Training while injured

I have often heard my teacher talk about training while injured, more importantly though he actually does it himself as an example. Please note the use of the word 'injured', rather than 'highly contagious', or 'seriously ill'.

Many Budoka train frequently, with various different partners, in various different locations. Some work out, or partake in sports, others do physical tasks for work. The chance of hurting a muscle, tendon, or bone over time are high, not to mention the elements of repetition and natural aging. Eventually, something will go wrong. What then?

It really is a personal decision, but here are a few things to consider.

Training should be good for your body if done correctly. You should usually leave the dojo with a sense of well-being, as opposed to a reservation of "how much longer will I be able to do this?". Training should get the juices flowing, and serve as a source of rehabilitation for injured areas.

It is sometimes possible to learn from the injury, and use it to improve your Taijutsu. Often bad form increases the pain experienced performing certain movements. For example I once had a bad shoulder, if I did my Jodan Uke incorrectly I would experience searing pain in my nervous system. By training while injured I re-enforced myself to do a better job of it.

The injury may have happened because of something you can change (bad choice of training partner aside). It could be that you have issues with structural Kamae and movement. Other considerations might be the overall state of your health, such as extra weight and lack of flexibility. Even how we deal with the stress in our lives can effect how we move.

Injuries are a part of life, and real life does not go on hold for you. Part of training is to be able to accept and adapt to the situation. What if you are in danger while injured? It is sometimes good to test yourself a little, and see how you would 'keep going' despite an injury.

Other people might be injured too. Training with other injured people gives you both a chance to train without impacting the rest of the dojo, you can also both appreciate and protect certain areas. Training with injured people and taking their condition into account can also be good training.