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A.A. Kadochnikov
Psychological preparation for hand-to-hand combat

about the author

Kadochnikov Alexey Alekseevich was born in Odessa in 1935 in the family of a military man - an Air Force officer.

From 1982 to 2002, he was engaged in research activities, which were carried out on the basis of the Krasnodar Military School of the All-Russian Military Institution of the Russian Military District of the Moscow Region. Research activities of A.A. Kadochnikova was highly appreciated not only by the Ministry of Defense, but also by the scientific community. Since 1998 A.A. Kadochnikov is a full member of the Academy of Earth Sciences, since 1999 - academician of the Academy of Natural Sciences of the Russian Federation on problems of anthropophenomenology. Recognized by a number of government awards, including the Order of Honor for services to the Fatherland. On the applied aspects of his scientific research in the field of hand-to-hand combat and specially applied skills, he conducted seminars for the top management of the Ministry of Security of the Russian Federation and various law enforcement agencies. He made a great contribution to the development of the theory of human safety and vital activity. Since 1962, he has trained and educated thousands of Russian patriotic soldiers. Son Arkady, a young officer, honorably continues his father’s work. Numerous students of A.A. Kadochnikov introduce into life throughout Russia the fundamental principle that guides him throughout his life - “Service and defense of the Motherland - Russia.”

Preface

I'll start with statistics.

On average in Russia per year, people die in emergency situations:

– on hikes and expeditions – 250-300;

– during earthquakes, floods – 500-800;

– in man-made accidents – 1000-1500;

– on water – 9000-12000;

– in transport accidents – 40,000-45,000;

– in criminal incidents – 30,000-32,000;

– as a result of suicide – 55000-65000(!);

– under other circumstances – 3000-6000.

Total: about 140-150 thousand people die in Russia every year as a result of accidents and emergencies.

The number of wounded can be estimated as 1:10, that is, “an order of magnitude” more. Let's add to this the number of heart attacks and strokes (not at all amenable to statistics), which can be considered a direct consequence of social extreme situations.

Without going into the statistics of other countries, we can safely state: in this area we are also firmly “ahead of the rest” and about 1% of the population dies for this reason.

You can even compare it with the “result” of the Afghan war - approximately 2% of the entire contingent that went through the fighting died.

So, our daily life, compared to combat operations, is “only” 2 times less dangerous! And against the backdrop of such a situation, our society is probably the most dismissive of the problem of training to act in emergencies!

This is where the field of activity is for the researcher and teacher! But... on the other hand, will their activities be profitable given so many “sad events”? This is probably another manifestation of the “Russian mentality”. You can be upset, you can admire, but it is no longer possible to get by with the sacramental “Russia cannot be understood with the mind.”

It should be taken into account that real extreme conditions are often a synthesis of several environments. Which one will be decisive is an unpredictable question! It is absolutely unrealistic to prepare a person for all predicted conditions at once.

Therefore, when starting to prepare a person for active action, it would be impossible and even criminal to first determine the sphere of a person’s occupation, respectively the environment, and develop special, highly specific equipment. It is necessary to prepare for existence in all environments, that is, to study and highlight the principles of survival that are common to all environments.

The main postulate of survival, that is, survivability, is the duty, opportunity and necessity of preserving one’s health, one’s strength, one’s life in order to solve more significant problems.

Today, none of us are immune from disasters, accidents, physical or psychological attacks in a public place, in transport, or even at home, and then our health and life may be at risk. Every day from the media we have to learn about murders, robberies, thefts, violence, and various incidents when not only the “powers of this world” become victims of crimes, but more and more often ordinary citizens. In this situation, everyone must take every chance to survive.

In order to prevent danger or at least minimize its possible consequences, now, perhaps more than ever, it is important to know and be able to use effective means of self-defense. The core of these means, in my opinion, should be the proposed system - this includes self-defense from environmental and man-made disasters, economic chaos in the country, psychological disorders, diseases and injuries, etc.

It helps to develop and improve the reserves of the body and consciousness, to work in accordance with one’s functional capabilities at a given time and in a given place.

The system teaches life through knowledge and foresight, teaches how not to get into critical situations, teaches the ability to control external forces when getting into critical situations, and not resist them.

At its core, it is a logical continuation of the system of training ancient warriors, which made it possible to successfully overcome extreme wartime situations.

Based on a holistic perception of the world and man as a particle of this world, knowledge of the laws of psychology, as well as the works of N.A. Bernstein on the economization of movements, the system allows you to achieve maximum results in each motor task with minimal energy expenditure - which meets the aspirations of the average Russian.

The struggle for life, the struggle for existence is the main driving force of evolutionary changes and the development of the living world. During the life of one generation, the information state of society changes several times, which has never happened before in the entire history of mankind. The psychology of people and the motivation for their activities have changed qualitatively. The Stone Age, the Steam Age, the Electricity Age, the Atomic Age, the Space Age have passed, and now there is a new breakthrough - the era of electronization - computerization. Over the course of centuries of life, a person has developed a sense of love for the Motherland, heroism, courage, perseverance, fearlessness, awareness of responsibility, readiness for self-sacrifice, and unity in the face of danger.

The forms of manifestation of heroism are diverse. The philosophy is simple - protection of the Russian Land. The history of our country begins with Kievan Rus. Protecting it from enemy attacks was protecting the interests of the Russian people. A memo to the Slavic warrior was preserved, which said that the elephant was among the Arabs, the poison among the Avars, the horse among the Khazars, the thorn among the Bulgars, the ship among the Varangians, the shell among the Fryags, and the Slavs themselves.

In the period from 1055-1462, Rus' suffered 245 invasions and external clashes. Of the 537 years that passed from the time of the Battle of Kulikovo to the end of the First World War, the Slavs, i.e. The Russians spent 334 years in battle. According to historians, for Russia from the 13th to the 18th centuries, the state of peace was rather the exception, and war was the cruel rule. The situation in the last two centuries was not in the best way: the invasion of Napoleon and the Crimean War, internal civil strife and the Great Patriotic War, the collapse of the USSR, interethnic conflicts, the political and ideological struggle for the superiority of foreign cultures over Russian, was and is being waged constantly to this day. And the fact that Russia has survived as a state, preserved its original culture, language and territory and emerged from violent conflict situations is a great victory in the era of the people of Russia. All these phenomena are determined by the vitality of the nation, capable of withstanding various influences, preserving, i.e. restore fully or partially combat qualities.

In this book, I consider only one issue - martial arts: in particular, “Hand-to-hand combat” - as a weapon of reliability, power, mobility, independence, as a personal safety technique.

Hand-to-hand combat, preparation for hand-to-hand combat, discussion of this topic, has recently often found coverage on the pages of newspapers, magazines, and various manuals.

If in the recent past various methods were offered only in oriental exotic martial arts, now they have been supplemented by literature in Slavic areas.

Domestic hand-to-hand combat was taught only in a narrow circle of specialists or classified special units. The availability of the study of hand-to-hand combat appeared as a result of the reorganization of the Armed Forces of the USSR, associated with the emergence of new high-tech types of weapons and new views on the organization of combat training.

Today in our troops there is a situation where, even in special forces, hand-to-hand combat has been reduced mainly to practicing the RB-1, RB-2, RB-3 complexes, and to demonstration exercises that are carried out in accordance with the requirements of the NFP Manual - 1987, where the widest arsenal of combat techniques is reduced to a minimum and, moreover, divorced from reality, having absolutely no practical orientation. And this despite the fact that, according to statements, K.T. Bun “Soviet intelligence officers, in covert and silent actions alone, using edged weapons and hand-to-hand combat, delivered more than tens of thousands of German soldiers and officers to the command of the Red Army,” our intelligence officers successfully used hand-to-hand combat when conducting reconnaissance.

Unlike us, in the armed forces and intelligence services of foreign states, great attention is paid to the preparation of hand-to-hand combat, in particular, to the theory and practice of conducting individual group hand-to-hand combat. In the US Armed Forces, mastering hand-to-hand combat skills is a separate subject of combat training. The following factors are taken into account during training:

– group integration - cohesion, camaraderie, pride, attitude towards the nation;

– physical fitness – age, fitness, mobility, sensitivity;

– hope and faith – religiosity, patriotism, fanaticism;

– training – knowledge, strength of skills, experience, possession of weapons, equipment;

– personality quality – a sense of one’s worth, ability in a group, loyalty to comrades, independence, readiness for self-sacrifice, courage, intelligence, sense of humor;

– leadership – taking into account the interests of the group, taking into account individual interests, the level of need for leadership, the need for coercion.

