TECHNIQUE; SUB-PRINCIPLE: Reactive Control

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As currently explained reactive control is more about competitive sport oriented martial arts. In self-defense reactive control begins with our ability to control our reactions, our monkey brains. How we react dictates how the adversary may react or act. 

Reactive control is about knowing, understanding and controlling conflict and violence scripts. They are either social or asocial in nature and that is just the skim off the top of the milk bottle.  We have to know what kind of scripts are involved and the best way to react in order to avoid, deescalate, escape/evade or redirect an adversary’s actions and reactions.

Reactive control, in the literal sense as currently explained, means we are behind the curve unless we apply reactive control way before it ever gets to the physical violence of self-defense. Recognizing our emotional monkey brains, train and practice to rein that creature in and allow our human brains to logically dictate our actions is reactive control. Reacting to an attack is often way past the curve and we will have to play a lot of catch up.

Reactive control in social situations comes from awareness and how we react to the detection of conflict and violence. Reactive control in asocial situations comes also from awareness but the reactions are about overcoming aspects of asocial violence such as a blitz attack that results in the freeze or OO bounce, i.e., recognize it and train to break out of it, etc.

Reactive control is better served by studying, learning and applying out of the box thinking, training and practices so the reactions in conflict and violence are appropriate to the situation and circumstances allowing us to remain within the self-defense square. 

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