Tuesday, April 29, 2008

They call me Bruise

What a whopper - my first karate bruise


My ankle looks worse than it feels.

I didn't even realize it was bruised until the next day and I had no idea how it happened. I think my ankle was kicked while sparring.

This bruise however I'll never forget:


I went to kick someone's thigh, and was checked by his shin. CRACK!

The lump on my shin was there for nearly a month.

It doesn't look bad in the photo, but it prompted me to invest in some shin pads for future sparring.

Kyokushin Karate prides itself on being a pad-free full contact style, but these early bruises make me question how long I'll last.

I'm committed to staying at the dojo for at least a year to improve my fitness, but I'll augment my primary goal: get fit WHILE AVOIDING HOSPITALIZATION.