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It seems as though anger can provide a temporary boost of energy and strength as well as, potentially, more tolerance for pain. If that is so, could anger be used as a tool for self-defense purposes? Could one train oneself to push aside fear and produce anger against the opponent in a self-defense situation, possibly gaining enough strength through it to defeat him? Or would it be a bad strategy, because anger tends to make you think less rationally, which could lead to you hurting the opponent more than necessary or missing small things, such as the deployment of a weapon?
Is anger useful or not useful in a fight?
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GiantkillerI would say that if one trains under stress as much as possible, trains to fight through anger, and trains to turn pain into anger, then yes, one can defintely use anger as a tool to affect their adrenalin levels while in a fight.
While most people become less rational, disoriented, and confused in a stressful and angry situation, I believe someone that trains to fight through stress, as I Krav practitioner should, could use pain, fear, even slight injury, to ones advantage.
But what do I know, I’m just some Navy guy! 😉
I think in moderation it would be a very good tool. The only thing is that anger causes stress (duh) and you would have to train yourself to keep breathing and stay somewhat loose through the anger/stress. Otherwise, it might end up hurting more than helping.
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quote \”jburtonpdx\:\”Dont make me angry, You wouldnt like me when Im angry\”Quick where is that from? 8)
The Incredible Hulk!
By the way, does anyone know what happens in the body when a person gets angry? Is adrenaline released (which may account for added strength)? What happens in the brain that might make you think less rationally? How long would these effects last? As long as the person stays angry, or is it more like a quick boost of energy that fades away rather quickly?
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GiantkillerThere is an enormous physiologic response to stress, which is the body’s natural response to SURVIVE … this includes the \”adrenaline dump\” among other things. This is commonly known as \”The Fight or Flight\” response. So termed because it is the body’s physiolgic response to either stand and fight, or flee; both of which require increased energy among other things.
Essentially:
Due to a general sympathetic nervious system \”discharge\” epinephrine, norepinephrine and cortisol are released into the bloodstream. These potent chemicals work to (among other things)increase blood pressure, heart rate and stroke volume (the volume of blood that leaves the heart over one minute) in order to provide the muscles with additional oxygen (carried in the blood by hemoglobin found in red blood cells) which they’ll need in response to the increased energy required to fight or flee. Additionally, blood is shunted from areas of the body such as the digestive tract and kidneys – systems that are not needed at the moment – (by blood vessels constricting – vasoconstriction), to the skeletal muscles (major external muscle groups such as the limbs) with a concurrent increase in blood flow to those muscle groups due to blood vessel relaxation within them (vasodilation). Further, our respiratory rate is increased, our pupils dialate and vision sharpens, pain perception changes (decreases) due to endorphin release, glucose levels increase to supply additional energy, blood vessels to the skin are constricted (possibly to decrease bleeding – theory), and hair stands on end – possibly to increase our sensitivity to the environment, possibly to make us appear bigger …We are now prepared, to fight (or flee).
I don’t know if the time (how long it lasts) has been studied – I’ve read anecdotal stories (primarily from gunfights) of it ending with the cessation of threat, to lasting several minutes or even longer.
If you \”Google\” \”fight or flight\” and maybe add \”physiology\” or \”streess response\” even \”adrenaline dump\” you ought to be able to find some decent, more thorough explanations …
If I am riding my mountain bike \”in the zone\” and I brush past a thorny bush or take a fall, I frequently won’t notice scratches and cuts until after the ride is finished.
So are these physiological responses the same when one is experiencing anger? I’m not sure if it’s the same thing, because you could be angry at someone, but not necessarily feel threatened by him. Or you could be ready to fight in a self-defense situation, but not be angry at the attacker, just on alert and ready to strike. In that case, if you are ready to defend yourself, would it be advantageous to also be angry at him, or would anger (and the physiological changes in your body it brings about) impede your ability to fight him?
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GiantkillerRe:
quote \”Giantkiller\:So are these physiological responses the same when one is experiencing anger?
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GiantkillerThe short answer is, I don’t know. Here’s what I think; Yes, and no.
My theory is this: You can be angry, and not experience this physiologic response (or at least experience it to a much lesser degree). And, you can be angry and absolutely experience this physiologic response. I would guess, that it depends on what triggers the anger, who one is angry with and why, and how angry one is. That kind of anger IMO is not anger by itself – It’s usually compounded by some other emotion, probably many. Fear, loss, sadness, betrayal …
Think of your own experiences – Have you ever been so angry that perhaps you had tunnel vision? Been in an argument and can’t really remember the details? Punched a wall (or something else)? Began breathing heavy, had the feeling of your heart pounding and perhaps paced back and forth, sticking your chest out? Most of us have experienced something like this, and I would guess that it is some manifestation of this physiologic response.
To piggy back on what Jeff said, I think if you are angry in that something has upset you and now you feel angry, hurt, perhaps depressed or discouraged, you’re likely not going to have the same reaction as if you were angry in that something or someone has done something to provoke, insult, or endanger you and has caused you to become enraged.
Wow, that’s one LONG sentence.
I guess in the case of self-defense, I’d be angry at the guy for attacking me. Or I’d try to make myself get angry at him and that would be my motivation. Gotta go right now, but I’ll think about it some more!
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GiantkillerOkay, i’m back. I guess when I’m thinking \”angry\” for self-defense purposes, I’m thinking about a person being enraged, not merely annoyed.
Here’s one real life example where anger seemed to be working well: We were sparring in a class and were supposed to go lightly. Everyone did, but one guy seemed to be going stronger. When I was working with him, he hit me several times pretty strongly, but I was able to suck it up and continue. Then he suddenly nailed me with a liver kick, sending me straight down to the floor. After I was already down, he kicked me again, to the head, really rattling my brain. Now, that P.O.’d me a little that he would kick me while I was down.
So, I was on the ground, my head rattled from the head kick, barely able to breathe from the liver kick and he was standing there, towering above me. Ordinarily, what I wanted to do was just wait maybe 20 seconds or so before trying to get back up and slowly continue. But then I thought, what if this were a real fight? He would jump right on top of me and probably get mounted, hitting me some more and now it would be nearly impossible for me to get back up.
So, I realized my only chance would be to get back up quickly and try to continue fighting standing up and \”finishing\” him. I was thinking all of that in a few split seconds and then I decided to try and use the anger I had felt about the kick to the head to my advantage, to use it to find the energy to get back up, despite the fact that I was hurting. It worked and I jumped right back up at my opponent, screaming something and peppering him with punches to the body (all controlled of course and not even 100% power).
Anyway, I was able to drive him all across the room and into a wall and he was unable to throw a single punch, before concerned fellow students and teachers were able to run over and pull me off him, thinking I was going to kill the poor guy. I stopped punching and tried to explain and it may have solidified my reputation as a lunatic, but no matter, it was quite an interesting experience. 😉
But it showed that in that particular case the anger not only helped me get back up, but my angry scream so terrified (or confused) my opponent that he was unable to fight back for a moment. In a street fight, I could have used that opportunity to really hurt him, even using eye gouges and such.
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Giantkiller
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