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So, in a self-defense situation, how does a martial artist instantly choose the correct technique to use from the many he or she has learned over the years? Hesitating too long could result in the martial artist being seriously injured or killed.

Since 1952, new research has been published on the subject of decision making. In 1982, Larish and Stelmach found that a person could make a selection from 20 complex options in about 340 milliseconds, provided the choices had been previously trained. Merkel's Law says a person can make a selection from 8 choices in under 500 milliseconds, but that more choices would greatly increase the decision time. Other researchers, such as Mowbray and Rhoades in 1959 and Welford in 1986, found no differences in reaction times when selecting between numerous, well-trained choices.

In recent years, new methodologies have been created that decrease decision times when faced with multiple options. Two of these methodologies are:

• Sequential Learning. If you string similar choices together, similar to connecting notes in music, it reduces selection time. So using combinations that flow from one to the other will reduce reaction time in a self-defense situation.

• Conceptual Learning. In relation to a self-defense situation, this means that if you make an either/or conceptual decision, such as “attack or don't attack,” rather than selecting from a list of hand strikes, it will reduce your reactions and decision time. For example, a boxer does not waste time selecting specific punches for a particular situation, he or she just decides to punch as many times as possible and then punches instinctively as he or she had been trained.

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