Martial arts are very beneficial for the head injured, both young and old. Martial arts helps head injured individuals (of which I am one) gain supreme confidence in their abilities. Before martial arts came into my life, I was just a face in a faceless crowd. After studying martial arts I see my myself standing head and shoulders above the crowd. You see I have balance and memory problems, plus I am 56 years old. I “isn’t” what I use to be, because of my age and handicap. : )
Martial arts has helped me eliminate my handicap from my thinking. I am a Green Belt in Tae Kwon Do and I don’t plan to quit in the near future, at least until I’m a Black Belt. Each class I go to, I learn something, and the interesting thing about martial arts is that it takes mental as well as physical creativity.
What I can do now is so far above what I could do before. It is quite remarkable. I can break boards, and my flexibility has increased ten-fold. Also, my balance has improved. During my day to day work routine my balance may seem any different to some, and even to myself. But when I fight, “I FIGHT” and I become a different animal. I cast aside all fear, and I am able to conquer anything. And when I do my forms (kata) the crowd awakens from their slumber. I may make errors in my forms, but my confidence shines through. It’s funny, but until now, I didn’t realize that confidence is something different for each person, and each person can exude confidence.
Most people don’t realize they “lack” confidence. Confidence (little secret here) comes at many different levels, just like the belt progression. And without a good teacher like I have, (Mr. Marc Slomske, 5th Degree Black belt / 12 Times Grand Master Champion), it just will not come.
Since studying martial arts I have been promoted three times on my job within 1 year! My job is to inspect over 88 buildings for janitorial work. I do this for a firm fixed contract that is for 10 years!
Also by studying martial arts, my memory for little things, and big things, has improved immensely. I attribute this to learning the forms (katas). A lot of people are of the opinion that forms are useless in a real fight, and for anything else. For me personally, kata practice is required daily. Learning 23 to 100 moves for a routine (dance, though not quite:) is tasking, but rewarding. In learning a form I exercise different muscle parts, while exercising all of them. What I mean by this statement is one form concentrates on one muscle more so than another. And this holds true while you progress.
I could go on and on about the benefits of martial arts for the head-injured, but I won’t. I do want you to know, however, that on 14, January 1989, I was hit by a LincolnTown car and was forced into a mailbox, a telephone pole, and then into a brick wall in my Toyota Tercal. I had to be cut out of my car with the jaws-of-life. On March 26, Easter Sunday of 1989, I started walking again. My neurologist told me I would not be able to get a job even at McDonalds.
If you know someone with a head injury, share this article with them. If they can’t read the article, you have read it, and you can help them. If you have a loved one with a head-injury, husband, wife or child, pr friend, take them to your nearest karate studio, or judo, or kung-fu school and enroll them immediately, and you will see results, GUARANTEED!
