Resistance to injuries

[Snowbat]

I got a question that is probably trivial to most of you. So after stopping karate for 5 years, I decided to pick it up again recently and it feels good. But the thing is, this is the 4th training I go to (and they're intense... I can guarantee you that) and I'm aching on many places. I got a bruised rib, blue bruses on both arms, sore leg and forearms muscles, sore back muscles and the knuckles of my right hand are burned open because we've been hitting those leather pads like crazy this week.

Plus, the side muscles of my forearms hurt when I flex or hit them right now.

I suppose this is normal. I mean after all we ARE practicing a combat sport aren't we. And strangely, it hurts, but somehow it's satisfying because you know you've trained hard and it reminds you that you're still alive

But the question is: will my body build up resistance against this? I remember that I could endure quite some hits without injury when I used to practice karate 5 years ago but now it feels like I lost this resistance.

That's normal right? And it should come back in time right?

Thanks!

[sensei8]

As my Dai-Soke was so very fond of saying to all of his students...SHUGYO...Suck it up!!

Now, having said that, aches and injuries are par for the course of training in the MA. In time, you'll build up the temperance of contact again; things do take time, and in that, train smart and don't rush things. Bruises will yield to solidification, however, bruised ribs are another thing. Cure for some of your injuries are an easy fix...well...block/deflect/jam/move out of the way, and if not, certain injuries will occur over and over when that area, and I refer to ribs, has received a solid attack.

The blue bruises, sore leg and forearms muscles, as well as sore back muscles, imho, are just part of the training and once you rebuild up the temperance of contact again, and you will, those nagging aches and pains will subside. In the meanwhile, and it's not to infer that you've no tolerance of pain, purchase some forearm/shin pads to protect those areas.

Knuckle abrasions and the like are an unfortunate or fortunate, depending how one would label it, part of training. It could be possible that with all of your sweating, you've not been striking the pads correctly; repeated glancing contact will tear up ones knuckles quickly. Only to suggest that you treat your knuckle injuries promptly, and ask your sensei if it would be ok, for now until your knuckles heal, wear light bag gloves. Me...well...I'm stupid to a fault because in my earlier days, I would just go old school and suck-it-up and forge forward, that's me, dumb at times, again, that's just me, and I wouldn't advise it to you or anybody.

Hang in there...it'll all work out in the long run.

[ps1]

As long as it's just muscular pain, you'll build up to it. Eventually, you'll be doing it without any problems.

[sojobo]

Shugyo, as I understand it, is austere training that conditions both the body and the mind.

As Sensei8 and PS1 have said - through correct training (and hard training), your body will become conditioned to do what you are asking it to.

In addition to that is the fact that through keiko (with a good instructor), you will (or should) work out where you are making mistakes and by correcting them you will alleviate a lot of the pain you are going through.

All part of training - that’s why we do it.

I'll give you a graphic example....

When I started training Koshi no Mawari (old way of saying Iai/kenjutsu) my right thumb was continuously being skinned by the tsuba (guard).. Why? Because I kept putting my hand in the wrong place. My instructor repeatedly corrected me but I still kept doing it.

After a while you get wise - slow things down a bit and correct it - that’s all part keiko. It’s your body’s self correction / protection mechanism kicking in.

Today, I have just done best part of 3 hours of Kenjutsu - no sign of the dreaded tsuba-chafe.

Don't get me wrong, other things hurt like hell, but it's all a work in progress .

Sojobo

[Snowbat]

Thanks for the replies y'all. Yeah I recognize the burned skin as well. my knuckles are a wasteland right now, due to the fact that I probably slightly "rub" my fist over the pad as I pull my arm back. This of course, creates a burn after a while.

I'll just have to suck it up, toughen up and do the techniques correctly

[Spodo Komodo]

First time around it took me three or four months before I started to get conditioned to even the warmup exercises. I was in pain pretty much all of the time. Like you I had a layoff of a few years and just came back to training at the beginning of last month. This time around I can feel myself becoming used to the training (which is way harder than anything I have done before) far quicker than I did in the past. Hopefully you will find a similar improvement in your ability to addapt this time around.

[ShihanSpicer]

I got a question that is probably trivial to most of you. So after stopping karate for 5 years, I decided to pick it up again recently and it feels good. But the thing is, this is the 4th training I go to (and they're intense... I can guarantee you that) and I'm aching on many places. I got a bruised rib, blue bruses on both arms, sore leg and forearms muscles, sore back muscles and the knuckles of my right hand are burned open because we've been hitting those leather pads like crazy this week.

Plus, the side muscles of my forearms hurt when I flex or hit them right now.

I suppose this is normal. I mean after all we ARE practicing a combat sport aren't we. And strangely, it hurts, but somehow it's satisfying because you know you've trained hard and it reminds you that you're still alive

But the question is: will my body build up resistance against this? I remember that I could endure quite some hits without injury when I used to practice karate 5 years ago but now it feels like I lost this resistance.

That's normal right? And it should come back in time right?

Thanks!

when i was around 6 i started taking with Jon Bean, at that time the number one middleweight fighter in america. by the time i was at my height back then we used to fight full contact, always went home hurt or bruised usually until i got toughened up. even today i have a slight resistance to injuries because i learned to react to him hitting me.

i started taking in this year. second day back our senseis grandson dropkicks me unexpectedly as a blue belt in the chest and hits my small with no muscle there. HURT MORE THAN ANYTHING EVER. i was unable to breath regularly for about two weeks.

a while later i fought him and now they have to have people watching us for fear we will fight like we used to when i took there (which wasn't even in itself near as bad as when me and jon used to fight however.)

it re awakens. he hit me there again the other day. didn't hurt this time. . it just takes time