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djcaldwell · 09-19-2005, 01:25 PM

I happen to agree that pain threshold definitely plays part in the outcome of a fight. If it didn't then who cares who the better fighter is because you're not hurting me. MA techiniques such a joint locks are created to immobilize and generate pain - if there was no pain then we're just holding on.

Now as to conditioning, I believe it is more physical but you can also teach yourself to mentally endure more. IMHO it is the training itself that over time creates ones endurance to pain (if you don't have one already). Some people are just naturally born with a higher threshold for pain than others. I have broken my wrists, foot, nose and yeah it hurt but never as much as I thought it should have. I pulled my hamstring right off the bone it was just hanging there. That hurt very much but yet - a week later I wrapped it really tight and went out and played roller hockey (injured it worse that night) but the point is naturally I had a higher pain threshold than most.

With that, in training Muay Thai I found that my shins were no where near ready for what I was to endure. So although it hurt like hell I kept kicking and rubbing until I was able to kick that bag 100 times and feel nothing but the power I was generating. It wasn't that I trained my mind not to feel the pain but physically I trained my senses to endure more, to become accustom to what they were feeling. Mentally, I just had to endure and persevere through the lesser pain until my body was trained to deal with it.

This is different however from shall we say intense pains such as broken bones one may experience and even there is even a level of pain between a break from a clean one to a compound fracture that is going to leave you on the floor screaming I don't care how tough you are. Your bone breaks through the skin - you're freaking out.

Mentally, you can however teach yourself to ignor some pain. I have been able to work through a lot of pain by changing the focus. Now in a fight you have other factors - adrenaline being a huge one - if you are in serious fight often you don't feel anything until it's over. When I was younger I took a pounding in a street fight - durring the fight I got hit and kicked and whatever but it wasn't until the next day that I realized how hard I'd been hit that it really did hurt. If you shoudl contiune a fight with a broken arm, nose or what have you - there is not general answer to that other than to say it would have to depend on the situation.

With all due respect anyone who says they will fight through broken bones (nose excluded) they are fooling themselves. UNLESS, it is a life or death situation if you break a bone in a fight (and feel it) and don't stop - you're an idiot. If it was for my life or that of my children and felt that I would be dead even if I stopped - then that is the only time I would honestly say I would continue.

09-19-2005, 01:25 PM	#4 (permalink)
djcaldwell Registered User Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Huntington, NY Posts: 42	I happen to agree that pain threshold definitely plays part in the outcome of a fight. If it didn't then who cares who the better fighter is because you're not hurting me. MA techiniques such a joint locks are created to immobilize and generate pain - if there was no pain then we're just holding on. Now as to conditioning, I believe it is more physical but you can also teach yourself to mentally endure more. IMHO it is the training itself that over time creates ones endurance to pain (if you don't have one already). Some people are just naturally born with a higher threshold for pain than others. I have broken my wrists, foot, nose and yeah it hurt but never as much as I thought it should have. I pulled my hamstring right off the bone it was just hanging there. That hurt very much but yet - a week later I wrapped it really tight and went out and played roller hockey (injured it worse that night) but the point is naturally I had a higher pain threshold than most. With that, in training Muay Thai I found that my shins were no where near ready for what I was to endure. So although it hurt like hell I kept kicking and rubbing until I was able to kick that bag 100 times and feel nothing but the power I was generating. It wasn't that I trained my mind not to feel the pain but physically I trained my senses to endure more, to become accustom to what they were feeling. Mentally, I just had to endure and persevere through the lesser pain until my body was trained to deal with it. This is different however from shall we say intense pains such as broken bones one may experience and even there is even a level of pain between a break from a clean one to a compound fracture that is going to leave you on the floor screaming I don't care how tough you are. Your bone breaks through the skin - you're freaking out. Mentally, you can however teach yourself to ignor some pain. I have been able to work through a lot of pain by changing the focus. Now in a fight you have other factors - adrenaline being a huge one - if you are in serious fight often you don't feel anything until it's over. When I was younger I took a pounding in a street fight - durring the fight I got hit and kicked and whatever but it wasn't until the next day that I realized how hard I'd been hit that it really did hurt. If you shoudl contiune a fight with a broken arm, nose or what have you - there is not general answer to that other than to say it would have to depend on the situation. With all due respect anyone who says they will fight through broken bones (nose excluded) they are fooling themselves. UNLESS, it is a life or death situation if you break a bone in a fight (and feel it) and don't stop - you're an idiot. If it was for my life or that of my children and felt that I would be dead even if I stopped - then that is the only time I would honestly say I would continue.