Therefore, the appearance of numerous literature, the opening of various schools and sections in which domestic martial arts are also cultivated can only be welcomed.

On the other hand, it is regrettable to observe the lack of methodological support. One part of the trainers are masters of wrestling, who find it difficult to psychologically adapt from the stereotypes acquired in combat sports, which prevail at the subconscious level, and lack sufficient experience in owning military weapons and using them in real conditions.

In understanding this problem, I agree with the view of N.N. Oznobishin, who noted back in 1930: “We do not deny that these systems (boxing, savate and jiu-jitsu), practiced for the purposes of pure sport, represent an excellent means of developing endurance and psychological qualities and in this indirectly prepare a fighter, but We repeat once again, they do not provide real, direct preparation for a serious clash.” Real hand-to-hand combat is a rarity these days - that's the first thing. The second is that in those rare cases when such a battle arose, our officers and soldiers did not disgrace themselves.

I don't see hand-to-hand combat as a panacea for all ills. Issues related to it have shifted towards having an educational effect, the development of psychological as well as special physical qualities necessary for modern combat. Modern combat is characterized by actions under conditions of great physical, emotional stress and neuropsychological stress in direct contact with the enemy, which leads to an increase in scale - spatial scope, speed and dynamism of changes in the situation in the most intense struggle to gain time in the face of the emergence of various sudden complex situations. situations. From this point of view, hand-to-hand combat becomes an indispensable basis in our lives.

Hand-to-hand combat is divided into: army, police and sports. Its roots lie far in the historical past - the glorious victories of our compatriots. Hand-to-hand combat is a section of the survival system, focused on maintaining the combat capability of a serviceman to complete the assigned task in a combat situation. Hand-to-hand combat is not the goal itself, it is a way to achieve the main goal.

Modern hand-to-hand combat requires that maximum economy, speed, agility, depth and timing of movements be developed. Based on this, I highlight the special focus of preparation for hand-to-hand combat, the formation of optimal motor skills, a system for constructing movements, as well as special psychological qualities based on the use of subconscious resources.

Introduction
What is hand-to-hand combat

A Brief History of the Origin of Hand-to-Hand Combat

Everything in the world is a strict chain of causes and effects. Everything lives, constantly changes, develops and dies...

The Universe itself, which 200 years ago was considered the personification of eternity and immutability, is in fact saturated with life and is changing literally before our eyes. In the short time since the existence of astronomical science, humanity has witnessed the birth of newborn baby stars; got acquainted with the gigantic growing and shining youth stars. On photographic plates of observatories, old stars are captured - ruby ​​dwarfs, shriveled and freezing, having outlived their allotted twenty billion years in the world. Even more so, living nature is full of changes.

The entire history of living nature is an ongoing competition in which everything weak and unviable is mercilessly swept away. Those “finds and discoveries” of nature that strengthen and strengthen their owner win.

We know one of the most important motivating reasons for these constant changes in living nature. Its changes, continuous development, and movement forward are carried out in conditions of a cruel and ruthless struggle for life.

It is difficult to imagine a time span of five million years. It was during this time, according to modern knowledge, that humanity passed its evolutionary path.

At what point in the long evolution did a humanoid creature become a human being? Anthropologists answer: If there is a tool, there is a person! As soon as this creature feels the need for a tool, as soon as it begins to use it constantly, this humanoid creature becomes Homo habilis (“handy man”).

Five million years ago, the still half-bent Homo habilis learned to get food by eating roots that were dug out of the ground with a simple stick. Sometimes he managed to profit from killed animals taken from animals or birds of prey. His home is a round hut made of branches. Man's first tool was a simple randomly selected stone. He used it to crack nuts, flatten fruits, and break shells. Later, he began to use stone to process animal bones, a piece of wood, or simply another similar stone.

But hundreds of thousands of years passed before a real stone tool appeared, which was given the required, predetermined shape with the help of another stone.

Such a slow pace of “technical progress” can be fully explained by the fact that rare tribes were very few in number, scattered throughout the world and separated by vast distances. Transferring techniques for processing a piece of stone or complex hunting tricks was very difficult. First of all, because people have learned to communicate with each other not enough to teach their own kind. This means that everything has to be reinvented again and again.

Five hundred thousand years ago, our ancestor Homo erectus (“straightened man”), along with the use of stone tools, learned to make fire. This was a colossal discovery of primitive man. And first of all, because without fire a person could not survive during the glaciation period.

The sound of two stones hitting each other in the hands of a man was the sound that heralded the advent of humanity.

At first, unbridled, natural fire, generated by lightning or a lava spill, obeyed man. Gradually, people learned to preserve fire and use it, and even later - not only to preserve, but also to make fire. Man learned to master the forces of nature.

Constantly being close to the fire that gathered the whole tribe, a person observes, recognizes, notices. So women and children discovered the charred corpse of an antelope among the burnt grass. It turned out that chunks of meat can be easily torn off with your fingers without the help of a stone knife, and the meat has a new taste. So the flame made the end of the branch hard as stone, becoming a spear or a spear. And the flames of the last fire terrified all animals, even the largest and most predatory ones. This is how our ancestors learned to use fire for cooking, making primitive weapons, scaring away predators, and heating their homes.

Primitive people were purely practical creatures who strived at all costs to survive in a constantly changing, often hostile environment and somehow feed themselves and their family.

Taking prey from animals or birds, people drove them away with stones and sticks. At some time he noticed that a stone could kill an animal. So the stone became the first tool of primitive man. The tool became a weapon. 1
Weapons are any means suitable for attack or defense (S.I. Ozhegov. Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language, 1995).

Since then, hunting has become the main way of obtaining food. Rock paintings of hunting mammoths and cave bears have been preserved.

Ancient weapons also evolved along with man. Primitive hunters discovered that it was easier to kill and butcher an animal with a specially sharpened stone. This is how stone (flint) knives and tips appeared.

For many hundreds of years, stone and stick, as a tool and as a weapon, were used separately. And only thousands of years later, in the Upper Paleolithic era, the stick began to be used as a handle or shaft. Thanks to this invention, the stone ax and spear appeared. The ancient weapons of primitive man became more formidable and reliable.

A thrown stone, a stone ax or a wooden spear with a stone tip is already a throwing weapon. The simplicity of this weapon is deceptive; in skillful hands it was as deadly as the more complex hand weapons that appeared much later.

The ruthless law of the struggle for the preservation of life, for existence, for survival inexorably dominated over all living nature. Weapons were first used for hunting, protection from predators, and then in fights when dividing up spoils, in fights with aliens and neighbors for territory for living and hunting.

These fights and mortal combats were the beginning of modern hand-to-hand combat. Apparently, one should not think that hand-to-hand combat appeared with the emergence of man (humanity). But it can be indisputably argued that with the advent of man, the embryo of hand-to-hand combat appeared, which, together with man, had to go through a path of evolutionary development spanning hundreds of thousands of years.

One hundred thousand years ago, the descendants of Homo erectus are even closer to modern humans. This is already Homo sapiens (“reasonable man”).

Some of these descendants (Neanderthals) were probably closer in kinship to us modern humans. They already had their own rituals and buried their dead brothers. But, having existed “only” for about forty thousand years, Neanderthals completely disappear.

Those descendants who were able to adapt to their environment better than the Neanderthals survived. These are the Cro-Magnols. Their skills and abilities are simply amazing.

Fifty thousand years ago. Homo sapiens carves stone and sculpts clay. Invents the needle, which means clothing made from animal skins appears. He has quite advanced weapons for hunting - darts, bows, harpoons. He draws animal figures on the walls of the caves in which he lives. He is already thinking about his fate.

Five thousand years ago, people began to produce their own food by domesticating animals and cultivating the land. They are already like us...

Domestication of animals (goats, sheep, bulls) allows a person to have food constantly. But hunting is not dying; it is especially important during droughts and natural disasters.

The technique of cultivating the land was an important discovery. It presupposes a completely new type of consciousness. The first farmer had to observe, reflect for a long time and, finally, understand that the seeds of wild cereals collected by him, placed in the ground, in the spring sprout thin green grass, which then bloom and spike to produce new seeds. At this time, the domestication of the horse took place.

