Besides prayer, there is no activity that brings me greater joy than to fight.
So you can imagine my despair when my doctor strongly urges me today, for medical reasons, to give it up.
To describe the shock in the language of a martial artist, it was, well... err... like a kick in the groin.
"There are many other sports...", he says in corcordance with the advice of my dear mother, "... that cause less trauma."
Trauma!? The trauma of absorbing a physical strike does not compare to the psychological trauma of making this decision.
Time to turn to my number one love for a much-needed assistance.
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Basically, my thumb has been swollen for a couple of months now without decreasing in swelling, so, reluctantly, on the advice of my parents (may Allah bestow His mercy on them), I went down to see the GP.
So I am there, he has a look at it, says it is broken (to my surprise), tells me to massage it regularly to aid the healing process and then asks, "how did you it?"
So I say, without giving it a second thought, "boxing".
And this is when he gives me the kick in the groin: "What! With your condition (a slight deformity of my red blood cells) you should not be doing any kind of sport that causes any kind of trauma..."
What is the link between my red blood cells and fighting? Apparantly I bruise and bleed easy. That would explain the frequency and abundance with which I amass injuries.
Dilemma, dilemma: Do I bear through the pain and continue doing what I love so dearly or grudgingly divorce it and take up a less traumative, less primitive, less competitive, less me kind of sport?
Thanks for the advice bro. However, the fact that I am deliberating over it does not show that it is not right to continue it, as you said, but shows that it may not be right to continue. Hence my deliberating over it.
Abusing my body? No way. I am doing it a favour. What doesn't kill me will only make me stronger, insha Allah.
Yup, the same blood condition that prevented the Himalayas trip. But looking back on it, my doctor's arguments are a bit shaky. I plan to make an appointment with a specialist. We will see what comes of that.
Football! That is more dangerous than the martial arts. Funnily, I gave up football a few years ago because of a recurring knee injury and started the martial arts because of that, to fill the void.
As for teaching, I try and refrain from that. I end up pushing my students too hard and breaking them (not in the physical sense).
And as for scrabble, bro, you have too much time on your hands, get married! "The world is but a (quick passing) enjoyment; and the best enjoyment of the world is a pious and virtuous woman."
Adil, don't listen to him, keep fighting, everyone suffers adversities and set backs, its just to test our committment.
Look what MMA has given you, your one of the fittest brothers i know, the discipline, the challenge.
Until you get a serious injury, which inshallah you never will, there is no reason to stop, as long as you feel healthy.
As for the teaching, thats where i see us going long term inshallah, there is no point in learning a skill if we don't pass it on. There is a reason why he made us so passionate for the sport, we must set up a school one day, think about it, all the youth, looking for a channel for their energy and frustration.
You were a good teacher, its just that your students were lacking and didn't share the same hunger, you never broke me!!
Thanks for the kind words of encouragement Welsh Warrior.
As for getting to a level to teach, man, injuries aside, I am struggling to get my overly committed self away and into the gym even twice a week. I need the frequent reminder from brothers like yourself for me to focus and prioritise the martial arts. Make Du'a... and the frequent reminder!
I hope your knee is better. May Allah give you a swift and complete recovery.
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