Getting Hit

Since I've been in Karate, I've been hit many times. The blows are supposed to be controlled, but every so often something lands hard. I've been punched. I've been kicked. I've been whacked in all sorts of interesting ways.

Before I was in Karate, I'd never been punched, or kicked...and I doubt I'd ever been whacked.

Some people join martial arts to protect themselves. I guess they want to prevent being attacked. You know, not punched, nor whacked, nor kicked.

Seems a pretty silly way to prevent getting hit, by getting hit....a lot. Maybe they don't want to be afraid of being hit. I'm sure not scared of that anymore. Get hit enough and it kind of loses its novelty.

Sometimes getting hit is funny. Sometimes it's cool to get hit hard and just keep going. One does learn the difference between pain that means nothing, and pain that means injury. Injury, and you stop to take care of it. Pain without injury, no point in stopping.

Some of the exercises we do have pain as a major component. Knuckle push ups do that. Push ups on the back of the wrist do ONLY that. That kind of pain doesn't injure, so you just learn to ignore it. Ignore it, and never show what you're feeling.

In combat, it isn't about getting hit a little. In combat, it isn't about feeling pain. It is about continuing the best you can. Showing weakness invites attack. Pain is hidden. Injury is hidden. Showing anything could get you killed.

I don't mind getting hit, or feeling a little pain.

One thing I'll never be able to accept is when I hit someone else harder than I should, or cause them pain. That hurts.