Think Fast Under Pressure

The other day while with some friends, one being 95 years old, we were standing outside of a farmers market in 90 degree whether when suddenly our elder friend fully collapsed & passed out. Reflexively my wife (a second degree black belt) & I caught her & lowered her to the ground protecting her from hitting her head & other joints. Someone that age can easily break a hip & may never recover. All in a matter of a few moments a flash of thoughts popped into my mind...protect her from the fall, don’t let her bang her head or joints, be careful not to squeeze too tightly as I may crack her rib bone, check vitals, call 911. All of these thoughts flash into my mind while staying calm & alert. We also had our 19 month old twins at our side as well. For a martial artist this comes easier than most people. Free style sparring & grappling is great for this kind of thinking fast under pressure deveoplment. When one spars they are multitasking mentally & learning how to control their emotions. Think about it when a 7 year old is sparring a 13 year old someone almost twice their age & size they are focused on prevailing in the match not on letting their emotions run wild. They practice, dodging, blocking, countering, strategies all the while keeping a calm & steady mind when they may actual feel like running (althought in self-defense is that the first option). The children welcome the task that makes them go beyond themselves. This character strength is intrinsic. In Japanese martial arts it is called Heijo-Shin. When a parent enrolls their child it is difficult to explain these type of intrinsic, subjective character strengths but they are there. They will also be there when a child needs to think fast under pressure when faced with a bully, when faced with a child abductor, when faced with a difficult test at school, when faced with speaking up against unhealthy peer pressure. Martial arts training in our program develops the body mind heart & spirit for both children & adults. When you need it will be there, we develop it by coming TheDOJO.