Do you Fight Better when Angry or Calm?
How many times have we heard that we should be calm when fighting? Or some person says being angry is better to make us more aggressive. I’ve also been wondering about this and checked both sides to have the answer. So is it better to fight angry or calm?
It is better to fight calm than angry. This is because being calm gives us a sense of clarity, which in turn makes us aware in a fight. Clarity is very useful in a fight because only through clarity will we find the enemy’s moves, how we can counter, and save our energy for golden opportunities.
But is anger really that bad? Should you always be calm in a fight? Is there a way to use anger in a good way? We will all answer them here in this article.
Is it Better to Fight Angry or Calm?
In general, it is better to fight calm than angry. Being calm helps us to think better in a fight. Thinking better allows us to fight while analyzing enemy’s movements, preparing a counter attack, strategize in the fight and save our energy for the best opportunity.
In fact, most counter attacks when in pinch came while being calm and finding the golden opportunity.
This is because strength is not everything in a fight. Nowadays, intelligence also matters a lot.
That is why there are coaches that help the fighter analyze their enemy. They help think of the right move to counter or to fight in an advantage.
Furthermore, most martial art has some sort of strengths. The thing that puts calm on the winning side is that when you are calm, you can instantly know when to fight and when not to.
The best way to win a match is to find the enemies strength and weaknesses. Avoiding their strengths and going for their weakness.
To do this, it needs careful analyzation of the enemy. This makes being calm one of the most important trait to have in a match.
Does Anger make you Fight Better?
Anger does not make you fight better. However, the strong emotion you can get with anger can give a temporary boost in strength when you are cornered. But do not use anger to just strike enemies, since fighting while angry always makes someone vulnerable to counter attacks.
The problem with anger is that most of the time, it gets above being calm and this can be a very big problem.
Fighting while only angry makes us use bigger swings, which makes us more open to attacks. For someone who is calm when fighting, enemies that get angry are a golden opportunity to land a powerful hit. This is because we tend to forget about our defense when we are angry.
This is the reason why in most cases, some fighters provoke their enemy. Most of them know that once the calm of their enemies are gone, it will be the perfect time for a counterattack.
But as I said, fighting angry also has an advantage. There is something known as being aggressive while calm. But that happens when anger does not go above calmness.
Why is Fighting Angry Bad?
Fighting angry is bad because we tend to forget about our defense when we fight while angry. This is because when we lose our cool, we tend to just focus on dealing heavy swings hoping for the best outcome. But smart enemies know that and can use the opportunity to their advantage.
Martial arts is not just a fight of strength.
I think only a few can notice this but martial arts is more of a battle of wits. I have seen a lot of skillful and smart fighters win against somebody stronger and larger than them.
This is because being smart takes every opportunity they have to their advantage. This comes from being calm in analyzing their enemies.
Most fighters that specialize with counter punches can attest that careful analysis is the key to victory, this helps them win against strong enemies even if their innate punches are not really strong. This is because they know how to use their enemies strength against them.
But that is the problem, fighting angry does not cause any of this to happen.
Fighting angry makes you the best target for counters. It makes you vulnerable to strikes.
And if martial art is a game of wits, you immediately lost when you fight while angry. Remember that staying calm is more important. Do not let the other side take off your cool.
Careful analyzation and not wild instincts will make you win a fight.
Why you Should be Calm in a Fight
You should be calm in a fight because calmness helps you relax and prevent any mistakes that can happen. This causes you to be extremely focused in a match, so that you can carefully use the techniques you’ve practice, analyze your enemy’s moves, and prepare a counterattack.
Panic is one of the biggest enemies of a fighter in a match. Panic lets them lose their plan and makes them move according to the enemy’s plan.
That is why one of the key lessons in almost all martial art is to be cool in a fight. Do not let panic conquer you as it spells for the end of the match.
But that does not mean that using anger in a fight is useless. There are instances where fighters used anger to finally finish a match. A moment when they fully mastered their instincts. That’s what we will discuss in the next section.
The Advantage of Using Anger in a Fight
There is no doubt that there are fighters who look very aggressive and angry in a fight. This section is about the advantage of using anger in a match. This is because there is also an advantage in using anger.
The advantage of using anger in a fight is that its strong emotion can temporarily increase strength. Fighters who mastered using their anger well into the fight are often considered to be the best of all. This is because they learned to be calm while using anger to be aggressive.
Using anger helps them fight and hold on longer. It also pressures their opponent.
Pressure makes enemies lose their calm, and as we have seen, it destroys their clarity in a match, which makes them react slower, and then fear comes into play. They can start being more aggressive to further pressure the enemy.
Because there is something called as being aggressive while being calm. It is a hard concept to take but very effective.
There is a harmony between the two where you can attack aggressively putting pressure to enemies and at the same time, calm to analyze their movement.
People who mastered using anger into a fight gives them this advantage. They can also use anger to stay in fights longer because it boosts their energy levels for a short while.
This is because anger is still a strong emotion that can be used to your advantage and it has been shown by other fighters to be effective.
But mastering how to use will take a lot of practice and it will be better to just fight calm when you are starting.