Reaction Layers - Perceive, Decide, Act

I find breaking down reactions into three "layers" of timing is beneficial in training. The Perception Layer, the Decision Layer, and the Action Layer. This article summarises my thoughts of the three layers, and how to work on them each distinctly to improve your reaction times overall.

These layers are somewhat a simplified version of John Boyd's decision cycle, the OODA loop.

Perception Layer

This is the time you spend identifying what is happening. In the context of HEMA, you need to perceive exactly what your opponent is doing in order to react to it. For instance, are they throwing a cut? Have they just changed guards, creating a new opening?

I think to improve this layer, you need to have a good understanding of the system you are practising. For instance, if you perceive that your opponent is holding their sword above the right side of their head with their arms crossed and the point on threat, identifying it as an Ochs will improve the speed at which you perceive it.

Watching fights, whether in person or in video, is a good way to improve this. Rather than just enjoying the show, try to analyse what actually happened in each exchange. This can greatly improve your judging abilities as well as your fencing, since you will become used to following a fight more closely.

Decision Layer

This is the time it takes you to decide exactly which action you will take based on what you have perceived. Similarly to the Perception Layer, you should have a good understanding of the system. If you know what uberlauffen is, and the situations in which to use it, you will be able to decide which action to take more quickly when you have identified one of those situations. 

I find dynamic drills are the best way to improve this. For instance, when practicing the zornhau ort - if your opponent is weak in the bind, thrust immediately, while if they are strong in the bind, use winden and then thrust. Adding more variety to the stimuli your opponent can give you will help a lot, though it will be more difficult to begin with. For example, if your opponent cuts a zornhau, perform a zornhau ort, but if they cut your leg, use uberlauffen. You can add as many possibilities as required to develop your skills. It's important that your opponent doesn't go too quickly straight away, otherwise you may not be able to keep up.

Action Layer

This is the time it actually takes you to perform the physical action you have decided to take. The best way to improve your speed here is to simply practice the technique a lot, and maintain a good level of fitness. For instance, the best way to be faster at throwing the zwerchau is to throw a lot of zwerchau. You should make sure that you are performing the technique properly at lower speeds before speeding up, to ensure you aren't enforcing bad habits.

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I find thinking about improving these aspects individually is the best way to improve reactions overall. No single layer is the most important; if any layer is neglected, it will have a major impact on the speed with which you can perform sensible reactions.