Journey to a new style...

[_Simon_164 194]

Have you heard of photobiomodulation? It’s that ‘red light therapy’ that seems to be popular in face masks etc to improve skin and look young etc. Recently I needed such a device to prevent some potentially painful therapy-related side effects but only had access to one by buying a second hand medical device version. It worked miracles and I was side-effect free!

Anyway, I suffer from occasional patella tendinopathy so the medical rep suggested I try it on my knees and lo and behold, no more tendinitis! It really does work. I trawled the research literature before buy it (it was hugely expensive) and the evidence was at best, sketchy but I’m glad I did buy and use it. I should add it is not like the crappy ones you can buy online but many clinics use them for clients to use. Maybe you could hasten your recovery with photobiomodulation!

View attachment 34644
View attachment 34645

View attachment 34646

Hahaha great pics!! Oh wow, no I haven't used that, I will look into it! Didnt realise red light therapy was used for joints etc.

Yeah my knees have struggled a bit, have done really well with rehab over the years but noticing they are quite achy eeeevery morning now, and get a little better through the day. Perhaps my increased excessive training is contributing.. so will see when I tone things down

 

[_Simon_164 194]

I’d like to read it when you’ve passed your grading.

Sure thing

 

[Gyakuto164 173]

Hahaha great pics!! Oh wow, no I haven't used that, I will look into it! Didnt realise red light therapy was used for joints etc.

Yeah my knees have struggled a bit, have done really well with rehab over the years but noticing they are quite achy eeeevery morning now, and get a little better through the day. Perhaps my increased excessive training is contributing.. so will see when I tone things down

You should try and identify what is causing the pain. This video will help.

If it’s due to a meniscus tear your in trouble because the cartilage is avascular so doesn’t receive nutritive, reparative cells, and the chondrocytes are pretty much in senescence so don’t divide to regrow the cartilage! You must do everything to protect your menisci.

One drug has been shown to reactivate the chondrocytes and cause cartilage to regrow : GLP-1 agonists…yes, semaglutide/ozempic/Mounjaro etc.

 

[Gyakuto164 173]

Hahaha great pics!! Oh wow, no I haven't used that, I will look into it! Didnt realise red light therapy was used for joints etc.

That ‘lollipop’ you can see in my mouth cost £7,000 alone!

Red absorption stimulates the enzyme cytochrome c oxidase (in the mitochondria if I recall) which helps the cells produce more adenosine triphosphate (ATP)—the primary fuel cells need to repair and regenerate.

I have these for my retinae and they may have stopped me requiring monthly injections into my eyes!

Yeah my knees have struggled a bit, have done really well with rehab over the years but noticing they are quite achy eeeevery morning now, and get a little better through the day. Perhaps my increased excessive training is contributing.. so will see when I tone things down

I did a bit of brainstorming with an orthopedic knee specialist a few years ago because I noticed Iaidoka invariably suffer from ‘bad knees’ after a time. We worked out that extreme hyperflexion of the knee can cause the posterior portion of the distal tibia to ‘nip’ the meniscus, damaging them, wrinkling it like a rug and eventually tearing them. The position used extensively in Iai known as ‘tate hiza’, places all one’s weight onto a hyperflexed leg causing these tears!

SCIENCE, BITCHES!

 

[Simfers164 71]

Well that's that! Training's going well, been training like an absolute madman haha, and now am a week out so will taper off and focus on recovery and light technique. Slight knee injury (either meniscus or MCL, inner portion which I've never had) but it's very low grade so rehabbing that. Essay is done just needs being typed. Feeling ready.

You're gonna do so great! Zero doubt!

 

[_Simon_164 194]

You should try and identify what is causing the pain. This video will help.

If it’s due to a meniscus tear your in trouble because the cartilage is avascular so doesn’t receive nutritive, reparative cells, and the chondrocytes are pretty much in senescence so don’t divide to regrow the cartilage! You must do everything to protect your menisci.

One drug has been shown to reactivate the chondrocytes and cause cartilage to regrow : GLP-1 agonists…yes, semaglutide/ozempic/Mounjaro etc.

Thanks Gyakuto, will do. The inner portion of my knee was only painful the day after the sparring/conditioning session, in which I feel we didn't warm up properly and went too soon to heavy bag work. Admittedly, instructor did say just go lightly with kicks as we'd only done upper body stuff, whereas I think I went a bit hard on the bag straight away, so I'll own that haha.

 

[_Simon_164 194]

That ‘lollipop’ you can see in my mouth cost £7,000 alone!

Red absorption stimulates the enzyme cytochrome c oxidase (in the mitochondria if I recall) which helps the cells produce more adenosine triphosphate (ATP)—the primary fuel cells need to repair and regenerate.

I have these for my retinae and they may have stopped me requiring monthly injections into my eyes!

I did a bit of brainstorming with an orthopedic knee specialist a few years ago because I noticed Iaidoka invariably suffer from ‘bad knees’ after a time. We worked out that extreme hyperflexion of the knee can cause the posterior portion of the distal tibia to ‘nip’ the meniscus, damaging them, wrinkling it like a rug and eventually tearing them. The position used extensively in Iai known as ‘tate hiza’, places all one’s weight onto a hyperflexed leg causing these tears!

