How to protect from injuries when doing strong sparring?

[starriol]

Posted: Tue May 18, 2010 2:41 pm Post subject: How to protect from injuries when doing strong sparring?
Hi guys,

5 days ago, I was in a strong sparring session, and this guy connected a strong hook in my left ear.
I had a strong ringing (couldn't hear anything for 5 seconds), then, a ringing for a couple of days. Now a little pain only.

The Dr. said I have an inflammation (gave me a med for this), but he didn't pierce my eardrum.
But he said that this injuries are relatively common on strong, direct punches to the ear, so that left me quite scared to return to sparring.
I mean, I don't want to lose my hearing on one side!
Would earplugs like these protect me from this? http://www.amazon.com/Howard-Leight...ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1274215203&sr=1-5

I don't want to wear the big ones or helmets, since I would rather use one, but no one uses at my school, so I would rather switch schools, rather than being the only one using this type of protection, I would always feel embarrassed.

 

[repz]

Dont be embarrassed to wear extra protective gear in your school, if you feel they would react in a way to make fun of you, then let that be the reason you leave. Tell everyone why you are doing it, then get on with training.

In kyokushin, people joked with me because I always wore a mouthpeice, and an ankle support under my shin guards, plus wrapped my fists in tape. I didnt care, in competition you have to wear mouth guards anyway, and I reasoned its best to start getting used to breathing in one. I ended up screwing my ankle anyway, probably strained.

In BJJ I was the only one with an ear guard. I didnt want cauliflower ear. By the way, you can get this from stand up sparring too, so if you are worried about this as well, I would wear a head guard.

 

[terryl965]

It is better to be protected to your likeing than being hurt for a lifetime, any good instructor will help you find the right gear for you.

 

[SahBumNimRush]

The only safety equipment we REQUIRE in our school is a cup/jock for our male students. That said, it is encouraged that all our students where mouthgaurds and helmets. No one wants a concussion, and people these days spend alot of money on their teeth (no reason not to protect their investments).

Because I am a physician, and my hands are my livelihood, I am the only one in my school that spars with gloves. I have developed a strong liking to them now, they are light weight closed fingered boxing gloves (14 oz I think?).

No one should hold anything against you for protecting yourself in your training. Everyone has to get up and go to work in the morning, and for most, people don't want long standing injuries from their training. I've had all my ribs broken, my nose broken 3x, and had my sternum cracked.. . But that was when I was a teenager and fought like an invincible warrior like most teenagers do. Now, I fight smarter (but just as aggressively) and I haven't had any injuries that have impeded my day job or my life outside class other than minor bruises and knots.. .

 

[Shifu Steve]

Injuries are inevitable but with that said there is no reason not to take measures to protect yourself if you feel you need to.

One issue I would raise; I don't know how long you've been training but if you're more junior in your school/training then do you think you're ready for such a level of sparring? Slow, controlled sparring is more important initially then the type of sparring you're engaging in. If you are sustaining injuries like that then your partner is not controlling them self and is sparring more or less in real time. Mistakes happen but consider this and the fact that the instructor is doing you a disservice by having you spar in an environment that you're not ready for.

I have been hospitalized from sparring bouts but this was after years of training and we were going all out. In retrospect, I made the mistake that led to my injury (i.e. missing the block) and I was the third most senior student at the time. No way I would have been put in that situation before I had all that experience under my belt. In fact, I was one of three students allowed to spar at that level with our teacher.

I would think about the situation at your school before you suit up so to speak. Not that I am condemning protection, it's a good idea if you want it, but slow sparring has tremendous advantages and not only enables newer students to learn technique, it also gets them ready for progressively more intense levels of sparring.

 

[Bruno@MT]

Dont be embarrassed to wear extra protective gear in your school, if you feel they would react in a way to make fun of you, then let that be the reason you leave. Tell everyone why you are doing it, then get on with training.

In kyokushin, people joked with me because I always wore a mouthpeice, and an ankle support under my shin guards, plus wrapped my fists in tape. I didnt care, in competition you have to wear mouth guards anyway, and I reasoned its best to start getting used to breathing in one. I ended up screwing my ankle anyway, probably strained.

In BJJ I was the only one with an ear guard. I didnt want cauliflower ear. By the way, you can get this from stand up sparring too, so if you are worried about this as well, I would wear a head guard.

+1

When I played squash, no one wore goggles. Then one day I was playing a game against a female competition player, and in a million to one chance freak accident, the ball bounced off the frame of her racket, flew sideways and hit me in the left eye with the full energy of her hit.