One of man's most ingenious discoveries is the invention of the wheel. They will be equipped with a farmer's carts and a war chariot, a potter's machine and a battering gun.

In the middle of the third millennium BC, people began to use new hard and dense materials such as copper and gold. First, they are used in the form in which they are found, since they are difficult to process. Later, the technique of melting and forging metals appeared. By mixing molten copper with other materials, a harder metal with better cutting ability was obtained.

The struggle for life, the struggle for existence is the main driving force of evolutionary changes and the development of the living world.

And the discovery of bronze, an alloy consisting of ten parts copper and one part tin, was truly revolutionary. Tools and weapons - knives, axes, arrow and spear tips, daggers, swords - began to be made from bronze. And much later - in the first millennium BC - bronze was replaced by iron.

A soldier's first weapon, which he must develop in order to act professionally in hand-to-hand combat, is his mind. His ability to think and react under pressure without panic is vital in hand-to-hand combat.

As in any other martial art, one of the first principles of training soldiers in hand-to-hand combat is to give them a strong psychological preparation. Like a boxer, a soldier trained in hand-to-hand combat will have a psychological advantage over an untrained opponent. The boxer believes that if he is truly trained and mentally prepared for competition, the enemy will not be able to defeat him - just as the enemy will not be able to defeat a soldier well trained in hand-to-hand combat. Even if the techniques themselves are not used, knowledge of them is an invaluable psychological support for a soldier sufficiently trained in hand-to-hand combat.

A soldier needs to develop his mind. He must be able to react without panic and in a split second. A good soldier keeps this goal in mind throughout his training. He must polish his ability to control himself in hand-to-hand combat.

The principles of hand-to-hand combat are basically the same as in judo, boxing, kickboxing and other fighting styles. It is important to understand that this type of fighting not only provides the opportunity to gain superior offensive skills, but also allows any person, regardless of height and physique, who is well trained in this technique, to feel the highest level of confidence in himself and his fighting abilities that he could not achieve. no other way.

SENSE OF DANGEROUS

A well-trained soldier never expects to face a completely untrained opponent. By mistakenly making this assumption, he may find himself the target of an unexpected active attack. When a soldier gets into position to apply a grapple, the enemy can counterattack with a punch or kick.

Self-confidence is a wonderful quality, but conceit is a very dubious quality. It leads to defeat. Special Forces Soldiers are trained to guard against overconfidence by reminding themselves of the possible dangers they may face and their consequences.

Soldiers are taught never to use techniques for external dramatic effect. The way you fight in itself has no meaning. All you need to do in battle is to find the most correct and most economical solution to the problem that has arisen.

This means being fast. A well-trained soldier does not scatter himself. If he is going to attack an enemy, he does so as quickly as possible, especially when dealing with more than one enemy. Delay in attack reduces his chances of success.

A soldier can retreat to change the situation, or find the shortest way out of the battle - training will tell him what to do. Survival is the only thing that matters. But pride and pride have no place in army hand-to-hand combat.

CONTROL OVER FEAR

Controlling fear is very important. This is one of the foundations on which self-confidence is built. The feeling of danger and the associated release of adrenaline into the blood mobilizes us to fight or gives us the strength to get away from a dangerous situation. You must choose whether your actions will be fight or flight, and if you wait to make this choice until danger arises and calm deliberation is no longer available, you can easily make a mistake and make the wrong choice. Also, the adrenaline rush itself can be scary if you don't understand what's happening or aren't expecting it. And this can “freeze” a soldier in the face of an attacker.

The most important thing in combat training is to learn to choose a fighting method impulsively, reflexively, involuntarily. This is especially important for a soldier fighting with his bare hands. Flight will only lead to pursuit, and the advantage (the possibility of maiming or killing you) will be entirely on the side of the pursuer. Hesitating to consider the fight or flight issue will simply give him that advantage at the cost of losing your own initiative. Indecision in battle most often means defeat. Even a single lost fraction of a second can decide: life or death, victory or defeat.

Cus d'Amato, Mike Tyson's last trainer, always said: "Fear is the Friend of Exceptional People." He meant the wave of adrenaline that is caused by fear - the same wave that makes you fight. But first you must develop a conditioned reflex in your own brain. If a soldier's body is the barrel of a gun, and his arms and legs are the bullets, then his mind is the trigger mechanism. The absence of a trigger mechanism makes all other parts of the weapon useless. In the training room, properly placed impact bags and observation mirrors create a belief in the minds of soldiers, that they can “handle themselves,” and this will help them cope with a truly threatening situation, and then the soldier, whose mind is properly prepared to remain strong and calm in the face of danger, safely endures the build-up of adrenaline in the blood, the strain of strength and the pain of physical collisions.

He does not panic, but uses his sense of danger and sense of fear, transforming ferocious aggression into a kind of laser sight beam that can be turned on his enemy and aimed at precisely the right point with the most devastating results. In a situation created by fear, a soldier's legs may begin to buckle, his mouth will become dry and his lips will become swollen, and his voice will tremble with excitement. Proper training teaches him to ignore these sensations: after all, they are all partial manifestations of a general increase in the concentration of adrenaline in the blood. And although this is somewhat unpleasant, it is still very natural. These sensations tend to decrease in intensity more noticeably the longer and more often the soldier experiences them. And then fear, which naturally arises in combat situations, becomes a very quick means of regulating the soldier’s well-being.

SEVERE NECESSITY

Soldiers trained in unarmed combat are taught to be resilient and not to let their emotions take over their minds when dealing with the enemy. A trained soldier should never forget that the enemy's goal is to kill him.

A soldier cannot afford to be squeamish. If poking an enemy's eyes with his fingers or crushing his scrotum is the only way to survive, then the soldier will have to do it. Therefore, he forgets about “playing by the rules.” When a soldier is threatened with attack, there can be no question of any rules. The soldier does whatever he can and uses every possible means to defend himself.

There is only one rule: there are no rules in battle.

The soldier also learns not to be deceived and to be skeptical of the enemy who offers to shake hands or end things peacefully. This is a very common ploy to deceive a soldier and destroy his defenses. If a trained soldier accepts such an offer, he does so as carefully as possible. It is preferable to avoid such a situation at all. A similar trick often works: someone offers a cigarette and immediately after taking it, strikes. In London's East End, gangster Reggie Kray was known for his "cigarette hit". He would offer his opponent a cigarette and then punch him in the jaw just as he was about to light a cigarette, definitely knowing that at that moment the jaw would be relaxed and could easily be broken.

OVERCOMING PAIN

To conduct successful hand-to-hand combat against an armed opponent, a soldier must learn to cope with pain by ignoring it for as long as necessary to effectively respond to the attacker. This will avoid much more pain, and possibly death.

Learning how to cope with pain is one of the biggest and most important tasks a soldier faces. He will have to endure a lot of physical pain during the harsh weeks of training. It has never been easy for anyone. Different people have different reactions to pain, and this can change depending on the circumstances. You must learn to achieve an adequate degree of control over your pain reactions. There are many cases where soldiers who received broken bones or other serious injuries in the heat of battle still brought the fight to the end. And these are not some kind of “supermen”, but simply fighters who believed that they could continue the fight, and did just that.

Although pain control is essential in hand-to-hand combat, the soldier must still listen to his body. Pain often signals that something is seriously wrong somewhere. Of course, when defending against an armed enemy, it is important that the soldier overcome pain, but it is equally important that, due to a false understanding of fortitude, he does not harm himself in the process of training. This would be dangerous and disastrous.

IMAGINARY SUCCESS

When a soldier learns hand-to-hand combat and acquires combat skills, he is faced with a fundamental paradox: how can he engage in something that can lead to the death of a person? The answer has two parts. First, the soldier must practice all the necessary physical skills such as kicking, dodging, and the like. The second part is based on imagination, regardless of whether it is included as a structural component in training or manifests itself on its own, without any special preparation.

Professional and amateur athletes, especially in recent years, have attached great importance to the development of a complex mechanism of mental skills, which includes an idea of ​​​​the course of a fight, an assessment of the emotional state when performing techniques, and considerations for improving technique. The soldier can adopt the same training methods and adapt them to his own purposes.

For the soldier, pragmatism and practicality of training, as well as obvious results, are of paramount importance. Existing methods of training soldiers must be designed in such a way that they themselves can see the benefits of mental training as early as possible.

