Training when you can't train (injured newbie)?
I'm a newbie who's only participated in a few classes (6) so far, and am benched for another 3 weeks at least. (Drat.) My shoulder is injured, but other parts are working reasonably well. I can't roll (all the way over), and can't fall, and must not lift my arm above shoulder height for a while. Doing PT and making decent progress, at least.
I've found lots of good ideas in other related threads, like the current "Solo Training" thread, and another about things to do while you're out with an injury (watch classes and videos, read books and these forums...). Lots of helpful info so far. I've been doing general fitness stuff (elliptical, walking, stretches...), learning terminology, and plowing through new collection of books at an alarming rate. :p Now sitting by the front door waiting for Ellis Amdur's new book and Ukemi DVD to arrive. ;) So... My question... I'm looking for aiki/aikido-specific training activities that an injured Aikido newbie can do while recovering. I've figured out a few - these are examples of the level of difficulty I'm looking for:
That's about all I've figured out to do so far. Any suggestions? Balance exercises? Breathing or mind stuff? Tiny component pieces of techniques that I could practice now? I'm just at a loss about what to try. I know someone here will have some brilliant ideas. :) Many thanks! Linda |
Re: Training when you can't train (injured newbie)?
Linda, be patient. Besides doing the solo things you've outlined, you can go to the dojo to observe classes, and ask if its ok for you to bow in and stay to one side and, instead of partner practice, just mimic the footwork/body moves for what is being demonstrated.
Bear in mind in the long term, three wks is but a moment, and sometimes, THAT is the training. |
Re: Training when you can't train (injured newbie)?
As Janet said, three weeks is nothing...but it can easily become three months, three years or three decades if you mess up. Don't push it, please.
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Re: Training when you can't train (injured newbie)?
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However, I find doing deep squats once a day keeps your legs strong and doesn't have to involve your shoulder. As a newbie you will be excited about this martial art and as you said, trying to soak up everything about it. Be careful you don't burn out both mentally and physically. I have found those students who approach the art gently (both in attitude and physically) tend to stay the distance. Those who jump in the deep end...drown. For what its worth:cool: |
Re: Training when you can't train (injured newbie)?
hi Linda,
Hmmm, if you really want to do some aikido specific fun training when you're not supposed to, I guess you could be more conscious of your center when you do regular household chores, or when walking in a crowd, just being aware of your space and how your space relates to other people's space while on the move. or just breathing in time with your current activity. That way, it is not too physically taxing but the awareness really helps. Just my 2 cents.:D Get well soon. |
Re: Training when you can't train (injured newbie)?
Thank you for all the good feedback and ideas. Don't worry, I'm being very conservative. I've been through injuries before (including surgery on this same shoulder), and fully grasp the value of healing. I've been out a month already, and have been watching classes. I hadn't thought of "shadowing" the motions... I'll ask about that.
Thanks for the squats idea. I've been doing something along similar lines - when I go out to feed the horse and donkeys I do 2 sets of 20 steps up onto a straw bale and back down. That's made a huge difference in the strength in my legs, and is easy to fit into a daily routine, as I'm right there anyway twice a day. After that I do leg stretches on the pipe coral (think ballet barre!). That's helped tremendously with my right knee, which didn't want to bend as far as the left, but now is doing much better. Don't worry about me drowning in information. I know exactly what you're talking about, but I'm just "coming up to speed," sorta. In my work I typically get thrown into deep ends all the time, and it's fun to assymilate as much information and knowledge as quickly as I can. Not so I'll be any kind of expert, but enough that I can understand what people are talking about, know what to watch for, perceive subtleties I might've missed, and so on. I won't keep up at this rate, but while I've got the downtime (I can't ride or do gardening, either, right now) I might as well indulge my brain. :) What I'm really looking for now, though, are exercises in ... I don't even know, really (the joy of being a total noob)... focus, awareness, attitude, breathing, relaxing while moving... I'm being very patient with the physical part, but there must be other things I can be doing, meanwhile. (And it might be longer than 3 more weeks - that's "if everything goes well.") Here are a couple I just remembered, that I could be doing: tenkan undo, and shikko. |
Re: Training when you can't train (injured newbie)?
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Linda |
Re: Training when you can't train (injured newbie)?
