Blows to the Head?

[Can-O-Bud]

How do you guys feel about the number of blows that students (and everybody for that matter) must take to the head after a sparring session?

I used to train at a place where we sparred a lot and after most sessions, I'd leave with a headache.

Surely this is not good for the brain? Has anyone else had similar experiences? Does anyone wear a headguard?

Does anyone know of anyone who has had adverse affects from years of head blows?

[Martial Joe]

Why do you let poeple hit you in the head?

[Robinf]

We wear head gear so no one gets knocked unconcious, and to prevent pain. The brain cannot be toughened up by getting hit like skin can. My advice to get checked out by a doctor if your headaches persist. Brain injuries are not good.

Personally, I don't know that many people who take shots to the head to know whether there are adverse effects. Your doctor can certainly answer that question for you.

--------------------

Surrender yourself to nature and be all that you are.

[joedoe]

Well, I guess there is no conclusive evidence of this, but look at Mohammed Ali. Too many blows to the head.

In our school, we concentrate a lot on blocking and so we try to avoid being hit in the head too often. Having said that, we also realise that you have to be able to take a hit or two when sparring. I'd just try and minimise the blows you are taking to the head.

Guns don't kill people, I kill people

[Fu-Pow]

My understanding is that the brain is encased in fluid (ie fluid between the skull and brain.) A concussion is where the head is hit so hard that the brain bumps up against the side of the skull. This is not a good thing and usually causes disorientation, etc. I think it is quite possible to bruise the brain.

When sparring my Sifu suggests that we keep our head up (ie not tucked in and down) therefore when you get hit the head can move (kind of like one of those dolls with the springy neck) and you don't bear the full brunt of the strike. This of course assumes that you warm up your neck before sparring.

Oh yeah...Muhammed Ali got hit a few more times in the head than most of us probably ever willl....I wouldn't use him as an example of what can happen.

Fu-Pow

Fu-Pow
"If you are talking about sport that is one thing. But when you are talking about combat-as it is-well then, baby, you'd better train every part of your body" - Bruce Lee

[fiercest tiger]

you can give my head some blow! ;)

peace

bakmeimonk@hotmail.com

[LEGEND]

That's not good! You better wear a headgear until you're defense is a lot better! Even then I still wear headgear for full contact sparring. The headgear I use are boxing types...good luck!

A

[Martial Joe]

Ali's crazy shaking didnt have anything to do with getting hit in the head.You never seen Micheal J. Fox get beaten in the head and he has the same problem...

[joedoe]

What about George Foreman's slowed speech?

Guns don't kill people, I kill people

[WCFighter]

I know someone that who smacked the side of
his skull (temple I guess) on the corner of a
bed-side table while trying to get up in the dark in the middle of the night.

He started to get really bad headaches every so
often.

He went to go see a neurosurgeon. I don't know
what the neuro-surgeon's diagnosis was, but
a few months after, this person became a totally
different person; mentally.

Not in the good sense, that is...

He basically went crazy. All this friends and
relatives think that he developed
schitzophrenia. Noone knows where he is, but
occasionally they receive a phone call from him
where he asks for money. He won't meet with anyone
in person because he believes that everyone he
knows is out to get him.

So please, everyone, be mindful of your head
when you train!!!!

"Kick his ass, Sea-Bass!" - Dumb and Dumber

[JWTAYLOR]

The long and short of it is wear friggin head gear. And don't bother with the foam dipped crap they use for point sparring tournaments. Read the warnings on those. They specifically say "intended for INCEDENTAL/ACCIDENTAL blows". Go get some boxing headgear, and a mouthpiece and use them both every single time you spar. Use the mouthpiece even when you are just doing technique lines are hard contact drills.
Don't even put on a uniform without a mouthpiece on you.

It will mean better long term health, and more importantly, the ability to train harder, longer.

JW

If you pr!ck us, do we not bleed? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that the villany you teach me, I will execute, and it shall go hard but I will better the instruction. MOV

[Robinf]

Ali suffers from Parkinson's disease, like Michael J. Fox. Parkinson's was not cause by blows to the head.

Parkinson's disease:

In Parkinson's disease, for reasons that are not fully understood, nerve cells in the part of the brain that produces dopamine, the substantia nigra, begin to decrease in number. This causes a decrease in the amount of the available dopamine. Also, the chemical in the synapse that breaks down the dopamine (MAO-B) continues to deplete what little dopamine is left. The overall effect is a large loss of dopamine in the brain. This throws off the normal dopamine/acetylcholine balance, since the level of acetylcholine remains normal.

In Parkinson's disease, there is not enough dopamine to keep balance with the acetylcholine. The result of this imbalance is a lack of coordination of your movement that often appears as tremor, stiff muscles and joints, and/or difficulty moving. Currently, there is no way to stop the loss of nerve cells that produce dopamine or to restore those that have already been lost. However, there are several methods, including drug therapy, that can help you manage the slow decline in function that occurs with Parkinson's disease.
http://www.parkinsonsinfo.com/

Robin

Surrender yourself to nature and be all that you are.