"Learn How To Avoid Aikido Injuries...
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Taking part in any activity increases the risk of sustaining an injury. However a large percentage of Aikido injuries can be prevented by learning how they occur. Obvious causes are accident or over-training.
If You wish to avoid and reduce the possibility of aikido injury, then it is essential to approach your training in a more holistic manner.
If You are healthy mentally, physically and emotionally then extreme repetitive training will reap benefits with minimum risk of pain and set-backs.
A good Warm-Up increases the body temperature, making tissue more flexible and less prone to injury by tearing. It also raises the heart rate so fuel and oxygen can be delivered more effectively to the muscles.
Correct Stretching requires attention to form and each stretch may need to be held for up to 30 seconds to get the optimum benefits. Before and after Your aikido training, stretch gently, breathe slowly and deeply while focusing on relaxing the muscles.
A good Cool-Down will gradually reduce the intensity of the activity so that waste products can be removed more effectively. Deep breathing, relaxation and stretching will help in the reduction of muscle soreness.
The Aikido First Aid Kit shows you, step-by-step, exactly how to prevent injury. Also covers, in-depth, how to treat injuries & best of all it's absolutely free with the Aikido Success Blueprint... Aikido First Aid Kit
Common Aikido
Training Injuries
Wrist pins, nikajo, sankajo, kotegaeshi, shihonage.
Elbow ikkajo pins, shihonage, juji-garami, hiji-ate, hiji-jime.
Shoulder shihonage, nikajo & sankajo pins, incorrect falls.
Head and neck shihonage, incorrect falls.
Back the so-called 'high' falls from shihonage & koshinage.
Toes and fingers caught on training gi's, hakamas, mats etc.
Knee injuries (structural) improper loading of partner in koshinage, poor positioning of feet while executing techniques, failure to twist hips thereby releasing strain on knee joints, outside lateral impacts; (surface) excessive practice of seated techniques.
This list is not complete and doesn't include cuts and bruises which are usually not of much consequence although they can be annoying. The above reveals that it is often the basic techniques that are implicated, and is due to the frequency with which we practice them.
Related to the subject of aikido injuries is the fact that in almost any aspect of life, males and females, typically go through a 'sizing up ritual' when confronting one another where there is somehow an understanding of the superiority of one over the other. The most obvious factor at play in determining dominancy is sheer physical size.
In aikido, this 'sizing up exercise' is usually accomplished after a few throws have been executed (often with a little bit of resistance). The pecking order having been established, training then continues.
In practice we alternate between being the potential 'inflictors' of pain or injury and the potential 'victims' of pain or injury. There should be a level of trust, an unspoken contract between practice partners.
This is especially the case since there is often a great difference between the technical and physical abilities of two partners training together.
Given the reality of everyday practice where one of the training partners is dominant having demonstrated physical and/or technical superiority, and the indisputable fact that human beings are 'naturally competitive', we have a scenario where aikido injuries can and will occur.
Naturally, where some individuals are involved, the incidence of injury occurs with greater frequency. It seems that most dojos have at least one resident 'bully', usually male, and either a senior student or teacher.
He or she enjoys a deep respect from fellow members - a respect based primarily on fear. One would not even think of resisting his technique for to do so would result in an instant and devastating reprisal.
You Can Avoid Aikido Training Injuries
Constant Alertness is Needed
to Avoid Dojo Injuries
Otherwise intelligent people will abandon their normal attitude of alertness when immersed in the warmth of the 'family atmosphere' of an aikido dojo. It is not uncommon to see classes conducted under crowded conditions where aikido injuries can easily happen.
A few words from the teacher in charge to be careful is not enough and it requires a systematic approach to insure a safe training environment... Students tend to throw freely into any open space.
Aikido training focuses our natural physical strength and ability to cause bodily damage. Students tend to engage in more intensive training as they advance in level, so must exercise greater caution as skills improve.
At large seminars it is virtually impossible to train with peace of mind because far too many people are crammed into a limited mat space. The only 'self-defense' that one can learn under such circumstances is the art of how to avoid colliding with one's fellow trainees.
Most of us have trained under crowded conditions, the sign of a successful dojo when the mat space is full. We have to realize that the potential for aikido injuries are ever present... especially under these circumstances.
Your Instructor must take the lead in creating a safe training environment and have training partners throw parallel to each other and aim toward the outside of the mat. This is the key to avoiding collision injuries.
During weapons practice, training pairs line up all in the same direction along the length of the mat. The need for this approach in weapons training is obvious because everyone recognizes the danger of being struck by a weapon. It should be equally obvious that the collision of two bodies during unarmed practice can cause serious aikido injuries.
What is the Remedy
for Aikido Injuries ?
Acute Injuries are generally short-term, with symptoms that are sudden or sharp, the result of some trauma. This is often seen in aikido from a fall or collision. These seem to be serious but the tissue cells fully repair themselves in a few days or weeks.for Aikido Injuries ?
Acute strain can be caused by massive effort and over-exertion beyond our capabilities. It is in those moments of poor co-ordination that injury tends to occur, with muscles working against each other, or excessive force at the joints.
Chronic Injuries refer to conditions that persist over a longer period of time, developing progressively over a number of years and caused by prolonged incorrect activity, structural problems, incorrect training methods, poor equipment or problems with technique.
The damage is often not noticed until it announces itself via pain or restricted movement. Poor technique is a common source of injury that concentrates stress onto specific areas of the body leading to overload.
If you have been injured recently, in the first 24 hours after an expert health assessment use the R.I.C.E method...
Rest... Take it easy, but keep moving within your limit of pain. Ice... Apply ice for 15 minutes every two hours to control pain and bleeding. Compression... Firmly bandage to reduce swelling. Elevation... Raise limb higher than heart level to reduce swelling and bleeding.
Avoid the H.A.R.M. factor in the first 48 hours...
Heat... increases swelling and bleeding. Alcohol... increases swelling and bleeding. Running or Exercise... Agravates the injury. Massage... increases swelling and bleeding.
For in-depth information and resources on the prevention and cure of aikido training injuries visit...
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