Controlling Adrenaline Stress: The Battle Cry

No doubt you've seen the use of the battle cry for controlling adrenaline stress portrayed on the screen. I'm talking about those movies about battles of old, where both sides are lined up against each other? Then, as one side advances, a few warriors begin to emit a sound that spreads through the ranks. As the sound grows, so does their momentum, until they come like thunder upon the opposing force.

What you see in scenes like these is an age-old method used to bring adrenaline stress under control and to make it work for the warrior rather than against him. Like the startle response, your experience with adrenaline is based upon physiological realities.

Also like the startle response, your adrenaline rush happens automatically. But unlike the startle response, you can learn to exercise control over it. Experience and breath control, for example, will allow you to determine, to a remarkable degree, the intensity and duration of your adrenaline rush -- the less intense, the longer you can make it last.

Studies conducted by the US military have shown that too much adrenaline can immobilize you (sometimes described as frozen with fear). It can give you tunnel vision, cause you to repeat ineffectual moves in a behavioral loop, or make you just plain freeze on the spot. When an experienced orc sees the signs of your adrenaline stress, he may count on your having just such responses. At that time, you need a technique to channel your adrenaline into solving the problem at hand.

More about that in Controlling Adrenaline Stess: The Battle Cry, 2.