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.