Be Healthy, Be Well

It amazes me the number of students  I meet  who have suffered long term and in some case permanent injuries from improper training and/or joint manipulation. Even more astounding is that some wear their injury as a badge of hounour.

The life long study of the martial arts is a journey towards health, physically and mentally.  If you cannot walk properly when your 50 or can't pick up you child because your shoulders are shot what have you gained?

We have made great strides over the last 20 or 30 years in the areas of exercise physiology and cognitive performance. With access to google and You Tube there is no excuse any more.  A quick search will uncover a wealth of knowledge and information specific to martial arts training that will only help you.

A black belt from another style who now trains with me was so tight in his upper body from improper conditioning and over training that he was in constant pain and limited in what he could do. After 18 months of working flexibility and changing his training regime with more of a focus on sensitivity he feels "like a new man."  More importantly he is back to training aggressively without pain.

With the growth and popularity of the grappling arts there has been an increase in joint injuries and unlike a muscle injury the long term effects can be devastating.  One of my former students experienced damage to his optical nerve from over manipulation and can no longer train. A neighbour who has been doing the grappling arts for the past 12 years can no longer lift his arms above his head.

Manipulation of the neck area in particular is worrisome. The difference between manipulating or locking for effect and manipulating or locking causing injury is measured in centimetres. Now to be clear I am not denigrating the grappling arts. That is a range we must be able to play in. It is the how and who that concerns me.

There are only two or three people that I would allow to manipulate my neck and they are all highly experienced and trusted. 

So here's a bit of advice.  Having your nose broken or elbow hyper extended will not make you a better martial artist.  For those that say it the price we pay. Bullshit, it's lazy, incompetent instructors. 

Visualisation: An Effective Tool to Enhance Learning and Performance

Visualization:   An Effective Tool to Enhance Learning and Performance

Guided imagery, visualization, mental rehearsal or other such techniques can maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of your training.

"Brain studies now reveal that thoughts produce the same mental instructions as actions. Mental imagery impacts many cognitive processes in the brain: motor control, attention, perception, planning, and memory. So the brain is getting trained for actual performance during visualization. It’s been found that mental practice can enhance motivation, increase confidence and self-efficacy, improve motor performance, prime your brain for success, and increase states of flow." Psychology Today

There are numerous studies that indicate mental practice is almost as effective as physical practice.  Now, I am certainly not suggesting that we use mental practice as a replacement for physical training however combining visualization techniques into your training regimen will pay dividends.

When we visualize we map and engage the same neural connections as when we physically perform that technique or activity.

Visualization techniques can also be used to reduce stress (pre performance). 

After 40 years of active training, learning, guiding and study in the martial arts I though it time to share ideas and thoughts with the martial arts community and those inteerested in martial arts.

I am a passionate student of the arts (still) and I have seen a lot of changes in attitudes and approaches since early 1973.  Generally there is a much more open attitude to studying the martial arts and students are often encouraged to study more than one art.  That's a good thing. That wasn't the case 40 years ago.

The arts have, more than any other activity defined who I am. For some I am a friend or a father or a business associate, or a teacher or a student etc etc. But to all I am a martial artist.

I encourage and questions or comments. I am sure we won't always agree but perhaps through constructive discussion we can all learn and grow from each other.