To Fellow Martial Artists

[Trackstrong83]

I have my 2nd degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do, took me 10year
s to achieve. One time during a normal spar, I was swept by my opponent and while trying to catch myself, I snapped my collar bone, and both bones in forearm. I was unable to workout, spar, or lift anything for 8 months. But after rehab I got right back in continued to spar. It was my passion.

Morale of the story, if you love something, no matter what obstacles you face...always follow your dream!!!

[mainbutter]

I dont think the chances of this happening again are very high.

More than one high school pitcher in the history of the sport has quit playing because of a line drive hitting him in the face and causing a detached retina. The odds of being hit in the face by a line drive are pretty darn low, but we're this isn't an injury with a year-long recovery, this is potentially an injury with absolutely zero recovery and complete loss of function from an eye.

Sparring is going to have a higher risk of having a force contacting your face than pitching has.

Good luck to the OP, whatever you pursue, certainly go and find SOMETHING you love to do
You may be able to find some kind of eye protection to limit any further risks when being active in a sport that might be dangerous to your eyesight.

[PitOnTheProwl]

I practiced and taught TaeKwonDo for almost 8 years. I never went any further than my 1st degree by my choice but wish I did and wish I wouldnt have quit. Life kind of took over for me, my son was born right before I turned 18 so I had to get a place for us to live and I had a family to take care of.
He is 17 now and to be flat honest with you, I really wish I could start it over again and work my way back up but financially I cant and dont think I will ever be able to.
Most people hink they are fake belts hanging on the wall of my snake room and that is fine by me BUT that old black belt with my name embroidered on it meant the world to me. I might have scrapped all the trophies but that belt will be with me to the end of my time.
The mental stability TKD gave me was more rewarding than almost anything I have ever done.
At some point you will have to go full contact, if you are not ready for that then you might want to think your choices over?
That is an issue that only you can over come, or a fear as it may be. If you are wanting to go back to training for fitness and as a sport then by all means do so. If you are wanting to be able to defend yourself should the time come and you still have this fear then you might have more problems than you are planning on. I know I am going way out on a limb here but when push comes to shove there cant be a second guess or thought.
Im just starting to ramble a little but I hope you understad what I am getting at.

[Plissken]

I love the martial arts and started at age 15. Stopped training about 5 years ago because the place i trained at closed down. Because i work 7 days in a row, 10 hour days and three different shifts, it's hard to find a good place. The old place had two adult classes a day...noon to 1pm and 7:30pm to 9pm monday to friday and open classes on the weekends...when there were no formal classes, i could go in and train and if there was someone else there, well, it was all good.
A friend of mine at work checked out a place near work and the guy wanted over 2 hundred dollars a month...good ab workout with all the laughing i did.
Now i am stuck with a heavy bag, upper cut bag and mounted targets in my basement...not the same as getting thrown around and kicked in the head though. It is extremely hard to find a good place and now at 43yrs old, it's a little harder to get motivated to find a new place.
If you find a good place that works for you, go for it...and good luck

[OzzyNR]

More than one high school pitcher in the history of the sport has quit playing because of a line drive hitting him in the face and causing a detached retina. The odds of being hit in the face by a line drive are pretty darn low, but we're this isn't an injury with a year-long recovery, this is potentially an injury with absolutely zero recovery and complete loss of function from an eye.

Sparring is going to have a higher risk of having a force contacting your face than pitching has.

Good luck to the OP, whatever you pursue, certainly go and find SOMETHING you love to do
You may be able to find some kind of eye protection to limit any further risks when being active in a sport that might be dangerous to your eyesight.

I can somewhat understand what you are trying to say, but a hit by a line drive in baseball to the eye is a lot more of an impact than you will ever get hit by in training. The comparison doesnt really hold much weight. In everything in life you will have some aspect of danger, but that doesnt mean to just fear the worst.

[MasonC2K]

Well, all this is really a "what if" type of thing. Right now, if the house goes through as expected, and will at least start training on my own again. One of the problems I had when I took Kung Fu was I came in to it out of shape completely. Classes were 90 mins and I was always drained by the 60 minute mark and just somehow managed the rest of it. If I were to go back I want to make sure my body is ready for it first.

The other thing is that the school I went to was a branch school which closed 4 or so years ago. The main school is in ATL which I am not gonna drive that far for. There are still some former classmates in town. I may door some stuff with them. I don't know. It's all hypothetical right now.

[ewaldrep]

I say go for it, I wish I could train every day but I moved away from my dojo and I miss the environment, even the pain sometimes If it is on your mind then I think it would be worthwhile to get back into it. Time only makes it harder to get back through the door. I hope you find a place that you are comfortable with and enjoy!