Sparring Accidents

[Withered Soul]

What kind of sparring accidents have you had?

Once I was sparring this lad, in SEMI-contact, and I had a helmet on. But mine didn't have a face cover, just the sides of the head. So what does he do? That's right, he hit's me as hard as he possibly could right in the eye. I had to by some eye cream it was so bloodshot! The helmet looked like this:
http://www.martialart-superstore.starwebz.com/Picts/product.77.gif

And I've been kicked countless time in the crotch and once my foot guard became a projectile weapon.

 

[jdmills]

Probably the funniest accident I witnessed was one of the black belts sparring with Ray (who looked like a cross between Stallone and Springsteen). Ray was an orange belt but he was one of those guys that if you wanted him to back up, you needed to leave him no alternative but to get pulverized or back up. Paul (the black belt) threw a front kick to Ray's stomach and at the same time Ray stepped in and caught the kick in the middle of its power range right in the groin. I heard a tremendous crack as Ray's cup gave way and was amazed to see Ray stay standing. Paul cracked Ray's cup in half but was backing off on the power and caused no penetration.

It sure did look and sound like it hurt.

 

[cali_tkdbruin]

Originally posted by jdmills
Probably the funniest accident I witnessed was one of the black belts sparring with Ray (who looked like a cross between Stallone and Springsteen). Ray was an orange belt but he was one of those guys that if you wanted him to back up, you needed to leave him no alternative but to get pulverized or back up. Paul (the black belt) threw a front kick to Ray's stomach and at the same time Ray stepped in and caught the kick in the middle of its power range right in the groin. I heard a tremendous crack as Ray's cup gave way and was amazed to see Ray stay standing. Paul cracked Ray's cup in half but was backing off on the power and caused no penetration.

It sure did look and sound like it hurt.

OUCHHH!!!!!!!!!!
Most mortal men would have dropped to the floor, and would have been rollin' around on the mat for a while after a shot like that to the Nads.

Just thinking about it gives me the creeps... :erg:

 

[arnisador]

See also the links in this thread.

 

[Zepp]

Well let's see.

From both sparring and three-step I've had each of my thumbs sprained twice. In fact, three of those occurred just as the previous sprain was finished healing. The good news now is that my thumbs are nearly sprain-proof.

I haven't actually been kicked in the groin while sparring, but I've had a lot of close calls. Especially when sparring women who are new to martial arts. Why is it that a girl's first instinct is always to kick to the groin?

 

[Kope]

Kind of amusing one happened to me this weekend.

I was going against a fellow a few belts higher than me who has become a pretty good friend and regular sparring partner. As we moved about the ring feeling each other out we both decided, at the same time, that the time was right for a spinning reverse kick . . .

As we were both laying on the mat looking at each other we could hear the judges laughing . . .

You know it's bad when the referre has to go grab onto something to keep themselves standing up from laughing so hard . ..

*sigh*
:shrug:

 

[cali_tkdbruin]

Originally posted by Zepp


Why is it that a girl's first instinct is always to kick to the groin?

It's their KILLER INSTINCT!!!

I guess it's cuz that the Nads is one of the most vulnerable points on our bodies. A guy doesn't even have to get blasted down there, just a close miss in that area makes most guys cringe... :wah:

 

[KenpoGirl]

I think it was my 2nd or 3rd time sparing 3 years ago, I was an orange belt.

I got kicked in the face/eye by a spinning roundhouse by a BB with little control. Gave me a Black eye, didn't hurt alot but he got me in my "good" eye as I am blind in my other.

Soon after I purchased a helmet with a cage. Better to be safe than sorry.

Dot

 

[Cthulhu]

My xiphoid got cracked by a knee to my sternum. Couple of busted knuckles, but nothing too major. Nice big bruises. Considering we spar with rattan and allow grappling and all strikes, I've been fairly lucky

Oddly enough, I think I get more injuries during regular training then during sparring.

