The way a person reacts to a stressful situation is relevant to the way they train to handle stressful situations.
The way you train is as important as what you train for.
As instructor at the US Air force Air Base Ground Defense school (ABGD) I would put each new class of students through the same scenario when they arrived.
The class would be sent on a patrol which would pass through the middle of an area called the “Transition pad”. A ½ mile long by ¼ mile wide flat open area with no cover bordered on one long edge by a heavily wooded area. When the patrol was in the middle of the pad they would be ambushed from the cover of the woods by OPFOR.
Without fail, when the weapons fire started and the GBS’s started booming. Every single person would either freeze or drop to the ground. Resulting in a very high casualty rate. In essences their minds would shut down.
After a couple weeks of high stress training in all aspects of ABGD, the students were again patrolled and ambushed. This time however they would attack the ambush (as trained) resulting in a much lower casualty rate.
This exercise was used for several reasons. One being a base line for their training. But more importantly it showed them that in a stressful situation you have to keep your mind moving forward. If you stop you die.
It’s not enough to rush the weapon firing at you. You have to think, you have to fire and maneuver.
This same type of training is important to everyday life. If you train yourself to handle even one highly stressful situation you enable yourself to handle other stressful situations better than not training at all.
For example: a family that has trained and prepared themselves for an earth quake is better able to handle a tornado or flood then a family that has never trained for any type of natural disaster.
Comments or questions, Anyone?