SIMPLE RELAXATION EXERCISE

The soldier must choose a comfortable position - for example, lying on his back or sitting cross-legged. By adopting a comfortable posture, he will be able to control his mental state. Starting at the head and spreading his attention down the body to the toes, he tenses and then relaxes each part of the body while breathing deeply and steadily. For example, you can take a deep breath, squinting your eyes toward your nose, and then slowly release the air from your lungs, relaxing the muscles around your eyes.

THE IMPORTANCE OF IMAGINATION

High-level athletes are unanimous in their assessment of imagination and even practice self-hypnosis.

Doctors and physiologists use imagination with great success. And yet this area is still shrouded in a shadow of mistrust. Skeptics scoff at the very idea of ​​improving the mind through imagination, but there is much documented evidence of the benefits of such methods.

Imagination is a multi-layered phenomenon that can be used to achieve many things - from developing confidence to improving techniques for confronting danger. In a recent American experiment related to the development of imagination, two groups of students practiced basketball free throws daily for a month. One group physically practiced throwing a ball into a basket, while the other group sat or lay on benches and used their imagination, making shots only in their minds.

At the end of the month, both groups met in a match on the basketball court to compare results. The group that practiced imaginary throws won by a significant margin.

The value of imagination is that it gives the brain a model of events and techniques not yet experienced or performed. Thus, we are able to perform ordinary tasks like cooking, driving, and so on because they have been repeated many times in our brain, created a model of how it is done, and given sufficient insight into the body actions that accompany this model.

However, we are often faced with challenges and requirements that we were not previously familiar with. In such circumstances, the brain searches for the closest, most appropriate model and tries to adapt it to the immediate task - with varying degrees of success.

It is somewhat ironic that the brain cannot detect significant differences between a model based on direct experience and a model based on inferred experience.

Consequently, imagination allows the brain to create a model of an unfamiliar experience before actually encountering it in the real world. To apply such a model in practice, you need to build the most vivid mental image possible.

If a soldier wants to learn appropriate behavior in hand-to-hand combat, he must not only reproduce in his mind's eye the techniques he would like to use, but also feel such details as color, noise, expressions, painful sensations in the body and whatever else. from what can add realism to an imaginary battle. Repeating this exercise creates a mental model in real hand-to-hand combat situations.

And although the image cannot perfectly correspond to the real world, yet if the imaginary picture is vivid enough, it can prepare the soldier for the stress of real physical combat.

Of course, this does not mean that the soldier must replace all physical training with imagination, but it, of course, must be used as a serious aid. In a combat sense, imagination is useful. Those who believe in this will be able to achieve better practical results.

GENERAL IMAGINATION

Imagine yourself standing at the top of a long flight of stairs or at the entrance to an elevator on the top floor of a building you have been in before. Then imagine walking down the stairs or (in the case of an elevator) the buttons flashing as you descend past each floor. At the same time, your body relaxes more and more.

When you reach the bottom of the stairs or take the elevator down to the first floor, imagine yourself in your favorite place that relaxes and calms you in real life, such as near your favorite lake or in a park. Imagine the place in as much detail as you can imagine, imagine its sights and sounds, feel the wind on your face.

After a few minutes, imagine that you are again standing at the very bottom of the stairs or that you are starting to go up in the elevator. As you rise, you feel more rested, energetic and purposeful, like after a good, restful sleep. When you reach the top, open your eyes, you should feel completely restored and absolutely ready for action.

CONCRETE IMAGINATION

The exercise below is designed to do two things. First, it should allow the soldier to mentally practice martial arts techniques that he will likely have to use at some point, especially if he is trying to avoid combat. Second, it should help the soldier maintain self-confidence and a sense of mental superiority over the enemy, especially when practicing martial arts techniques against imaginary opponents and terrorists.

Imagine yourself using the fighting techniques you have learned against an imaginary invader or one of your instructors acting as your opponent. Imagine in detail how you deal him the decisive blow.

Every time you practice, try to add new details to the picture. For example, imagine yourself using available tools - stones and sticks. Try to observe (or imagine yourself observing) your opponent as closely as possible during your daily training, noticing his psychological state and other elements that might suggest to you the techniques with which he will fight you physically. Incorporate the information you learn into your mental training.

It is very important to always see yourself defeating your opponent with the greatest speed, the most effective techniques and with the least use of brute force. First, “think through” everything in detail, and then “overcome” the enemy.

Modern martial arts schools for the most part do not attach central importance to the problem of organizing the psyche as the highest level of control of human behavior. Their methods of preparing fighters for “real” close combat, and for its sports analogues, are not psychologically justified.

For this reason, in the process of training fighters, only the external correspondence of the “pattern” of the actions being practiced to the ideal (theoretical) model is ensured. In a “normal” (i.e. training) situation, the fighter’s actions are carried out quite acceptable. However, in the extreme situation of a real fight (including sports at important competitions), the work of the highest level regulatory systems is disorganized. Movements become insufficiently rational (often simply chaotic), combat behavior as a whole turns out to be ineffective. As a result, the outcome of the collision is determined by factors that are not directly related to the technique and tactics of combat (such as moral and psychological state, physical endurance, body type, external conditions of the situation, etc.).

In this regard, it is very indicative that a number of modern schools (both applied military and sports) are trying to solve psychological preparation for battle through... physical exercises (!). Among the latter, deep jumps, over obstacles and acrobatic jumps, falling backwards, moving at height without insurance, jumping from moving vehicles, etc. are common. This is a complete replacement of the item. These physical exercises certainly help overcome fear of heights, fear of falling and other fears, but they do not in any way prepare you for real combat.

On the other hand, in the traditional martial arts schools of the Far East and Southeast Asia, methods of serious psychological preparation, developed empirically, are known. However, their use is designed for extremely long periods of training, and theoretical training models are described in the concepts and principles of religious and philosophical teachings that are alien to modern science and European mentality. We find there endless discussions about the accumulation and release of mystical energy “qi” (or “ki”), about the energy centers of the human body, about the interaction of “heart, mind and will”, about “victory through non-action”, about states of “thoughtlessness” and similar theses, absolutely incomprehensible to the vast majority of ordinary practitioners.

Theoretical concept

It is necessary to teach a person to act correctly in extreme combat situations. From the standpoint of information theory, the solution to this problem, in general, is as follows: it is necessary to introduce into the control organs (i.e., into the psyche, mainly into its unconscious sphere) blocks of psychophysical reactions that are necessary and sufficient for an accelerated adequate response to any situation in battle conditions.
In other words, with the help of conscious operations, it is necessary to teach the brain to control the body in an unconscious (automatic) mode. In this regard, we can draw an analogy with driving a car: there are different situations on the highway, but the response to any of them must be instant and correct. Anyone who acts incorrectly ends up in a ditch, and often in a morgue.

All combat situations are different, but in motor terms they are typologically limited. Consequently, the number of biomechanical actions adequate to various combat situations is limited to a certain number of basic elements. With the help of a rather modest set of these elements (according to a number of experts, 15-25 such elements are quite enough for all occasions), a huge number of practical motor problems can be successfully solved. It is not the elements themselves that are important, but the ways in which they are used.

It has been established that the main obstacle preventing people from fighting effectively in close combat is fear.

Fear is one of the main emotional and behavioral reactions formed by the human biocomputer in the process of long evolution. It comes down to two main behavioral strategies: escape (the “run” command) or overcoming (the “hit” command). These strategies are the same for all higher animals. They are like two sides of a coin.

Therefore, if a particular person has not formed an automatic reaction of the “hit” type to the source of fear, he just as automatically chooses a response of the “flight” type (In passing, we note that in modern urbanized society the choice of the strategy of “psychological escape” is greatly facilitated by the conditions of everyday life). lives, several orders of magnitude more prosperous and safe in comparison with the primitive herd of ape-men).

Thus, in combat sports, we constantly see that in fights, even with equal opponents (not to mention strong ones), the majority of athletes act extremely monotonously and constrained. The impression is as if they have never studied variable techniques and combat tactics. Their choice is limited by fear of the enemy, which forces them to forget almost all the techniques and tactical schemes studied during the process of emotionally comfortable, biologically safe training.

The emotional state (experience) of fear occurs in a person when there is a threat to his biological or social well-being. The threat itself can be either real or imaginary. The experience of fear signals that, psychologically, the threat to the well-being of existence is real (let us note in this regard that most psychologically real threats are caused not so much by objective circumstances as by an erroneous forecast of the further development of the situation).

