How common is it to break something?

[Lynne]

I feel so bad for two students. The very first class (white belt), one student broke I'm not sure what - a "leg part." He was on crutches for awhile and continued coming to watch his wife. He fell during running jump kicks. Next thing I know, he has a leg brace and says he needs surgery.

Another student (white belt, too) broke two of her toes during running jump kicks also.

Is is that common to break something during kicking drills? (Tang Soo Do) What about the other martial arts?

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Accidents happen and every human body is uniquely different. What may cause absolutely no damage to me may end someone else up in a hospital and vice versa. All physical activities have a risk of some type of damage happening.

 

[mrhnau]

Accidents happen and every human body is uniquely different. What may cause absolutely no damage to me may end someone else up in a hospital and vice versa. All physical activities have a risk of some type of damage happening.

That's why you have waivers and good insurance

 

[mrhnau]

I feel so bad for two students. The very first class (white belt), one student broke I'm not sure what - a "leg part." He was on crutches for awhile and continued coming to watch his wife. He fell during running jump kicks. Next thing I know, he has a leg brace and says he needs surgery.

Another student (white belt, too) broke two of her toes during running jump kicks also.

Is is that common to break something during kicking drills? (Tang Soo Do) What about the other martial arts?

Please forgive my ignorance of TSD, but is that something a typical white belt in TSD does? Running jump kicks?

 

[CuongNhuka]

Brian's right. But people shouldn't be getting injured to regularly. An injury that involves breaks should be rare. In my 5 years of training I've never heard of people breaking bones in class. In full contact/mma fights, but not in practice.

 

[crushing]

Please forgive my ignorance of TSD, but is that something a typical white belt in TSD does? Running jump kicks?

I don't have the answer, but that is a very good question. I would like to hear what the more experienced TSD practioners and teachers think about that.

I would expect from my TKD experience that a whitebelt would be learning the basic blocks and punches and some basic kicks along with a basic hyung/kata.

Like my teacher says, "you gotta crawl before you can walk."

 

[tshadowchaser]

Getting hurt is part of any physical activity. It happens or has happened to most of us at some time during our training.
Twisting an ankle or having a knee pop out doing jumping jacks may not be common but it is not unheard of. Doing a kick incorrectly often causes one to hurt their foot.

 

[Blindside]

We've had several breaks and fractures, but that is from sparring, not from practicing of your basics (or not so basics in this case).

Lamont

 

[stickarts]

In our 14 years, we have only had one student break a bone and it wasn't from being hit. He was throwing a kick and his supporting leg broke at the ankle.

In a well run school it doesn't happen often but accidents happen.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Speaking of injuries I currently have had an ankle injury for the last few weeks that stems from walking to church in my cowboy boots. :idunno:

 

[kidswarrior]

I've broken 21 bones, about half on the street pre-Asian arts (so those are on me), the others in a studio setting. Example: My first week in the arts, was in a traditional hapkido dojang and during sparring, a more experienced student went under one of my jabs and planted a thrust kick in my ribs (I was basically boxing at 1/4 speed, not wanting to hurt anyone and not having any experience with using feet as weapons). Broke a rib (man, those hurt about 24-36 hours after the fact!--who can second that?).

On the other hand, have been teaching consistently for the last two years (4-6 classes a week), and have never had anyone break anything that I know of. So maybe my experiences are saving my students from repeating them? Anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. :ultracool

 

[Lynne]

In my school, white belts definitely do running kicks. In my trial class, "buddy week," I did running side kicks (well, they were more like front kicks because I couldn't get that twist right) and hit the instructor's focus pad (we did this maybe 10 times, I lost count). If I didn't already have strong legs, I don't think I could have done it. I'd just finished doing edon ahp chagi's (sp?), running jump front kicks (no focus pad). I can see how a white belt/and especially first class could break something because of lack of leg strength, too. My legs were like rubber and I did fall once during running front kicks. I brought my knee up and tried to kick with that right leg...splat.

But it is the norm in my school for white belts to do running jump kicks and running side kicks.

I've only seen the two injuries since September, other than a black belt who twisted his ankle during Master Trudgill's clinic. They were during ladder drills, he stepped on a rung, screamed of course, and then wrenched his ankle.

 

[Lynne]

Speaking of injuries I currently have had an ankle injury for the last few weeks that stems from walking to church in my cowboy boots. :idunno:

Ha ha..I want a pair of "comfortable" cowgirl boots. All the boots in my area of NY have disappeared because it's spring (it's not warm here; last night it went down to 31).

You should try walking to church in high heels...or maybe not.

 

[Jade Tigress]

I feel so bad for two students. The very first class (white belt), one student broke I'm not sure what - a "leg part." He was on crutches for awhile and continued coming to watch his wife. He fell during running jump kicks. Next thing I know, he has a leg brace and says he needs surgery.

Another student (white belt, too) broke two of her toes during running jump kicks also.

Is is that common to break something during kicking drills? (Tang Soo Do) What about the other martial arts?

Well, as has already been stated, anytime you're involved in a physical activity you run the risk of injury. However, this seems quite uncommon to me, to have such severe injuries as breaks during training. Especially among newer ranks when the training should be simpler. Sprains and bruises I can more readily see, but breaks? All I can say is be careful and make sure you feel you have been fully instructed in the technique you are asked to perform, if you're not sure what you're supposed to be doing, ask. Perhaps you can visit other schools in your area for some comparison.

 

[bushidomartialarts]

Depending on the style, toes and noses aren't very rare. But two injuries so close together might mean people are being pushed too hard or that the instructor isn't paying close enough attention.

At our school we have two basic rules about injuries:

1. If people get injured, you're doing something wrong.

2. If nobody gets dinged, you're doing something wrong.

 

[stickarts]

Speaking of injuries I currently have had an ankle injury for the last few weeks that stems from walking to church in my cowboy boots. :idunno:

Yeah, I have been hurt more outside of karate than I have during training. I would walk away from heavy sparring no problem and then hurt my back picking up a gym bag!

 

[IcemanSK]

People do get injured in MA classes. Accidents happen. My students (kids) tend to get injured outside of class more often than in class. Apparently, bicycles are dangerous.

 

[kidswarrior]

Depending on the style, toes and noses aren't very rare.

This is my experience, too. But the qualifier is important: depending on the style (and the instructor, and the culture of the school--if it's middle class/people who have never been in street confrontations, it will have one feel to it; if it's a room full of old war horses who've been dinged on the street/dojo floor before, will have another feel/set of expectations).

But two injuries so close together might mean people are being pushed too hard or that the instructor isn't paying close enough attention.

I would certainly feel that way as an instructor if I had two people get hurt fairly close together.

At our school we have two basic rules about injuries:

1. If people get injured, you're doing something wrong.

2. If nobody gets dinged, you're doing something wrong.

Pretty good philosophy. :ultracool

 

[Brandon Fisher]

I have a student who just broke his wrist this past Friday night and we can't figure out how and neither can he. Its strange how it happens sometimes.

 

[Cirdan]

Accidents do happen but breaks are few and far between I think. The only break we have had in our dojo during my time was a white belt who broke his collarbone doing a normal forward roll. How it happened is anybody`s guess, anyway he is well now and back to training.