Speaking as one who has suffered her fair share of injuries on the journey to Black Belt I want to share some observations and suggestions that may help adults not only in Martial Arts but other forms of aggressive exercise and sports.

As I started progressing through the belt ranks I became more and more serious about training.  I wanted to be at the dojo (karate school) all the time.  I went to every class that I could during the week.  This meant I was training every single day, 5 days per week all in a row.  Big Mistake!! Eventually I was suffering with shin splints from the warm ups where endless jumping jacks and plyometrics are performed.  I also started to feel pain in my ankle and knee. The initial ankle pain eventually turned into a serious problem that took me out of the game for 6 months.  I wasn’t listening to my body’s cry for mercy.  My “older” body needed recovery time between sessions.  I cannot stress enough the importance of a day of recovery to give your tired muscles a rest between lessons or sports games.

I tended to ignore feelings of pain while pushing forward.  Eventually I found an awesome Chiropractor who practices ART (Active Release Technique).  This is a specific technique that deals with soft tissue treatment.  ART is used for athletic performance enhancement, injury prevention and management.  I found this to be very effective for treating my injuries.  My Chiropractor became my savior.  The slightest hint of pain or tightness in my body and I am in his office getting treatment.  Adults cannot ignore feelings of pain while they continue to grind their bodies through grueling sessions.  I got smart and started listening to my body – and my Chiropractor who taught me the exercises that I need to do for my individual problems.

My good friend, Fernanda the Pharmacist and Herbalist, got me going on the proper supplementation to aide in keeping my joints and muscles healthy.  She recommended glucosamine as it’s needed to make and repair joint cartilage.  The cartilage serves as the cushion at the joint surface.  She also recommended MSM (methylsulfonylmethane) which provides sulfur making it a vital building block of joints, cartilage, skin, hair and nails.  She suggested Celadrin which is a blend of fatty acids that enhances the cells membranes and their integrity for efficient functionality.  Celadrin prevents inflammation while restoring fluid to cushion bones and joints promoting flexibility and mobility.

Lots of good clean water and learning what foods to consume before and after training sessions is also essential for performance and a healthy body.

Following proper recovery time, athletic injury prevention and management techniques, consuming good supplements and proper nutrition can all go a very long way in keeping your body healthy and therefore less prone to injury.

Just as we were taught to read and write and all about fire and water safety so it should be that we must learn to protect ourselves.  I consider my Martial Arts training a real life skill.  It seems inconceivable and foolish to me that my woman friends have no clue how to protect themselves in the event of an attack nor do they think it’s important enough to learn how.   This is a skill, in my opinion, that should be taught to every child and in particular to girls. 

When I was pregnant with my daughter I remember thinking how am I going to let this beloved child of mine out of my site.  I wondered how I was ever going to let go and let my child walk to the bus stop or go to the park with friends or do any of the many things that young teens want to do without parental supervision.  How could I allow these things without worrying frantically about safety?  I know anything can happen these days but the fact that she was trained in Martial Arts allowed me to breathe far more easily than I would have otherwise. 

I am so thrilled that my daughter, also trained in Martial Arts, was brought up with this skill.  She has never known any different than being able to protect herself.  It is second nature to her.  When she reached the age where her and her friends wanted to walk to a park or to a store her friend’s parents would always ask if she was going.  If the answer was yes then they were allowed.  If not, they were not allowed to go.  It amazed me that these parents relied on my daughter to exhibit common sense and the ability to protect while they never considered ensuring their kids learned these skills.  These parents were always generous in their compliments on my daughter’s common sense and her Martial Arts abilities but somehow they never considered this for their own kids.

A comment that I hear over and over at the dojo (karate school) is in regard to the teenage karate students.  The comment is inevitably what great kids they are.  Not only are they keeping physically active while they are learning to protect and defend themselves but they are learning life lessons in respect, morals and self discipline. How many of our children have positive real life role models?  The Sensei (teacher) and the instructors at the dojo are terrific role models for kids.  The kids meet with these role models on average 3 to 4 times per week.  What better place could they be spending time?

For adults, there is no better way to keep in shape while we learn to protect ourselves.  Many of the adults that I know at my dojo joined the program because their children were already students.  For me this was also the case.  In fact, my husband was feeling so left out while my daughter and I continually discussed and practiced our Martial Arts training that he too became a student.  Shotokan Karate has proved to be an incredible bond between ourselves and our daughter.  We are a Martial Arts family and I wouldn’t want it any other way.  Watch for my blog on Adults Avoiding Injury In Martial Arts.