Ever Seen Someone Freeze in a Fight? It May Not Be Fear – It’s Just Too Many Options.

 

Posted by ADAM CARTER on OCT 30, 2025

Ever Seen Someone Freeze in a Fight? It May Not Be Fear – It’s Just Too Many Options.

(Approx 2 minute 20 second read)

In a real fight, the one who hesitates usually loses. There’s a reason for that, and it’s not just instinct, it’s science.

Hick’s Law tells us that the more choices we have, the slower our reaction time becomes.

The brain has to sort through options before committing to action, and in those fractions of a second, the moment is gone.

In my previous article, I wrote about the importance of preemption, taking control before your opponent does. The fewer choices you have to weigh, the faster you can act. And in real combat, speed of decision is often what determines who walks away.

Modern training often adds layer upon layer of technique, which may cause students to freeze when it matters most. Complexity replaces clarity, and people wonder why nothing works under pressure.

I’ve seen this firsthand. Not so long ago, I was asked to teach at a local dojo. I asked the students to ‘get in close’, to close the gap, to introduce grappling. While they were in this distance, moving slowly and carefully, I then asked one side to be the attacker and ‘throw’ anything, and see what happens.

To be fair, they weren’t used to doing this kind of training as they were a more sport-oriented style. But a couple of them froze. One stopped and looked at me very confused and said, “I don’t know what to do?” I just replied, “Try anything. See what happens.”

Moments like this are exactly why fewer choices, trained well, make the difference in a real encounter. Real defense is about having fewer choices, but better ones.

Hick’s Law reinforces what the old masters already knew – you don’t rise to the occasion, you fall back on what you’ve trained. If that training is filled with dozens of “what if, then do this” responses, you’ll find yourself stuck somewhere between thought and action. In a real encounter, that pause can get you hit.

This is why kata, when used correctly, doesn’t teach you hundreds of techniques. It teaches you how to move, control distance, and apply a few core ideas under pressure.

Every movement can have multiple uses, but they’re all built on the same simple principles, take control, close the distance, and finish the threat.

The problem isn’t kata. It’s how people train it.

When it becomes an exercise in choreography rather than a study of purpose, the simplicity that makes it effective disappears. Students end up rehearsing patterns rather than learning how to survive.

Repetition alone won’t save you. It only works when you’re repeating something useful. If your training isn’t based on clear, functional principles, you’re just getting better at doing the wrong thing. As someone commented, “Repetition supports intuitive reaction, but only if you’re clear on what you’re repeating.”

Real combative skill isn’t about remembering; it’s about responding. And the fewer decisions you have to make, the faster you’ll act.

Kata were designed with this in mind. Their strength lies not in variety but in refinement, the constant polishing of a few vital ideas until they become instinct. That’s where function lives, and where all real skill begins.

And to the person that said, ‘just stop practicing your silly little katas,’ I’d say – it’s always the uninformed who shout the loudest.

Written by Adam Carter – Shuri Dojo