The experience of fear varies in a wide range of shades: uncertainty, apprehension, anxiety, fright, despair, horror, panic. In those cases when it reaches the strength of affect, there is an automatic “launch” of stereotypes of so-called “emergency” behavior that have developed in the process of biological evolution and are deeply rooted in the depths of the psyche. Consciousness at this moment is almost completely switched off, the person acts in the exact sense of the word “without remembering himself.”

People whose experience of fear has reached the level of affect usually fall into either a state of agitation (external manifestation - physical flight) or a state of stupor (numbness, so-called “internal flight”).

The most common state is agitation. It is expressed in the desire to isolate oneself from the source of danger: to run away, hide, not see or hear what frightens. In motor terms, the agitation reaction causes a person to perform automatic actions of a defensive nature. For example, he closes his eyes, pulls his head into his shoulders, covers his face or body with his hands, bends down to the ground, recoils from the source of danger, and runs away from it. Over the course of millions of years, the ape-man had to flee or resort to camouflage so often that the agitation response became innate. It is inherent in all people without exception, the only difference is in the degree of manifestation and the level of control over it.

The state of stupor manifests itself in the fact that a person freezes in one place, or becomes extremely slow and awkward (“cotton” arms and legs), or faints. This is also a natural reaction that the ape-man biocomputer developed in the process of evolution: in order not to be touched, you must pretend to be dead, since not a single predator feeds on carrion. And people in the heat of battle usually also have no time to look among the fallen for those who are only imitating their death.

It is escape and stupor that are stereotypical methods of “emergency behavior” in situations from which the person who finds himself in them cannot find an effective rational way out. In other words, fear weakens and paralyzes, or it forces, figuratively speaking, out of despair to “throw oneself on the sword” (a kind of escape from an unbearable situation).

It is clear that combat situations always pose a threat to “biological well-being.”

Therefore, for effective and adequate actions in such situations, it is necessary to study and master the psychological space of fear, learn to transform its negative energy (affect) into positive (for example, into a state of voluntarily controlled rage, similar to the combat trance of ancient warriors). That is, it is necessary to dismantle negative strategies (such as “run”) from the biocomputer software and instead install a package of commands to effectively overcome the situation (such as “fight”).

Both the situational emotion of fear and fear as a deep personality trait have the same basis. This basis is the feeling of the threat of death. Therefore, everything in the world that directly or indirectly (through a chain of interconnected factors) leads to death (or at least seems like it) is the reason for the emergence of fear in a person. Consequently, one of the main tasks of a fighter’s psychological preparation for battle is to eliminate the fear of death (and the resulting fear of the enemy) from his psyche.

Having eliminated the fear of death (fear of the enemy) from his psyche for the duration of the fight, the fighter gains the ability to act relaxed, without unnecessary tension, in the most effective way for his psychological and biomechanical capabilities.

What methods of eliminating the fear of death (fear of the enemy) have people developed in the course of their history? Over the course of thousands of years, five main ways to eliminate the dependence of human behavior on the fear of death have been empirically developed:

A) through taking chemicals (drugs);

B) through an ecstatic desire for self-sacrifice;

B) through entering a combat trance

D) through likening to an ideal model;

D) through achieving emotional dispassion.

An analysis of the historical heritage of the peoples of the world allows us to conclude: the warriors of the past overcame the fear of death by “turning off” the functions of consciousness while simultaneously transferring control of behavior to the unconscious sphere of the psyche. To do this, they used various empirically found methods.

In their psychological essence, they all come down to three main options: a) the method of changing the emotional state from negative to positive; b) the method of “entering the image” of an ideal fighter; c) the method of “detachment” from the current battle situation. It is important to note that these options can be used sequentially one after another, or you can limit yourself to just one of them.

To effectively use such methods in the modern period, it is necessary to clear them of mystical and religious-cult layers. It is necessary to provide a scientific explanation of the psychological mechanisms associated with them and algorithmize the methodology for practical use. As for the latter, the main difficulty lies in creating a kind of “buttons” that instantly turn off rational thinking and automatically trigger adequate psychosomatic reactions.

Psychological training technology

Method of changing emotional state

Research by some modern scientists has shown that it is advisable to change the psycho-emotional state from negative to positive through self-programming. Its essence lies in the fact that the fighter provides himself with a sharp increase in sthenic emotions for some time (sufficient to win the fight). This psychological phenomenon is known as the “joy of battle” (“There is rapture in battle, at the dark abyss on the edge...” - A.S. Pushkin, “The Miserly Knight”).

This method is based on the idea that all information circulating in the unconscious sphere of the psyche is controlled by specific programs. Consequently, by introducing certain programs into the psyche, it is possible to purposefully correct behavior patterns in certain situations. Specifically, for success in close combat it is necessary to displace (suppress, weaken) the paralyzing fear of death for the duration of the battle. This can be done by replacing (displacing) negative programs with positive ones.

In order for a person to “know” that one should not be afraid of death, and to make this positive program part of his “I”, it is necessary to transfer it from the sphere of consciousness to the unconscious sphere of the psyche. Therefore, you need to compile a list (“package”) of specific commands for your biocomputer. Such commands should be short, clear, expressed in the form of positive statements (i.e. without the particle “not”, without the words “never”, “cannot”, “no” and the like). Any “package” should not include more than 5-7 commands (in its content it is close to the so-called “codes of courage” of traditional military schools). When the program is entered correctly, it begins to work independently of consciousness. In other words, the emotional state specified by the program arises in an extreme battle situation as if by itself, without any outside intervention.

Any set (“package”) of commands is “introduced” into the unconscious sphere of the psyche in a state of deep controlled relaxation.

The state of neuromuscular relaxation (MR) is characterized by concentration on bodily sensations, muscle relaxation, and slowing of the heart and respiratory rate. In response to SR, various functional changes occur in the body. They are divided into 3 groups: eliminating mental stress (calming effect), weakening the manifestations of fatigue (restoration effect), enhancing psychophysical reactions in response to verbal and figurative influence (programmability effect). For the described technique, the last of the listed functional responses of the body is of greatest importance. It is thanks to him that it becomes possible to introduce specific programs into the human biocomputer.

The main difficulty for many people in achieving SR is acquiring the skill of self-hypnosis. To overcome this difficulty, it is advisable to use: in groups - the instructor’s suggestion, in individual lessons - self-hypnosis using a technical device (tape recorder or video recorder).

The sequence of presentation of suggestion (auto-suggestion) formulas is as follows:

1. General calm;

2. Calm breathing;

3. Relaxation of facial muscles;

4. Feeling of heaviness in the hands;

5. Feeling of heaviness in the legs;

6. Feeling of warmth in the hands;

7. Feeling of warmth in the legs;

8. Feeling of warmth in the abdomen;

9. Calm the heart;

10. Feeling of coolness in the forehead.

At the first stage of the training (from 1 to 3 weeks), the full text of the suggestion formulas is spoken out. 30-second pauses between formulas help trainees evaluate the results of working through previous formulas and tune themselves to the perception of subsequent ones. In the future, from lesson to lesson, the text of the formulas is shortened, individual formulas are combined with each other. At the end of the CP mastery course, all formulas are combined into one common one. And even later they are replaced by literally two or three words (for example, the formula “I am completely calm”).

The goal that the practitioner strives for is usually beyond the relaxation he directly experiences. It was this circumstance that presented the main difficulty for adherents of traditional schools. After all, on the one hand, in order to assimilate the suggested formulas, a person must be in the SR. On the other hand, in order to instill them in yourself during a programming session, you need to “get out” of the SR, move from dormancy to an active thought process. It turns out to be a kind of vicious circle.

In traditional schools, this contradiction was overcome due to the fact that their adherents were actually in a barracks position, and psychotraining had the character of a group religious cult. For years, the same instructor instilled the same thing in the entire group of students at once, while vigilantly monitoring their condition. In the modern period one cannot hope for such constancy. A way out of this contradiction is provided by the use of sound-reproducing equipment—a tape recorder or a video recorder. No matter how simple this idea is, it has never been implemented by anyone before for these purposes.

