situations such as a potentially
violent confrontation there is a tendency to
take a shallow breathe in, followed by the
action of holding your breathe or to continue
breathing at a very shallow rate, both of which
only serve to increase the anxiety of your
situation...

Instead we should aim to FEED our lungs with
oxygen by breathing in through the nose, taking
the air deep down into the lower abdomen,
holding it briefly before expelling the breath
out through the mouth.

0f course we would need to make such a practice
both habitual and natural looking in order
to appear in complete control.

This is more applicable during the verbal interview
part of a confrontation or if you have some kind
of pre-warning that a situation is developing,
as good awareness will allow.

Then you will have the chance to gain such
control over your breathing.

A good method of practice when you find yourself
becoming adrenalised or even slightly agitated
is to take 3 deep breaths.

Breathe in for 3 seconds hold for 3 seconds and
breathe out for 3 seconds repeating until you
achieve a calmer and more controlled state.

I used to practice this method whilst working on
the door. When ever I was called to a situation
over the radio I would use this technique on route
to the scene.

The LOWER you can keep your heart rate the more
control you will have.

Although the adrenal conditioning developed
through the proper use of simulation and Scenario
type training drills CAN help you de-sensitise to
the effects of this essential biochemistry, they
can never completely duplicate to the same degree
of intensity as that of a real life or death
situation.

They will however allow you to reduce the reality
gap between the dojo and the street.

You should learn all that you can about the
workings of fear and adrenaline, understand
the importance of breath control in order to
help lower the heart rate, but de-sensitisation
can ONLY take place through repeated exposure
to those feelings.

This falls in line with what I said at the
beginning about people working in high risk
jobs and learning to control them selves and
function under pressure, due to the repeated
exposure that their working environment has to
offer on a daily basis.

You would be amazed at what you can get used
to."