Hi,
I have become very intimate lately with Injuries. I train fairly rigourously in MMA, BJJ, and Judo and quite honestly, turning 44 next week, in the best martial shape of my life, and I am also having to slow down if I expect to be able to train for the next 20 or 30 years. Starting out in any martial adventure like aikido is using parts of your body and core that for most folks they have never actually developed or used. It simply takes time to develop these things. "Being in Shape" is more than about being in good cardio shape, or strength shape. There is a linkage between these things, plus you are leaning new pattern of movement, your brain is having to learn stuff and your muscles, fascia and structure all have lots to learn and develop. It sounds like to me that you have the right ideas and attitude towards all this, just keep at it, do what you can do, and things will develop and you will find a year from now, five years from now, that you are doing things you thought were hard. On top of that, I think stability balls are really good things for developing coordination, kinestic awareness, and the physciality you need to move in martial endeavors. Low impact, you are supported, and you can adjust your training easily for your skill level. |
Re: Training when you can't train (injured newbie)?
Walking. If you live in a community where you can go for hour-long walks, go for it. See if you can get up to 4.5 miles/hour and keep it there. Do that daily. Do it with someone else so you can both benefit - whether that's a partner, husband, son or daughter, puppy, friend, whatever - it is always better with someone for more than just safety reasons.
If the dojo is about 30 minutes' walk away, walk there, watch training, walk back. Walk fast. All the other stuff about being aware, doing core/exercise ball work, mirroring the movements being done in the dojo, observing practice, doing your physio, etc. are all good too. In calgary our sensei had a shoulder separation and spent our morning training sessions at the side of the mat advising while doing an hour of shoulder exercises (flex, extend, rotator cuff, abduct, adduct...) and came back rock solid. W |
Re: Training when you can't train (injured newbie)?
It seems you are doing all the right things and are receiving a lot of good advice. I might add that no matter what exercise or activity you do the three most important things are correct posture, correct breathing and moving from the center.
I use an exercise/pilates ball as a chair when I am at my computer. Take plenty of time to recover and good luck. David |
Re: Training when you can't train (injured newbie)?
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1. Injury. Injuries can happen to anyone, but they're more likely to happen to those who take every possible opportunity to train -- especially remembering that very few new students are in ideal conditioning for the rigors of aikido training. Constant training, training in aikido to the exclusion of other forms of exercise, adding aikido onto a schedule that doesn't allow time for adequate sleep, improper diet -- all of these are going to get in the way of developing good aikido conditioning, and that in turn will increase the chance of injury. And then, once injured -- and it could be a trivial injury -- the same drive to train train train that set you up for injury in the first place, will interfere with your ability to heal. When a student who was carried on a big wave of initial enthusiasm encounters an injury, he/she will up against the fact that dealing with an injury requires a completely different mindset. These students always want to know "how long?" and "how do I FIX IT" and "okay, so how much training can I do?" When the answers to the first two questions come back, "indefinite," and "you don't," and the only safe "training" doesn't fulfill what the student is really looking for (i.e., full participation in class and the social aspect of dojo life), many students get discouraged and quit. 2. Life. Everyone has one, but a lot of enthusiastic new aikidoka put theirs on hold to train four, five, six days a week. Over time, this simply isn't sustainable without making some major sacrifices in other areas of your life -- sacrifices that most people can't make, and that even more people shouldn't make. We all have to schedule our training on top of work and family responsibilities, and training frequently may not be possible without shorting those responsibilities. Some people are able to make accommodations that make frequent training possible, but I suspect the most successful ones do this gradually and carefully. Also, when making sacrifices in other areas of your life for aikido, the sacrifices have to be yours to make. Deciding not to watch television for two hours a night is a sacrifice that you can decide to make. Deciding to show up at work exhausted and ineffective because your two hours of training a day are coming out of your sleep schedule is not. 3. Expecting too much from aikido. A lot of