You will most likely get hurt at one point, be ready to explain your bruises,
and be happy someone asked about them
This blog is about my own experiences as a black belt Taekwondo student, which are grounded in practice and research and other sources about Taekwondo. I hope this blog is a good read for Taekwondo students (past, present and future), because I believe that students under the guidance of good instructors will not only learn the art, but will also learn to live the virtues that this art stands for and who will be able to bundle up their knowledge that allows them to
“take it all outside and into your life.”
Train hard – the pain is real
In order to learn Taekwondo, one has to train hard and not be afraid to get hurt while learning to be effective – be that during regular training or a tournament. A friend of mine recently opined that how one trains will inevitably determine how one will fight (Smith, 2016). Thus, not training right, or hard, can be a function of either overly cautious instructors or students who are afraid to step out of their comfort zones because they are afraid to get hurt. However, IMHO, if you are a serious student and train hard (like your life might at one point depend on your training), there is potential for injuries in the martial arts (CSS, 2001-2016).
Protective gear, it only covers so much … there will most likely be some injuries, and bruises
Although Taekwondo students usually wear protective gear for sparring, the reality is, the gear covers only so much, whereas the latter is dependent on two factors, a) what gear does your governing body require and b) what type of contact is allowed. Also, even with our best intentions not to hurt your training or sparing partners, sometimes, kicks are misplaced or you get hit, which doesn’t kill you, it just gives you a few bruises on your legs and arms …
During my many years of Taekwondo practice, I have had my share of injuries: a partially torn ACL, a broken thumb, broken toes, turf toe, bleeding from not breaking the board, sprains in my foot and most of all, bruises. What all my injuries had in common was that they were “caused” by Taekwondo and that they were noticeable, especially those pesky bruises during summer times when one simply does not wear clothing that covers the whole body.
Personally, I wear my bruises as a badge of honor and pride as a result of hard training and being willing to deal with the fact that pain is inevitable. However, I find that those outside the world of Taekwondo (or other hard martial arts) might not understand the nature of the injury and make assumptions or draw all kinds of conclusions with regard to the type and nature of such injuries. As much as I can be annoyed by others wondering what on earth happened to me, I am glad that people notice …
Now the explaining part – and in reality, be happy that someone does notice
I have concluded that some injuries are easier to explain to others. Obviously, one would limp with a sprain or knee injury. Even medical professionals did not seem to be concerned about those type of injuries when I tell how and where they happened. Although it seems obvious that sprains and knee injuries are harder to deal with, bruises, for some reason, seem to be raising more eyebrows and illicit more questions as to why and how they came about. Maybe it is because I am female and am for some reason not supposed to get them, or wear them proudly.
So, a few times I had to visit a doctor, at times related to Taekwondo injuries, but mostly, not. So even when I visited for a sinus infection or regular exams, I had bruises. Every time, after some small talk, the issue of my bruises came up, they were, after all, defensive injuries, so who knows what could have happened to me . Every time, without a fail, the doctor and nurse/medical assistant would exchange their “knowing looks,” followed by the question, “so, how is everything at home?” to which I would answer “fine,” followed by a follow- up of “now, really, how is everything at home?” and me stating, “I just told, it is fine.” This is usually followed by more looking back and forth between the assorted health care providers, and then the question, “you have all these bruises, we are concerned about you, what happened.” Now, here it is where it seems to become tricky, especially if you are a female and you and the rest of your family practices Taekwondo together: you must choose your answers wisely.
The first time I found myself in such a questioning situation, my answer was, “well, I got these bruises from sparring with my husband!” WRONG ANSWER even though it was true. The follow-up-question usually was more straight-forward, like in, “what did he do?” to which my next wrong answer was, “he threw a diagonal kick at me and I had to deflect with my arm to be able to throw a back kick at him.” Wide-eyed and perplexed, the caring health professional would ask (with alarm in voice), “what happened, did you get into a fight?” which finally would leave me room to answer and to explain before the phone call to a social worker would be made. And of course, after the smoke cleared, there were many questions as to why on earth I would practice a sport that could hurt me or why I would not just take up golf, to which my answer was, “it is good for me, it makes me happy, and it builds character, you should try it because the benefits are (me going off on “lecture” how great Taekwondo is) … and I really think golf is boring.”
Needless to say, the “questions” and assumptions about the nature of my injuries were not just limited to doctors’ visits. I have had people look at me with profound sadness and sorrow when I was at the beach in Hawaii, covered with bruises. And there were the elementary school field trips, where other parents who besides me chaperoned would also “whisper” to each other how sorry they feel for me and what I was apparently going through in my life. I have actually been told by a women in a store that she feels sorry for me and wish there was something she could do for me. Worst yet, when I would be out with my Taekwondo sisters, equally bruised, we would overhear things like, “these poor women, they must be abused,” or “glad they get to go out on occasion.” I am glad they noticed those bruises, but if they had been truly concerned, would have had the courage to ask us directly what happened, which of course they did not. They actually should have, because, like the good doctor and his assistants, could have just make sure that nothing else was going on.
I think I mentioned that our whole family is involved in Taekwondo, and we all had our share of bruises. My older son was at one point repeatedly asked by his teacher where his bruises came from. I was actually glad she asked and was paying attention and most of all, she understood the nature of the bruising once it was explained to her. I am glad she paid attention to this and I am glad she asked. Moreover, I am happy that she was ready to check out Taekwondo for her children, after I explained to her how great it was while naturally I, with pride, was mothering more bruise.
I am not sure how many other Taekwondo practitioners, especially females, have been asked about their bruises, because, again, they are not “normal’ for the majority of the population and many people don’t understand where those bruises come from. Yes, the assumptions about how I got my bruises are still annoying, but in reality, they are welcome, because there might just be that one person who did not get a bruise during a training, but who really got hurt in a domestic violence situation, or that child, who was pushed into a wall, whose live might be saved by just one person asking the right question at the right time.
P.S. I have concluded that should I ever get seriously injured during training, I will take the following advice from my Karate sister Susan Schorn (no, I don’t know her, but she is my sister because she fights and likes it and I really would like to meet her): “RULE NUMBER ONE for the woman who gets a black eye during karate class: Do not change your clothes before going to the emergency room. Go in your uniform. Go covered in sweat. Otherwise, you will spend a lot of time answering questions about your relationship history. You may be suddenly confronted with a social worker, or even a policewoman, who will sit down next to you and be very reassuring. And it will take forever before somebody actually examines your retina, which is what you came in for.”
But then again, I will also be happy that someone asked about what happened, because many women and children are not that lucky, because nobody asks them how they got hurt.
College Sports Scholarships (CSS). (2001-2016). Martial arts training safety tips. Retrieved from http://www.collegesportsscholarships.com/sports-training-martial-arts.htm
Schorn, S. (n.d). Bitchslap: A column about women and fighting. Retrieved from: http://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/column-1-the-rules
Smith, Bob (2016). Empty Hand Combatives in the U.S. Military. Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/notes/bob-smith/empty-hand-combatives-in-the-u-s-military/10153774012857593