Concerning the article on defensive mindset and karate by Dave Sargent: it may help to have students, after a “minor injury,” keep sparring to develop a survivalist attitude, but doing so is a real hazard, because it sometimes takes 15 minutes or more of rest/relaxation for the adrenaline to wear off and the damage to be noticed or appreciated. I had a student who tweaked a knee before class try to work out because he thought he was fine; I ordered him to sit it out. This injury turned out to require surgery, and kicks wouldn’t have helped. Others students have misclassified bone chips as “bonks.” I suggest resting any POTENTIALLY “structural” injury–pull/ fracture/sprain as opposed to bruise.
Ian Jenkins
Univ. of VA