Invoking the natural killer instinct – can martial arts change your personality?

Violence is deeply ingrained in our ancient genetics but shaped by our culture and modulated by our laws. Fortunately, in our modern-day Western lives we should have little to no reason for violence. A natural killer instinct in today’s society may be linked with soldiers, dictators and criminals, but it is more commonly associated with the world of business and sport. Top executives or lawyers are described as having “killer instincts” where this refers to an unrelenting aggression, decisiveness and confidence in the face of adversity. You can see the same psychology with professional athletes from motorsport to boxing. Mike Tyson epitomised the natural killer instinct at the height of his career.

In the fashionable world of “wellness”, a killer instinct may be judged as somewhat uncivilised, something to be ashamed of or to bury away into the depths of your soul. But we all possess this killer instinct. It is an indelible part of us as human beings, a gift from our ancestral past. This natural killer instinct can also one day be your saviour – manifesting itself in different forms and intensities, whether it be in a self-defence scenario, in the ring or in the boardroom.

My family are all outgoing personalities, never shy of confrontation and have always held their ground. Warriors. That is the stock I come from, the environment I grew up in and the atmosphere I live in today. I am proud and thankful for my heritage and upbringing as it has shaped my personality as it is today and has a hand in the way I fight. Whether through nature, nurture or more likely a combination of the two, I have been told that I have a natural killer instinct by numerous Masters. I can feel it in myself. I know it to be true.

It has therefore been sometimes tough for me to put myself in the shoes of those who are more innately timid and whose character does not lend themselves as freely to violence, even in a controlled setting such as martial arts training. But to imagine oneself in the situation of another person very different to yourself and to empathise with their perspective is a valuable skill to possess. This can help with reading your opponent in a fight situation, but more importantly, it helps with being a good instructor and in how you view the world. With conscious intent, I can now see the other side.

You can train your body to improve with things like speed, stamina and strength. I have always wondered though, is it possible for someone who never had to call upon this reserve and is maybe even scared or completely abhorred by violence, to invoke their deep seated natural killer instinct?

With the right stimulation or threat and allowing oneself the freedom to touch that darker nature, I think that anyone can turn this switch on. But in the same breath, it is important to be able to turn the switch off.

Control

Wild animals are driven by their natural instincts to hunt and kill to survive. This process is devoid of emotion. Only sheer will, strategy and biology. True instinct is a drive and reflex with minimal thought and consideration. We train martial arts to make certain movements instinctual so that under pressure and without a longwinded decision process, we can move out of danger, block or attack as necessary.

We have ultimate control over how we react to others and whether we choose to escalate or calm a conflict; whether we choose to avoid a fight and the extent of force we use to end a conflict. To embrace your killer instinct, you must have control. Put aside emotions – no fear, no anger, no ego, no remorse. You do not lose your humanity with a brief void of emotion but gain the focus on what must be done to survive and to protect your loved ones.

More often than not, you will see true martial artists who possess this natural killer instinct behave in the most modest, calm and collected manner. They have nothing to prove as they know what they can do when that switch needs to be flipped.

Values

Learning martial arts can be so much more than just physical and mental training, it pervades your whole lifestyle. You gain a set of values with ironically, nonviolence and a healthy respect and courtesy for others at the heart of everything. True martial artists don’t start unnecessary fights or abuse people on the street. Clear, strong values will help you keep your killer instinct in check. It is the key in providing a framework for such a dominant and all-pervasive compulsion.

Fighting spirit

Any manner of things can be accomplished by a person who possess killer instinct. This instinct can be nurtured and grows out of successfully overcoming adversity and struggle, in martial arts training and in daily life. Martial arts and physical pursuits in general provide that point of struggle; to keep going when things are hard; to push through any barriers and to win. Parents with no martial arts training who sense their children are in danger from an outward threat will do anything and everything to protect them, even when faced with the same threat to just themselves, they would not have acted at all. That fighting spirit can be awakened.

Final thoughts

Martial arts may not change your intrinsic personality, but it can enhance and develop elements of your psyche in the form of invoking your natural killer instinct. You should then have the ability to turn this on and off at will, in proportion to what you need it for in combat or daily life. Mind, body and spirit must work together. Most sports will train your body hard and even your mind. But how many will touch your spirit and unleash a killer instinct that can be used in everything from getting your dream job to saving your life.

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