The main principle of this technique can be formulated as follows: “I immerse myself in a state of complete relaxation, and having achieved it, I code myself for what I need.” The main condition for its use is the presence of a tape recorder and recording of all text on an audio cassette. The rest looks simple: a person turns on the tape recorder and, obeying his own voice (actually himself), reaches the CP, after which he perceives a “package” of commands (which must be repeated three times). The training scheme is similar to the previous one: daily 2-3 times a day for 2-3 months. Then you can move on to maintenance training: 2-3 days a week, 1 time per day.

To increase the effectiveness of the self-hypnosis process, it is advisable to use “anchors” in this version of training. In particular, auditory (“the magic word”, written down as a kind of title of the “packet of commands”) and kinesthetic (a special compression of the fingers at the moment of pronouncing the “title”).

An example of a “package” of commands consisting of five phrases:

- I'm always ready for battle!

- I enjoy the fight!

- I act powerfully!

- The enemy is a toy in my hands! - I always win!

Method of getting into character

The method of entering into the image of an ideal fighter can otherwise be called the method of role-playing behavior. Its essence is as follows. A person independently (or under the guidance of an instructor) chooses an object for identification. This object can be either a real person (a famous warrior, a master of hand-to-hand combat), or a fictional one (a mythical hero, a character in a literary work or film), as well as a predatory animal (a bird, an insect). It doesn't matter how real the chosen object is. What is important is the training subject’s conviction that this ideal example would act in the best possible way in any close combat situation: it would defeat everyone, overcome any obstacles. Then this subject identifies himself in a certain way with the object of imitation, according to the principle: “he is me, I am him.” This is exactly what Indian, ancient Slavic and Scandinavian warriors did, identifying themselves with animal totems, for example, wolves, dogs or bears, and this is exactly what adherents of imitative styles of wushu do, identifying themselves with various animals, birds, insects, and mythical heroes.

This is not about short-term programming, but about a deep transformation of the mental structures of the individual. It is far from accidental that in all civilizations of the past, without exception, there were special castes of professional warriors. In addition to socio-economic factors, psychological factors also contributed to their occurrence. The warrior castes differed from the bulk of their fellow tribesmen in their way of life (continuous combat training) and the accepted value system (gods and totems of warriors). Apparently, even in the modern era, the true professionalism of a warrior (as a special case, the professionalism of a fighter) is hardly possible to form otherwise than on the basis of a special mentality (i.e., consciously chosen and cultivated values) through continuous psychophysical practice. However, such a task is not always possible. If we are not dealing with professionals, then we can limit ourselves to only basic training in this direction.

Working with an image is a very serious and responsible matter. After all, an image (in other words, a situationally responsive personal structure) is a kind of superpersonality, the psychological reality of which from a certain stage of training becomes undeniable for the trainee. This is almost the same as God for sincere believers. We can also say that a virtual image is a kind of “matrix” (formative psychological reality) on which stereotypes of desired behavior are “written down.”

The image of an ideal fighter is what the ancients called the “magical spirit” with which the gods bestowed upon the best warriors. It is fundamentally different from the usual social “I” of a given person and it is precisely because of this that it is so effective.

Such an image does not take root in the psyche in a dozen sessions; it must be “cultivated” in oneself for a long time and patiently, and more and more concretized. At the same time, constant monitoring by the instructor and strict organization of the training process through ritual procedures are required. After all, any role-playing practice is, in a certain sense, a trance.

In order to dismantle the “wrong” elements of the BAR step by step, and install (mount) the “correct” ones in their place, you must first of all find “your” image. His choice is carried out with the help of an instructor during the process of meditation (shamans in primitive communities called this procedure “choosing a helping spirit”). “Your” image should please, delight, stimulate.

The above defines serious requirements for the personal characteristics and professional qualities of the instructor. After all, the instructor must exercise control in several aspects at once: monitor the “correctness” of the technique being practiced; help the trainee in finding “his” image; determine how convincing the trainee’s actions are in his chosen image (whether he plays his “role” well) and find out whether he feels satisfied with his “stay in it.”

A.E. Taras has developed and tested in practice a specific technique that allows him to “enter the image” of an ideal fighter at the right moment, and after the end of the fight, to leave this state without harmful consequences for his own psyche.

This technique includes the following basic “steps” (or stages):

1. Mastery of neuromuscular relaxation as the basis for all subsequent training;

2. Assimilation through static and dynamic meditation of the image of an “ideal” fighter chosen as an object of identification (including “playing out” in one’s imagination various options for fighting in this image);

3. Development of a specific trigger mechanism for “entering the image” (setting the so-called “anchors”);

4. Systematic training of this mechanism through certain physical actions.

Practice has shown that, depending on the abilities of the trainee and his perseverance, subject to systematic training (2-3 times a day for 15-30 minutes), it takes from three to six months to fully master the proposed methodology. In the future, it is necessary to carry out maintenance training 2-3 days a week, once a day.

Let's look at these “steps” in more detail. The technology of neuromuscular relaxation is discussed above. The meaning of the term “meditation” is interpreted in many ways. Here it is understood as focusing attention and thinking on a chosen object in order to develop a feeling of merging with it.

A. To master the process of meditation, we can recommend two preparatory exercises for visual meditation: “point” and “circle” (focusing on a visual object best suits the task at hand).

Their psychological meaning is that the trainee learns to create with the power of his imagination such illusory images that he would perceive as real (for example, he must achieve the feeling that he has “entered” inside a black circle drawn on the wall and (looks at himself there) ).

After mastering these preparatory exercises, you need to move on to the main one - actually “entering o6 times”.

It, in turn, is divided into two procedures. The essence of the first is that the trainee, for 10-15 minutes, carefully examines the image of the object chosen for identification and tries to “penetrate” inside it, tries to “become” it according to the principle “I am he, he is me.” The essence of the second procedure is to imagine scenes of victorious hand-to-hand combat carried out by the ideal fighter that the trainee has become in his imagination. Essentially, this is so-called ideomotor training, but carried out in a special mental state.

Such training develops and strengthens a person's confidence in his ability to effectively fight any opponents. In this regard, three important guidelines need to be made.

1) in the illusory world of imagination there is no place for choice: if the ideal fighter does not win, then he loses, a draw is impossible. Therefore he must ALWAYS win;

2) the human brain is not able to create plausible constructions from emptiness. Therefore, the more extensive the “archive” of the trainee’s visual and motor impressions related to combat, the better;

3) different role images suit different people best. It is with this fact that the problem of selecting “your own” image for each of the students is connected.

The total time of one session for achieving SR, meditation on the “image” of an ideal fighter (including “battle” in this image) and for “exit” is from 30 minutes to 1 hour. The best time to start meditation is 5 a.m. (plus/minus an hour) for so-called “larks” and midnight (plus/minus an hour) for “night owls.”

During the training process, the mandatory conditions at first are: elimination of all external factors that distract attention (sounds, smells, bright light, etc.); elimination of all internal distractions (muscular, emotional, mental tension). Subsequently, as the corresponding skill is developed, the influence of distracting factors gradually weakens until it completely disappears.

B. Essentially, the phenomenon of the appearance in a person’s mind of some imaginary image, perceived as real, can be considered the result of self-hypnosis. For hypnosis is “a temporary state of consciousness, characterized by a narrowing of its volume and a sharp focus on the content of suggestion (or self-suggestion)... In a state of hypnosis, a person may experience mental and physiological reactions that are not characteristic of him in a normal state of consciousness.”

However, the hypnotic state is considered here in terms of a non-Pavlovian school (as the wakefulness of an isolated focus against the background of sleep of the rest of the cerebral cortex). There are more modern ideas about the nature of the unconscious, developed in the works of Milton Erickson. This means that a person is not sleeping, but is awake, but some parts of his brain are overexcited (as if “over-awake”). Erickson's theory of hypnosis is attractive in that it indicates the path along which any normal person is able to enter a particular image (i.e., hypnotize himself, achieve an altered state of consciousness, or trance) without resorting to drugs, rhythmic body movements, or a special method breathing and other traditional means.

In other words, we are talking about the formation of a “trigger mechanism” through which a person could INSTANTLY induce in himself the desired mental state. And it, in turn, ensures the desired behavior in close combat situations (actions on “autopilot”). Such a phenomenon is possible only under the condition that a person’s actions are controlled predominantly by the right hemisphere of the brain (providing visual-figurative and visual-effective thinking), while the work of the left (logical, evaluative thinking) recedes into the background. As mentioned above, this is possible when there is a “significant narrowing of the volume of consciousness” and at the same time there is a “sharp focus on the content of the suggestion” (i.e. in a hypnotic state).

