Training with physical limitations

SaiFightsMS · KF VIP

I would really like to hear from or about people with physical limitations who train in the martial arts. Please.

I have had multiple sclerosis for over 20 years. Martial arts has been the greatest thing I have done. I am hooked for life.

How do people deal with their physical in their training. Including asthma, arthritis, diabeties - any thing that may affect the way a person would approach their training.

Thank you, Sai

kicker · Black Belt

well beleive it or not i don`t have anything of that stuff to worry about maybe only itchy eyes which i have medicane for and notting else really!

Gloi · Blue Belt

I have asthma which is brought on by exercise amongst other things. For the past three years I have been working really hard at trying to improve my fitness and do make an effort to do some sort of exercise every day. I do 4 days a week shotokan karate, gym work and go hill walking whenever I can.

I've found the stop/start nature of the training in the dojo has made it a goo thing for me because although I get out of breath, I have time to recover before the next exercise so I rarely have any problems that make me have to drop out of the class, unless I am not 100% to start with. The only thing I have a real problem with is if we have to run around the dojo as a warm up which they occasionally make us do.

I have found it very frustrating though that no matter what I do I find it impossible to get my cv work up to the level of a normal unfit person. With working out I've increased my strength and flexibility and and have good stamina in my muscles but still struggle to manage even a slow jog without getting out of breath. I do recover more quickly though.

Alison

KickChick · Black Belt

Hi Gloi (Alison) and Welcome to KarateForums!

Despite the fact that asthma may be brought on by cardio vascular activity tolerance is built up over time. In addition to reducing the risk of developing many other diseases, appropriate exercise can help asthmatics reduce stress, sleep better and feel more energized. We have a few students at our school (children especially) that are given the 'A OK'

by their doctors to take martial arts as an exercise program.
Take extra time to warm up before exercising. A prolonged period of low-level aerobic activity will help prepare your body for higher-intensity exercise.
Rest when necessary and listen to what your body is telling you.
Don't rush through your cool down; extending it can help prevent the asthma attacks that occur immediately following an exercise session. A warm bath or shower may also help.
Listen....we ALL face some sort of challenge in our training be it physical or mental -- Kudos to all who never use that 4 letter word...CAN'T!

_________________
Tae Kwon Do Blk Belt 1st deg./Fitness Kickboxing Instructor
(KarateForums Sensei)

[ This Message was edited by: KickChick on 2001-11-16 07:06 ]

Karateka_latino · Black Belt

What about Jean J. Machado??
He was born with only ONE finger on his left hand.. and he's one of the Best GRAPPLERS in the world.
Impresive.. winning High rated Grappling events surch as the Abu Dabhi in which the best grapples from all over the world compete.
Also.. I watched a documentary about a Guy in Colombia who was a TKD champion, He have an accident a lost BOTH arms. and he still compete AND wins.

Gloi · Blue Belt

Cheers Kickchick.
I do agree with you that cardiovascular tolerance can be built up over time. The problem for me is keeping in a good enough condition to workout hard enough to improve it. Last autumn I was doing really well and for just about the first time ever I was starting to be able to go on the jogger at the gym for a reasonable amount of time and to go out a bit running(although slowly) on the roads. Then I went and broke a bone in my foot (bashing it on a bench in the changing rooms

)and by the time it had recovered enough to start again I was back to square one. (Fortunately I didn't have to give up the karate completely at the time as I could walk in bare feet, it was wearing shoes that was very painful). I'm very prone to bronchitis in the winter too which always manages to knock my fitness back.

One day I'll win hopefully. It's just that it's always two steps forward one step back - or vice versa.

I'm off down the dojo tonight, and weather permitting I'll get a good walk in the Lake District tomorrow, so plug on......

Alison

KickChick · Black Belt

That's the spirit Gloi (hey at least you're taking steps while others are sitting on their *!) ... now stay physically fit & healthy for a bit and work on that tolerance!

SaiFightsMS · KF VIP

Hi Gloi and welcome to the fourm. One of my problems is also asthma. It takes me longer to recover my breath too. I find it helpful to use my inhaler before class or an aerobic session.

I don't have the ability to run because of the ms so I do most of my aerobic work on an elliptical trainer or a stationary bike. When I am practicing kata I do one at normal speed and then do one at slow speed to catch my breath but still keep my heart rate moving. When I do the slow kata I work extra hard on the movement precision and my stances.

Angus · Black Belt

Yeah, uh, hi, my name's Angus.... and i'm a chronic idiot. This seems to be one of my drawbacks in my training - that is that i'm sloppy with my guard sometimes and i tease the bigger guys, who then proceed to belt me around the room with their huge trunk-like legs and arms...

But seriously, my brother had really bad athsma and he did Kyokushin Karate amoungst other things. It was good for him i guess. He's got athsmatic bronchitis at the moment, so i have to go and pay him a visit to see if he's okay.

There's no REAL limitations, just the ones we imagine.

Angus

_________________
Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.

jakmak52 · Green Belt

When I was 14, in Chicago, I was accidently shot in the left shoulder with a .45 auto, had multiple fractures of the ball and socket joint, luckily the surgeon was a medic from WW2 and knew his skills well. Until I was 38 I had 40% less range of motion in the joint, then I started taking ITF TKD with reservations to my limitations, especially upper body blocks and strikes on my left side. Lo and behold, the regular activity and execise gave me back 20% more ROM, thanks to martial arts w/o meds!!! I am currently a 1st degree brown belt who won the Executive's Men's Kata division at the US Open in Orlando in 1999. I'm proud of my progress, but mostly I want to share my physical limitations (mental too

can be overcome. Please don't stop your dreams. Thanks.

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