The Science Behind All Fighting Techniques

As time appears to be running out, I've also turned my attention to completing my first book, The Science Behind All Fighting Techniques.

AI has enabled me to finish it.

AI provided an editing tool.

AI is also providing the illustrations that I need to complete the book.

AI also provides the tools to photoshop the photos that were taken that were flawed in one way or another.

This is the index of The Science Behind All Fighting Techniques:

CONTENTS

Preface

Acknowledgements

Chapter 1 Introduction

Chapter 2 The Core of All Learning

Chapter 3 Analysing Techniques

Chapter 4 Force

Chapter 5 Balance and Unbalancing

Chapter 6 Stances and Locomotion

Chapter 7 Throws and Takedowns

Chapter 8 Joint-Locking Techniques

Chapter 9 Injury Science

Chapter 10 Punching and Kicking Techniques

Chapter 11 Blocking Techniques

Chapter 12 Breakfalling Techniques

Chapter 13 Strangulation Techniques

Chapter 14 Pain

Chapter 15 Operationalising Gracie and Gracie’s Black Belt Expectations

Chapter 16 Conclusion

Reference List

It's not too bad in its original form, over ten years ago, even if I do say so myself.

The life of a starving writer, literally, but this makes two books ready to be published with a third, albeit published under a pseudonym, ready to go. A fourth in the pipelines that can be pumped out, on anxiety, in a relatively short space of time.

Prolific, if not hungry.

How Physiological Control Techniques Work to Reduce Stress, Anxiety, Fear, and Anger

An article based on the work in Fear and Fight: A New and Better Understanding of Our Natural and Learned Responses to Threat has been submitted to various police journals in Australia, UK, and US for publication.

This is the conclusion to that article:

Understanding how techniques like controlled breathing and muscle relaxation work—via feedback loops that link physiology, cognition, and emotion—can help officers apply them with greater confidence and flexibility in the field. This knowledge transforms the technique from a rote drill into a tactical skill, one that can be used deliberately to maintain composure and performance in high-stress situations.

This is the About the Author section:

John Coles is the author of Fear and Fight: A New and Better Understanding of Our Natural and Learned Responses to a Threat and The Science Behind All Fighting Techniques, both currently under submission for publication. He has written 17 nationally published articles based on the content of those books. John also authored Jan de Jong: The Man, His School and His Jiu Jitsu System, and contributed to Going Global: A Primer for Australian Managers and Enterprises Wishing to Do Business Internationally. His writing on leadership has appeared in The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, and leading professional blogs.

These techniques should be taught in all activities associated with preparing a person to engage in a violent encounter, sporting events, examinations of any sort, etc. An understanding of how they work leverages the performance of the techniques significantly.

Contact me for further information.

Fear and Fight - Publisher Submissions

Fear and Fight: A New and Better Understanding of Our Natural and Learned Responses to Threats is now being submitted to publishers for publishing.

Six today - three in Australia, three in the UK.

This author's bio has been included with each submission:

I’ve published 25 articles in major Australian newspapers, broadsheets, and national magazines, including on topics explored in this book. I’m the author of Jan de Jong: The Man, His School and His Jiu Jitsu System and contributed to Going Global by Dr Roger Smith. My writing blends personal experience, clinical and evolutionary psychology, military and law enforcement research, and practical application — resulting in a cohesive framework that helps readers understand and navigate fear, conflict, and survival in all spheres of life.

Comparable authors and titles include:

The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk

Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst by Robert Sapolsky
On Combat by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman & Loren W. Christensen
The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes – and Why by Amanda Ripley
Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers by Robert Sapolsky
Emotional: The New Thinking About Feelings by Leonard Mlodinow
Sharpening the Warrior’s Edge: The Psychology and Science of Training by Bruce K. Siddle

Fear and Fight - Synopsis

 I'm about to finish Fear and Fight and submit it to agents for publication. This is my first attempt at a synopsis that will accompany the submission:

Fear and Fight: A New and Better Understanding of Our Natural and Learned Responses to a Threat is a ground-breaking, interdisciplinary exploration of how humans and other animals respond to danger. Bridging evolutionary psychology, neuroscience, trauma studies, and lived experience, this book challenges conventional views of fear and trauma—particularly those entrenched in diagnostic frameworks like the DSM.

Drawing on a rich mix of personal insight, empirical research, clinical theory, and cultural analysis, the book traces the development of our instinctive survival responses—such as freezing, fleeing, and fighting—and examines how these are shaped, amplified, or overridden by learning, context, and socialisation. From the role of the amygdala in fast fear reactions to the deliberate cultivation of courage and hope in warfare, Fear and Fight offers a clear, accessible, and emotionally resonant narrative of what happens to mind and body under threat.

The book explains why fear sometimes emerges after the danger has passed, and why some people feel nothing in the moment of trauma—drawing on military training, domestic violence, and civilian experiences to explore how both natural and learned responses influence psychological outcomes. It challenges gendered assumptions about submission, highlights the strategic use of emotion in military contexts, and critiques the evolution of PTSD diagnosis, including the removal of DSM-IV’s Criterion A2.

Structured across multiple parts—including foundational chapters on fear responses, emotion and cognition, diagnostic categories, and applied theories in war, self-defence, and survival—the book culminates in a compelling argument: that understanding threat responses requires both biological insight and cultural literacy. Whether dissecting cinematic depictions of trauma, military stress training protocols, or real-world encounters with violence, Fear and Fight equips readers with a new lens through which to understand themselves and others.

Ultimately, this book is not only about what we fear—but how we survive.

What do you think?