Quote:
Paavo Nurmi wrote:
Is it possible to train to handle more pain than before?
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hullu, what is your level of training and why do you ask this question?
The idea of training sane, effective aikido is that you'll experience less pain as you train longer. And much of that has to do with executing the kata - especially in the role of uke - with cleaner technique.
The people in aikido whom I've constantly seen experience more pain are the beginners. You have to get over the hump of learning to roll and fall. You have to get over the hump of learning to take nikkyo, sankyo, gote kaeshi, etc while remaing relaxed. Generally this can be achieved - at least the big hump of it - with a few months of training.
After that, the more relaxed you become and the cleaner your technique is executed - the less pain you'll experience - and greatly lessen the possibility of injury. Drunks get hurt less in accidents simply because they're too out of it to tense up.
Keep in mind, too, that joint lock techiques in aikido go with the natural direction of uke's body instead of against the joints, as in some other martial arts. Pain in aikido - like wasabi (a type of Japanese horseradish) - tends to come on sharp and fast, but dissipates quickly, leaving no afterburn. And moreover, should leave you energized and even more relaxed.
We just had an Aikido Friendship day a few weeks ago that included about four hours of total training. The next day I woke up feeling good, like I'd had a massage, and ready for more. Two of the beginners told me the next day that they felt like they'd been hit by a truck. They nursed their soreness and skipped the next two training classes that week.
I've been to week-long training camps with with several hours of training per day, and everyone up and on the mat for iai at 6:45am. People from about sankyu level on up didn't have much problems.
The idea is not train more to be able to handle more pain, but rather to train more so that in your training you do not experience as much - if any - pain at all.
More relaxed and pliable state = less pain and chance of injury.