Be Cool
It’s no secret that the coolest cucumber can think clearer and perform better in a violent physical altercation. Countless documentation of historical events has been written about the critical importance of staying cool under pressure, from Wyatt Earp to Chris Kyle. What three things can be done to keep your cool should it hit the proverbial fan? Listed in order of priority, they are: prepare your mind and body, map your environment, and have an operational plan.
Above: A couple experiences the stress of the fight, flight or freeze response.
Humans need current information to make an accurate assessment and formulate a viable solution to a tactical problem. Anything other than relevant physical and mental input, rapid assessment, and a realistic solution can cause significant decision-making delays. In a life-and-death situation, even a few seconds of processing time can put you behind the action-reaction power curve.
If you expect to stay cool, you’ll need to allow that mind-body input-processing-solution process to run without a hiccup. There are two approaches to streamlining this process — one psychological and the other physical.
Psychological Preparation
Looking at it from the psychological…
