Avoiding injury and speeding up recovery

Do you recognise the difference between pain and discomfort? When something is causing damage to your body as opposed to something that is simply uncomfortable, maybe because you don’t like doing it, it’s “too hard” or you would rather be doing something else entirely? No pain, no gain?!

The saying seems rather masochistic and as someone who trains, I want to avoid pain altogether. Pain means I will not be able to train the next day or even for some time. I do not want to damage my body. As a martial artist, I want to be stronger, faster, flexible and fitter; not weak, immobile and injured.

Discomfort on the other hand is a state where I can gain something – in body and mind. It is where I can grow, improve, work through my mind telling me to give up. It is vital we have the awareness to differentiate the two. Pain can be described as intense and is the body’s way of telling us to stop and rest. Being out of our comfort zone is challenging and difficult. It may be the lactic acid in your muscles causing a burning sensation so you feel like you cannot move, blood pumping through your veins and your clothes drenched in sweat after a strenuous workout or a strange body position you are not used to holding that is not dangerous but feels uncomfortable. These are all normal results of training and should be embraced.

Training with correct technique/body alignment and good instruction are key. It doesn’t matter what sport you do, this is universal. With martial arts, this concept is vital as the risk of injury to yourself and/or others can be greater. Once correct alignment is explained and demonstrated to you, it hopefully clicks and stays with you – you get that lightbulb moment. It helps with everything from power generation in your strikes, blocks and kicks to defending against takedowns, injury prevention and even running technique. You gain body awareness and the more you train, the more aware you are of yourself and others around you. A good, perceptive instructor is worth their weight in gold. Even though you understand the mechanics of good technique and body alignment, are you doing it time and time again? Most probably not. When my instructors, whether in martial arts or yoga, tell me to correct my alignment or technique, I listen and am grateful. I want and need the reminders and information so that I can improve. I will always be an eternal student. Those of us who think we know it all but have zero awareness, those who do not listen and those who force their bodies to do things they do not fully understand are at the greatest risk of serious injury.

Overtraining must also be recognised and avoided. Sometimes we think that we must train and practice all day, every day and give our 100% to be the best, whether in competition or just to satisfy ourselves. I can tell you from experience that this will lead to injury. We all need balance in our lives and bodies. You do not want to train so much that you damage your muscles permanently or irritate your tendons so they become inflamed resulting in tendonitis. I have only recently recovered from a relatively short bout of “tennis elbow” without playing any tennis! Training with weapons repetitively and not resting or stretching like I should led to one of the only times I have experienced a self-induced training injury. The pain was so bad that it woke me up in the night-time, and I had to use my other hand to move my injured arm whilst laying in bed. It was bad. But what cured it was simple – rest and the right stretches that were recommend to me by my physio Leo Chiu. And in the same spirit, I did those stretches religiously, whenever I could throughout the day, every day, until I was better.

The importance of stretching and strengthening your body when training martial arts must not be underestimated, especially because of the “explosive” type skills demanded which is different to say swimming or jogging. Martial arts training requires a high load of what is described as “Stretch-Shortening Cycle” movements so that your muscle-tendon unit is compliant enough to store and release high amounts of energy. Studies have shown that stretching is able to increase the compliance of tendons and therefore their capacity to absorb energy, making it a primary measure in injury prevention. Flexibility gained from stretching allows a good range of motion and will improve performance and skill execution. For example, if you have the flexibility to kick someone in the head at will and that is where the kick actually lands, you will not hurt your own foot having it blocked by someone’s elbow or shin because you could not reach your target. Strength training whether with weights, or my preference - body weight exercises, improves balance in the body and helps iron out any muscle imbalances. You can work on weaker areas that are used less effectively during a particular activity or even caused by your general body mechanics. Due to my genetic gift of flat feet, I have overdeveloped calves and weaker glutes which I have to specifically work on strengthening. Bubble butt exercises has its benefits! You want to avoid the weaker muscles getting fatigued faster or interacting with your joints and bones in a less than optimal manner as this can make you more susceptible to injury. Good overall warm-ups and cool downs as part of class or a training programme should incorporate both stretching and strengthening exercises.

We all know the importance of food and water to our survival, but proper hydration and good nutrition are also key to injury prevention. Hydrate before, during and after your workout to ensure you replace lost fluids bearing in mind the normal recommended daily water intake for a teenager or adult is eight 8-ounce glasses of water. Proper hydration helps improve muscle function, lubricates your joints, regulates your blood pressure and improves your circulation. Even losing 2% of your body’s water to sweat can put you at risk of injury, especially in hot weather as dehydration impairs mental focus and decision making, crucial when you are toe to toe with someone who is head hunting with their fists and feet. If you neglect nutrition, your body will be unable to recover properly from training leading to illness or injury. Focus on your food intake and eat regular, small meals when training ensuring that you eat as much quality, unprocessed food as possible to maximise your variety of nutrients.

Train safe and look after your training partners. You often hear stories of how beginners injure experienced martial artists because the experienced guy underestimated the beginner and let their guard down. People get kicked in the groin, hit on the nose, the list goes on. Leave any ego at the door and never underestimate your opponent, no matter who it is, especially a beginner who will do unorthodox moves out of spontaneous reaction. Train hard but be kind to each other. You want to be able to train together for a long time so ensure that when you are practising techniques, doing partner work or sparring that you control yourself – know when to go hard and read your partner’s ability and focus to do the same.

Following the points outlined should minimize your chances of getting injured but no preventative strategy is full proof. Always remember to seek the advice of a medical professional whenever pain seems abnormal or is not improving.

CONTACT US

Tel: 07709 319124

thefocusroommartialarts@gmail.com

The Focus Room, London, NW4 4XA