Using NLP in Combatives Training!

The use of NLP, or Neuro-Linguistic Programming, has become quite popular in the sports psychology world. It has been used to combat performance anxiety in sports ranging from Golf, Baseball, Tennis and combative sports like Boxing.

I also feel however that NLP is great tool that can enhance your combatives training experience, specifically by helping to develop self-confidence, dealing with fear and creating a more aggressive mindset.  

NLP was developed in the 1970’s by Richard Bandler and John Grinder. They were attempting to create a model of language, in particular the language used by therapists. In effect what they were doing was creating a logical way to explain what successful therapists were doing instinctively. In a nutshell, NLP tells us that the words we say have meaning that we often don’t intend and people’s interpretation of those words affect their mindset. 

Neuro: refers to how the mind and body interact

Linguistic: refers to the insights into a person’s thinking that can be obtained by careful attention to their use of language

Programming: refers, not to the activity of programming, but to the study of the thinking and behavioral patterns or ‘programmes’ which people use in their daily lives.

More concisely, NLP is the study of how language (both what we say and what we hear) affects our behavior patterns and Mind-Body interaction. 

NLP can be used to very different degrees in combatives training. For example, Darren Laur has a master’s degree in NLP and it forms the base of his teaching methodology. Jerry Peterson, the creator of SCARS, renamed it Neuro-Offensive Linguistics, copyrighted it and has made millions. I don’t take it that far and you don’t have to either. Here are a few simple ways you can add NLP to your combatives training.

Watching what you say:

We have already explained that language can affect our mindset. Now we have to take that concept and apply it to our training. It can be as simple as noticing the words you use. Here is one example Darren Laur gives in his article ‘Hypnosis, NLP and the Combative Edge’ :

I never use the word “defender” i.e. attacker/defender.  Defending denotes “defensive” mindset.  I want “offensive” mind set in my students, so I always substitute defender with “fighter” i.e. Attacker/Fighter.

Darren believes that the combatives mindset is an offensive one and as such he wants to eliminate all defensive thought. He could teach the most offensive methods known to man but if he kept the terms Defender or Self-Defense his students would always assume a defensive or reactive mindset.

Another example of aggressive terminology is the word block compared to the word strike. By striking you have performed an aggressive move, even if the movements are the same as your block … To illustrate, if you walk into any traditional Karate school you will see students practicing rising blocks in the traditional manner. They will be in strong front stances and the blocks will rise up sharply to intercept the attacks. 

Put these same students in a sparring session or self-preservation scenario against a resisting opponent and the outcome is much different. Each student will lean back, putting his or her weight on the back foot. The arm will be placed up to block the incoming strike. This defensive technique is not conducive to self-preservation. Simply by using an aggressive mindset and telling students to strike the limb (aggressive terminology) one has turned the defensive technique into an offensive one. The students will step into the technique, backs straight, delivering blows to the incoming strikes to defeat their intent.

Try that one out yourself. Have a person with a Karate/Traditional background stand in front of you and tell him to block your punch with that technique. Now, really throw the punch at him fast and hard so you get an honest reaction. Second, tell him to strike your limb using the same technique. Observe the differences …

Affirmations:

Another method in which NLP is very useful is by using affirmations. One of the biggest problems in combatives is what I call the ‘Circle of Fear’

Circle of Fear

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A lack of confidence creates fear, which in turn creates a greater lack of confidence, which in turn creates more fear, ad infinitum. Daily affirmations can create more confidence in oneself thus breaking the Circle of Fear. Here is a wonderfully combative affirmation by Dennis Martin, a noted instructor from the UK who makes use of NLP:  

I WILL DO, WHATEVER IT TAKES, TO WIN THE FIGHT … I WILL FIGHT FAST, I WILL FIGHT HARD, I WILL FIGHT SMART AND I WILL WIN … I MAY BE HIT, I MAY BE CUT, I MAY GO DOWN, I MAY FEEL PAIN, I MAY FEEL FEAR BUT I WILL TURN FEAR INTO FIRE AND I WILL TURN PAIN INTO POWER … I WILL KEEP FIGHTING AS LONG AS I HAVE A BREATH IN MY BODY AND BLOOD IN MY VEINS AND I WILL WIN BECAUSE I WILL DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO WIN THE FIGHT … I WILL DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO WIN THE FIGHT!

Go ahead, say it to yourself. Better yet say it out loud. Pretty empowering isn’t it? Now try repeating it before every training session. It will begin to change your mindset for the better. Make no mistake about it your mindset IS very changeable, you just have to make the conscious choice to do so.

Communication:

The third way NLP can be useful is by improving your communication skills. I would estimate 90% or more of combative situations can be de-escalated verbally if you have the skills. NLP teaches us that what we say sometimes has the exact opposite effect of what we meant but it also teaches us that by choosing our words carefully we can create, in our subject, a mindset conducive to our goals.  

Another thing NLP teaches us that is just important as anything else, is that what the other guy is saying is not always what he means to say. A lot of fights can be averted just by understanding what the individual wants. It could be anything from looking good in front of his ‘boys’ to being upset you are sitting in the seat he proposed to his wife from 5 years ago. Very rarely do you find people who want to fight but you will often find people who are willing to fight if they can’t find any other way out. By recognizing what they want sometimes you can give them that way out while still getting what you want.

These are just three simple ways of using the principles behind Neuro-Linguistic Programming to enhance your combatives training experience. Having the right mindset can mean the difference between success and failure; NLP can help you attain that proper mindset. It can turn your training from fearful, defensive training to confident, aggressive and more effect training. I have only touched on the surface of what NLP can do for your training but if you follow the example above and attack the problem with an active mind, I promise you will be happy with the results. Above all remember, be a fighter not a defender!