Here I’m going to list some of the injuries I sustained in the first year of fighting, how they happened, and how to avoid them so others can learn from my many mistakes. I wont list bruises, those badges of honor are unavoidable.
Almost goes without saying, don’t take medical advice from anything I post here. See your primary care physician for any injuries you sustain on the field
So none of the highlighted areas should come as a surprise to anyone who has done any sports, whether they are contact sports or not. The elbows and knees are covered for a reason.
The ankles and feet are another matter. Make sure your boots fit, don’t cross your feet while fighting, don’t step on anything but solid ground. With armor and a shield, peoples center of balance is different than it is just wearing plain clothes. Your ability to accelerate is diminished, and so is your ability to stop.
In the first year, the most common causes of injuries are incorrect technique, over exertion and overuse. Overuse is any movement that is a repetition, you will be doing drills either alone or with others, or you may be fighting for hours on end. Pace yourself and know your limits.
Similarly, Overexertion is where you are pushing your whole body beyond its limits, this is common for someone who hasn’t been doing much activity whether sports or otherwise and then goes to an event and fights all day. Dizziness is the most common symptom along with little to no sweating, nausea and dry mouth.
Using the wrong technique is a double whammy, not only is the motion you are executing not practical [which is why its hurting you physically], but all that time doing that technique is wasted and you will have to do all those drills over again.
Uncommon injuries on the field include ankle sprains, fractures, torn knees, hamstrings and groin strains. Again, Watch your step!: pits, mud, shallow areas, a steep hill, hay-bales and yes other people. Do not step on any of these, make the Marshall and fellow fighters aware of hazards so it can be marked.
A rarer but more serious injury is a concussion which is any sudden impact to the head or even a quick stop, or a quick movement without impact. We take great care to mitigate this type of injury by checking helmets on a continuous basis. Do not depend on the Marshall to always inspect your armor, you must seek them out, and you should familiarize yourself with all safety standards. If you feel a headache, dizziness, disorientation, and/or nausea after fighting, immediately leave the field and seek medical assistance.
A quick rundown of tips to avoid injury as you start fighting:
Check your armor before you put it on, make sure nothing is dented (too badly), broken, or hanging by a thread or an inch of duct tape. You are unlikely to notice it when it does fall off during a fight, and now you have bone pain. Inspect the armor again after fighting when putting it away, and make a mental note to get repairs done as soon as possible.
One quick thing i like to do is to check other peoples armor while fighting, feel free to ask people about their armor, everyone loves talking about their kit. You’ll meet someone new, and get to know what their armor looks like in working condition, so that next time you see them, you can give them a heads up if something looks out of place. They will also love that
Conditioning: More stamina = more fighting/practice = more better. Thats that on that