newbies get very star-eyed about aikido because it seems to be doing all kinds of wonderful things for them. Well, it does do wonderful things, and for many people in a modern industrialized society, it can provide something that's been missing in their lives. It's a form of exercise, and we humans feel a lot better, physically and mentally, when we're exercising on a regular basis. It's social, done in company with others, as opposed to many solitary pastimes like television-watching or computer games. It's active engagement rather than passive entertainment. For many people, it gives them their first experience of persevering at a voluntary activity and gaining a degree of accomplishment. These things aren't really all that amazing; it's just that they're so absent from the standard sedentary desk-job watch-the-TV existence that many newcomers believe that there's something magical and unique about aikido, because it was in aikido that they experienced these cool things. The problem is that they then expect their aikido experience to be a constant stream of epiphanies and life-changing moments, and...it isn't. Or they expect aikido to start having magical effects on their life in other ways. Either way, when they're not getting a big rush of wonderful new discovery every week, a lot of people start to lose interest. So, I think Dean's point was a good one. Of course, an enthusiastic newcomer can't imagine burning out, but then, neither could many enthusiastic newcomers who came before. Then they hit one of these pitfalls, or many some other pitfall that I haven't thought of. I don't think that you can just say to yourself, "Be less enthusiastic!" and solve the problem that way, but I think it's well to be aware of the dangers of overenthusiasm in your own life. Don't try to train every evening, even though it might seem like fun now. Be aware of how training is affecting the rest of your life, and be prepared to make adjustments. Don't abandon your old pre-aikido friends because you're too busy -- and don't become a missionary and try to drag them all into the dojo, either. Reflect on the good things that aikido is bringing to your life. Be a little analytical about them, ask why they're happening, ask how you can find them in other areas of your life: not by "training constantly", because all of life is not aikido, but by seeing the rest of your life in a new way that aikido has shown you. And, as far as the injury goes, learn to set aside the questions "how long?" and "how do I FIX IT" and "okay, so how much training can I do?" The only questions that really make sense are, "How am I doing today?" and "What do I need today?", and you need to ask those of your own body. |
Re: Training when you can't train (injured newbie)?
When a new student approaches me with the problem of quickly re-injuring themselves (as in your shoulder), I always suggest they look to another martial art or type of training for a long while. Perhaps aikido isn't right for them. I know the lure of the culture is strong, but immediate injury often points to chronic reinjury, which leads to frustration, and then anger.
Aikido does not have a monopoly on the powers it promises, or the wisdom it promotes. Listen to your body. Good luck :). |
Re: Training when you can't train (injured newbie)?
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It's very kind of you to alert me to those pitfalls. I appreciate it. I could've worded my comment better. I'm familiar with exactly the phenomenon you and Dean are talking about. I'll be on the lookout for those behaviors, and I know that with time my enthusiasm will mellow. The shoulder injury, thankfully, was not a reinjury. I'd had an unrelated hereditary problem (bone spurs) earlier, and just had the bad luck to take an awkward fall onto that same shoulder. Lots of folks have experienced shoulder injuries in Aikido, including Walter's Sensei (below) and George Leonard. So there's hope for me. ;) I left a lot out of my original post, of course, in the interest of brevity. Let me give a little additional background. The rest of my life includes:
It goes on, with photography, astronomy, software engineering, cats, cooking, organic gardening... I do dive in with both feet, but usually after years of exposure to a pursuit, and much research and thought. There are other things I am interested in, but do not elect to pursue (steam trains and tall ships, for instance). The only things I can think of where I actually dove in and burned out were woodworking and stained glass. For the most part, once I take something on, I typically stay actively involved with it. Martial arts have been a lifelong background-level interest (Judo in 3rd grade, Tang Soo Do in high school) which I have been neglecting actively pursuing. I did a very little bit of Aikido in college (one of those short-term classes for student recreation), and was reintroduced to it about a couple of years ago via Mark Rashid, a horse trainer and 2nd dan in Yoshinkan Aikido in Colorado. After doing a horsemanship