After training care....

Best advice on this is to chill and relax. Listen to your body and do what you need. I notice that most dojo-cho (bar a few restless Americans) like to relax, eat and drink well and have a good sleep after keiko. Common sense eh? In Japan, Eric and I would regularly jump into an onsen after keiko and just melt away for an hour or so. Sometimes if we could make it, we would even head out for an after-keiko surf! Heaven sent. Eric also regularly ices his knees after keiko and running. They don't really bother him that much, he says, it's just preventative medicine and something that he hopes will help sustain his keiko into his twilight years. (This is recommended advice that every physiotherapist I have encountered has given me)
Sensei likes to see a masseur or seitaiin (like a japanese chiro) every two weeks or so and he loves it. Adam and Chad like to finish with a Guinness or 2 afterwards and tell jokes whilst Dale likes to either sleep, talk shop or talk about the organisation till the early hours of the morning. Some buyu seem invincible to me. I often wonder why they need to do martial arts? Some can get by without (what seems to me) adequate rest, sleep, food, hydration etc and be on fire the next day!
The power of the mind I guess....
In any case, Sessa Takuma Dojo-in, please pay attention to your body and figure out what works well with you. You can never experiment enough and you can never stop learning. Stretch, ice (if need be), keep fluids up and sleep well!!
Osu!

Comments

Travis said…
I agree. I ice knees after running and after long sessions of keiko. Not because I have pain but to prevent too much inflammatory fluid gathering around the joints. Even if you've had an old injury that no longer bothers you, this is a smart move for longevity of training...and admit it, who wants to have to slow down later in life before your time due to aching joints. Over time, this seemingly harmless and unnoticed fluid (doesn't always present itself in the joints as noticeable swelling or pain) can break down healthy cartilage & meniscus material. As westerner's we're more prone to this type of joint reaction. Hydration is a major point also, even when you're not training.

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