Attitude towards pain

[white owl]

Tiger,

I agree with you. I was unclear. I meant that one should level set pain as to being able to function. Once set, there's no need to keep doing it. I think we're on the same page.

Exactly.

When I was a lower ranking practitioner and began to learn, say wrist grips, for example, we would go through them slowly as we learned them and then at a regular pace when we felt more comfortable. As I moved up the ranks and learned more advanced ones, the same thing. I recall a student who used to attend my school that I was very often partnered with. He was tall, and of a stocky built and his grip on my wrist during practice sessions always left my wrist sore and tingling. Every time I would tap out, he would always give it that extra "twitch" before releasing his grip INSTEAD of releasing immediately when I would TAP either myself OR him. Our instructor would often have to remind him "TAP MEANS STOP". Gradually this "day after practice soreness" became worse and I had to see a doctor because of it.

So, you see, this is just an example of "mere pain" graduating into an "injury".

I have practiced with a lot of different students and while there was minor pain or discomfort, it was not necessary for me or my partner to "lean on it" to understand the technique or apply it on my partner. Of course there are people who have what I call "iron wrists" - my husband being one of them. He doesn't feel pain that easily performing this particular technique and has a strong resistance to an opponent applying pressure. I do believe that bone type plays a part in this.

I totally agree with you. And diffently no what you mean.

[bushido_man96]

T1962 and B96 (you folks should really get together ),

In my opinion, as a training objective one needs to at least have / develop a gut feel for the pain one can take and still function, as it matters in surviving the fight. Note, I said pain not damage. However, usually one must risk the latter to get the former. It's a balance very hard to find, especially when dealing with lots of students with different abilities, mindsets, etc.

I usually reserve this intensity of training in working with students for myself and my seniors. We have far more experience in judging the balance and, if we're wrong or make mistakes, it's on our heads for the damage done. I tend to put far more controls in place when the students work with each other. I'm not sure if this is the best / only way. What I do know is that we've gone 6 years now without a significant injury.

Hehe...like I stated, though, my brother is the crazy one. I'm much more sensitive than he.

I do think that it is important for students to know that the possibility of getting hurt in a confrontation is high, and that they may have to work through it. Now, I don't think we should come up with inventive ways to hurt students when training so that they get this idea, but it is something that should be addressed at times.

[Bushido58266]

well ive been training for a while now but it seems the more i train the more i like pain and the more i use it to my advantage

[Ranpu]

well I'm a white belt, and just for what I'v been through, I can deal with more pain than most of my non-MA friends

[FitOrDie]

I'd offer a word of caution on the tap out refusal. As nice as it is to gut thru this sort of thing, remember you're tapping for a reason. Usually to avoid the destruction of a joint.

If it's a pain compliance only sort of thing, that's one thing. But if anything is in a position to get torn or injured tap. It's what training's for.

Ditto, ditto, and ditto again!