Through one's bearing and one's attitude it is necessary to firstly, project into the mind of the opponent an element of doubt in his own ability; secondly, a subconscious feeling of anxiety as to the outcome of the ensuing 'confrontation', invariably hampering his ability to think clearly and quickly; and, thirdly, induce a physical tenseness which hampers the speed of his movements.
I have found that when I do this, my adversary becomes subject to and dominated by my personality, unwittingly creating a mental blockage for himself and he then becomes distinctly aware of the possibility of defeat, creating doubt in his mind.
In addition to this, through my bearing in combat, I constantly face my opponent and look straight into his eyes, without wavering, conveying to him that I am quite relaxed, but absolutely alert. This attitude almost amounts to intimidation, without my making any specific physical gesture, or even uttering a word. Through close observation, I have learnt to "read" the reaction of my opponent once I adopt this attitude.
Invariably, irrespective of the confidence he had before the interaction started, an element of physical tenseness is typically discernible through a momentary avoidance of my look and I will typically recognise a feeling of subconscious anxiety. I will merely continue acting in this relaxed manner and attitude. The projection of my personality typically dominates the mind of my opponent, opening up a variety of avenues to me.
Dealing with specific types in combat, the following is the psychological approach I always adopted in relation to the various types of opponents I have had to deal with:
In the case of an "aggressor", i.e. one who hopes to succeed through his aggression, I have found that this can be countered by adopting an equally aggressive role and stance. Having to deal with a similar attitude, the aggressor tends to quickly show a loss of self-confidence, since aggression is usually the only combat attitude he knows. When his style is left wanting, or does not bring the results expected, the aggressor immediately realises that he is at a disadvantage, and this limits his combat capacity. When forced on to the defensive, panic tactics are typically adopted and the psychological confidence showed at the onset of the bout usually disappears. Shortcomings become more and more obvious as the bout continues.
Another combatant is one that I describe as "a waiter", i.e. an opponent with a limited capacity to attack and who, initially, chooses to merely defend himself in the hope that, somewhere in my attacking or defensive technique, he will be able to find an exposed weakness that can be turned to his advantage. I will typically play cat-and-mouse with such an opponent since he, through his defensive approach, typically limits his thinking and application of combat skill. I will display a variety of techniques without showing any weakness at all, making my opponent doubt that he can counter effectively or at all.
I find that such a person usually starts displaying a form of mental confusion and panic the longer the bout lasts. This then means that I have projected my personality and my abilities and 'brainwashed' him to such an extent that, subconsciously, he prepares himself for defeat, realising that he has a limitation in his skill for combat. I normally find this limitation becomes apparent early on in the bout.
by Norman Robinson
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