Within the framework of the presented concept, the content of the suggestion is represented by the image of an ideal fighter. If thinking stops, and this image “flashes up” in the brain as a vivid living picture, then “mental and physiological reactions that are not characteristic of a person in a normal state of consciousness follow.” And then the enemies are fought not by the ordinary person whom everyone knows in everyday life, but by someone else, whose image “lives” in the unconscious sphere of his psyche, placed there in the process of meditation (or self-programming, which in this context is the same Same).

The actions of a person who has “entered the image” of an ideal fighter are characterized by the following features:

- The dominant emotion, temporarily suppressing or crowding out all other emotions in him, becomes rage (a mental state that synthesizes many emotions; it is very characteristic that sometimes rage is also called the “joy of battle”);

- A person acts extremely decisively and assertively, his actions are completely subordinated to the desire to win at any cost;

— Pain sensitivity is significantly reduced (up to its complete disappearance);

— The speed of response to enemy actions is significantly accelerated;

— The energy capabilities of the body increase significantly.

Modern psychologists, following NLP adherents, call the trigger for instantly entering the desired mental state an “anchor.” This role can be played by what we see (visual anchor); what we hear (auditory anchor); what we feel (kinesthetic anchor). The most convincing example of the use of such “anchors” in combat practice was provided by ninjas (hereditary professional intelligence officers, terrorists and saboteurs of medieval Japan).

The ninja could become a superman for a while, casting magic spells, weaving his fingers into intricate combinations and mentally identifying himself with one of nine mythical creatures: the werewolf Tengu, the celestial warrior Marishi-ten, the lord of the night Garuda, the giant Fudomeo and others. As a result, he acquired those mental and physical qualities that were required at the moment: strength, speed of movements, insensitivity to pain and wounds, a surge of energy, etc... He, in modern terms, launched a certain program in his biocomputer. Everything else happened as if by itself.

Using NLP terminology, we can say that ninjas used three anchors at once: kinesthetic (interlacing of fingers), auditory (sound resonance formula), visual (visual image). Thus, they ensured the reliability of the trigger mechanism for entering the desired image.

To solve such a complex task as a trouble-free instant entry into the image of an ideal warrior, one anchor and several attempts to use it are not enough. This is a more or less lengthy process (as already mentioned, it takes from three to six months), requiring the use of all three types of anchors and repeated repetition of a certain procedure in training.

Anchors. A.E. Taras proposed a simple gesture as a kinesthetic anchor - squeezing the fingers of both hands into the so-called “devil's paw”. Despite the exotic name (it is found in manuals on eastern hand-to-hand combat systems), the “devil's paw” is just a variation of an ordinary fist. However, this particular variety, moreover for both hands at once, is practically not used in everyday life. Thus, on the one hand, this gesture is very simple, but on the other, it requires a conscious effort to reproduce. Other gestures can be used, such as squeezing the right thumb with the index finger and thumb of the left hand.
The auditory anchor is the simplest sound resonance formula. It must meet the following requirements: it must be a short, resonant word, not found in everyday speech and kept secret from other people.

The visual anchor is the image of the ideal fighter with whom the trainee seeks to identify himself. It is desirable that its color be dominated by the colors of aggression - red, orange, maybe black (depending on the characteristics of the perception of a particular individual). The visual image should be extremely clear.

That is why, during the training process, it is necessary to have it in the form of a bright picture (serving as an object of visual meditation), or as a recording on a video cassette (montage of several spectacular episodes with the participation of a movie character chosen to be emulated, with a total duration of demonstration from 15 to 30 minutes).

B. Thanks to meditative practice, the unconscious sphere of the psyche “remembers” the visual image of an ideal fighter and his manner of action in battle. To be able to actually act in this image, you need to instill in yourself the following command in the SR:

“Every time I clench the fingers of both hands into the devil’s fist and pronounce the magic word (at this point the selected sound resonance formula is pronounced, for example “bar-ra”), I turn into ... (here a specific image is called, for example, a predatory beast , movie character or legendary hero)". Let’s assume that the trainee has chosen as an object for [Identification] the character “The Invincible Fighter,” created in the movie by the famous actor Bruce Lee. In this case, his training might look like this. It is located in the hall not far from the simulators that designate opponents. His body is relaxed, a calm smile on his face. But after he clenched his fingers into the “devil’s fist”, said the word “bar-ra” and evoked in his visual memory the image of the fighting Bruce Lee, the trainee seemed to “explode” from the inside. His face contorts with rage, he emits a powerful battle cry and, moving around the simulators, begins to deliver strong blows to them. Full force blows and loud screaming are required. Otherwise, psychological relaxation does not occur and the key skill is not developed - to act realistically, no longer in your imagination, but physically.

For some time (it is different for all trainees), “getting into character” continues to be more of an acting game than a true state (to quickly bridge such a gap, warriors in the old days sometimes took drugs). This is quite understandable. As noted above, the desired behavior cannot manifest itself in a vacuum. It is developed only through repeated repetition of exercises. At the final stage, it will take only one second to enter the image.

The meaning of what has been said here is as follows. In the process of systematic work on the image (with the obligatory embodiment of this image in movements), a person tries to “see” the desired combat behavior, “feel” it with his muscles, and associate both in his perception with the chosen battle cry (at the same time being an auditory “anchor” ) and with a ritual gesture of the fingers. This is how the BAR is formed, i.e. patterns of mental and biomechanical reactions adequate to a variety of contraction situations.

The body should “like” the patterns it is learning, it should feel “comfortable” in them. And this is only possible if the process of practicing movements occurs without artificially forcing the pace and excessive muscle tension. Therefore, at the first stage of training, “you don’t have to do a lot, you don’t have to do it quickly or abruptly, you have to do it right!” The body must remember the “correct” movements in combination with the chosen mental image. This is the formation of patterns! The means of getting out of the image of an ideal fighter are physical actions carried out until an imaginary (in training) or real (in a real battle) victory. In other words, the program automatically turns off after it ends. A certain disadvantage of the proposed method is that it is impossible to “turn off” a running program until it is completed. However, it does not act for long, no more than 3-5 minutes.

Method of “detachment” from the situation

This is a method of intellectual and emotional detachment of the individual “I” from the current extreme situation, primarily from assessing the degree of threat from the enemy, from predicting the success of one’s own actions, from the fear of one’s own death. Its meaning is that for an adequate understanding of any system, it is necessary to go beyond its limits, the position of an observer, an outsider in relation to this system.

In Japanese military tradition, this mental state is called “mushin,” or “no mind” (literally, “no mind”). From the point of view of psychology, we are talking about the transition to the level of visual-effective and visual-figurative thinking (thinking dissolved in action), when the human body becomes, so to speak, an “automatic device” relative to his own consciousness.

The technology of this method is in many ways similar to the technology of “getting into the image”, with the fundamental difference that the image of the “ideal fighter” is absent. It is replaced by a “look from the outside”, difficult to express in words, at oneself and at the enemy at the same time. In this regard, the preparatory meditative exercises “circle” and “point” mentioned above are extremely useful.

Mastering the method occurs by performing paired and group exercises at a slow pace, simulating contractions, while simultaneously maximizing concentration on the action itself. There are two interrelated aspects to it.

Firstly, meditation on the actions of the partner (partners), which develops the ability to intuitively anticipate the internal logic of the development of the fight. Secondly, maintaining continuous physical contact with a partner imitating an enemy, which gradually develops an internal feeling of “detachment”, a view of oneself and the partner as if from the outside.

As a result, such training develops the ability to anticipate, i.e. the ability to act to anticipate (or outpace) the enemy’s actions. In real combat, this allows you to react instantly and adequately.

It was already noted above that the main difficulty of this method is its labor intensity. It requires daily training for approximately 6-12 months.

The practical use of the three methods described above has shown that the degree of success of their use is not the same for different people. It depends on the individual characteristics of their psyche, the uniqueness of the conditions of everyday life, and the nature of the extreme situations they experience. As for individual psychological characteristics, in this regard, the best fighters are those who belong to the so-called “passive-aggressive” type. They have, in particular, the following psychological traits:

— the desire to achieve results in any type of activity;

— propensity for active strategies to achieve results;

— ability to creatively solve standard problems;

— confidence in one’s own capabilities;

- powerful psychic energy.

- rapid mental recovery;

- ability to self-control;

— ability to obey the requirements of discipline;

- the ability to neglect the interests of others;

- emotional indifference to the suffering of others.

