Baby steps

[dvcochran]

You have had an impressive life, college football and Olympic TKD.
I think MA are safer for normal people than football.
When I played high school football I was a whole 135 lbs and got tackle a lot. That might be way I had so many injures.
I was not at your level in MA and I did not go to many tournaments so I did not get injured doing MA.
When you think about the force of two 250 lbs guy hitting head on, you are lucky the concussion was not worse.
That one play could have been a life changing experience, if you would have broken your neck.
When we are young, we are bullet proof or at least we think we are.

You have had an impressive life, college football and Olympic TKD.
I think MA are safer for normal people than football.
When I played high school football I was a whole 135 lbs and got tackle a lot. That might be way I had so many injures.
I was not at your level in MA and I did not go to many tournaments so I did not get injured doing MA.
When you think about the force of two 250 lbs guy hitting head on, you are lucky the concussion was not worse.
That one play could have been a life changing experience, if you would have broken your neck.
When we are young, we are bullet proof or at least we think we are.

For clarification, I did not make it to the Olympics but did make it to the 1988 Olympic trials. I was about 165lbs through college. I would have to starve myself to make wrestling weight after football season was over. I was pretty lean so I always thought most of the weight I lost was muscle. We did not have the body fat measurements back then that I was aware of.​

 

[dvcochran]

b

 

[dvcochran]

Man you were fast a 4.4 40 yards, did you ever run the 100 yards? In my day most stop watches measure ten's, and most coaches did not time the 40. I played football and ran track. I ran 10.3 100 yards, so I mostly ran the 440. that is where I learn to endure pain. I loved football, but if I had it to do over I would not have played. Who knows how much a helmet to my left knee slowed me down.The broken ribs and other things hurt no big deal, but putting the needle in my knee to reduce swelling bother me. Maybe I could have ran faster than 10.3, I will never know. I have no broken bones from MA and the knee does not hurt performing MA.I am sorry, i got off topic.

I don't remember my 100 time. I was good for a quick burst but ran out of gas pretty quick. I tried cross country and just sucked at it.

 

[Bruce7]

When I did physical therapy last year, ultimately it was determined that I should focus more on strength and balance than stretching. I'm moderately flexible--can't do a split or anything, but the normal warmup stretches feel good. Occasionally I'll do a modified pigeon pose (I'm no yogi), but usually after a run or workout rather than before. I'd be happy to get suggestions if you have some to recommend!

Actually, what's bothering me more lately is a piriformis issue. So far it's not keeping me from doing anything, but when it's aggravated I do tend to yelp when standing up or bending over at a certain angle, and it takes me a little longer to warm up on that side. I've tried some targeted stretches (prescribed by Dr. Google, so who knows), and they actually seem to just aggravate the pain. So if anyone has good recommendations for how to deal with piriformis syndrome, I'm all ears! (Okay, eyes. Whatever. You get what I mean.)

I know you don't want to hear this. Stop Running!
If you have piriformis running puts pressure on the sciatic nerve. You probably already know this. My daughter is a runner she just turn 36 went to the doctor for sciatic nerve pain. From what I have been reading the older you are the more likely you are to have problems.
I have been trying to get her to do something else ,but she loves to run.

 

[Plin]

Heh. You're right. I don't want to hear it.

Running actually doesn't hurt or aggravate the piriformis, at least for me. It's more bothered by stretches and side kicks. Running is important for both my physical and mental health, and I already spent almost two years down, so I really don't want to give it up unless there is no other option. I haven't exhausted all the possibilities just yet.

 

[dvcochran]

Heh. You're right. I don't want to hear it.

Running actually doesn't hurt or aggravate the piriformis, at least for me. It's more bothered by stretches and side kicks. Running is important for both my physical and mental health, and I already spent almost two years down, so I really don't want to give it up unless there is no other option. I haven't exhausted all the possibilities just yet.

Don't give up! I don't pretend to understand the condition but is there a shift in the amount of running vs. stretching that helps?

 

[Plin]

I'm still trying to figure it out. I'm not doing a lot of running lately (end of semester craziness + aforementioned IT band frustrations), and I think whatever I did here happened in my first couple of weeks of TKD (perhaps I didn't warm up adequately). However, that was over two months ago and I'm ready for this nuisance to just go away.

I ran a trail 5k on Thanksgiving weekend, my first race in nearly two years. I'd trained for the distance (which is about my max before the knee pain gets too severe), but was expecting more groomed, flat trails than the steep hills of the actual course. (Note to self: pay more attention to race routes now that you are old and nursing injuries.) I was hobbling a bit by the end of the race, and am still finding it difficult to get past the 5k mark on training runs.

