Super strength for the mentally handicapped???

[Bjjexpertise@be]

Everyone I've ever talked to (as in 3 whole people out of the 6billion people in this wonderful world of ours) has lived under the notion that the mentally handicapped seem to have superior strength compared to those that are not handicapped. Whether it be in a fight, weightlifting exercise, or any sport, they are believed to have 'superhuman strength'. So I've been wondering, do they really have superior strength or is it just the fact that they do not realize how much force they are exerting?

[jubaji]

I think the people you were talking to may be mentally handicapped.

[stabbychick]

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[Thai Bri]

In my view our civilised upbringing holds us back to an extent, along with an inate subconcious desire not to hurt ourselves. Take these restrictions away and we become physically stronger and fitter. Our bodies pay for that in the long term though!

Try to punch a wall with full power. You'll find that you just can't bring yourself to do it. Which is good!

However, I have witnessed a guy kicking and headbutting an iron cell door and stone wall for 2 hours - hard. He was a little fellah too, but I wasn't going anywhere near the guy! He was mentally ill and also out of his brain on drugs. The restrictions sane people have did not apply to him during that time.

But we can harness some of this energy with training. If you think of losing your temper? In a fight you should be just under that stage, just keeping your temper. But each strike should momentarily take you over that point. You "lose it" for the instant the strike lands, and then bring yourself back to just under boiling point. That way you get at leeast some of this "insane" power, yet still keep control.

Hope that makes sense.

[Bjjexpertise@be]

I think the people you were talking to may be mentally handicapped.

Possibly, that would explain their girth and strength.

[stabbychick]

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[Hardball]

A lot of mentally handicapped also have substance abuse problems thus you get the mentally unbalanced on Angel Dust, Crack or Smack. Then look out. You need a squad of white coats and a straight jacket.

[Bjjexpertise@be]

In my view our civilised upbringing holds us back to an extent, along with an inate subconcious desire not to hurt ourselves. Take these restrictions away and we become physically stronger and fitter. Our bodies pay for that in the long term though!

Try to punch a wall with full power. You'll find that you just can't bring yourself to do it. Which is good!

However, I have witnessed a guy kicking and headbutting an iron cell door and stone wall for 2 hours - hard. He was a little fellah too, but I wasn't going anywhere near the guy! He was mentally ill and also out of his brain on drugs. The restrictions sane people have did not apply to him during that time.

But we can harness some of this energy with training. If you think of losing your temper? In a fight you should be just under that stage, just keeping your temper. But each strike should momentarily take you over that point. You "lose it" for the instant the strike lands, and then bring yourself back to just under boiling point. That way you get at leeast some of this "insane" power, yet still keep control.

Hope that makes sense.

That makes a lot of sense and I actually thought about this theory before myself. So when mentally handicapped people lack some of the instinctual drive to protect themselves they are able to apply their body at the pinnacle of it's potential? Simply stunning!
If we, as martial artists, can at one point train ourselves to harness this ability to temporarily enter this mode some of us could definitely be a force to be reckoned with .

[Thai Bri]

Adrenalin can do it too, if you let it.

This is one of the faults with so called "martial arts" training. They train "control" all the time when, in reality, you should be losing control one some levels.

Re adrenalin, it reminds me of a passage from the book Bravo Two Zero. The guy talks about doing near Olympic times when running from a superior force of Iraquis but, as soon as the period of immediate danger is over, you pay for it by almost dropping dead.