Traditional attempts for former Soviet psychology to interpret the technical capabilities of various methods depending on the content of motivation and goals of the activities of different individuals are now unacceptable. From the point of view of “technique”, it does not matter who exactly is the object of training for close combat: regular army soldiers (for example, Russian soldiers destroying Chechen militants or militants killing these soldiers); members of religious sects (including destructive ones); martial arts athletes; just brawlers and hooligans. Psychological training methods are like a sharp knife, but the knife itself does not kill anyone. People who pursue a variety of goals and are inspired by a variety of motives kill with a knife.

Combat training of security service workers Oleg Yurievich Zakharov

Psychology of hand-to-hand combat

Psychology of hand-to-hand combat

In a duel, among other things, the winner is a person who knows how to manage his psychological state, who is emotionally balanced and careful, who is smart, observant, who has self-control and composure.

Mental self-regulation in behavior is extremely important when using physical force.

To achieve mental superiority, you need to create in yourself a special mental state of self-confidence and readiness for action. An instant reaction to any enemy behavior is possible only if there is a real assessment of the situation. An important condition for self-confidence is technical preparedness and the ability to perform hand-to-hand combat techniques almost automatically. You need to mobilize and enter a special psychological mode of combat. To develop these qualities, you need to constantly train your will, develop your character and the ability to concentrate your attention. Concentration of attention during hand-to-hand combat allows you to detect weak and exposed areas of the enemy and react instantly, resolutely carrying out effective techniques. During the fight, the gaze should be directed to the center of the triangle formed by the shoulders and eyes of the enemy. You should not concentrate on his arms or legs. This can lead to distraction and reduced ability to respond effectively to enemy actions. Looking directly into the eyes of an attacker, you can influence his psychological state: cause fear, lack of confidence in his abilities.

Psychologically outplaying an opponent means causing him to become confused and unsure of himself, forcing him to open up. Sometimes it is useful to resort to actions that cause confusion or shock to the enemy. For example, you can shout loudly, shine a flashlight in your eyes, throw an object in your face, etc. As a result, a reserve of time from 0.6 to 3 seconds appears, allowing you to use techniques.

The most important methods and means of direct education and moral and psychological readiness for hand-to-hand combat can be considered:

a) self-hypnosis;

b) participation in training battles with unarmed and armed opponents.

The method of self-hypnosis, called autogenic or psychoregulatory training, was described in the second chapter of this manual. Let's consider the second method.

Educational and training bouts are one of the ways to test the quality of a security officer’s mastery of hand-to-hand combat techniques and his ability to successfully apply them in practice. However, to no less an extent they are also a means of instilling moral and psychological preparation for battle.

This education begins from the moment when a student, within the framework of a completely conditioned fight, without moving an arm or a leg or blinking an eye, watches as his partner, playing the role of an attacker, “strikes” him in the face or body, outlining the trajectory and distance of his attacks.

It continues when the practitioner, having become familiar with the direction and distance of the attacker’s blows, begins to harshly repel these blows and “strike” counter-strikes, carry out throws and painful holds.

It intensifies when, as part of a semi-free fight, the practitioner waits for an unexpected attack by the attacker, but does not have the right to respond with a counterattack until he repels the attacker’s attack.

And finally, it reaches its greatest impact when the enemy, within the framework of a free fight, independently determining his technique and battle tactics, can rush into an attack or counterattack at any moment, without waiting for the completion of your attack. It is in various types of fights that the effectiveness of the mastered hand-to-hand combat technique, tactical skill, physical endurance and fighting spirit of the Security Service officer are tested and honed.

Educational and competitive fights used in the practice of teaching hand-to-hand combat can be combined into three main groups:

– fully conditioned fights, where the roles of the partners are determined in advance (who attacks, who defends), what set of techniques the attacker can use, in what sequence, etc., as well as all the actions of the defender;

– partially conditioned or semi-free fights, where it is determined who is attacking, but without indicating what techniques the attacker will use;

– free fights, where, at the command of the instructor, any of the “opponents” can begin combat operations, using the entire arsenal of means of attack and defense known to him.

The main purpose of fully conditioned bouts is so that the practitioner can practice the correct “form” - the trajectory of an attack using a specific type of punch or kick, the defense and counterattack corresponding to this type of attack, as well as their speed, sharpness and strength.

In semi-free fights, the ability to unexpectedly make an attack is practiced, that is, to use the appropriate distance, choose the least protected of the vulnerable points of the enemy’s body, “deal” the most sharp and powerful blow to it and bounce away from the “hit” enemy to the safest distance.

And finally, in free fights, the ability and willingness to take a reasonable risk of such a rapprochement with the enemy is developed, which allows you to inflict a traumatic blow on him, as well as the readiness and ability to repel an oncoming counterattack (carried out at the pace of the attack) and “hit” the enemy, despite all forms his opposition.

The legality of the use of methods of physical coercion and special hand-to-hand combat techniques by security officers

Security service employees have the right to use physical force (hand-to-hand combat techniques) and special means in the manner prescribed by current legislation. Security Service employees are required to undergo special training, as well as periodic testing for suitability to act in conditions involving the use of physical force, special means and firearms.

When using physical force, special means and firearms, the Security Service officer is obliged to:

- warn of the intention to use them, while providing sufficient time to comply with the requirements of the Security Service officer, except for those cases where delay in the use of hand-to-hand combat techniques or firearms creates an immediate danger to the life and health of citizens and Security Service employees, may lead to other grave consequences or when such a warning in the current situation is inappropriate or impossible;

– strive, depending on the nature and degree of danger of the offense of the persons who committed it, and the strength of the counteraction provided, to ensure that any damage caused in this case is minimal;

– ensure that persons who have received bodily injuries are provided with pre-medical care and notify their relatives as soon as possible;

– notify the prosecutor of all deaths or injuries.

The use of physical force, special means and firearms in excess of authority entails liability established by law.

Security Service officers have the right to use physical force, including hand-to-hand combat techniques, to suppress crimes and administrative offenses, detain the perpetrators, and overcome opposition to the legal demands of security officers.

Enterprise security services are entrusted with large and responsible tasks to fulfill their official duties and ensure security. When performing these tasks, Security Service officers have to act in an environment of real danger and endure significant physical and psychological stress, and engage in combat with criminals.

In a number of cases, situations arise when it is necessary to quickly make a decision on using hand-to-hand combat techniques or firearms against a criminal and at the same time avoid mistakes and illegal actions.

Of no small importance for Security Service employees is the knowledge and ability to put into practice hand-to-hand combat techniques - invisible weapons that can be used suddenly and effectively.

The big advantage of these techniques is the ability to use them in places where the use of weapons could lead to undesirable consequences. Hand-to-hand combat techniques allow you to neutralize a criminal, while causing slight and only in necessary cases severe pain.

In addition, Security Service employees are given the right to use hand-to-hand combat techniques in order to prevent or suppress illegal actions of persons who threaten public order, the personal safety of citizens or Security Service employees, as well as to coerce citizens who refuse to obey the legal demands of security officers.

Taking appropriate measures to protect public interests and the safety of citizens, a security officer must be able to correctly assess the situation, conditions, opportunities and take the necessary actions to apprehend the criminal.

Not only security and law enforcement officers, but also victims and eyewitnesses of a crime involving the use of physical force have the right to detain a criminal immediately after he has committed a crime.

Violence is used only against the criminal and for the sole purpose of detaining him.

Each Security Service employee must know the techniques and tactics of hand-to-hand combat and systematically train in order to improve them. Classes on mastering hand-to-hand combat techniques help develop employee organization, mental stability, physical endurance, self-confidence and provide advantages over an untrained person. Only employees with these qualities can successfully fulfill their official duty to ensure the safety of enterprises and the protection of public order. And only they will be able to neutralize the criminal in hand-to-hand combat and detain him.

PSYCHOLOGY Psychology is the expression in words of what cannot be expressed with them. John Galsworthy Psychology has a long past but a short history. Hermann Ebbinghaus A good psychologist will easily introduce you to his position. Karl Kraus A psychologist is a person who observes

15. SPECIAL HAND-HAND COMBAT COURSE In modern conditions, hand-to-hand combat techniques (especially bayonet combat) have largely lost the importance for scouts that they had before. Experts note that even during the Great Patriotic War, that is, more than 50