The piriformis issue only comes into play getting in and out of the car, up and onto the couch or bed, or doing certain stretches. So I really don't think the running is part of the equation there.

 

[Buka]

When I ran track it was a hundred yard dash, not meters. Never ran a hundred meters. But used to run
9.9s all the time in the 100. (Even faster if a big kid was chasing me.)

I ran the 100, 220, 300, 440, relays, did the standing long jump, running long jump, triple jump, high jump, shot put, discuss, javelin and occasional hurdles. I was a complete track and field junky.

Then....I found Martial Arts. Hoo boy.

 

[Plin]

I'm not a fast runner even when I'm in peak training form. I'm more of a distance girl. I was training for my first ultramarathon (a 55k) when I slipped and fell (just in the street, on wet leaves, walking to my car on the way to work--not even a cool injury). That's when my issues began...

I didn't start running until my early 40s. Maybe I should change my tagline to Late Bloomer...

 

[_Simon_]

Hello, all! I'm new to the forum, and to martial arts. I started TKD (ITF) in October, and today had my first test for a yellow stripe. (I passed, so yay me!)

It's been interesting reading various threads these last few days, especially those that discuss taking up MA at a certain age. I'm 53, and in decent but not amazing shape (although I expect my fitness level will improve considerably over time); so far, I have no trouble holding my own in class. I'm also in no hurry to rush through the levels; I trust my instructors to let me know when I need to spend more time on perfecting techniques before moving on. I figure if I keep at it regularly I'll probably reach the first black belt level by 60, but if it takes longer to teach this old dog new tricks, so be it.

I do need to work on hip and core strength in particular, partly because they're foundational to the sport, and partly because those are my main weaknesses in general (especially the hips). I did distance running for several years, but a non-running injury stopped me for a while, and led to the bonus discovery of the aforementioned hip weakness. I'm working on trying to overcome some very annoying IT band problems that kick in after 2-3 miles. Luckily, they don't seem to be an issue for TKD, and in fact I'm hoping that all the hip-driven kicks will be beneficial as I try to (very slowly) build my running base back up again.

I'd love to hear any tips or advice from the seasoned martial artists around here. I've been impressed with the breadth and depth of knowledge and the generosity of spirit in sharing that knowledge among the posters, so I'm glad I found this place.

Meanwhile, I really like the owner, instructors, and other students I've met at my TKD school, and am relieved to have my first test finally behind me! On to learn the next set of skills...

Welcome to MT, great to have you here, and congrats on your yellow stripe, awesome work! It's an amazing journey... enjoy every milestone.

Hope your IT band issues resolve, but take your time with it. It really depends on the issue and core reason why the tightness/disfunction is there, just like knee pain could have different multiple root causes. I'd get a physio/kinesiologist to look at it.

Oh and very cool avatar! I was more of a Charmed fan hehe

 

[Bruce7]

When I ran track it was a hundred yard dash, not meters. Never ran a hundred meters. But used to run
9.9s all the time in the 100. (Even faster if a big kid was chasing me.)

I ran the 100, 220, 300, 440, relays, did the standing long jump, running long jump, triple jump, high jump, shot put, discuss, javelin and occasional hurdles. I was a complete track and field junky.

Then....I found Martial Arts. Hoo boy.

It was 100 yard dash in my day too.
Track people in Texas are faster than other states.
9.9 that is really fast, I envy you that might get you to the State meet in Texas.
In a slow year at a 1A division that time might win State.
One of my track coaches was the 5A State champion and held the national high school record for a long time 9.3.
He was in his 30's smoked and could still out run our sprinters, at least for 50 yards.

 

[Bruce7]

Welcome to MT, great to have you here, and congrats on your yellow stripe, awesome work! It's an amazing journey... enjoy every milestone.

Hope your IT band issues resolve, but take your time with it. It really depends on the issue and core reason why the tightness/disfunction is there, just like knee pain could have different multiple root causes. I'd get a physio/kinesiologist to look at it.

Oh and very cool avatar! I was more of a Charmed fan hehe

Charmed is cool, but Buffy is better, more MA fighting and better quotes

 

[dvcochran]

I'm still trying to figure it out. I'm not doing a lot of running lately (end of semester craziness + aforementioned IT band frustrations), and I think whatever I did here happened in my first couple of weeks of TKD (perhaps I didn't warm up adequately). However, that was over two months ago and I'm ready for this nuisance to just go away.

