Falling Apart

​Any athletic endeavor will cause nagging injuries, grappling is no different. Being sore and having parts of us not work the way they should or used to is the price we pay for the benefits we get when beating each other up. I usually have this talk with my brown belts that everything we do is hurting our health in some way simply because we are constantly deteriorating, it’s just a matter of choosing things that are either more or less beneficial in the long run. I have a plate in my hand and an ankle that sometimes still bothers me 8 years after injuring it, plus I live in a state of terminal soreness where I am so sore all the time, that I almost can’t be any sorer. No matter what path you choose there are going to be pluses and minuses, grappling is physical fitness plus practical skills, so it’s a decent path. Once again though, you have to determine what you can handle and whether it’s worth it for you.