Pain

[intraining]

That's really unfortunate. I don't know what to tell you. I agree with I think it was Angela that said he sounds like a bit of a bully. There is a certain amount of discomfort that comes with MA, I've found anyway, but outright pain seems wrong. Especially this, it sounds like he might have done some damage to your wrist.

 

I would suggest however that if it continues, and you are in danger of being seriously hurt, to talk to your sensei. I wouldn't consider this situation to be whining. To me this seems like a safety issue. First off, you shouldn't be physically injured in this way, so it's not a safe environment for you to train in. Not only that, it doesn't sound like this person should be teaching lower ranks. Would your sensei hurt you like that? If yes, then I would say find another dojo. Chances are though that he wouldn't, and neither should anyone else.

 

My sensei has deliberately hurt me on occasion, simply because there was no other way to show me the move (ie: grabbing me from behind by the nose) but he always tells me before hand that he's going to hurt me, and apologizes for it as well. I don't see any excuse for what is happening to you. And that quote is really something else!!

[Kieran-Lilith]

I'll only tell if it gets worse. Yeah, I'm pretty sure he did some damage, but he taught me the move nonetheless, I can do it, and do it well, now. The sankyu I'm talking about is one of Sensei' favorites to pick on, because he is actually a bit of a bully. My first month in the dojo I was taught (by my friend) to avoid him at all costs, and to try and make myself go unnoticed. The Sankyu is fine, just not during the advanced class. In the beginners it's fine, he's nice, he'll give me points on how to do better, and how to fight in a sparring match, but once the adult class starts, if he's there again on Tuesday, then I already know I'm going to want to hide. The move we practiced was supposed to cause pain...to your wrist only. My entire arm and upper back hurt. And he knows what he's doing, so I would assume he pulled some nasty trick to make it hurt worse. And yes, both quotes are from him, the second given to me while he was twisting my wrist. The first when he was frustrated I wasn't getting angry and attempting to kill him.

[Kieran-Lilith]

Oh, does anyone know what happens if your wrist is twisted and bent in? I'd like to find out, in case we work on it again.

[karategirl06]

Pain is mind over matter!

[Oahngoji]

Interesting...

Edited April 1, 2007 by Oahngoji

[JusticeZero]

You get used to it. People who haven't done martial arts much, when they get hit, panic. They don't know the language, but they know it's bad news.

People who are used to contact still feel pain, but it's not frightening, it's informative.

Imagine you're on some sort of big battleship thing. You hear a 'boom!' in the distance and the ship shakes. Pain is the sailor who runs up to the deck to report on the damage.

People who are used to taking hits (MMA fighters, boxers, etc) get a calm engineer who steps up and says "We just took a hit to the starboard hull. We're taking on some water, but not much, we'll have it patched in no time, and it didn't do anything that should slow us down."

People who aren't used to pain get, for the exact same situation, a hysterical kid running into the room running in circles and screaming "OMG OMG THE WALL GO BOOM AND WATER! WATER EVERYWHERE AND EEEEK WE'RE SIIIINKING OMG OMG HEEELP!!"

Just get beat on a lot and learn to feel into the pain for information instead of just flinching from it as a horrific thing.

[Fish]

I think you should tell him he's overdoing it. If he won't listen, then you should tell your sensei. It's not whining, it's almost a duty. What happens if he causes someone a serious injury that stops them from studying karate again? Of course, we have to learn and be taught dangerous techniques, but the instructor has a very great responsibility to make sure that they are taught safely, so as to minimise the risk of serious injury in class.

There's a big difference between feeling pain because you are pushing your body beyond it's existing limits, thus getting, fitter, stronger, faster, and feeling pain because somebody is applying a technique without sufficient control or in an dangerous manner. With early grades, you might expect a lack of control, but not with someone who's being asked to assist with instruction.

[Kieran-Lilith]

Okay, I haven't had to partner with him since. Thank God. He knows what he's doing alright, but I learned my lesson about even remotely liking the idea of woking wiith him. He is the second highest ranking student in the dojo. There is nothing we can do about that, not really. He just lays off these days, me and my friends work together. I have higher rank now, I'm not totally helpless. And yes, I ahve a grip on pain. I have an unnatrually high tolerance for it, apparently. Higher than a lot of people in the dojo. And I still never, ever want to go through that techinique with him again. I was craddling my hand for a week after, and I need my hand for school. I could barely hold a pencil, and I could barely hold up my flute, let alone play it.

He has control. That's why he can do what he did. He knew and understood. Oh, and if you asked me what he had said to me that night, I can still remember every word of it. He's not been at the dojo much, but I expect he'll be coming back once he gets time off of work. Then I'm prepared to work with him, but I know better now, I think, than to even remotely resist, not that I did much last time, but still.