Tim,
I was curious as to whether after years of martial arts training/fighting/sparring, you have any lasting injuries as a result of a fight or training mishap? Like missing teeth, broken bones, ligament injury, hearing loss, eye injury, etc.

Also, did any of your teachers ever give any interesting feedback on fear of injury or how injuries or the potential for them fits into the training or the mindset of fighting/training?

Often times, I'm wary of sparring because I worry about getting injured and having it be a permanent thing or something. Of course real fighting carries the same risk but then I try to avoid fights as best I can and have done pretty good in the last 10 years or so

I think I really dislike fighting. It's ugly. I always end up feeling bad for the guy I bang up or for myself if I get banged up from sparring. Although I've never felt bad for the other guy in the real fights I have been in.

Hi Jason,

I've injured just about everything at one time or another. In the last couple of years I've had a broken foot, perforated ear drum, dislocated rib, a broken toe, dislocated ankle, and a couple of months ago my fibula was dislocated. Fortunately, I've healed up pretty well.

Keep in mind I probably spar quite a bit more than the average martial artist. Most of my students rarely get injured, although mishaps sometimes occur.

i've got bruises on my arms and calves, from trying to choke people, all the time...

that's probably not what you think of, when you think of all the scars from being a tough guy...all mine are from sprained fingers and toes from striking others with crappy placement, and the afforementioned bruising...

don't ever let anyone 'force' stretch you. My hip is still not healthy, after 2 years after having one of my adductor muscles torn.

All the guys I've personally known that can really fight have had a lot of injuries. Sometimes not always from sparring/fighting interestingly enough.

One reason I stopped going to the local karate class was getting fed up trying to point out to 'helpful' collegues that knees do not bend sideways. Their response was along the lines of 'it's only pain'. Fuckwits.

THE WINNER
Recorded by Bobby Bare
Written by Shel Silverstein

The [C]hulk of a man with a beer in is hand
Looked [Glike a drunk old fool
And I knew if I hit him right
Why I could [C]knock him off-a that stool
But ever'body they said "Watch out,
Hey, that's [F]Tiger Man McCool"
He's had a [G]whole lot of fights
And he's always come out a [C]WINNER

[G]Yea!, he's A [C]WINNER.

But I'd had myself about five too many
And I walked up tall and proud
I faced his back and I faced the fact
That he had never stooped or bowed
I said, "Tiger Man, you're a pussycat"
And a hush fell on the crowd
I said let's you and me go outside and see
Who's A WINNER.

Well, he gripped the bar with one big hairy hand
And he braced against the wall
He slowly looked up from his beer
My God, that man was tall
He said boy, I see you're a scrapper
So just before you fall
I'm gonna tell you just a little
'Bout what it means to be A WINNER.

He said "Now you see these bright white smiling teeth
You know they ain't my own
Mine rolled away like chicklets
Down the street in San Antone
But I left that person, cursin'
Nursin' seven broken bones
And he, uh, only broke, uh, three of mine
That makes me THE WINNER."

He said "Now behind this grin, I got steel pins
That holds my jaw in place
A trophy of my most successful
Motorcycle race
And each morning when I wake and touch
This scar across my face
It reminds me of all I got
by being A WINNER."

"Now this broken back was a dying act
Of a handsome Harry Clay
That sticky Cincinnati night
I stole his wife away
But that woman she gets uglier
And she gets meaner every day
But I got her, boy
that's what makes me A [C]WINNER.....Change to ...[D]

[D]He said "You gotta speak loud when you challenge me son
'Cause it's [A]hard for me to hear
With this twisted neck and these migrane pains
And this [D]big old cauliflower ear
And if it wasn't for this glass eye of mine
Why, I'd [G]shed a happy tear
To [A]think of all you're gonna get
By being A [D]WINNER."

I got ar-th-rit-ic elbows, son
I got dislocated knees
From pickin' fights with thunderstorms
And chargin' into trees
And my nose's been broke so often
I might lose it if I sneeze
And son, you say you
still wanna be A WINNER."

