Weed, Marajuana and Flow state

Discussion in 'General Martial Arts Discussion' started by Arcaderat5, Jul 25, 2017.

  1. Arcaderat5

    Arcaderat5 Member

    So I used to be a recreational user some years ago and would like to recall a story;

    Went to an aracde late night before a movie with two friends one of which weights around 120kg and is an ex boxer, who can move like a middle weight. Anyhow we were on the punching bag machine and some dude tried showing off infront of his woman and beat my score. So I went out and thought nothing of it, smoked a blunt and decided to go back to beat his. My boxer friend beat his score before we left the first time. And when we returned I went at it. But this time I went into flow state and had one of the highest scores probably ever recorded. The machine shook with every punch, and I was getting a free go for with every punch Id get a newer high score.

    It was as if I had tunnel vision because after hald a dozen new high scores there was a crowd behind me without me realising.

    Has anyone else ever had his or something similar?

    And what do you do to get into flow state?
     
  2. Simon

    Simon Administrator Admin Supporter MAP 2017 Koyo Award

    Not drugs, because drugs are for losers.

    I'd also remind everyone that the glorification of drug use is against the ToS.
     
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  3. Arcaderat5

    Arcaderat5 Member

    Yes exactly. I regret every single moment of my previous life.
    I do not advocate drugs at all. This was just one of the times I was in flow state that came to mind.
     
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  4. Ewiesner

    Ewiesner New Member

    Back in the nineties we called it being in "the zone".
     
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  5. Hannibal

    Hannibal Cry HAVOC and let slip the Dogs of War!!! Supporter

    When you get to a certain level you don't need to get into the state you just are "on" - so I suppose my advice is just train and let the rest take care of itself
     
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  6. Jaydub

    Jaydub Valued Member

    That actually sounds a lot like a guy I train with. He comes from a Hung Fut background, and he’s incredibly skilled.

    I never touch the stuff, as I'm in the military, but I admire his laser-focus.

    I appreciate that the martial arts attract people from all walks of life. :D
     
  7. David Harrison

    David Harrison MAPper without portfolio

    I heard you get disqualified from BJJ comps if you test negative for cannabis :D

    Drugs and fighting have always gone together though; from the Dutch courage of privateers, pharmacological imbibing of Zulu warriors, to the amphetamine-fueled raids of the SAS in WWII.

    It's easy to say that only losers do drugs, but a cursory look at most elite sports would refute that. Which isn't a glorification of drugs, institutionalised cheating is a sad indictment of human nature. Where do you draw the line though? It is impossible to be a human and avoid chemicals that alter you physically and psychologically, and even government and UN drug experts say that drug laws are fundamentally flawed in almost every country.
     
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  8. SWC Sifu Ben

    SWC Sifu Ben I am the law

    I mean cannabis has some very handy medical uses and cannabis and its derivatives have been used for a very long time as painkiller, anti inflammatory, even in its refined form hashish for its psychoactive properties in large doses, from which the word assassins (hashashins) derives. Intoxicants have long been used to achieve altered states of consciousness for a variety of purposes, usually religious or martial.

    It's no more glorifying it to acknowledge these, or even its recreational use, than folks who enjoy alcohol, coffee, or tobacco. But drugs and training certainly don't mix. It's potentially dangerous and really detrimental to the utility of training due to state dependent learning.
     
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  9. David Harrison

    David Harrison MAPper without portfolio

    It is due to state dependent learning that you could argue the case for training while intoxicated, if you are likely to need your training while intoxicated. I'm thinking of alcohol in particular, but cannabis will tend to exacerbate adrenal response, as another example.
     
  10. Hannibal

    Hannibal Cry HAVOC and let slip the Dogs of War!!! Supporter

    Eddie Bravo often rolls whilst "influenced"

    He also thinks the earth is flat

    I am SURE there is no connection......
     
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  11. Mushroom

    Mushroom De-powered to come back better than before.

    Pretty sure Eddie does everything "while influenced".