workshop with him in February I re-read his book, learned all I could about Aikido. It sounded like it would be a good complement to riding and horsemanship (balance, breathing, awareness, flowing with another...), as well as a fun and sensible way to get/stay in shape. So started looking into local dojos. I checked with Sensei to see if training 1 night a week would be OK. After I settled on the dojo it took another few weeks before I could start classes because of a nasty cold. I go to one Aikido class a week, on Tuesday night (plus I got in an extra class once when my husband was out of town, and went to observe a Saturday class with two friends). I am working (slowly) on general fitness, strength, and flexibilty so that I can avoid injury. My shoulder injury (AC joint separation) was unrelated to the previous surgery, and is expected to heal completely. I'm not rushing it. I have very little tolerance for passive entertainment (TV, movies, fiction...). I have a solid philisophical background, which is reinforced by Aikido. I am not looking to turn my life around. I realize epiphanies are few and far between, and progress in many things is measured in years. I'm am very good at diligently plodding ahead. Last night I was out with my hubby and a bunch of musician-friends in the desert, doing photography and astronomy. I bought a book on local backcountry history, played with kittens, and practiced standing solid and centered in hanmi in the face of a very strong gusting wind. :D We all went for a 2 a.m. snack at a casino on the way home, and before going to bed I wrote a letter to a friend who had gone through a difficult experience. So there is some balance in my life. ;) I only do photography on occasion, but being a photographer always affects the way I see the world - there is a different awareness of light and color and form. There are times I can't ride my horse much, but the way I work with him every day when I groom or feed him is also training. I don't sing with/for people all that often, but I am often discovering new tunes or memorizing lyrics while working or doing chores. After careful consideration, I'm am looking for ways to incorporate Aikido into my daily life, as I've done with these other pursuits. I hope that gives a clearer picture of what I'm looking for when I say "training when you can't train." That may have been an unfortunate way of wording my request. Maybe "making Aikido part of one's life" would be more apt? Thank you for your answers and cautions. I will take them to heart. Linda |
Re: Training when you can't train (injured newbie)?
Hi Walter, David, and Kevin,
Thank you for mentioning the stability ball. I'm using mine for the shoulder PT, but have been neglecting core/balance work on it. That's a great tool for improving one's seat/balance for riding as well. I've been doing a bit of walking (about a mile at lunch), but could be doing more. Lots of benefits and few risks with that. Can't walk to the dojo (it's on the way home from work, too far from either end of the trip to walk there), but I can find other opportunities. Anyone want to loan me a puppy? ;) Walter, I'm glad to hear your Sensei is doing well. The prognosis for recovering from a shoulder separation is very good, but I sure don't recommend the experience. Kevin - sorry about your injuries! We are about the same age. I agree, an appropriate level of training is key to being able to continue for many years. David, I think I'll stick some notes around to remind me of posture, breathing, and moving correctly. It's so easy to fall into old habits. A little ongoing awareness can make a big difference over time. Time to go do horsey things, and edit last night's star party photos. Many thanks for all the good ideas! Linda |
Re: Training when you can't train (injured newbie)?
You've got donkeys??? Whoa. I'm jealous.
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Re: Training when you can't train (injured newbie)?
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also: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRCbFLzYm_U Also Rainy the horse: http://rightasrain.tumblr.com/ All are good training partners. I can't make them do anything through force. I have to work with their minds, and their minds move their bodies. Sometimes. :p Linda |
Re: Training when you can't train (injured newbie)?
At least with the donkeys you do not need an intruder alarm or a wake up call.
Rainy looks like a good horse to joust with... For your injury, I will be a little bit like Rousseau (I.e. give advise that I do not follow myself). It much better to give it time to heal and rest that trying to train too early. That being said develop muscles to protect your articulations is not a bad idea. Just have been hit by a coronel from a solid lance on the upper right thigh, thanks to BSS and guard work, It is only a big bruise. phil |
Re: Training when you can't train (injured newbie)?
Whoa...two donkeys and a big pretty draft horse! I love draft horses. Around here it's mostly Belgians.
