Recently I spoke to you about the dangers of relying upon your determination to get you thru the difficulties of combat.
“>Determination. Is it Enough?
Now I would like to contrast for you my thoughts on determination versus resolve. Resolve is drawn from knowledge and understanding of self and the other. I call this a type of foreknowledge. Foreknowledge is knowing the end from the beginning about who you are and how you respond to adversity and more specifically what you draw upon or fall back to in order to stay yourself or to remain steady in the storm. This resolve is wholeness: a completeness that the resolute carries within himself. It is, “I know that I know”.
This is knowing the very substance of who you are. For example, if you belong to an organization whose responsibility it is to protect the innocent from dangerous people such as law enforcement or the military, you may heavily rely upon your organizational values and mission to establish your mental, emotional psychological operational platform. However, this is only combat effective if you have truly internalized those values.
We are talking about concepts such as honor and loyalty and courage and oath. These are just abstract constructs with no meaning at all for some people. It requires a depth of character and understanding in order to internalize and apply these to daily life let alone combat performance.
Combat training that does not address these topics is incomplete.
I have now introduced a very serious and complex set of principles that form a basis necessary for the application of any real physical combat skill. I will further lay out these psychological principles in the near future.
A man who operates out of resolve, tempered with knowledge, understanding and wisdom, is capable of compassion and mercy. He is capable of purposeful and deliberate decisions. He is also capable of the most ruthless of pragmatism. Sometimes you are left without choice and it just has to be so. So, let it be.
Your Combat Coach