Key Insights from Master Mike
- Fear distorts decision-making. When we make choices under pressure from fear, we tend to choose options that relieve the feeling—not ones that solve the real problem.
- Relieving sensation is not solving the issue. Many people seek to escape fear’s discomfort rather than confront its cause, leading to short-term solutions that don’t resolve the threat.
- Being objective is difficult from the inside. Outsiders often see clearly when fear drives poor choices, but those caught in fear may not recognize it without deliberate effort.
- Martial arts training helps you confront fear. Practices like kung fu create the mental space to observe fear without reacting blindly, allowing for clear, intentional decisions.
- Expert guidance matters. In high-pressure situations like medical or legal crises, we rely on calm, knowledgeable experts who aren't burdened by our fear—just as martial arts can help you become your own expert in moments of personal crisis.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does fear affect decision-making?
Fear causes us to seek immediate relief from discomfort rather than solving the root issue. This leads to short-sighted choices that can worsen long-term outcomes.
Can Kung Fu really help with fear?
Yes. Traditional Kung Fu training develops awareness, calm under pressure, and the ability to act with clarity—skills that directly reduce the power of fear.
Is this approach specific to Flagstaff martial arts training?
While the principles are universal, our Flagstaff Kung Fu program emphasizes overcoming internal obstacles like fear through focused, personal development.
How to Use Martial Arts to Overcome Fear
- Recognize the fear response. In training or daily life, observe when your body tightens, breath shortens, or decisions feel rushed—these are signs fear is acting.
- Use stance and breath to stabilize. In your kung fu practice, drop into a rooted stance, inhale slowly through the nose, and lengthen the exhale. This calms the body and disrupts fear-driven impulses.
- Engage in structured physical drills. Practicing drills with repetition helps your nervous system gain familiarity with stressful movements and sensations, reducing fear's grip over time.
- Train with increasing pressure. Safe, escalating sparring and scenario drills train your mind to respond under stress with clarity rather than panic.
- Reflect on decisions post-training. After each session, ask: Did fear influence how I moved? What can I adjust next time to stay present?
By integrating these methods, martial arts becomes more than self-defense—it becomes emotional training for life.
Full Transcript
Introduction: The Role of Fear
Hello. This is Master Mike over at Water Mountain, Martial Arts and Health.
Let's talk today about the role
How Fear Distorts Decisions
that fear plays in the decision making process.
In general, when we make a decision and we
feel fear, the decision that we make is poor.
And the reason for that is, when we are making the decision,
we're selecting an option based
on its ability to relieve us of this pressure
Short-Term Relief vs. Real Solutions
of fear upon us, rather than
making a decision that leads to the solution
of the problem, that's causing us
to be afraid.
So, we relieve the sensation
rather than the source.
And that leads to solutions that
are usually short term, because
we're just trying to get out of
The Insider vs. Outsider Perspective
feeling bad.
And that ultimately
defeats us, because that problem
is still there.
We just don't feel as bad about
it as we did before.
Everybody and anybody can be caught in that
situation.
Overcoming Fear Through Martial Arts
It's unpleasant to be in it.
When you're the outsider and
you're looking in at, let's, say,
a friend making that decision,
it's usually very easy to see.
You sit back and go, “Ok, you're
The Value of Outside Experts
not making the right decision.”
You're making this decision
because you're afraid.
When you're the insider,
you can't necessarily see that it
takes a great deal of effort to
free yourself from fear when you're fully
caught in, and to make the
decision that moves independent
of it (fear).
That's one of the reasons that
when we are caught in, let's,
say, a medical or legal
situation, we hire an outside
expert because we want that
expert to come into that
situation, and they're not
necessarily carrying the burden
of fear that we might be when under
that type of threat.