"Now you remind me a lot of my younger days
With your knuckles a-clenchin' white
But boy, I'm gonna sit right here
And sip this beer all night
And if there's somethin' that you gotta gain or prove
by winnin' some silly fight
Well, OK, I quit, I lose
You're THE WINNER."

Oh, I stumbled from that barroom
Not so tall and not so proud
And behind me I still hear
the hoots and laughter of the crowd
But my eyes still see and my nose still works
And my teeth are still in my mouth
And you know, I guess that
Makes me THE WINNER.

no you're a pussy!
do you really think that this world was made
of people walking away from fights or from dying?
to be a warrior you need to be ready to put it all on the line for your purpose!
regardless of the outcome!
if you're not scared to lose,and if you're fearless and
give yourself completely to the way of the warrior,then the way of the warrior will give
itself to you!!!!!!!!!

How about the "Way" of deez nutz on your chin?

i'm not scared of theze nut on my chin!
that means that you're not scared to put your dick in my mouth!right!
i'm not scared of that because with a name like
jeremy you must not be well equiped anyway!
so i'm not gonna choke on it!

I've never found anything in this world fighting for yet. When I was 12 I started yelling at a contractor in my house who started raising his voice at my mom and told him to stop yelling at my mother and get the •••• out of my house. He started to open his mouth and mouth off to me and I interupted him with "Out or im calling the ••••••• police". My mother was never the strongest of people to deal with men yelling at her.

Some guy was man handling my g/f in a club once trying to force her to dance with him and not letting go of her wrists. I came up to her and told him to let go. He didn't. So I just started making out with her while he was holding onto her wrists. It was pretty strange way to deal with the situation but he let go in disgust immediately (Not to mention he was 2x my size).

Anyway point being besisdes these situations (and even then) people tend not to •••• with me. In my experience its pretty easy to avoid conflict, but people tend to have an ego the size of mt. everest or think their pride has been hurt. I really tend to wonder what people are trying to prove with sport fighting, street fighting, and bar brawling.

I spar on a regular occaison, and I will fight to defend myself if I feel my physical person is being threatened. But thats about it. I have nothing to prove to this world.

Marc, I've got a feelin' yur very close to being kicked off this site.

Charles W- dude that was YOU in the club?!!!??
(not to mention I don't understand why people use 'not to mention' as they mention something)

why do you say that bob#2,i speak my mind
i thought this is what we're suppose to do!
hypocrisy is made for face to face conversation
not internet chat!
what did i say to offend you?
by the way your last line was kinda cocky,
wasn't it?

charles w. i agree with you,there is no reason to fight,but sometime the fight is forced opon us.
i trained MA all my life,i've been in 2 real
fights (by real i mean with real angering issues)
once when i was 19,i told this 15 years old girl
she was to young to get suckered into marrying
a 23 y/o guy.it was just a advice.
her friend called me and invited me over to hang out,but it was a ambush!
he and his friend was there to kick my ass.
one of the girl hada stick!she didn't have the ball to use it!
but i fought him and his friend and they regreted that!i took him down on stair(on a patio)
and pounded him his friend came charging
and i "whiped" him "over" and that was it!
i left.i guess my honesty was a problem back then too!and the other fight was in front of a gas station.because my friends flip off this rude guy
and he came out after us(4 of us)
he started throwing blows and all my buds ran off!
then he looked at me and i said "i'm not running"
he came in and i kick him in the head twice, looked at him and said "was it enough?"
the cops came and asked me if i wanted to press charges i said no he got he's lesson.
then they told me he was a fellon that just got out that day.he came and thank me for not pressing charges!
i don't like fighting for violent reasons,
but fighting is fun!!!!!!!!

can you speak your mind without all the red dots?

I think the part that offended me most recently was you discussing sucking Jeremy.

he wanted me to "suck these nuts" in his words.
i can't leave him hanging!litteraly!
ps.i don't have any red dot in this post!
i'll use butt,poop and freaking,just for you!