SCIENCE, BITCHES!

That's really bizarre.. I would've thought that flexed seated position would be a natural position for the body and it would adapt the more you do it, but perhaps how the weight is distributed can be detrimental...

 

[_Simon_164 194]

You're gonna do so great! Zero doubt!

Thank you!!!!!

 

[Gyakuto164 173]

That's really bizarre.. I would've thought that flexed seated position would be a natural position for the body and it would adapt the more you do it, but perhaps how the weight is distributed can be detrimental...

Humans are good at squatting on their haunches. That position suits our anatomy and everywhere but the Western world uses it in their daily lives. You can even tell from skeletons if they were squatters because they develop ‘squatting facets’

Seiza was almost designed to be awkward and uncomfortable since it prevented any would-be assassin from getting up during a meeting with daimyo/Shōgun and attacking them! Before seiza was declared the formal seating position, agura or a cross legged position was the norm.

Seiza is just about OK for short periods and for little, lightweight Japanese folk, with short femurs (less leverage) sitting on their tatami. But when I see a 256lb/114kg bloke sweating and pressing their enormous bulk down onto two, hyperflexed knees with long femurs (let alone one knee in tate hiza!), I wince. Westerners are not built to do that and no amount of conditioning or warming up will improve things; cartilage is cartilage, ligaments are ligaments, tendons are tendons.

 

[isshinryuronin54 54]

But when I see a 256lb/114kg bloke sweating and pressing their enormous bulk down onto two, hyperflexed knees with long femurs (let alone one knee in tate hiza!), I wince. Westerners are not built to do that and no amount of conditioning or warming up will improve things; cartilage is cartilage, ligaments are ligaments, tendons are tendons.

This is why we invented chairs.

 

[_Simon_164 194]

.......... here we go!

 

[Gyakuto164 173]

Success!

 

[_Simon_164 194]

Guys... Passed my nidan grading!!! That was an incredibly tough and challenging 4 hours but really happy with how it went today. Instructor really pushed us and gave us even more than the expected stamina/calisthenics/basics etc.. really tested me in Sanchin shime too (which I may have requested haha). Not a huge amount of sparring, maybe 5 rounds or so, but for sure really tough rounds paired with some machines. Got hit in the face about 3 times too so lesson learned haha.

We were running short of time so some things had be left behind (stuff that was assessed in normal class anyway), but really happy with my kata and applications, and also the nage waza takedown techniques.

Am absolutely beyond spent.. Can't believe it... so many obstacles and behind the scenes training and preparation culminating in today.. Also absolutely honoured to grade with some incredible people. One of my dojo mates was struggling big time with his hip injury and then pulled a hamstring during sparring so he really had to find a way, that was his obstacle.. Could tell he wasn't thrilled with how he performed, but so much respect to him for pushing through and modifying things as needed.

Very happy I said yes to going ahead with it, feel like I really earned it and incredibly happy with the standard I performed at

 

[Gyakuto164 173]

Congratulations!!!!

 

[Gyakuto164 173]

Soak in a hot bath with a bottle of champagne (diet coke)

 

[Simfers164 71]

Congrats, buddy! Now rest up, you've more than earned it!

 

[Stuarto113]

Guys... Passed my nidan grading!!! That was an incredibly tough and challenging 4 hours but really happy with how it went today. Instructor really pushed us and gave us even more than the expected stamina/calisthenics/basics etc.. really tested me in Sanchin shime too (which I may have requested haha). Not a huge amount of sparring, maybe 5 rounds or so, but for sure really tough rounds paired with some machines. Got hit in the face about 3 times too so lesson learned haha.

We were running short of time so some things had be left behind (stuff that was assessed in normal class anyway), but really happy with my kata and applications, and also the nage waza takedown techniques.

Am absolutely beyond spent.. Can't believe it... so many obstacles and behind the scenes training and preparation culminating in today.. Also absolutely honoured to grade with some incredible people. One of my dojo mates was struggling big time with his hip injury and then pulled a hamstring during sparring so he really had to find a way, that was his obstacle.. Could tell he wasn't thrilled with how he performed, but so much respect to him for pushing through and modifying things as needed.

Very happy I said yes to going ahead with it, feel like I really earned it and incredibly happy with the standard I performed at

Well done and congratulations Simon! Your passion and motivation continue to inspire me. Very happy for you!

 

[Gyakuto164 173]

Any idea when your sandan grading is set for?

 

[_Simon_164 194]

Any idea when your sandan grading is set for?

In 4 days time! Let's goooooo

Nah usually it'd be 3 years from 2nd to 3rd dan

 

[_Simon_164 194]

Great session the other night (Kyokushin), one of the guys are preparing for their shodan so they've been doing increasing numbers of sparring rounds. We planned on doing 27 rounds, we did 28. So much fun, that's the most amount of rounds I've ever done (25 was the most). Managed to keep up really well and completed them all. Got punched in the groin. Learned heaps and couldn't stop smiling afterwards