Paul Vunak's Top 50 Combat Secrets Chapter 1

Chapter 1 - Stress Inoculation:

“In any kind of combat situation, be it military, weapons, or empty hands, the emotional dimension is first and foremost the most difficult obstacle to overcome. How one deals with physiological responses, has very little to do with natural ability, and everything to do with a desensitization process. Basically what I am saying here is, the more you do something, the less it rattles you emotionally.”

Certain training methods that I originally devised for SEAL Team 6, were created to desensitize these young soldiers in their early 20s to the rigors of combat. On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the most intense, the methods that I am going to share with you would be somewhere between a 2 and a 3. The following is one of my favorite stress inoculation drills for ground fighting. Our ultimate goal on the Ground is to be emotionally relaxed in any position. And this task is impossible when one is so uncomfortable, so claustrophobic, and exhausted that they are in a panic. Therefore our goal with Stress Inoculation is to get the subjects brain chemistry in that same panic modality. And then gradually and progressively increase this level of stress until an actual emotional/physiological inoculation occurs.

• Step 1: Turn up the Heat in the room.
• Step 2: Wear three layers of sweat clothes.
• Step 3: Wrestle with your friend – (who is shirtless cool and comfortable) to the point of extreme exhaustion (no finishing holds).
• Step 4: Do this twice a day for a month. Each time try to double the length of time you were able to endure.
• Step 5: Repeat Step 1 through 4, and now get an additional person. You should now be wrestling two shirtless opponents while still wearing 3 sweatshirts. The heat should be blasting.

Once you are pretty much able to play defense indefinitely under these conditions you can truly say that you are on your way to understanding the concept of stress inoculation and the eventual mastery of the “emotional dimension”.

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