I would have lost my left eye if if had not hit my eye socket first. I had blurred vision for a couple of days, went to an eye doctor who told me that it'd heal if my retina did not detach itself (which it didn't). To this day I still see a silver outline of the ball when I am in pitch dark and move my eyes.

Ever since that day, I play squash with full left to right eye protection. I don't care what other people think. I never want to risk such an injury again. If other people think that is funny, that is their problem, not mine. In your case, you should never feel ashamed for protecting yourself. If they act immature and taunt you with it, they are not worth hanging out with.

 

[ATC]

Wear your head gear and when someone laughs, punch then in the ear. Changing school because someone laughs, because you want to keep your faculties in a sport or art that you do for fun, and don't make a living at is crazy. Do what you do and if they laugh, they laugh. I bet once you do it there will be followers.

 

[TigerLove]

Posted: Tue May 18, 2010 2:41 pm Post subject: How to protect from injuries when doing strong sparring?
Hi guys,

5 days ago, I was in a strong sparring session, and this guy connected a strong hook in my left ear.
I had a strong ringing (couldn't hear anything for 5 seconds), then, a ringing for a couple of days. Now a little pain only.

The Dr. said I have an inflammation (gave me a med for this), but he didn't pierce my eardrum.
But he said that this injuries are relatively common on strong, direct punches to the ear, so that left me quite scared to return to sparring.
I mean, I don't want to lose my hearing on one side!
Would earplugs like these protect me from this? http://www.amazon.com/Howard-Leight...ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1274215203&sr=1-5

I don't want to wear the big ones or helmets, since I would rather use one, but no one uses at my school, so I would rather switch schools, rather than being the only one using this type of protection, I would always feel embarrassed.

You have no reason to feel embarassed! If someone laughs to you or something similar, because you wear less or more protective gear, they should be embarassed!

And also, if somebody really laughs or underestimmate you because of it, it says a lot about them - maybe you should think about changing you club.

If you only feel embarassed, don't worry, safety must be on the first place. I suposse you are not warrior or similar, you are not going to war, you have life besides the dojang and trainings, and you can't walk around beaten up because of not wearing protective gear!

Also, i see you are training muay thai..well it's not gentle art, not at all! It's full contact art quth use of elboes and knees!

If i trained that, it would be expective to have some injuries..

 

[Brother John]

Imagine, a year from now...
a new student walks into sign up for classes at your school and is informed that EVERYONE must purchase headgear Before being allowed to spar. When asked why that is...
they point to the half deaf guy in the corner.
and it's YOU.


That's overboard MAYBE...but honestly, it's not unimaginable.


Wear protection.
I'd rather have it and be able to fight for all I'm worth than not have it and not be able to fully commit my ALL to my training.
Or worse:
not have it
and NEEEEED it!!!!

Your brother
John

 

[starriol]

Imagine, a year from now...
a new student walks into sign up for classes at your school and is informed that EVERYONE must purchase headgear Before being allowed to spar. When asked why that is...
they point to the half deaf guy in the corner.
and it's YOU.


That's overboard MAYBE...but honestly, it's not unimaginable.


Wear protection.
I'd rather have it and be able to fight for all I'm worth than not have it and not be able to fully commit my ALL to my training.
Or worse:
not have it
and NEEEEED it!!!!

Your brother
John

Haha, man, that example was HARD!

Thanks all of you for the responses.
I'm going to switch schools, I'm going for one that has BJJ also, and I'll start using my helmet, and f**k it!

Thanks guys!

 

[tellner]

Steve Perry - the author, not the singer - has a recent blog post that's very relevant to the discussion.

For those of you who haven't read his stuff, please do. He's pretty much the best science fiction/fantasy writer when it comes to martial arts.

 

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

Steve Perry - the author, not the singer - has a recent blog post that's very relevant to the discussion.

For those of you who haven't read his stuff, please do. He's pretty much the best science fiction/fantasy writer when it comes to martial arts.

He wrote an article in Black Belt in the late 80s that had a big impact on me.

It was called something like "Master the Five Excellences" and it was about being well rounded, not just as a martial artist but as a person.

As someone who then did MA, played Guitar, liked to draw and paint, and read History it struck a cord with me.

It is part of my outline for how I am raising my kid's.

When they leave my house for College or the Service, they will all be at Black belt level in at least one fighting art, Know how to ride a horse, drive a car (I mean they will have taken defensive and HRP driving classes) ride a motorcycle, sail a boat, speak at least one language besides english,Shot, maintain and no how to fight and hunt with modern and classic firearms, have an education in the classics and History as well as have good manners.