So I've been boxing for over 1.5 year and started sparring hard about 6 weeks or so ago. I find myself becoming more calm and less stressed but even in situations where I would normally (or should have!) have felt anger, I just remain relaxed and don't feel emotions like anger....it's as if my ability to be aggressive is being eroded away, if that makes sense. I can't seem to muster up the aggression required....is this normal?! Isn't that a very bad thing in a real life self defense scenario - if someone if being aggressive and testing you (i.e. what the experts call the "interview"), wouldn't this make the thug think he's easy prey?! On bodybuilding forms, the doormen say using extreme aggression as a response to hostility is often the only resort to get out of these situations...i.e. if someone is being aggressive, be more aggressive back. Is there a way to fix this?
First off, you are using the terms anger and aggression, in a manor which would suggest that you see them as both being one in the same - They are not. Anger is an emotion, and emotions have a tendency to take over, and control both our actions and our states of mind. Aggression however is a mindset, and should (when needed) be a useful tool in your arsenal. So in answer to your question, I do not think that it is something that needs 'fixing' per say, but that maybe you need to start looking at what aggression actually is and how you personally go about tapping in to yours. Travess
Agree with Travess. Your question doesn't quite make sense. But taking a step back, the more experienced you get at fighting (here, hard sparring), the more relaxed you will get when you're doing it. This is perfectly normal. The "danger! danger! run away!" feeling goes away because, heck, you've been here before and everything turned out okay.
I think it might be that you are finding yourself more composed during sparring and perhaps allowing that composure to make you less active in what you throw. Maybe you are becoming more passive as you think about exchanging and working skills more than smashing your partner into the earth. It's happened to me in both grappling and striking. My way to deal with it was to accept that it is a good thing and to mitigate against its ill effects by forcing myself into activity - using an aggressive strategy with a calm mind. The difference between anger and aggression as others have touched on. In grappling it was having a more active guard, hand fighting more purposefully and fighting harder to reverse bad positions. In striking it has been working the jab, teep and looking to press more and get an angle and move rather than sit back, counter and fire kicks from range.
Nice one Chadderz! This is what it kind of feels like - in fact, it sums it up... Haven't seen this movie in ages...I think it's about time I downloaded fight club again.. Thanks for all the replies guys, it makes sense. It's just that I've only ever been aggressive when angry but I know what you mean.
The more I think about it, the more I think it's my fight/flight response mechanism which is being suppressed....
It's not so much being suppressed as taking more to get it going. That's a good thing. I don't think it's a negative thing for SD at all. The interview stage is all about gauging reactions, whether that's fear or aggression. If it's social domination/recreational violence as opposed to theft, then they are looking for someone who will step up and give them the fight they want. Staying calm in the face of aggression is one of the best ways to diffuse it, and it also allows you to make more informed tactical decisions.