I ran a trail 5k on Thanksgiving weekend, my first race in nearly two years. I'd trained for the distance (which is about my max before the knee pain gets too severe), but was expecting more groomed, flat trails than the steep hills of the actual course. (Note to self: pay more attention to race routes now that you are old and nursing injuries.) I was hobbling a bit by the end of the race, and am still finding it difficult to get past the 5k mark on training runs.

The piriformis issue only comes into play getting in and out of the car, up and onto the couch or bed, or doing certain stretches. So I really don't think the running is part of the equation there.

My left pretty messed up leg. Seven plates, muscle/ligament/tendon graphs, yada, yada, yada. The knee is 12° out of place and bone on bone now. I have learned that as long as I keep doing a decent amount of squats to keep my range of motion while under weight I have less pain while working out. I think keeping the thigh and calf muscles strong helps a lot. Augments the crappy joints for me.

 

[Plin]

I'd get a physio/kinesiologist to look at it.

Yeah, I did about six months of PT last year (the maximum allotted by my insurance), and we discovered a lot of issues--apparently, I taught myself to walk all wrong as a baby, and have several decades of accumulated bad habits to undo. That's where I learned about the hip weakness.

IT bands weren't really on my radar at that point, though, since my problems were more severe. I should go back in the new year and focus on that problem.

 

[_Simon_]

Yeah, I did about six months of PT last year (the maximum allotted by my insurance), and we discovered a lot of issues--apparently, I taught myself to walk all wrong as a baby, and have several decades of accumulated bad habits to undo. That's where I learned about the hip weakness.

IT bands weren't really on my radar at that point, though, since my problems were more severe. I should go back in the new year and focus on that problem.

Ah wow, that's fascinating walking wrong as a baby! I'd always wondered about that, my feet are quite 'duckfooted' and I'd always wondered if that was due to how I learned to walk or something else.

But yeah hope it all gets sorted

 

[Gerry Seymour]

M

Hello, all! I'm new to the forum, and to martial arts. I started TKD (ITF) in October, and today had my first test for a yellow stripe. (I passed, so yay me!)

It's been interesting reading various threads these last few days, especially those that discuss taking up MA at a certain age. I'm 53, and in decent but not amazing shape (although I expect my fitness level will improve considerably over time); so far, I have no trouble holding my own in class. I'm also in no hurry to rush through the levels; I trust my instructors to let me know when I need to spend more time on perfecting techniques before moving on. I figure if I keep at it regularly I'll probably reach the first black belt level by 60, but if it takes longer to teach this old dog new tricks, so be it.

I do need to work on hip and core strength in particular, partly because they're foundational to the sport, and partly because those are my main weaknesses in general (especially the hips). I did distance running for several years, but a non-running injury stopped me for a while, and led to the bonus discovery of the aforementioned hip weakness. I'm working on trying to overcome some very annoying IT band problems that kick in after 2-3 miles. Luckily, they don't seem to be an issue for TKD, and in fact I'm hoping that all the hip-driven kicks will be beneficial as I try to (very slowly) build my running base back up again.

I'd love to hear any tips or advice from the seasoned martial artists around here. I've been impressed with the breadth and depth of knowledge and the generosity of spirit in sharing that knowledge among the posters, so I'm glad I found this place.

Meanwhile, I really like the owner, instructors, and other students I've met at my TKD school, and am relieved to have my first test finally behind me! On to learn the next set of skills...

My best tip: keep going to class.

Seriously. I have bettered every training partner I ever had, simply because I kept going back. When I don’t train, MA does me no good.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

The iliotibial band is the stabilizing structure of connective tissue between the hip and the knee, along the outside of the thigh. There are a lot of theories about why and how they become inflamed and tight; it's a relatively common problem for distance runners. The end result is sharp pain on the outside of the knee (not to be confused with runner's knee, which is a completely different animal).

One theory is that weakness in the muscles of the hip girdle and overpronation in the foot can cause the problem after extended repetition (like, you know, running day after day). I'm gradually managing to get back into running short distances, but since it's not fun until after at least five miles, it's a bit of a struggle.

I definitely used to be a lot more flexible before I started running, so am trying to get into a good routine of dynamic stretching before class, and static stretches afterwards. I'm also trying to figure out whether I can squeeze some yoga classes into my already crowded schedule. (I know I could practice at home, but I don't really have any good space for that.) Building up my flexibility and strength is a priority goal for me.

I’ve had some problems with the IT band, too. My current issue is with the ilipsoas muscle group, and may be related to the prior IT band issue. Pay attention to the aches and soreness there - don’t push it until your body has to make you stop.