    I think Vice did a short docu on nue-tropics and professional gamers. It does seem like the current trend thats going about.

    Sugar is my unfortunate drug of choice. I rarely take pre workout but I do ingest it before having a workout straight after a hard shift.
     
  12. aaradia

    aaradia Choy Li Fut and Yang Tai Chi Chuan Student Moderator Supporter

    IMO, if you have to be on a drug to get your body to do what you want, that isn't a real skill you are developing. Drugs aren't a tool, they are a crutch. The point of martial arts is to develop a SKILL that you can do whenever you need, under any circumstance.

    For example- drunken forms. You don't get drunk to do a drunken form or fight drunken style. The point is to develop the relaxation WHILE having control of your body by not being drunk. To replicate the desirable trait to use at will - without the side effects and undesirable traits. Sifu Lau below is creating relaxed power- drunken style- but unlike a real drunken person, he maintains perfect control of his body. And maintains clear thinking skills as well.



    Frankly, if one can't enter "flow" whenever you want, so what if one achieved it under the influence? (Not directed at OP, just a general point.)

    If you have to be on drugs to get "flow" or anything else, you are missing the whole point of training. :rolleyes:
     
    Last edited: Jul 26, 2017
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  13. philosoraptor

    philosoraptor carnivore in a top hat Supporter

    I knew a friend who smoked marijuana while training BJJ. He also trained in some other arts like boxing, judo, MMA, etc. and never felt comfortable using it there. He said though, that for whatever reason, marijuana and BJJ were a somewhat synergistic experience, as he'd try out new angles and different transitions, while feeling more grounded and weighty. His training partners said that it did dull his reflexes though. At the time, he was training 4-6 times a week though, and limited his green rolls to once a week on open mat, so it might just be the case that his ingenuity was more predicated on preparation than inhalation.
     
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  14. SWC Sifu Ben

    SWC Sifu Ben I am the law

    I can understand that. When I was a teenager some of my jujitsu mates and I used to go to the beach, have a little to drink, and wrestle in the sand. We were young and a bit reckless. To my mind there's a clear connection between altered states on consciousness, though not necessarily always through intoxicants, and creativity. Writers, musicians, etc, all search for that through a variety of means. Things which relax you may allow you to move more fluidly at times, but I really don't think it's worth the trade off in reaction time and potential injury.
     
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  15. Arcaderat5

    Arcaderat5 Member



    Thanks for all the comments guys. But heres something that you all may find useful. Ive been practicing with it for the past few days and it had made me very productive. Use wisely.
     
  16. aikiMac

    aikiMac aikido + boxing = very good Moderator Supporter

    Aye, that makes sense, because it makes you more relaxed, and thus more "ju"-like (compliant, yielding, "be like water"). That's great if you're on the ground rolling, but not good for boxing, no.
     
  17. David Harrison

    David Harrison MAPper without portfolio

    Actually that's a bit of a dangerous myth. It is biphasal, in that a dose initially inhibits stress hormone release, but then stimulates it. This is one of the reasons people self-medicating with cannabis to reduce anxiety can end up severely exacerbating their symptoms.

    Caffeine has a similar effect, but not as dramatic.
     
  18. philosoraptor

    philosoraptor carnivore in a top hat Supporter

    Right, my friend would totally agree with you, so he limited it to mutually agreed upon light rolls with people he had trained with. Like he said, for BJJ bueno, but for other martial arts it might not be so good. My personal suspicion is that the potential for injury from sloppiness in BJJ is much lower than in something like boxing or judo, especially when you're dealing with people who know what they're doing. He wouldn't prescribe this as a one size fits all, "everyone should be doing it" solution akin to Eddie Bravo, but it works for some folks. He has reported no injuries due to the occasional indulgence.

    Yeah, I think it would be a grand mistake for either boxing or even with judo, it seems only appropriate for light, lackadaisical rolling in BJJ, where you're just trying to flow roll and chain together different techniques and strategies.
     

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