Can you spare five minutes a day to practice a mental conditioning technique that can literally save your life? The answer better be “yes!”

Physical conditioning and skills practice comprise only 50% of the training necessary to help police officers survive a critical incident. The other 50% lies in something most officers have neglected; mental conditioning. Eastern cultures have long embraced the practice of mental conditioning to complete their training and I am convinced from my experiences on the street that this type of training is at least as important as physical conditioning.

I’ve spent the last 12 years researching, practicing and perfecting a skill that very few people in emergency services have ever heard of, let alone experienced. It involves a powerful training technique using mantras for focused mental conditioning. Mantras are phrases that are repeated over and over to strengthen the mind. Mantras have been used and perfected in the East for literally thousands of years to produce some of the greatest warriors the world has ever known. I have discovered a way that we can adapt certain aspects of this incredible training into our daily lives. The results are remarkable and they will make a powerful contribution to your survival training.

You can begin this process by selecting your specific mantra. Mantras can be any phrase of your choosing, whatever suits your needs at the time. Some examples of possible mantras include the following:

“I will survive!”
“I can control my fear!”
“I will not panic!”
“I will stay calm at all times!”
“I can control my pain!”

I recommend upon awakening you sit on the edge of your bed and settle your mind. Take three deep, slow breaths and begin to silently repeat your mantra. Continue breathing normally and silently repeat your mantra with intense focus and deep inner conviction. Make this your only thought for a full five minutes to set this as your mantra for the day. You may continue throughout the day to repeat your mantra whenever you wish. This will help to engrain it even deeper into your consciousness.

Once you begin to make this training a part of your daily practice you will begin to see positive and powerful results. You will find that your mind and body will be better prepared to face your next crisis. Without conscious thought your mantra will echo in your mind, strengthening your resolve and ability to survive. Do not underestimate the power of programming your mind to survive. In his book, “On Killing”, Dave Grossman describes how mental conditioning is a revolution that represents total superiority in close combat. I could not agree more. It can literally be the difference between life and death.

The challenge resides with your willingness to implement this technique into your daily training. If you apply yourself, this technique combined with your physical conditioning will help to develop your survival skills and ensure you will walk the warrior’s path for years to come. Can you spare five minutes? Yes, you can!

Rodger Ruge is a retired police officer, martial artist and author of The Warrior's Mantra, Barricade Books, June 2005. Rodger's business, Ready Force Inc., offers training and consulting in a number of survival and wellness topics. Please visit Rodger's website at http://www.readyforce.net for more information.

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