Injuries do happen. You do anything athletic for a time, tennis, touch football, baseball, running, etc., there's a good chance some type of injury will occur. No sport or self-defense system can definitely promise to be injury free. 

And think about this. This is a self-defense system. We try not to push it over into the Combat Range because we know most of our students, and ourselves included, are working folks. 

Students want to have fun, learn self-defense, and you can be serious about that without having to prove your up for the Ultimate Fighting Championships. 

On the other hand, most of what we teach isn't a sport. There are some sport aspects to Streetboxing, but injuries mostly minor, can occur. 

Know what you're getting yourself into. You're in class to either spar, or learn what causes pain and injury. If you just want exercise, take Kickbox Aerobics or dance. And guess what? You can have an injury there as well.

Now, let's talk about the nature of pain. 

Fingers are a good example, one of the more sensitive areas on your body. 

You can actually break an opponent's finger and end up with a harder fight. An adrenaline rush can cause your opponent to over ride this pain, and at least temporarily, become more dangerous. 

Pain control and compliance is another dog altogether. You put a finger lock on someone, tease them with pain, they're more likely to be controlled because their body wants to avoid injury. It's odd, but that's the way it works. You'll respond more to controlled pain than to an intense break. Unless, of course, that break is your neck or the legs you stand on. But you get the idea. 

   Pain compliance works. 

   Most of the time. 

Not all. Some people would gnaw their arm off in a fight if they thought it would help them win. One difference between us and the worst of our possible attackers is that we have a reverence for life. This is wonderful in all respects. Except a down and dirty fight. It'll get you killed. 

Remember this, however. In a real fight the first respect for life you show is to yourself. You didn't start it. You don't want to do more than is necessary, but to not defend yourself is to show a disrespect for your life. 

Sometimes pure will is more important than technique, strength, what have you. If you have them all, then you're aces. 

Rank, for example, is important and should be respected. But being a black belt does not give you a magic get out of a fight free card. 

You get into it, if for some reason you're unable to wrap it up in a few seconds, you may suffer injury. The odds are on your side if you've trained, but as the Japanese say, even monkeys fall out of trees. 

 Other reasons to stay out of situations: 
   You may well be better, but he may be lucky that day. 
   He may have a weapon. 
   You may hit him ten to one, and he may just be tough enough to take it. 
   He may be on drugs, and not feel the pain. 
   He may just have your number; his style of fighting works against yours. (A reason for cross training.) 
   He may have friends around the corner. 
   He may be loony as a six-day bike racer and have the strength of ten men on steroids. 
   He just may not care if he lives or dies. 
   You may be overconfident. 
   You may be overly merciful when you shouldn't be. You may give him an inch, and he may take your life. 
   You may not be confident enough. 
   You could be tired, sick, distracted, depressed. 
   He could actually be a martial artist and better than you. 

Any number of factors can slip in and alter the abilities of anyone. And I do mean anyone. You can judge this by your own performance in the dojo. 

Ever have one of those nights where you can do no wrong? You're on top of everything. Ever have nights when you can do no right? Ever have nights when you can do no wrong, except once and that once would have been enough to be terminal on the street? 

Ever underestimated a lower rank, or the ego of your partner, only to realize too late that you shouldn't have? 

Ever done everything wrong, and then had one sudden good moment where you could have beaten anyone? 

These are lessons. Learn them in the dojo, among friends. That way, you may not have to learn them the hard way on the street. 

But, as they also say, sometimes the bear wins. And if so, just hope he wins and leaves you a survivor. Gnawed, broken maybe, but alive. Surviving is a form of winning, and all out fighting may not allow you to defeat your opponent in a satisfactory way, but perhaps it will allow you to survive. 

This brings us back to pain. 

Pain helps you learn to cope with all this. 

It makes you understand the technique. It makes you humble. It teaches you to develop inner strength. It actually teaches you, in a strange way, to share. Think about that one. 

Pain is important. 

As Professor Wally Jay says, "PAIN MAKES BELIEVERS". 

And as I say, "it hurts because it works." 

No one is too good or too cool to learn this lesson. And that certainly includes me. 

This is a little outside of the rest of the article, but I want to talk briefly about ego. This is a tough one. I wouldn't give you ten cents for someone without an ego, but that's not the same as egotistical. 

Remember, in class, you're working with friends. If you've got a neck crank on someone, or a choke, and you feel it may be too much, it's up to you to judge. Your "opponent" when in a head crank or choke may not really know how well it's applied. I'm not saying fake it, I'm saying if it looks like it's between you proving your point and hurting your partner, back off. Don't let ego rule you, or you'll end up with an injury. There's a difference in pain and injury. It's better to be a little disappointed and have to let go of a good technique than it is to harm a partner who may not really understand how well it's applied. Head cranks and chokes are prime examples. A good blood choke often fools the opponent into thinking they're okay; they have movement, may feel on cloud nine even, but they don't know the euphoria, fear, adrenaline rush they may be experiencing, is associated with lack of blood to the brain. 

So, again. Make the technique work, but be careful. It's up to you to take care of your partner, and it's up to the partner to watch out for themselves. The best thing to do is simple. Check your ego at the door.