The 'Muscle Memory' Game
First, let's look at the issue at hand: the head shot. They happen for a myriad of reasons, and a vast majority of the time, they're purely accidental. I personally haven't had this happen to me, being a fighter who is short in stature, and I can't speak to the situation my friend was referring to because I wasn't there, but in my humble and honest opinion, muscle memory, which was brought up as a possible contributing factor, is a poor excuse for one reason: while I understand the conditioning factor at work here, any good fighter will be able to adjust their fighting to any given situation. The shots you throw may be ingrained into your muscle memory, but your eyes see it differently. If the person in front of you isn't towering over you, why are you swinging at them as if they are? If your opponent's head is where the torso of the "giants" of your local practice would be, don't aim there. Adjust your shot accordingly and aim lower. This situation is precisely the reason why I don't religiously do muscle memory training because your brain switches to autopilot and you won't be able to pull an errant shot in time to prevent the aforementioned head shot, and I prefer to be aware of what I'm doing in battle. If you see someone struggling with this issue at your local practice, newbie or not, politely help them out and show them how to adjust their shots in relation to the height of their opponent.
As the fighter on the receiving end of the head shot, remember to remain as calm as possible. If you feel yourself becoming angry, take a time out to collect your thoughts and take a few deep breaths. The last thing you want to do is blow up at the other fighter, especially if they're a newer fighter, over an accident because you may scare them away. If it's a frequent occurrence, work with them in a positive way to fix the situation.
Now, onto my solution....
Two Pells Are Better Than One
For those who religiously do muscle memory training with a pell, may I be so bold as to suggest having TWO pells instead of one? One should be relatively the same height as you, and the other should be shorter or taller than you, depending on your height. Train on both each time you do your pell training, doing the exact same routine on both pells. WHY, you ask? Because it will train you to be able to adjust your shots to the height of your opponent. It's my opinion that you're limiting yourself by using just ONE pell because it won't simulate the differences in height you're going to encounter on the field. You'll most likely fight people shorter than you as well as people taller than you at some point, so why prepare yourself for only one of these situations? Training for both of these situations will make you a well rounded fighter and go a long way in preventing the situation mentioned above.
Let's all keep each other safe, huh?
Now, onto my solution....
Two Pells Are Better Than One
For those who religiously do muscle memory training with a pell, may I be so bold as to suggest having TWO pells instead of one? One should be relatively the same height as you, and the other should be shorter or taller than you, depending on your height. Train on both each time you do your pell training, doing the exact same routine on both pells. WHY, you ask? Because it will train you to be able to adjust your shots to the height of your opponent. It's my opinion that you're limiting yourself by using just ONE pell because it won't simulate the differences in height you're going to encounter on the field. You'll most likely fight people shorter than you as well as people taller than you at some point, so why prepare yourself for only one of these situations? Training for both of these situations will make you a well rounded fighter and go a long way in preventing the situation mentioned above.
Let's all keep each other safe, huh?
