For the past two months or so, I’ve been attending a Filipino Martial Arts class where we’re learning to use Kendo sticks and knives. It was originally an informal class that met only on Mondays, but that ended, and I’m not taking it Thursday nights as well. thursdays involve more basic moves, plus a bit of sparing. Today was my first sparing session, and my first injury.
We were just using one stick, so we put pads on our right arms, elbows, and wore big padded gloves. I had these old ones, which weren’t really gloves, just big huge three-inch-thick pads that I stuck my hands into a sock connected to the bottom of it. Anyway, we’re whacking the crap out of each other’s hands, and his stick slips right through the cracks and hits my thumb dead on. Now, my nail is cracked halfway from left to right about halfway down the nail and is all black and nasty underneat. Plus, my thumb hurts like hell. Am I going to go back? You BETCHA!!!
Why? I don’t know. It’s fun, dispite the fact my thumb is killing me and we watched a video where one whack split a guy’s kneecap in half. Who else is doing something really dangerous and can cause severe bodily harm? And why do you do it?
I’m going to play paintball this Sunday, though I guess calling it really dangerous isn’t entirely accurate. It’s fun, despite the dozen bruises and welts I’ll have that evening.
Kendo is so cool when you have a good partner - and don’t mind the bumps and bruises thusly associated. Most martial arts are highly enjoyable with a good sparring partner.
One thing I loved about the PART (Professional Assault Response Training) course I took was beating the crud out of the other guy and being beaten upon, knowing I could defend myself and not get hurt (much). Did get several bumps and bruises, but nothing super damaging.
Hubby and I love wrestling and fooling around roughly, but we know when to tap.
Hope your thumb heals quickly. Enjoy yourself. It’s addicting!!
EWW EWW EWW!! Split KNEECAP?!?!?! I will now never EVER to get involved in this activity (not that it occured to me anyways…)
mnemosyne[sub]who has an irrational fear of kneecaps…[/sub]
Masochists! just kidding. i skateboarded for about 6.5 years and i still try to every now and then even though i can’t because my ankles said so. I know i did that because no possible feeling could ever compare to the feeling you get after landing a trick you’ve spent hours upon hours attempting to do it and years wishing you could. After an experience like this, I’d be likely to spend the remainder of the day and in some cases up to a whole week in complete bliss. It’s been about 1.5 years now since i’ve done anything like that and when i look back on some of the things i accomplished on a skateboard, it still brings a great feeling. I’ve forgotten almost every instance in which i injured myself. I mainly only remember the ones where my nut sack was harmed.
Skateboarding isn’t all that similar to martial arts, and i don’t think i answered your question, but oh well 