Reaction vs. Reflex

[Talyn]

Battle drills, battle drills, battle drills…The Ranger Handbook defines battle drills as a collective action rapidly executed without applying a deliberate decision-making process.

This is done repeatedly to the point it becomes second nature.

Reaction vs. Reflex

 

[youngolddude]

Perfect practice makes perfect.
Some folks call it muscle memory. What you do repeatedly does become habit and if you do something wrong, it takes a lot of work to undo.

 

[Cedric]

Good article. I was pleasantly surprised he mentioned the physiological aspects and the executive functions. We normally think of the brain as the focal point of decision-making in our bodies, but there is another area and that is the spine with what are called interneurons or association neurons. For example, you accidentally place your hand on a hot stove, a sensory neuron picks up the heat, it goes through the interneuron in the spine (decisionmaker) and sends a signal to a motor neuron to move your hand. That is the reflex action. Training constantly to strengthen your spinal executive action will result in a reflex rather than a reaction.

 

[somorris]

Thanks for the link, Talyn.

On a relatively frequent basis, I think about how much training is enough for the average citizen in order to consider himself or herself prepared to defend themselves. I really don’t know that there is really an answer. The likely hood of any of us needing to aggressively defend ourselves is pretty remote. At my age, most attackers would be stronger and faster than I am. That is why I think going about armed with a handgun is a good idea.

I suppose each of us has to decide for ourselves.