Prevention of Injuries

Something very important in sports is preserving the body to extend the years of peak performance. This is something many struggle with through their early athletic years, where we make bad decisions that last a lifetime. Maybe we lifted too much weight, or had a bad training partner. I never intended to get hurt, or experience the injuries that turned my stomach on television. Through the years, I ended up injuring my neck and back, developing early arthritis, cracked several teeth, cracked my sinus cavity, broke my sub clavicle bone, broke 5 bones in my hands, tore my left wrist, tore an elbow tendon twice, tore my MCL 5 times, popped my knee twice, popped my elbow, broke my nose, broke two toes, and fractured several bones in my feet.  Nerve damage, numbness down to the finger tips.  Lot's of experiences.  

The list goes on. The good news is that all of these injuries were preventable. Also, most of these injuries were in the first six years of my fighting career. I was young and resilient, and was willing to train with anyone who wanted to train with me. An early lesson learned was that a joint or bone can be broken or torn well before you even consider tapping out in submission. I was training with MMA fighters, Catch as Catch Can Wrestlers, and general Shooto styled grapplers. They were submission minded, but they never efficiently achieved positions, nor used control positions to attack submissions. They would not successfully achieve a fight ending movement without a quick submission, or a limb being removed from the fight. Looking back, it was quite dangerous. I learned a lot that can be applied to situations now, but I learned very little during the often 6-8 months away from training rehabilitating from near crippling injuries. Combine that with the knowledge and learning accelerator technology that we have been discussing, it becomes apparent that really none of it was necessary. Only now do I know the guiding technology, and how to train properly.

A situation can be designed for each student’s personal gain and improvement, building the familiarity with specific dangers. It is ideal that we have an instructor to guide us through this process, but in the end it is up to us to think before doing, and to make good decisions over time. You don’t have to train with just anyone, but you must also not be afraid to take progressive steps forward. Never say no to a better opponent in training, but always avoid those who will do anything to win.