It's not ESP but it's close!

One of the powers attributed to martial arts masters, Ninja and Oriental Mystics is the power to sense the intentions of an opponent, thereby avoiding this danger. Such powers are the stuff of legends, but is it possible for the everyday person to develop such abilities. I think such powers are real but misunderstood. I don't think you have to have psychic powers to do this either.

What you do need is to develop your perception, look for warning signs and have an understanding of the psycho-physical aspects of humanity.

If you read my previous post referring to 'micro-expressions' then you already know it is possible to sense someone's deep emotions, even if they are attempting to conceal these from you. But you must be looking for these signs. I will vouch for the fact that you can have this knowledge and be looking, but failing to see the signs presented to you. After-all being eternally vigilant is initially hard work. From childhood many of us get into the habit of switching off the sensory impulses of events in the world which disturb us. For example, you are a small child and mum and dad are having a heated argument... So you may well stick your fingers in your ears or pull your pillow over your head to block out this unpleasant sensory input.

If this coping strategy becomes habitual then you get in the habit of 'playing ostrich' when reality presents it's ugly face, rather than the pleasant one we all prefer. This means we not only don't look for signs of trouble before it occurs, but will actively blot out these signs out of fear and habit.

So first we must get back in the habit of' looking' and 'seeing'. From here we must learn what to look for (eg the wrinkling of the forehead that indicates fear, the splaying of the arms/ hands that suggests imminent attack). Lastly we must understand that the human mind and body are functionally indivisible, so any thought has an effect on the body.

A quick exercise before we move on - first feel inside yourself with your mind, paying attention to the quality and speed of your breathing, your posture and the tone of your muscles. This is your psycho-physical baseline. Now imagine a time when you thought you were going to die, relive this moment, make it real to yourself, relive it. How's your breathing and posture now. Now think about the last time you had really good sex, what does this do to your breathing and posture? These thoughts will do something to your body.

The reverse is also true. This is one of the reasons that you can feel so great after having a massage. As your body relaxes, so does your mind.

Now back to sensing your opponents intention...

Know that your opponents thoughts are written on their body, in the way they hold themselves, in the tension patterns of the muscles of the face, in their breathing (is it short, sharp and shallow?), in the clenching and unclenching of their fists and in the quality of their voice.

One of the methods used as a 'lie detector' is the voice stress analyser. This looks for spikes in vocal tension to tell when someone is anxious about something they are saying. What creates this vocal tension? The answer is muscular tension, in this case the tension of the diaphragm, other muscles of respiration and the muscles of the throat (including vocal chords, which are also muscles).

So go now and talk to some people and notice their posture, breathing and vocal quality. Talk about a variety of subjects to elicit different emotions in that person. Find an animal rights activist and ask them their opinion on fox hunts or slaughter houses, ask the right wing fanatic about communism, etc.

As Miyamoto Musashi says in his classic on swordsmanship, Book of the Five Rings - "Study this deeply".