I believe it may have been Mike Tyson who said something to the effect " Everyone has a plan until the first puch is thrown." I've been looking for the exact quote and who said it and thought someone here might know.
At British Army staff schools there is a saying that no battle plan survives the first shot (or something similiar.) Thisa probably goes back at least a century.
This may be slightly off topic but I was having a discussion with a co-worker today who is a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and she is thinking of taking up karate. We both agreed that if nothing else, the matiral arts are good for the average person to learn that they can take usually a hit and still fight if their resolve is strong. She said she used to dread the moment before sparring for higher belts, but once the first punch or kick was thrown, she was in it to win.
Heh. Some years ago, there were times when I was too "jumpy" to wait to perform a technique at the right time. Several times, I had my training partners
Hit me!
"What?"
HIT ME!
<whap!> After that, I was able to get on with doing the tech right, because I'd already experienced what my body was afraid of!