Cthulhu

 

[jdmills]

My first instructor (who I have been friends with for about 38 years (I'm 40)) was just learning kenpo. I think he was about 14 and an orange belt (maybe) at the time. He had just learned a cross-over rear kick and he was practicing it while sparring with his 4th degree black belt instuctor. In this studio there was a LOT of contact permitted. Paul (my friend and the blackbelt from my previous story) kept practicing the crossover rear and was throwing it very frequently. Paul finally decided to try something a bit different. He did the cross over, the instuctor's hands came down to block the anticipated rear kick, and Paul blasted him and put him on his back with a back knuckle.

Of course, dropping a 4th degree black belt when you are an orange belt sometimes has consequences.

 

[Shinzu]

a long time back i did a front snap kick without pulling back my toes. my big toe nail went straight back into my toe. blood everywhere. i couldn't even walk...damn that hurt, and taught me a lesson also. keep 'em trimmed short!!

 

[cali_tkdbruin]

I've competed in full contact tournaments and I've also sparred countless hours without ever suffering a serious injury other than the usual bumps and bruises. However, last Saturday I was a victim of a freak accident at my dojang.

I was helping out with the Black Belt test by holding boards for the breaking portion of the test. Well, one of the students was doing a break using a back kick. As soon as he unleshed the kick and hit the board I was holding, the board exploded sending several pieces of wood flying like hot shrapnel. Unfortunately for me, I caught it full in the face. I'm really lucky I didn't lose an eye. The side of my face got pretty sliced up by the slivers of wood, and I've got a real beauty of a mean shiner. Looks like someone socked me in the eye. :erg:

Oucheee! What luck!! If it wasn't for bad luck I wouldn't have any luck at all...

 

[Shinzu]

ouchers!!! i hope you heal quickly. i'm always getting bashed in the hands when i'm the holder. it tends to hurt after two or three times.

 

[jdmills]

Surprisingly, most of the injuries that I have seen take martial artists out of the martial arts for awhile have come from football, not martial arts.

 

[Ceicei]

Originally posted by jdmills
Surprisingly, most of the injuries that I have seen take martial artists out of the martial arts for awhile have come from football, not martial arts.

How so??

- Ceicei

 

[jdmills]

Simple.

1. Martial artist aslo participates in Football(normally High School
of College level, but sometimes just for fun)

2. Martial artist is injured while playing football.

3. Martial artist is unable to continue in Martial Arts until injury
heals

 

[theletch1]

I've been lucky in sparring. Worst injury (so far) was a broken bone in the top of my foot. Went for a round house kick to the ribs and had it blocked full force with the point of an elbow. Didn't really hurt at all until the next day. It never did heal quite right so now I have a weird looking protrusion poking up on top of the foot. Nothing huge but enough to remind me to watch for those elbows.

 

[KenpoMatt]

I've got 2 storys:

1) Many years ago I watched a kenpo orange belt spar a blue belt. Orange belt throws a front kick. Blue belt catches the kick and just holds the guy's leg. Orange belt stands there for a second, one leg up, contemplating what to do. He decided to jump up with the other leg an attempt a round kick to the blue belt's head. Blue belt sees this coming and simply drop the trapped leg while the orange belt was in mid-air. The orange belt fell backwards, head first into the ground. He suffered a concussion and sprained neck. God - that was just plan stupid.

2) Same school. This time I am sparring. I was a yellow belt sparring the head instructor, a 5th BB. He, of course, is having his way with me. He's got me turned around, hitting me from all angles I can't even figure how he did it. I was flailing. I threw a spinning back fist and accidentally caught him in the throat. Yikes. He, stopped sparring and admonished me for not looking at my target before throwing the backfist. Then, we continued to spar where he promptly cracked my rib. I quit that day and didn't return to the MA's for 10 years.

 

[stickarts]

The worst shot i took was a reverse punch to the ribs. bruised my ribs, made my knees buckle, but didn't drop me!
The only satisfaction was that the other guy hurt his elbow somehow on the punch so we were both hurting for a couple of weeks! :0)

 

[Ceicei]

As a purple belt sparring a green belt, I attempted a sidekick to his stomach. The green belt simply drew one knee up. As a result, I sidekicked his knee. I ended up with a hairline fracture and my entire foot black and blue. His knee also had a huge bruise. It took a month to get all better. Both of us, however, continued with karate during that month.

- Ceicei