The thing about injuries and martial arts is, it's all really a process of learning to train with the body you have, rather than with the body you haven't. Injuries inflicted by training partners are nowhere near as common as the general public thinks, but self-inflicted "sports" type injuries are pretty much as common as they are in any vigorous activity -- maybe a little more so. Most newbies run up against the gap between what they'd like to do, even within the bounds of "beginner practice", and what their bodies will currently let them do. Some of this gap may be permanent, caused by old injuries, congenital issues, etc. Some of it may be temporary -- for instance, lack of core strength, aerobic fitness or flexibility -- but it is nevertheless real. I've known many people who sustained injuries as newbies because they tried to use strength or flexibility that they simply didn't have yet. In a few cases, these injuries became permanent, because having had their bodies tell them in no uncertain terms, "No, you're not strong/flexible/fit enough to do that yet," these people refused to hear the even more obvious message, "...and now that you're injured, you're really not strong/flexible/fit enough." They continued to try to train as if they had an ideal body, rather than the body they had. At the same time, I've seen people who came into the dojo with prior physical limitations and who were very successful, because they were already somewhat skilled in doing what they wanted to do with the bodies they had. They've already learned to be patient and to deal with setbacks. Once upon a time (before my first martial arts injury) I believed that if you got a serious injury, you could go to the doctor, and the doctor would fix it. Now, every time I get injured, my attitude is, "This could be permanent." I do what I can to help it heal, but I accept that it could be there forever. This, in turn, eliminates the need to ask "how soon?" and that, in turn, takes the pressure off and lets my body do its thing. It's nothing provable, but I really feel like "healing anxiety" screws up the healing process...not to mention that it's pointless, much like screaming at a plant, "Grow, dammit!" So, thankfully, I've learned to let that go. I don't know if anyone learns that trick except via the hard way, which I don't recommend...but the trick is valuable, even though the price I paid for it is on the high side. |
Re: Training when you can't train (injured newbie)?
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Phil - I don't know about jousting (Rainy would probably be good at it, though)... He'd look great all dressed up for a faire or something, though. (I confess, I bought a jingly bellydancer's belt-chain-thing to use as a breastcollar on him. I think it would suit him.) And yes, the donks make great alarm clocks (and visitor-alarms). As a general follow-up, I was able (surprise!) to go back to class tonight! It went very well. I posted a little note about that on my"My Path" AikiWeb blog. I will definitely keep doing the strengthening and training exercises. They certainly seem to be helping. :-) Cheers, Linda |
Re: Training when you can't train (injured newbie)?
I like what Mary said.
If Rainy was injured and you could not ride him, you would want to wait untill he was completely healed before trying to ride him again. I would suggest to treat yourself with the same love and compassion as you would for Rainy. My thirteen year old daughter started riding lessons two weeks ago. Being at the stables and around horses again has brought many forgotten memories. Last night the stable held a mini horse clinic on how to harness and show them. I got to ride and drive with my daughter in a cart. David |
Re: Training when you can't train (injured newbie)?
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There is a point (with horse injuries), where walking in-hand is called for, and then riding at the walk, and then walking uphill, etc. That's where I'm starting to get to. Not to cantering over jumps yet. ;) Quote:
Cheers, Linda |
Re: Training when you can't train (injured newbie)?
With all you got goin' on what you need is a nap ... I know I do.
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Re: Training when you can't train (injured newbie)?
LOL You are so right, Robert! I just got home from work, and that's the first thing I said: "Is it nap time yet?" Plan for tonight: feed the critters, eat dinner, hit the hay. Up at 4:30 tomorrow to get to a 7 a.m. meeting .Yuck. Not a morning person.
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Re: Training when you can't train (injured newbie)?
Linda,
It's great that you were able to go back to class already! :) If you still want some low-impact training ideas for outside the class, something that we've been doing recently in my dojo might be helpful. Our Sensei had us do all the normal standing aiki taiso (irimi tenkan, mawari, eight-direction exercise, etc.) with our eyes closed. Very challenging! At least for me, because I have no sense of balance to speak of... :hypno: :disgust: I've been thinking for a while that doing some exercises, and even techniques, with eyes closed might be interesting; but it was shocking to find to what extent it does really change your perception. For me, at least, it was much easier to focus and feel my center and my position in space when not distracted by visual input. Now, if I could only stop falling over with every turn... :rolleyes: Karo |
Re: Training when you can't train (injured newbie)?
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The next milestone is to be able to roll and fall. I'm being very careful and conservative, because if all goes well (no setbacks from rushing or arrogance), I should be able to participate in a seminar at our dojo with Robert Nadeau Shihan near the end of July. (Where's a crossing-your-fingers emoticon when you need one?) Quote:
Your suggestion gave me another thing to try, too, as I was walking to the barn after first reading your post: Walking with my eyes closed. I tried 6 steps, then look (reality check, correct trajectory, notice obstacles), another 6 steps, and so on. So there's another idea that could be slipped into normal daily life (my normal day includes walking to/from the barn at least twice). Probably any balance ball exercises would be interesting without visual input, too. Thank you again. :) Linda |
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