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Customer Review
Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2011
I have almost finished reading Warrior Mindset by Dr. Michael Asken, Loren Christensen and Lt. Col. Dave Grossman. This book is related to other books, namely On Combat and On Killing.
These books target the professional warriors of our society, the police officers who protect the streets and the soldiers who fight for their country and its values. In their own parlance, they are the "sheepdogs," guarding society/civilians/"sheep" against "wolves." The sheepdogs share capabilities of wolves in that they can be powerful and dangerous, but they use their power for the good of society. They are the ones who run towards danger, while the rest of us run from it. A sense of duty and honor pervades their commitment to their profession, but many also live their lives in this way, always aware that one day they may have to make the ultimate sacrifice.
Warrior Mindset discusses the mental toughness required of warriors, and how to attain and maintain it. It is key to develop and train that mindset, so that in the hour of need, one is prepared. As Grossman pointed out in On Combat, "You do not rise to the occasion, you sink to your level of training."
What might surprise you - although it shouldn't - is that the techniques described in Warrior Mindset include meditation, visualization/imagery, affirmations/positive thinking, muscle relaxation techniques, arousal/psyching up, being in "the zone," etc. The terminology comes in military packaging, such as Tactical Arousal Control, Stress Inoculation Training (SIT), OODA loop, etc.
There is nothing necessarily mystical about this stuff, the authors assure their warrior readers; these are proven techniques and methodologies to help you cope with the ultimate stressful situation or "condition black," when your heart is pounding so madly that you may experience tunnel vision, auditory exclusion, memory lapses, etc. At such a time, you better hope your training has built up enough muscle memory that it kicks in and helps you do the right things - within your sphere of control - to get out safely.
There is a lot of wisdom in this compact book. There are ABSOLUTELY lessons in this book for laypersons. As a matter of fact, every single one of the methodolgies also applies in the civilian world. Highly recommended.
These books target the professional warriors of our society, the police officers who protect the streets and the soldiers who fight for their country and its values. In their own parlance, they are the "sheepdogs," guarding society/civilians/"sheep" against "wolves." The sheepdogs share capabilities of wolves in that they can be powerful and dangerous, but they use their power for the good of society. They are the ones who run towards danger, while the rest of us run from it. A sense of duty and honor pervades their commitment to their profession, but many also live their lives in this way, always aware that one day they may have to make the ultimate sacrifice.
Warrior Mindset discusses the mental toughness required of warriors, and how to attain and maintain it. It is key to develop and train that mindset, so that in the hour of need, one is prepared. As Grossman pointed out in On Combat, "You do not rise to the occasion, you sink to your level of training."
What might surprise you - although it shouldn't - is that the techniques described in Warrior Mindset include meditation, visualization/imagery, affirmations/positive thinking, muscle relaxation techniques, arousal/psyching up, being in "the zone," etc. The terminology comes in military packaging, such as Tactical Arousal Control, Stress Inoculation Training (SIT), OODA loop, etc.
There is nothing necessarily mystical about this stuff, the authors assure their warrior readers; these are proven techniques and methodologies to help you cope with the ultimate stressful situation or "condition black," when your heart is pounding so madly that you may experience tunnel vision, auditory exclusion, memory lapses, etc. At such a time, you better hope your training has built up enough muscle memory that it kicks in and helps you do the right things - within your sphere of control - to get out safely.
There is a lot of wisdom in this compact book. There are ABSOLUTELY lessons in this book for laypersons. As a matter of fact, every single one of the methodolgies also applies in the civilian world. Highly recommended.
