Karate-do highlight #59 As cold as ice
It was a Wednesday and I was in school, probably grade 5. It was winter time and quite cold outside. Me and my friends decided it would be fun to find an ice patch and do some sliding on it during recess. Inevitably, I slipped, fell and landed very poorly on my wrist. The pain was significant. I immediately felt nauseous, and noticed my wrist swell up. I left school, went home and got some rest.
I grew up in an environment which encouraged a "suck it up" attitude. Hospital visits for things like this were unlikely and missing karate class for things like this were equally unlikely. And so, I proceeded to unwisely attend class.
After the basic class, a brown and black belt class was always held. At this period in time there was usually 15-20 students in class, with myself being the youngest and most inexperienced so it was common that I would be the target of much of the feedback.
We were asked to form into pairs for a punching and blocking excercise, and I happened to be paired up with the leader of the class. It was my turn to punch while he blocked and naturally, my left sided punches were very weak. Of course, the instructor, with no knowledge of my injury immediately encouraged me to punch with more strength! I replied with "yes sir" but I applied no more strength into my punch. In fact, my punches likely got weaker each time he instructed me to strike harder but not due to lack of effort. He repeated this instruction 3-4 times. Gritting my teeth, eyes swelling up, I was giving it my all, exhausting my efforts and for some reason, the thought never crossed my mind to inform him of my injury of the same day, I just kept blurting out "yes sir!".
He was soon able to read my body language and I can only assume that he came to the conclusion that something was wrong and he finally let up.
Mostly what I learned from this experience was to be vocal about any limits I might have. I was taught to be a "tough guy" while being just a kid which In some ways has strengthened me but being ignorant to the inevitable short comings we may face is unrealistic. Manage expectations and know our weaknesses will allow us to grow and turn them into strengths.
Secondly, I took away a valuable lesson from this experience understanding that no matter what our limitations are, in some circumstances, letting your limits get in your way will slow you down and sometimes we all need a voice in our ear telling us "don't quit" "push harder" "everything you've got and more".
Sensei
Another great lesson, Sensei. This really shows the balance between resilience and wisdom. Pushing through challenges can build character, but knowing when to speak up about our limitations is just as important. I especially liked the reminder that our weaknesses don’t define us—they can become strengths when we acknowledge them and work on them. Thank you for sharing another meaningful story and lesson.