Fear and Aggressiveness

hi everyone, I'm new on this site as a message user though I've been reading a long time. I know this is a jujitsu site but a lot of ppl here seem to have a lot of opinions on striking etc so i wonder if anyone could help me.
one art i study is thai boxing and i have a problem. i find it hard to be aggressive and get in there and strike and i also have a fear of been hit and i cover up and not much else againbst an aggressive opponent. Obviously this will be no use in a fight/competition so what can I do to improve my aggressiveness and lessen my fear?
cheers

Not sure I can think of anything, I'm not aggressive at all, but don't tend to shy away from stuff either, if someone wants me as a punch bag when training for a Vale Tudo fight then I'm there! Simply cos' it gives me an idea of what it's all about and what to expect.

I'm sure others will be able to help tho.

Thats what sparring is for!!!! Get stuck n if your with a good coach they will keep an eye on you and if your getting hurt will pull you out...

occassionally the old kia/kihap actually helps a bit with the aggression. Maybe work on combination strike attacks where you have to commit yourself. Maybe also practice charging a punchbag or crashmat while screaming and hitting it. Obviously you might not want to use that technique in competition but it might help you learn to switch on the aggression a bit.

Good point, I think it's good to have that opportunity to just 'let go'. Some people obviously are a bit worried about how they'd 'look' if they did go crazy. I can imagine that myself.

cheers guys that should help with the aggressiveness but what about the fear of getting hit. althought i guess with been agressive you haven't got that worry as much but still, some ideas on that would be cool.

If ya haven't been hit yet, the just go for it.

Personally, I never liked the idea, but when training with some guys (far beyond my standard) in Sheffield I actually enjoyed it, not sure why, but it was great to be in that situation, probably cos' it was controlled in a way.

Just give it a try, let go and see how ya feel, you've nothing to lose when you're training, ya can scream like a little girl and no-one will batter an eyelid - we've all been there, maybe it's a 'right-of-passage'.

When I was a red belt, I got a full-on roundhouse kick to the head from a brown belt (anyone remember Graham at Castle?) during free sparring. For some reason, it didn't even hurt, but that sort of stuff helps with getting your aggression up.

I've been punched in the face a few times as well (in and out of training), and it's not usually as bad as you'd expect. Even when you're just grappling you'll find that you get hit with a lot of 'accidental' elbows and knees. Nothing too hard, and after the first few, it'll never bother you.

And somehow, throughout all this punishment, I've still managed to retain my boyish good looks.

Its just one of them things you shouldn't fear it...... just get stuck in its the only way.. Youll be surprised it doesnt really hurt as much as youd think because your concentrating on hitting them back... or at least you should be.

well i'll start concentrating more on countering and getting stuck straight back in there after taking a shot then! cheers guys.

personally I find that taking a hit when getting stuck in is less painful than waiting for it fearfully, probably cos if you are waiting for it then you are tensed up. My wife has gone mad when she sees loads of bruises which I can't remember getting. mind you, it's not have as mad as she gets when i can't explain the fingernail scratches!:-O