I was teaching an online class earlier this year and I was asked this question: “If I was being attacked, would I be able to ‘channel’ all my energy, like some professional athletes, and mentally and physically ‘power-up’ to handle the situation with more force?”
I had no idea how to answer that question, so I did research. I found many articles on how letting out a “word, scream or grunt” at a crucial time can be beneficial in a controlled environment, but I could not find any articles specific to using this “power -up” technique when time is of the essence in a violent encounter.
As most of us know, being physically fit is confirmed to help prevent and/or manage heart disease, stroke, diabetes and several cancers. It is also one of the key factors that improves mental stability, and an overall quality of life and well-being. According to CrossMag, the act of yelling while exercising or lifting has many benefits. Please make note that this technique is being used while exercising/lifting and not when time is of the essence. Here are some of the benefits listed:
There are many articles out there that talk about a specific “power-up shout” that is a word (like Kia, Ass, Ch, Ah, Kihap, etc.) that is yelled during specific times in your training. This is usually not emplyed by high level athletes, but it is still common practice. Please make note that this technique is being used while training and not when time is of the essence. For more information about this topic, Akula Taekwondo breaks it down nicely. It lists these benefits to shouting:
The answer is (probably) no. I bet you thought it was going to be a yes; in fact, I did too, but after focusing on distance and context, where a power-up scream may be beneficial in a controlled setting, it will not be beneficial when seconds matter and your life is on the line. Think about it, most every point that was made in this article had no time limit, breathing techniques were applied and the goal/end result had nothing to do with lifesaving skills.
I knew the person that had asked me this question would be reading this post, so I wanted to be 100% comfortable with my decision. I called my friend, Larry Lindemann, who is a lifetime martial artist, combat athlete, SWAT, police and has a degree in Exercise Physiology. I knew he would be able to shed some light and he did not disappoint.
Larry said, “Context and time is the answer here. When you are in an equal initiative, life preservation will not be the focus; but, when you are in an unequal initiative, it is crucial. When engaged in a criminal assault, there is no time to think about ‘powering-up,’ you are ‘in it’ and you have to make the best use of your resources.”
He continued, “Oddly, traditional martial arts focus, almost entirely on equal initiative conflict. Martial arts movies fight scenes are all equal initiative. Criminal assaults, by definition, are unequal. Criminals don’t want fights; they want to use violence to achieve a goal, and therefore, they stack the deck so they will win every time. They use shock and awe, guns, masks and yelling to stack the deck. Even if a victim is armed, the gun is still holstered, and the victim didn’t know if and when the attack was coming. ”
For clarity, here are the definitions of equal and unequal initiative:
Larry added, “Screaming can be a valuable offensive tool, but not defensive. Contextually, with space in mind, you can use a scream, aka a verbal flashbang, to get an adrenal response from the other person with the goal to ‘shock’ and startle them. A good scream can also draw attention to the situation from surrounding people. When your primal brain hears someone screaming, your first instinct is to look around.”
Larry brought up another good point and said, “A criminal has a time limit on the exchange with you. He wants to get ‘paid’ from the time spent with you and when you scream, the clock in his head starts ticking. He will also be concerned on who is watching, and he wans to get in and out with no witnesses.”
I would like thank Larry for the time and energy that he put into this topic and my education. He is an expert in this field and our conversations make me think outside the box.
That confirms it, trying to ‘power-up’ and increase your physical capabilities during an assault will probably be a no-go, but don’t be disappointed because your voice is an amazing self-protection tool. If you have the space, scream at that bad dude and “build a sonic wall,” as Larry would say.
For training with The Complete Combatant, visit Shelley Hill’s website.
Shelley Hill wears a "bunch of hats." Her husband, Brian, named her the “Indispensable Organization Wizard” about 25 years ago and that has become her official title. Shelley is the CEO and instructor at The Complete Combatant. She is an HK Brand Ambassador, publishes regular articles in Women’s Outdoor News and Shooting Illustrated, teaches online classes, is an Active Self Protection Certified Instructor, an Instructor Graduate of Modern Samurai Project's Red Dot Instructor program, NRA Certified Instructor, Certified NRA Chief Range Safety Officer, Refuse to be a Victim Instructor and is a Certified OC (Pepper Spray) Instructor through Chuck Haggard's Agile Training & Consulting. She is the designer and mastermind behind Image Based Decisional Drills, Smart Choices , LockedIn Grip, The Complete Combatant's annual The Mingle for professional ladies in the "firearms/self defense" industry and The Quest for red dot shooters. She is also the President of a non-profit organization called Blue Line Ponies. This 501c3 focuses on providing a retirement range for our career service horses. Shelley is also a presenter at several national conferences is a public speaker and she actually loves people. View all posts by Shelley Hill
