Needless to say that when we are attacked we are under a barrage of stress. Physical mental and - YES - emotional. The big 3. For you to survive such an encounter you have to not only manage this stress but also channel it into a functional and dare I say, tactical, operating system.
You need to align your physical actions with a mental purpose and have it all fueled by your emotional outlook. If you are enraged, let that rage strengthen your body. If you are scared, turn that fear into a tactical retreat. If you are in a commanding position maintain your ground and let everything deflect off of you. Etc.
This is the Go-Dai elemental theory. It is not some mystical unseen “force.” It is a way to act decively even when our emotions get in the way.
Water - defensiveness
Earth - stability
Fire - aggression
Wind - evasiveness
Void - emptiness (all combined)