Is it possible to be a good fighter without bad injuries ?

[goedikey]

Hello,

 

My practice is Shotokan at green belt level.

 

I am very interested about fighting and self defense applications.

 

Most of the higher ranked people in my class have been injured a few times and have had things such as broken noses, ribs and bones.

 

I am also very concerned about broken teeth.

 

So, is it possible to be good at self defense and a good figher in the Shotokan world ?

 

Thanks

[CloudDragon]

Bumps and bruises are pretty common to most MA training but broken bones should be rare. It sounds like your school is pretty rough. My point is: why learn lots of self-defense when you are beaten up before you can use it? As far as teeth go, invest a little money and get a quality double mouth guard, its alot cheaper than a visit to the dentist!

[goedikey]

thanks for replying !

 

My school is not that bad and has many children ! But there is also quite a few tought SOB's that i can tell !

 

As far as mouthguards goes, no one wears them. I havent seen any broken teeth yet but I am concerned. Maybe I am being over sensitive about the issue...

 

The fights are somewhat controlled but sometimes accidents can happen and some poeple my rank and up can be really strong.

[aefibird]

I think it is possible to become a good fighter without getting many (serious) injuries, but with any martial art there is a risk of injury, usually bruises or sprains. As long as you & your training partners aren't battering each other full contact without padding every second of every training session then you should be ok and generally survive training injury free or with minimal injuries.

 

If you're worried about your teeth then get a decent mouthguard and wear it even if others in class don't. I'm rather attached to my teeth and buying a mouth guard is better and a lot less costly than dental work to try and fix them. Even if you get the mickey taken then its better to wear a mouth guard if you're concerned about getting hit in the teeth.

[Ant]

Here is a story. My dad was a boxer I used to train with him and he used to pumple me about a bit. When I got into my first real street fight I wasn't scared due to my conditioning. That was until the first 4 punches hit me in the eyes and I realised I was unprepared and fighting for my life.

 

The club I goto is a bit rougher than some but as such is more of a realistic preperation for real confrontation.

 

Last night my sensai said to my training partner at the time "hit him with it so he knows what it feels like". I want to be hit, I was to be desensitised to the mental affects of combat.

 

Yes you can be a good martial artist, but I don't think you can be a good fighter unless you have control over the mental aspect. The fact you are talking about broken teeth rather than jsut going and bying a gum shield I would say you aren't there.

[P.A.L]

"The fact you are talking about broken teeth rather than jsut going and bying a gum shield I would say you aren't there." is totaly true, you gotta get over it, I use contact lens and had the same problem in a jujitsu class until I lost one in a rough match and I didn't even realize it at the time.now i don't care and don't even think about it at all, as far as injuries i think we get more injuries during warmup and wazas than sparring.as far as SOBs in class ,they are not SOBs ,They just don’t have a good technique, I divide the class in two groups , monkeys

 

and snakes , monkeys are jerky they jump every where and when can’t get into you they try to use pure power and roughness to overcome, snakes have technique and they open their way bit by bit and use all the weakness in your guard and balance these are mostly higher ranks who posses control and you should learn from. When you practice with monkeys focus on your good technique even if you lose to power in long run it pays off. at the end for your information i have never seen a broken teeth in class or tournaments, We get kicked on side and back of the head and neck.

[ramymensa]

They say you can't make scrambled eggs without .. well breaking the eggs shell Some injuries are common (I had more bruises at beginner level than now, but they still occur). The serious ones shouldn't be that often, they can still happen. About safety. It's important. Are you afraig of some consequences? Then protect yourself, even if others would laugh. I'd rather have them smile like idiots when they see me with a mouth guard than laugh at my mouth missing some teeth.

 

I remember my instructor wouldn't spar without chest protection, though the match would be light to medium contact. I understand here, though. She received a blow (from me) that was so hard that she hurt after days with the protection, imagine how could it have been without it. she did get a hit without the guard and realised her body was more important. I've changed my mind quickly after receiving a mawashi geri from my coleague. I think cancer or other problems are not the thing to strive for and if they can be avoided, then avoid them.

 

Another long post. Sorry. I'm kinda talkative today

[Ant]

On the note of looking stupid, aren't we all learning to fight without ego? You may find that gumshields become common place if you start wearing one.

 

They are in our club (90% use a shield, 100% use a groin guard).