Crazy Monkey Defense Official Blog

Training Champions in Life, Puffery or Proven?

Proponents of the Crazy Monkey Defense Program (CMD) assert that the program is effectively used to “train champions in the ring, in the field and most importantly in life”. Its pretty easy to understand how the physical skills, strategies and tactics trained in the program will result in success in the ring or field, after all CMD is a program of martial or combat skills and one would hope that at the very least these would be applicable to sport or real world combat situations. But what about that “champions in life” claim? How is it possible that training in the CMD Program can help someone be a champion whose life does not regularly involve the imposition of physical force on another person?

Early this year Mark Fenske PhD, neuroscientist and Dr. Jeff Brown, psychologist, in collaboration with Liz Neporent, health writer, published The Winner’s Brain: 8 Strategies Great Minds Use to Achieve Success. The authors define winners as “people who meet with extraordinary success in the particular aspects of life they value the most.” Examples of winners they cite are as diverse as London cab drivers and Olympic champions. Based on their own research, and that of other scientists, the authors claim that it is clear that winner’s brains function differently.

Now if the little voice inside your head sometimes suffers from an inferiority complex like mine your probably thinking great I’m not good looking, I’m not rich, evidence suggests that I’m neither a genius or exceptionally lucky and on top of that it turns out that my brain is probably ill equipped for success. I might as well give up now and except my fate. Well, it turns out there is still hope. The authors claim that their research suggests that success is not about money, connections, IQ or even luck (I’m not prepared to completely dismiss these factors myself but they do) but is instead about the brain. But that’s not the best part. They also claim that because of a fortunate capability our brains posses called neuroplasticity, we can train our brains, such that they will take on the characteristics of and become winners’ brains.

The authors lay out eight win factors that if developed result in a winner’s brain. My hypothesis is that CMD assists in developing these win factors and that it is therefore accurate to claim that CMD can be effectively used to train a champion in life. Let’s take a quick look at the 8 factors and how CMD addresses them.

Self-Awareness. A winner is in tune with what they are feeling. To develop the mental game, understanding and expressing what one is feeling or thinking when training is a first step. The idea is that one must first identify that that they are experiencing gut wrenching fear as they toe the line for a sparing round before they are able to address those feelings and their implications on performance. Good coaching assists with this process.

Motivation. Individuals who come to CMD are self-motivated; otherwise they would never have made it through the door. If what they encounter after entering the door is not positive though, that self-motivation can quickly disappear. The CMD environment is intended to help sustain and enhance that self-motivation. CMD creates a safe positive environment that provides clients with the autonomy to co-create their training experience and identify and achieve their purpose for training while developing mastery of the curriculum.

Focus. The authors identify two kinds of focus, narrow and broad, as characteristics of winners. This distinction comes up often in CMD training. Take sparing for example, one needs a broad focus to identify what the opponent is doing and a narrow focus to strike an opening. Another example of this distinction is the broader strategic focus of the CMD Fight Compass and the narrow focus of technique.

Emotional Balance. Balance is one of CMD’s four drivers. While this is typically first talked about in terms of physical balance it can be thought of much broader specifically in the context of the mental game. Building on self-awareness and using CMD approaches such as stress inoculation one will train and develop improved emotional balance under stress.

Memory. Memory may be improved by exercise and we exercise memory by learning rich new things like CMD. In addition in CMD we introduce memory aids such as frameworks and structures like the fight compass and four drivers that are applicable outside the gym. We also practice techniques like visualization and the moving meditation of shadow boxing that should reduce stress and thereby improve memory.

Resilience. One of the main benefits of the basic CMD hand movement defense is that it allows someone to “weather the storm” or survive an onslaught. If we move the focus out a little I believe one of the main benefits of training in the CMD program is that it helps one manage the unpredictability of life.  The gym can provide a respite from everything else that is going on, a place to breath and recharge. In addition CMD draws on the fields of positive psychology, play, and somatic movement to create an environment that builds and strengthens the body, mind and spirit.

Adaptability. Resistance to change is primarily driven by fear. The fear comes from the unknown. Will the change be for the better, will I be successful, are there hidden agendas, and will my relationships be impacted in a negative way, are all common concerns that tend to freeze individuals in place. Self confidence gained through self-awareness and emotional balance makes the fear of change more manageable. Motivation and resilience keep one going over the inevitable bumps in the road. In addition training in CMD improves mindfulness and in so doing reduces fear of the unknown.  Instead of worrying about what might happen, the focus is on what is happening. Freed of fear change becomes an adventure.

Brain Care. Brain care is mostly about living a healthy life. Eating right and getting enough sleep are keys.  One important point the authors make however is that exercise is currently the only proven way to stimulate new brain cell growth. CMD certainly provides plenty of that.

I think there is a very good case to be made for CMD as an effective training method for anyone interested in being a winner in life. There is not yet a completed study proving this but my personal experience and what I have observed in others is that sustained mindful practice can and will result in a winner’s brain. I admit however that I am biased. My recommendation is that if you are interested in being more successful and enjoying life more read The Winner’s Brain: 8 Strategies Great Minds Use to Achieve Success, train CMD and decide for yourself.

Jon Moore, MS, JD

This content is published under the Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported license.